The traditions are not interchangeable
Ethical systems differ over authority, purpose, audience and the boundaries of moral concern. A divine command, a monastic vow, a virtue and a path of liberation are not the same kind of moral instruction.
Worship and authority
The Ten Commandments and Five Pillars include duties grounded in allegiance to God. Buddhist, Jain, Taoist, Confucian and Stoic systems proceed from different accounts of reality and human flourishing. A worship rule may bind a believer without becoming a universal public duty.
Sex, family and hierarchy
Traditions disagree over adultery, sexual misconduct, celibacy, marriage, parental authority and obedience. Historical rules often reflect unequal social structures and therefore require separate analysis through consent, equality, harm and freedom from coercion.
Wealth and possession
Most systems condemn theft, but they disagree about accumulation. Jain and yogic non-possession challenge attachment, Sikh practice joins honest work with sharing, Islamic zakat imposes a defined duty and Stoicism treats wealth as morally secondary.
Animals, punishment and coercion
Jain ethics gives unusually extensive importance to living beings, while other codes offer narrower protections. Ancient enforcement practices may also be cruel or discriminatory even when the underlying concern is defensible.
Why disagreement matters
Differences are evidence that moral codes developed within particular histories and institutions. Comparison should acknowledge agreement without pretending that all traditions secretly teach one doctrine.