The latest article at the BellaOnline Buddhism site is:

The Jataka Tales - Buddhist Morality Fables

I love fables and folktales from all different cultures and the stories of the Jataka Tales are amongst the oldest Buddhist writings. They are presented as past lives of the Buddha, and feature both animal and human lives. They teach different Buddhist morals and ethics, and are often taught to children.

Dear Lisa,
To most people who are not Buddhists,morality is a word relatind to good and bad
even sins.
Not so in Buddhism,morality is individual,has only consequence the karma ,attached to the act.,
There are 5 sins in Buddhism
Killing a Buddha
Killing an Arahant
Killing one,s father
Killing one,mother
Killing one,s sibblings.
There is however no penalty,Except the heavy bad karma it carries.

Loong the learner

I have not specifically come across this list of 5 before, where did you find it?

There are 'levels' to Buddhist teachings, just as in other religious writings. The Jataka Tales are pretty moralistic in the traditional sense. The bad guys are usually punished in some way and the good guys are rewarded. It's usually a karmic punishment or reward, but the end result is very similar to fables and folktales from other religions. I think it's because they are often used with children or beginning practitioners.

You might be surprised at how Buddhism is practiced as a formal religion in some countries. In those forums it is very moralistic, and sometimes it even sounds like they talk in terms of a kind of heaven and hell. This is not my favorite kind of Buddhism, but on a world level, it is probably the most widespread.

Dear Lisa,

Did some more research on the 5 sins of buddhism.Found 3 places
where they are mentionned.When I wrote about the 5 sins ,I was doing it out of memory.

On the site of Religion facts /Buddhism,here is what is written

Rebirth in hell (Naraka)
patricide,matricide,killing of an arahat,the wounding of a buddha,creating a schism in a sangha.

With respect
Loong

Oh that makes sense, it is part of the teachings on what causes us to incarnate in one realm or another. It almost sounds Judeo-Christian doesn't it? That is the interesting thing as one studies religions - one realizes how many different variations there are in each one, and yet common themes are repeated.

As you know, I don't tend to relate to these moralistic teachings so much, but they are definitely out there. I just find that thinking in terms of 'reward' and 'punishment' keeps us trapped in a dualistic way of thinking. It keeps us trapped in thinking in the ego terms of 'following the rules' and getting rewarded, or 'breaking the rules' and getting punished. It is a limiting form of practice. But a starting point for many people.

Dear lisa

Maybe ,I do not understand right,the way ,I,understand your post,is that karma,is not in your views regarding acts ,good or bad?

Loong

I only mean that in Buddhism, enlightenment is not a reward for good behavior, in the way that heaven is presented as a kind of reward for good behavior in Christianity. The same with the hell realms or lower incarnations - it isn't meant to be a judgment or punishment. Teachings on karma are really that all states have momentum, that is what karma is. If you fall into a low enough state to commit a terrible act such as murder, there is an 'effect' of that in the world and your own awareness that will pull you even lower, UNLESS you engage in true practice and are able to realize the four Noble truths for yourself.

It might seem like a subtle difference, but I think it is very important. Really the essence of practice. We are not practicing to be rewarded by a higher power, and we don't abstain from destructive behavior out of a fear of punishment. We practice to realize the truth of our beings. When we do, and once we can live from that realization, we will not be caught in a state in which we could do such destructive acts. And we do not have to force ourselves to be kind of compassionate, we simply are.

So I don't mean that acts aren't 'good' or 'bad'. I just mean that judging them so is not what practice is about. And meeting external guides for behavior isn't what practice is about either. For beginners, this is useful guidance, but it isn't the essence of practice.

DearLisa,

I know about Karma,I know about enlightenment ,they are the result of cause and effect,and enlightenment is not paradise like the chistian have.
loong

Yes, I know you know all this. But I think emotionally sometimes we still relate to our practice this way, out of habit. By 'we' I mean almost everyone. There is still some part of us that is focused on 'getting it right', or on 'being good'. It is difficult to break the emotional pattern of subconsciously trying to please an external authority figure or 'God'. Even when intellectually we think we are beyond that. The patterns of self-judgement run very deep, and we are conditioned as children to try and please our parents, our teachers, our authority figures, and 'God'.

So that is what I meant - that true practice moves beyond these patterns of judging ourselves as 'good' or 'bad', 'worthy' or 'unworthy'. We simply are, and we deal with whatever arises in our mind, in our being. This is what I mean by practice not being about morality.

To Lisa,
Boy you're good.Right on the button.
Looking for perfection,in a human body,Past ideas ,limits, coming back.Glad you are back,

With outmost respect.
loong
Mahayana