← 10% Happier with Dan Harris

The Selfish Case for Being Ethical | Eugene Cash

May 3, 2023 42m 15s 26 insights
<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p>---</p> <p>Virtue is a tricky topic. It's often sold to us by religious leaders who are thundering judgmentally, and sometimes hypocritically, down to us from the mountaintop. But from the Buddhist perspective, there is actually a deeply self-interested case for ethics and virtue. The Buddhists are not trying to get you to follow a bunch of very specific rules: they are trying to get you to do no harm because that will make you happy.  </p> <p><br /></p> <p>This is part two of our series on a venerable Buddhist list called the Noble Eightfold Path. The three middle items on the list all have to do with ethical conduct. They are: right speech, right action, and right livelihood.  </p> <p><br /></p> <p>Our guest today, Eugene Cash, is gonna talk about this stuff in super practical, non-dogmatic and non-preachy ways. Cash has been a Buddhist teacher since 1990. He's the founding teacher of <a href="https://www.sfinsight.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">San Francisco Insight</a> and a senior teacher on the <a href="https://www.spiritrock.org/teachers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spirit Rock Teachers Council</a>. His teaching is influenced by many streams of Buddhism— Theravada, Zen and Tibetan. </p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this conversation we talk about: </strong></p> <ul> <li>How to make terms such as virtue and ethics more attractive to skeptics</li> <li>Eugene's case that being ethical is in your self-interest</li> <li>His idea that kindness can actually be hard-nosed and tough</li> <li>How the Buddha could be hard on people when it was helpful for those people</li> <li>How to use right speech skillfully</li> <li>Why he says that practicing right action all day long is his idea of fun </li> <li>The technical versus the holistic understanding of right livelihood</li> <li>The difference between "being present" and "presence" </li> <li>And what has kept him devoted to the eightfold path for so many years  </li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/eugene-cash-595" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/eugene-cash-595</a></p> <p><br /></p>
Actionable Insights

1. Embrace Present Moment Fully

Engage fully with the present moment, as it is the only reality, making continuous practice enjoyable and spontaneous rather than exhausting.

2. Act for Enlightened Self-Interest

Recognize that doing good for others is ultimately good for you, creating a win-win proposition that encompasses everyone’s interest.

3. Practice Right Action 24/7

Since you are always acting, align all your actions with truth to bring harmony and freedom, turning every moment into a continuous practice.

4. Live Your Awakening Off-Cushion

Extend your spiritual practice beyond formal meditation by actively living your awakening in daily interactions and functions.

5. Understand “Right” as Truth

Interpret “Right” (as in Right Speech, Action, Livelihood) to mean coming into accord with the truth, which is a freeing principle.

6. Cultivate “Presence” Not Awareness

Go beyond mere awareness by saturating your consciousness and becoming what you are aware of, moving past individual self-ego identity.

7. Be Fiercely Kind and Direct

Practice kindness by being real and direct with people, especially those suffering from delusion or ignorance, as this is more genuinely helpful than just being “nice.”

8. Practice Flexible Ethics

Approach ethics not as rigid rules, but by doing what is truly needed and appropriate in the lived moment, even if it means not always blurting out the truth.

9. Cultivate Calm: Don’t Be Asshole

Achieve inner calm and relaxation by avoiding actions that harm or disrespect others, as this is a fundamental component of personal peace.

10. Do No Harm

Strive to do no harm to others, as this fundamental ethical principle is presented as a direct path to personal happiness.

11. Skillfully Communicate Your Needs

When dealing with difficult people, first identify what you want, then consider how to express it in a way they might be able to hear.

12. Practice Mindful Speech: Body-Awareness

Enhance communication by sensing and being aware of your own body, and the body language of others, while speaking and listening.

13. Speak Truth at Right Time

Ensure your speech is truthful, but also consider the timing and appropriateness, as sometimes saying the truth isn’t skillful or kind.

14. Align Livelihood with Harmony

Choose and engage in work that brings harmony, aligns with truth, and is freeing, rather than causing difficulty or harm.

15. Focus on How You Work

Beyond the specific job, pay attention to the manner in which you perform your work, aiming for mature, adult heartfulness.

16. Embrace Continuous Learning/Awakening

Recognize that the path of awakening is ongoing, with always more freedom, understanding, and discovery possible, which deepens the practice.

17. Pause Before Speaking

Before speaking, become aware of what you want to say, giving yourself the freedom to choose whether to express it or not.

18. Integrate Kindness into Conversations

For one day, intentionally try to say something kind in every conversation you have, observing how this reorients your speech.

19. Avoid Gossip for a Day

Experiment by refraining from talking about anyone not present in the room for an entire day to observe your speech patterns.

20. Practice Conversational Restraint

For one day, only initiate conversations when truly necessary, otherwise waiting for conversations to come to you.

21. Express Appreciation for Work

Make a habit of acknowledging and thanking people for doing their job well, even in mundane tasks, to spread positivity.

22. Relax into Awe Experiences

When experiencing awe or feeling “one with everything” in nature, consciously relax into that feeling to taste “presence.”

23. Re-read Foundational Texts Periodically

Revisit important books or teachings every few years, as your deepening understanding will reveal new insights.

24. Adhere to Basic Right Action

Follow fundamental ethical guidelines such as not taking life, not stealing, and not harming people sexually, for inner peace.

25. Practice Technical Right Speech

Engage in basic right speech by being truthful, avoiding lies, harshness, and gossip in your communications.

26. Practice Technical Right Livelihood

Adhere to the basic ethical rules of livelihood, such as not stealing or selling stolen goods, and avoiding harmful professions.