SILA Model: The Integration of Buddhist Principles with Ethics Development in Digital Society

Abstract

This academic article aims to study the approaches for integrating Buddhist principles with ethics development in digital society. The study examines the Tipitaka, commentaries, and relevant academic literature on Buddhist doctrines and contemporary ethics, focusing on the concept of integration, Buddhist principles for human development, ethics for human development in digital society, and the synthesis of Buddhist principles for ethics development. The findings reveal four key insights. First, integration serves as a systematic process of connecting multidisciplinary knowledge to generate new practical frameworks, grounded in three core principles: connectivity, balance, and value creation. Second, key Buddhist principles that can effectively develop individuals in digital society comprise the Threefold Training, the Four Sublime States, the Four Bases of Social Solidarity, and the Four Noble Truths, each serving a distinct role in ethics development from the individual to the societal level. Third, ethics for human development in digital society must encompass four dimensions: integrity, respect for others' rights, social and environmental responsibility, and peaceful coexistence. Fourth, the synthesis of Buddhist principles with contemporary ethics leads to the development of the SILA Model, an integrative four-dimensional framework consisting of Self-awareness through the Threefold Training, Interpersonal harmony through the Four Bases of Social Solidarity, Loving-kindness cultivation through the Four Sublime States, and Adaptive wisdom through the Four Noble Truths. This body of knowledge derives from synthesizing all four categories of Buddhist doctrines with four areas of ethical challenges in digital society, resulting in a continuous developmental cycle from the individual to the societal level.