TLDR

Right action comprises of three parts:

  1. Not killing living creatures
  2. Not stealing
  3. Not engaging in sexual misconduct.

Excerpts

Summary of Right Action

And what is right action? Avoiding killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual activity (PJ: note that this is for monastics, who are celibates. For lay persons, the standard is avout giving up sexual misconduct.). This is called right action.

More details

And how is principled and moral conduct threefold by way of body? It’s when a certain person gives up killing living creatures. They renounce the rod and the sword. They’re scrupulous and kind, living full of compassion for all living beings.

They give up stealing. They don’t, with the intention to commit theft, take the wealth or belongings of others from village or wilderness.

They give up sexual misconduct. They don’t have sexual relations with women who have their mother, father, both mother and father, brother, sister, relatives, or clan as guardian. They don’t have sexual relations with a woman who is protected on principle, or who has a husband, or whose violation is punishable by law, or even one who has been garlanded as a token of betrothal. This is how principled and moral conduct is threefold by way of body.

-MN 41 - to the People of Sala

Explanations

Right Action in the Eightfold Path is focused on bodily actions. Thus, the main focus is on three aspects:

  • not killing
  • not stealing
  • not engaging in sexual misconduct.

Not killing

Not killing living beings refers to all types of living, sentient beings. In the more detailed explanation of MN 41, it is clear that not killing extends to doing its opposite i.e. being kind, compassionate & scrupulous: “They renounce the rod and the sword. They’re scrupulous and kind, living full of compassion for all living beings”.

Implicit in this statement, is that killing by negligence is probably not good: negligence is the opposite of scrupulousness.

Right Action through avoiding killing is also about deliberate thoughtfulness, and proactively being kind and compassionate to all living beings.

Not stealing

With avoiding stealing, the important thing is to not have the intention to take what belongs to others. This means that accidentally taking what belongs to others does not fall into the category of theft: intention is important here.

No sexual misconduct

With giving up sexual misconduct, the main principle here is to avoid sexual relations with parties who are protected by others or by the law. Sexual misonduct as defined by the Buddha here includes non-consensual relations, sex with minors, or sex with someone who is engaged to someone else.

Interestingly, in India in those times, it seems to have been common for men to have multiple wives (e.g. see Ugga the Householder, who had four teenage wives).

Notably, this definition of sexual misconduct does not include homosexual relations i.e. homosexual relationships are not considered to be sexual misconduct in Early Buddhism. This is reinforced through an examination of the Vinaya, where examples of same-gender sexual acts are mentioned in the same light as straight sexual acts.

Exercises

Examination

  1. Which aspects of Right bodily Action do you already keep?
  2. Which aspects of Right bodily Action do you struggle to keep?
  3. Besides avoiding killing living beings, how do you actively practice deliberate thoughtfulness, kindness and compassion to all living beings?
  4. How are you avoiding stealing and sexual misconduct in your personal affairs?

Exercise with Orbit