In order for a slave to exhibit proper behavior and properly serve her Master, a slave must be obedient. Obedience, for BDSM lifestyle purposes is the whole mind and body of the slave submitting to the will of her Master and his rules.  It is a mental state of being obedient, compliance with her authority figure (her Master) and being subjected to any restraint or control he may choose for her.

Obedience has to be learned, expanded and practiced in order for her to become an effective slave. It is a state of mind that involves a conscious choice on the slave’s part. She agrees to being owned and part of that ownership is her agreeing to be obedient to her Master.

Discipline is training employed by the Master to teach proper behavior and obedience. Discipline is described as instruction and exercise; training, whether physical, mental or moral. It is a method to instill proper behavior and obedience before a violation has been committed.

Punishment is correcting misbehavior. It is a penalty imposed on the slave for wrongdoing: "The severity of the punishment must... be in keeping with the kind of obligation which has been violated" (Simone Weil).  It is used after the slave has displayed bad behavior to:

The terms discipline and punishment are often interchanged but the standard definitions used in the BDSM lifestyle are  the ones described above.

By the acceptance of slavery, a slave agrees to be obedient and accept discipline training and punishment for any bad behavior.

A slave is judged on her service to her Master and the key to proper service is the willingness to be obedient. Obedience is often tested and expanded by the Master through the use of humiliation or other forms of edge play.

slave training is a process of giving her freedoms to her Master.  Complete obedience is a part of that process.

Related webpages:

Consequences

Punishment

Attitude