Key Terms/Śīla
Basic Meaning
Has the Sense of
Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): While pramāṇa focuses on epistemology, the cultivation of śīla is considered a prerequisite for developing the mental clarity and stability necessary for valid cognition (pramāṇa) of subtle truths, especially those realized through meditative insight (bhāvanāmayī prajñā). A disciplined ethical life reduces mental agitation and biases, allowing for a more objective and penetrating analysis of reality.
Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Mahāyāna, śīla is elevated to the status of a perfection (pāramitā), known as śīlapāramitā (T. tshul khrims kyi pha rol tu phyin pa). This perfection is not merely about adherence to rules but is deeply infused with bodhicitta (the aspiration to attain enlightenment for all beings) and the wisdom realizing emptiness (śūnyatā). The scope of Mahāyāna śīla is traditionally defined by three cumulative categories:
- Saṃvaraśīla (T. sdom pa’i tshul khrims): The discipline of restraint, encompassing the avoidance of the ten non-virtues and upholding the Bodhisattva vows.
- Kuśaladharmasaṃgrāhakaśīla (T. dge ba chos sdud kyi tshul khrims): The discipline of actively gathering or cultivating all virtuous dharmas, such as practicing the other perfections, studying, reflecting, and meditating on the teachings.
- Sattvārthakriyāśīla or Sattvānugrāhakaśīla (T. sems can don byed kyi tshul khrims): The discipline of working for the welfare of all sentient beings through various skillful means. This aspect highlights the compassionate and altruistic dimension of Mahāyāna ethics.
Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna, while fully incorporating the foundational principles of śīla from the Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna, there is an additional layer of specific vows and commitments known as samaya (T. dam tshig). These are taken in relation to the tantric guru, deities, and practices. Maintaining pure samaya is considered paramount in Vajrayāna for spiritual progress and avoiding obstacles. The three types of śīla (restraint, gathering virtue, benefiting beings) are understood and practiced within the unique framework of tantric view and methods, often emphasizing the transformation of all experiences into the path.
Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, sīla (T. tshul khrims) refers to virtuous conduct and is the first of the three trainings (sikkhā: sīla, samādhi, paññā). It is the foundation upon which concentration and wisdom are built. Sīla generally involves abstaining from unwholesome actions of body and speech. Key components include the Five Precepts (pañcasīla) for lay practitioners, the Eight or Ten Precepts for more committed lay practitioners or during observances, and the extensive Pāṭimokkha rules for monastic sangha. Its cultivation leads to a blameless life, mental calm, and favorable rebirth, and is indispensable for progress towards Nibbāna. The Pāli term khrims is given the etymology of "cooling" the fevers of defilements.
East Asian Buddhism Context: Śīla (Ch. jiè, Jp. kai, Kr. kye) is a fundamental concept across East Asian Buddhist traditions. Monastic discipline (vinaya) and the upholding of precepts are central, with specific developments like the Bodhisattva precepts of the Brahmajāla Sūtra (Ch. Fanwang jing) being particularly influential in Mahāyāna schools. Various schools may emphasize different aspects, from strict monastic adherence (e.g., Risshū in Japan) to interpretations that integrate precepts with specific meditative practices or philosophical views, such as in Zen (Ch. Chan) where precepts are often seen as expressions of the inherently pure Buddha-nature.
Discussion of the term
Simon's Dharma Corner discussion goes here : )
| Term Variations | |
| Key Term | Śīla |
|---|---|
| Topic Variation | śīla |
| Tibetan | ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་ ( tsultrim) |
| Wylie Transliteration | tshul khrims ( tsultrim) |
| Devanagari Sanskrit | शील |
| Romanized Sanskrit | śīla |
| Chinese | 戒 |
| Chinese Pinyin | jiè |
| Japanese Transliteration | kai |
| Korean | kye |
| Buddha-nature Site Standard English | Discipline |
| Alternate Spellings | sīla, tshul khrims, sila, morality, ethics |
| Term Information | |
| Source Language | Sanskrit |
| Further Explanation | Simon's Dharma Corner discussion goes here : ) |
| Term Type | Noun |
| Definitions | |
| Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism | śīla. (P. sīla; T. tshul khrims; C. jie; J. kai; K. kye 戒). In Sanskrit, “morality”; those practices whose aim is to restrain nonvirtuous deeds of body and speech, often in conjunction with the keeping of precepts. Morality constitutes one of the three trainings (TRIŚIKṢĀ), together with SAMĀDHI and PRAJÑĀ, and the second of the six perfections (PĀRAMITĀ). In the traditional organization of the constituents of the noble eightfold path (ĀRYĀṢṬĀṄGAMĀRGA) under the rubrics of the three higher trainings (adhiśikṣā), the “morality group” (śīlaskandha; see ADHIŚĪLAŚIKṢĀ) consists of right speech (S. SAMYAGVĀC; P. sammāvācā), right action (S. SAMYAKKARMĀNTA; P. sammākammanta), and right livelihood (S. SAMYAGĀJĪVA; P. sammājīva). The term also appears in the five precepts, or PAÑCAŚĪLA, the five precepts taken by the Buddhist laity: “I undertake the training rules (ŚIKṢĀPADA) to abstain from” (1) killing living creatures, (2) stealing, (3) sexual misconduct, (4) false speech, and (5) consuming intoxicants.
In the context of the bodhisattva’s perfection of morality (ŚĪLAPĀRAMITĀ), the meaning of śīla is expanded to encompass the taking and keeping of the bodhisattva precepts (BODHISATTVASAṂVARA); see SAṂVARA; ŚĪLAPĀRAMITĀ; ŚĪLATRAYA.
It is clear that the work was known to the Pāli exegete BUDDHAGHOSA, who made use of it in composing his VISUDDHIMAGGA, although he does not cite it by name. Like the Visuddhimagga, the Vimuttimagga sets forth the path in terms of the three trainings in morality (P. sīla; S. ŚĪLA), meditation (SAMĀDHI), and wisdom (P. paññā; S. PRAJÑĀ).
The mokṣabhāgīyas are generally concerned with the temporary allayment of the influence of the three major afflictions (KLEŚA)—viz., greed (LOBHA), hatred (DVEṢA), and ignorance (MOHA)—by cultivating the three kuśalamūlas of nongreed (ALOBHA), nonhatred (ADVEṢA), and nondelusion (AMOHA). These factors are “conducive to liberation” by encouraging such salutary actions as giving (DĀNA), keeping precepts (ŚĪLA), and learning the dharma. |
| Tshig mdzod Chen mo | ཤཱིལ སྤོང་བའི་སེམས་པ་སྟེ། ཚུལ་འཆལ་གྱི་གདུང་བ་སེལ་བའམ། བཅས་རང་གི་ཁ་ན་མ་ཐོ་བ་སྤོང་བའི་སེམས་པའོ། མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས་ལ་སྡོམ་ཁྲིམས་དང༌། སྡོམ་པ། ཚངས་པར་སྤྱོད་པ་བཅས་སོ། |
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