The Ethics of Actions and Their Consequence: An Exploration

Thay discusses the Four Noble Truths and how Buddhist teachings differ from several other philosophies in regards to defining right actions, right thoughts, and right speech. Some of the other philosophies Thay uses as comparisons include the divine command theory, consequentialism (a term coined by Elizabeth Anscombe), and utilitarianism as written by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Thay also discusses how suffering and happiness inter-are and the importance of promoting correction over punishment, especially when working with inmates in the United States. He ends with sharing the practice of oil pulling for detoxification in order to increase well-being.

This is the ninth talk of a series of thirteen given during The Path of the Buddha, twenty-one-day retreat in June of 2009. Thay offered this talk at the Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.