Excellent observations with good links. Thank you! I recommend reading those links and asking questions if anything in unclear.
Sila (moral conduct) is established in two ways:
1. Avoiding immoral deeds (killing, stealing, lying, etc) leads to a sense of relief/calmness. As pointed out above, “Here, the most striking thing is how Sila can be a source of great joy in one’s life.”
- One does not need to delve into the deeper meanings of Buddha’s teachings to see this aspect.
- However, for a puthujjana (average person), it is easy to be tempted by “sensory temptations” and break this sila.
2. When one comprehends the Four Noble Truths/Paticca Samuppada/Tilakkhana, one can see the drawbacks/dangers of “giving in to sensory temptations.” Enjoying sensory pleasures (especially when that involves killing, stealing, lying, etc.) ALWAYS lead to bad outcomes in the long run.
- When that truth sinks into the mind (at the Sotapanna stage), one does not need to think about the drawbacks consciously all the time. That idea is PERMANENTLY established in that person’s mind. That is expressed by saying that a Sotapanna has removed three of the ten samyojana (mental bonds that bind one to the rebirth process.) Those three “ditthi samyojana” bind one to the rebirths in the apayas.
- That is why a Sotapanna is free of rebirths in the apayas. He/she has “Ariyakanta sila” or “unbreakable sila of a Noble Person.” This is achieved by understanding the Buddha’s “wider worldview” and getting rid of wrong views about this world and the “(illusory) temporary pleasures it offers.”