Letter to a Friend: Nagarjuna's Classic Text

When Buddhists say 'things arise due to causes and conditions,' they mean things come into being from a whole assembly of interrelated factors and events. We cannot trace a linear history or causal chain of events to their arising; they just come into being when the appropriate causes and conditions congregate at an appropriate time and place. When the causes and conditions that perpetuate or sustain the existence of that particular entity cease to present themselves, that particular entity will then disintegrate. Letter To A Friend explores coordinating body, speech and mind i such a way that produces positive karma and good outcomes. The Buddhist approach to moral or ethical values is not moralistic. Our moral and ethical values are part of a moral psychology, and part of our spiritual aspirations and orientation; they are not just about conduct.