Buddhist Precepts, Ethics and Sexual Misconduct

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I was invited to attend a Buddhist meeting last night. The focus of this meeting was on Buddhist precepts and modern ethics.

For the Buddhist layperson, there are only five precepts: (1) No killing, (2) No stealing, (3) No sexual misconduct, (4) No inappropriate speech, (5) No substance abuse.

I was not one of the keynote speakers last night. But I was invited to offer my thoughts and comments on what was presented because I am known to have taught Buddhist sexuality/sexual ethics for three decades. What received the most attention was the Third Precept — the one on “sexual misconduct.” This is understandable. There is much ambiguity as to what constitutes “sexual misconduct.” There are also questions about whether Buddhist ethics should evolve as society changes. After all, the original Buddhist precepts were established over two millennia ago. Human society has changed substantially. It would make sense that the Buddhist moral code would also change as society changes and the modern understanding of what is ethical changes accordingly. Buddha was the one who taught about impermanence. He definitely anticipated that the moral code for the Sangha would also change with the times. Having said that, human nature does not change very much over time. In Buddhist circles, there is also a divide between the Originalists who are conservative…