R8_TransferTest

Part 4. Right Action

Right Action is the fourth aspect of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. It is the second of three aspects that concern themselves with ethical conduct. By practicing Right Action we are training ourselves to be morally upright, and we’re also being careful not to cause harm to others or ourselves through our actions. By practicing Right Action we begin to see how unwholesome actions lead to unwholesome states of mind, which perpetuate our day-to-day suffering.

Specifically, Right Action means that we abstain from harming or killing any living being (including ourselves), intentionally or otherwise. It also means that we don’t steal, commit fraud or be dishonest. Practicing Right Action is especially important in sexual matters. The Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta breaks it down further, stating that one should not get involved sexually with people “who are protected by their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives, or their Dhamma; those with husbands, those who entail punishments, or even those crowned with flowers by another man.” Personally, I take that to mean that I don’t pursue women that are underage, women that still live with their families, or women that are in monogamous relationships.