Modern life presents us with an infinite number of ethical challenges. How are we to know what is the wisest course of action? Should we look out for our own interests first and then worry about others? Or does our self cherishing attitude deny us the very happiness we seek? Do our individual actions really matter in a world that is beset by so many problems? This book presents the teaching on ethics that was given more than 2,600 years ago by the Buddha Shakyamuni. The lessons from this enlightened human being are so fundamental to the human condition that they remain fully relevant today. Buddhist ethical guidelines have the potential to bring peace and harmony-from the individual to the universal level. An ethical lifestyle is the foundation for and prerequisite to all higher spiritual development, regardless of religious beliefs. The importance of ethics cannot be overemphasized, and this book offers a full discussion of the Buddhist approach.