Examines ethical data from early and later sources in an attempt to understand the theoretical nature of Buddhist ethics and clarify it's role. The widely held view that ethics is only of limited or provisional validity is rejected as is the characterization of Buddhist ethics as "utilitarian". This book draws on the Aristotleian tradition of ethics in suggesting that moral as well as intellectual perfection is a constituent of the final good or nirvana.
Damien Keown examines early and later schools of Buddhism to provide a comprehensive account of the structure of Buddhist ethics. The importance of ethics in the Buddha's teachings is widely acknowledged，but the pursuit of ethical ideals has up to now been widely held to be secondary to the attainment of knowledge. Drawing on the Aristotelian tradition of ethics, Keown argues against this intellectualization of Buddhism and in favor of a new understanding of the tradition in terms of which ethics plays a central role.
