We live in very confusing times. Wh-ere right and wrong don’t exist any more as shades of black and white; where the lines of demarcation between them blur; where the ends to anything justify the means; where if you want something it seems fine to do anything on earth to get it; and where money, power, position, fame and success are considered the de facto Gods and are the only things that matter and to hell with everything else.

Even the few who tend to stick to their time-honoured values and precepts are left wondering whether it is worth doing so when more and more people are breaking the rules of life with impunity and on the face of it all appear to be doing well for themselves.
What we seem to forget is that many of our religions and our literature give us enough touchstones and templates that are timeless and relevant which we can use for reference when in doubt as to what’s okay and what’s not, what’s clearly non-negotiable and what is ideal. Revisi-ting these frameworks occasionally will perhaps remind us how far away we have deviated from the norm and the sooner we course correct the better, for all of us and society in general.
Reading the life of Gautama Buddha, a spiritual teacher who was born a prince but chose to live the life of a mendicant, one finds that he had a clear fix on suffering and what brings it on. According to the Budd-ha, suffering is a consequence of one’s craving for sensory pleasures, power and annihilation and if one desires to put an end to suffering the Eightfold Path is the tool to end this.
What is crucial here is to figure out that the real truth of life can be comprehended only when we attempt to understand what goes beyond the instant gratification of the senses. The Eightfold Path in turn comprises of:
Right view: is your perspective on an issue unbiased, fair and just, or is it selfish, motivated, distorted and partisan in approach?
Right thought: are your thoughts pure, lofty and noble or are they contaminated by greed, hate, envy? Do you mean well and wish well for the community at large?
Right speech: are you temperate of speech, do you keep your tongue firmly in check (not in cheek!)? And do you refrain from uttering lies or using words that hurt or inflame or drive wedges and cause discord or disharmony?
Right action: are your actions good and just or do they cause irreparable harm and damage? Are you guilty of connivance in murder, theft or im-moral activities?
Right livelihood: do you earn your livelihood honourably or do you resort to underhand tactics, unlawful means and short cuts?
Right effort: that the right efforts will yield the right results is a given. But do you have the patience for the efforts to bear fruit and not do something in pure desperation? Do you put in efforts for spiritual upliftment as well?
Right mindfulness: do you appro-ach each task mindfully with equanimity and total involvement?
Right concentration: are you able to focus on the job at hand with clarity of purpose? Do you devote time to meditate and introspect each day? Quiz yourself periodically and you will know how you are faring, without any outsider having to assess your conduct.
Islam and Christianity, which have a lot in common, have the well-known Ten Commandments. From accepting God as the one and only God to honouring one’s parents (one is reminded of the recent law enacted making not caring for them an offence). Killing another, committing adultery, stealing, coveting your neighbour’s land, his wife, staff, animals and his other belongings, bearing false witness against the neighbour, are also a strict no.
Tamil poet Avvaiyar and another poet by the name of Ulaganathar (who authored Ulaganeethi) have between them composed a very comprehensive set of rules possibly for every conceivable situation in life. From not residing in a town with no place of worship to not forgetting to pay the dues of the doctor or the teacher or midwife to not associating with the unrighteous or criminal-minded, to not annexing public property, never forgetting dharma and not ruining someone else’s life... these didactic verses are all one needs for guidance.
Just think, if everybody or even most of us upheld the rules of life, wouldn’t the world be saved much of its problems?