3 stages of ethics that are necessary in order to put ethics to practice in everyday life

While paying a tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 80th birthday, a world renowned neuroscientist Richard Davidson writes that: 

"His Holiness has always combined an abiding curiosity about deep theoretical issues with an unswerving focus on what is practical, what can benefit others. On the practical side, His Holiness has been emphasizing the topic of secular ethics. He has described three stages of ethics that are necessary in order to put ethics to practice in everyday life: 

• 1st, the ethic of restraint (not harming others); 
• 2nd, the ethic of virtue (the recognition that all beings have in common basic human values);
• 3rd, the ethic of altruism (the cultivation of selflessness and humility for the benefit of all).

Source: Shambhala Sun's Collector's Edition "The Dalai Lama" - July 2015