The supra-moral in religious ethics: the case of buddhism

Characteristically religious ethical systems consist of much more than a morality: that is, much more than judgments marked by serious societal pressure and the appropriateness in offenders of a sense of moral guilt. Religious ethics characteristically demands also control and modification of thoughts and desires. This supra-moral element is prominent in Buddhism, where it flourishes primarily in the Samgha. The ethics of Buddhism can be understood only by means of a concept of the supra-moral.