If the “Instruction of the Seven Buddhas” is interpreted not as a commandment but as a statement, then Buddhist ethical morality is seen to be one of joy and courage. Instead of following orders or unwillingly obeying dictates of conscience, the Buddhist must gradually grow to the point where perpetrating evil is impossible for him, even under conditions in which the evil act might seem seductive.

… The Japanese Buddhist sects of the Kamakura period imposed no commandments and orders because, by becoming a truly faithful member of one of them, the person—if he was sincere, of course—was thought to be manifesting the desire to do only good. It was thought unnecessary to command such people to avoid evil.

Primitive Buddhism, in the form of the Pali version of the “Instruction of the Seven Buddhas” taught the same thing—that is, one must purify one’s own mind. This instruction rests on the premise of doing no evil and perpetrating good.

Purification of the mind means total entrustment to the Three Treasures—the Buddha, the Law, and the Order. A person who has entrusted himself to them is free of all trace of egoistic opinion and desire. He is selfless in relation to the Buddha and, as he perseveres in faith, becomes selfless in relation to all other people, animals, and his entire environment. Freed of personal opinions and desires, he has no egocentric ideas and does not act in an egocentric way. This means that the walls and barriers between him and other creatures, who inevitably react favorably to his attitude, collapse. He is able to become one with all beings. This is one of the major goals of Buddhism. Since it promotes the attainment of this goal, the “Instruction of the Seven Buddhas” is not only a major Buddhist teaching but also the core of Buddhist ethical practice. (Page 161-162)