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Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness pp 89–113Cite as

Sīla and Sati: An Exploration of Ethics and Mindfulness in Pāli Buddhism and Their Implications for Secular Mindfulness-Based Applications

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Part of the book series: Mindfulness in Behavioral Health ((MIBH))

Abstract

This chapter explores the ancient Buddhist roots of mindfulness, specifically the relation between mindfulness (sati) and ethics (sīla) in early Buddhism, and their implications for secular mindfulness-based applications. The ancient Pāli canon contains some of the earliest documented teachings of the historical Buddha including his dialogues with various interlocutors such as his students. It is therefore a crucial resource for scholars seeking to understand the ancient roots of mindfulness as a style of meditation, especially its ethical and moral dimensions. My basic argument is that we can learn from the ethical psychology of early Buddhism and this encounter may help us to develop our applications of secular mindfulness in ethically sensitive ways. I review the role of ethics, morality and virtue in early Buddhism and some of the functions of sati (mindfulness) in the Buddha’s teachings. By returning to the ancient sources of Buddhism, we can arguably engage more directly with the ethical and moral basis of the early psychology of mindfulness, and thereby better understand and evaluate the social and political meanings and functions of mindfulness-based applications in modern day society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, CF10 3WT, Cardiff, Wales, UK

    Steven Stanley

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  1. Steven Stanley
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Correspondence to Steven Stanley .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Awake to Wisdom Centre for Meditation and Mindfulness Research, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Edo Shonin

  2. Awake to Wisdom Centre for Meditation and Mindfulness Research, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    William Van Gordon

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior , Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University , Augusta , Georgia, USA

    Nirbhay N. Singh

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Stanley, S. (2015). Sīla and Sati: An Exploration of Ethics and Mindfulness in Pāli Buddhism and Their Implications for Secular Mindfulness-Based Applications. In: Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., Singh, N. (eds) Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness. Mindfulness in Behavioral Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18591-0_6

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