Page 92 - The Buddha‘s Noble Eightfold Path

quite hard going. But if we stick it out, if we banish those visions

of plum cake, craving is gradually reduced and eventually we
shall reach a happy state where there is no craving at all, and

where we never even think of that particular thing. Our
abstention from plum cake is now no longer a disciplinary
measure, but has become a genuine expression of the state of

non-craving to which we have attained.

In any case the Silas or Precepts are not just lists of rules, though
when you come across them in books on Buddhism they may
indeed read like that. Only too often the Buddha is represented

as telling people all the things they should not do, and the
impression is created that Buddhism is a very dreary and

negative business. But the Silas are, in reality, just patterns of
ethical behaviour. They are the natural expression of certain
skilful mental states. Since they are the natural expression of

skilful mental states we can find out to what extent we have
developed those states by checking our behaviour against the

Silas. This provides us with a rough and ready check. Let us take
a quick look, therefore, at just a few of these sets of Silas or
patterns of ethical behaviour. As lists of rules they will be

familiar to many, so we need not spend too much time on them.
In any case we do not want to identify Perfect Action too closely

with any of its specific expressions, however worthy and noble
they may be.

First, however, let me make one observation. Different people's
patterns of external ethical behaviour may be identical, but their

mental states — the mental states behind the patterns — may
be quite different. This may sound a little complicated, but it is
really very simple. Supposing for example, three different

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