What is sila?

Sila (sīla; Sanskrit śīla) means ethical conduct, virtue or moral discipline. It is the first of the three trainings of the Buddhist path, together with concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā). Sila is about how we act and speak, and the intentions behind our actions.

The basis of the path

Buddhist teachers often compare sila to the ground that a house is built on. A mind troubled by regret, fear of being found out, or conflict with others finds it hard to settle in meditation. When we act with care and honesty, there is a natural ease and lack of remorse. That ease makes concentration possible, and concentration supports wisdom.

In the Noble Eightfold Path, sila covers three factors: right speech, right action and right livelihood.

The precepts

For lay Buddhists, sila is usually expressed through the five precepts. These are training rules that a person takes on voluntarily:

• to refrain from killing living beings
• to refrain from taking what is not given
• to refrain from sexual misconduct
• to refrain from false speech
• to refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind

They are not commandments handed down by a god. They are undertakings, each phrased as “I undertake the training rule to refrain from…”. On observance days some lay people keep eight precepts, and monks and nuns follow the much longer monastic code, the Vinaya.

In one sutta the Buddha calls keeping the five precepts a “great gift”, because a person who keeps them gives safety and freedom from fear to countless beings.

Intention matters

The Buddha said that intention is what he calls karma. Sila is therefore not just about outward behaviour. It involves noticing the intentions that lead to harm, such as greed, hatred and delusion, and choosing differently. Mahayana traditions add bodhisattva precepts, which emphasise acting for the benefit of others, not only avoiding harm.

Sila in daily life

You can begin by reflecting on the precepts at the start of each day, or by choosing one to pay attention to for a week. When you fall short, the Buddhist approach is to notice it, resolve to do better and move on, without dwelling in guilt. Over time, ethical conduct becomes less a set of rules and more a natural expression of a kind and clear mind.