Abstract
In this article I wish to assist in clarifying why, and in what way, the cultivation of mindfulness and wisdom as understood within the Buddhist worldview can promote ethical conduct. As mindfulness is a Buddhist concept that is part of a larger Buddhist system of thought, a better understanding of the Buddhist worldview and the context in which the concept of mindfulness emerged may help us go further in understanding how Buddhist philosophy and practice can help foster ethical behavior. It will allow us to create new synthesis between the Buddhist worldview and the quest for ethical conduct in Western traditions, including in the legal profession. I will suggest that Buddhist mindfulness and wisdom should not be considered helpful only in terms of compliance to ethical rules, but from a more foundational perspective, of cultivating a mindset, a being-in-the-world that sees clearly the nature of being and brings one to spontaneously act in an ethical manner as well as to manage emotions in negotiation in a skillful manner.