It is very important to keep on remembering that the goal of the Buddha is teaching is to rid ourselves of delusion and wrong thinking. We first need to have a solid moral background in order to development of mindfulness (Sati).
We will experience guilt, shame, worry, regret ,anxiety and so on ; all of which will make the practice of meditation extremely difficult, if not altogether impossible.
The Buddha used similes to clarify the effects of these. He compared sensuous desire with water mixed with many, many colours. Ill will as boiling water. Laziness and sleepiness being like water covered in mosses. And sceptical doudt as cloudy and muddy water.so in the presence of these 5 mental hindrances, one cannot clearly discern one is own benefit , nor that of others, nor that of both.
These powers are (1) Faith or confidence (2) Energy (3) Mindfulness (4) Concentration and (5) Wisdom.
So far I have concerned myself with talking about personal ethics. But Buddhist ethics can, of course, be applied to the world at large.
Man-made moral laws and customs do not form Buddhist Ethics.
Man-made laws and social customs do not form the basis of Buddhist ethics. For example, the styles of dress that are suitable for one climate , period or civilization may be considered indecent in another; but this is entirely a matter of social custom and does not in any way involve ethical considerations. Yet the artificialities of social conventions are continually confused with ethical principles that valid and unchanging.
The theory of Buddhist ethics finds its practical expression in the various precepts. These precepts or disciplines are nothing but general guides to show the direction in which the Buddhist ought to
Turn to on his way to final salvation. Although many of these precepts are expressed in a negative
Form, we must not think that Buddhist morality, consists of abstaining from evil without the complement of doing good.
In Buddhism , the distinction between what is good and what is bad is very simple : all actions that have their roots in greed, hatred, and delusion – that spring from selfishness- and promote the harmful delusion of selfhood.