Insights from the lived experience of Buddhist ethics: implications for social work ethics education
Abstract
ABSTRACT Ethics is largely dominated by European curriculum which includes Western moral theories such as deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and care ethics. To decenter this dominant ethics curriculum, the present phenomenological study explored the moral lived experience of ethics for Korean Buddhist (male and female) monastics (N = 21). Using three-level qualitative coding, data were thematically analyzed. Findings revealed three overarching themes (1) the importance of the saṅgha and community care, (2) the presence of ethical tensions, and (3) ethics as a practice. Each theme had two sub-themes. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of how these insights from the lived experience of Buddhist ethics may inform and advance social work ethics education beyond the Eurocentric curriculum. KEYWORDS: Decenter, ethics, lived experience, Buddhism, social work Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). Notes 1. In other words, Theravaˉda is an Abhidharma tradition (the only one still in existence today), and Zen is a Mahaˉyaˉna tradition. 2. In Sanskrit, anaˉtman (see Buswell & Lopez, 2014). 3. Per Harvey (2000), vinaya are rules. 4. Per Buswell and Lopez (2014), s´i¯la refers to ethical behavior (right speech, right action, right livelihood). 5. Per Harvey (2000), Bhikkhu and Bhikkhunī are the Paˉli words for monk and nun. 6. Per Buswell and Lopez (2014), this is a Buddhist hybrid Sanskrit word. It is also referred to as samgha (p. 750). Sanga is a ‘Paˉli and Sanskrit variation of community’ (p. 768). 7. Anaˉtman replaces our traditional notion of the ‘person’ as a composite of five parts (skandhas): material (ruˉpa), feeling/sensation (vedanā), perception (saṃjn´a¯), mental activity/volition (saṃskaˉra), and consciousness (vijñaˉna). Bibiana D. Koh (she/her) joined the School of Social Work at Salisbury University as an Associate Professor in Fall 2021. She was previously at Augsburg University (Minneapolis, Minnesota) for nine years, where she held a three-year university appointment (2018-2021) as the Batalden Scholar in Applied Ethics. Dr. Koh’s research focuses on the intersections of race, ethnicity, culture, and ethics. Dr. Koh currently serves as the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) coordinator for the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) at Salisbury University.
Faculty Members
- Bibiana D. Koh - School of Social Work, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD, USA
Themes
- Buddhist ethics
- Ethical tensions
- Lived experiences and moral understanding
- Practical application of ethics in social work education
- Community and care in ethics
- Decentering Western ethics
Categories
- Curriculum and instruction
- Humanities, other
- Education, general
- Education research
- Religion religious studies
- Ethnic studies
- Education, other
- Sociology, general
- Social sciences nec
- Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies nec
- Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies
- Social sciences, other
- Theological and ministerial studies
- Bible biblical studies
- Humanities
- Social sciences
- Sociology, demography, and population studies
- Higher education evaluation and research
- Philosophy and religious studies
- Applied linguistics
- Sociology, demography, and population studies nec
- Education
- Educational assessment, evaluation, and research methods
- Humanities and humanistic studies
- Area studies
- Philosophy