“Ethics of Flipping Off the Buddha on 501: Buddha’s Virtue of Restraint” will be the topic of discussion at Coastal Carolina University’s Java Jabber session set for 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 29, on the CINO Grille deck on campus. The event is free.

Ronald Green, assistant professor of philosophy and religious studies, will discuss the Buddha’s ethical theories as they are being applied around the world today.

“When we act out of anger towards another person, we are hurting ourselves in a number of ways,” says Green. “We are disrupting our own progression towards awakening and ignoring the fact that we are all connected through history and culture. Acting out of anger perpetuates the culture that angered us. Buddhists say everyone has a Buddha-nature, that we are all born with the potential to awaken. So, when you flip off the person on 501, you are flipping off a potential Buddha.”

Green earned a Ph.D. in Buddhist studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2003. He also holds a master’s degree in South Asian religions from UW-Madison, a master’s degree in Japanese literature from the University of Oregon and a master of science degree in sociology from Virginia Tech. He is an editor of books on socially engaged Buddhism for Blue Pine Press. His research interests and writings additionally include “Kukai, Founder of Japanese Shingon Buddhism,” “Gyoki Bodhisattva of Japan” and “Buddhism in Film.”

Java Jabber is sponsored by the University's Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values. The purpose of the center is to cultivate and promote awareness of the importance of personal and professional integrity.

For more information, contact the center director, Claudia McCollough, at 843-349-2440.