The five precepts are the basic precepts to be observed by a person who practices and the most important system of morality.
They are meant to develop mind and character to make progress on the path to enlightenment. It is not a discipline enforced by others, but a moral precept that one imposes on oneself.
The five precepts
- to abstain from killing living beings
- to abstain from stealing
- to abstain from sexual misconduct
- to abstain from lying
- to abstain from intoxication
1. to abstain from killing living beings
This is when someone deliberately takes the life of a sentient being. This includes micro-organisms and small insects. That said, there is no need to go to extremes, such as trampling micro-organisms underfoot just by walking.
It is not OK to continue the act when your mind is aware that other creatures may die, but it is OK to walk normally and watch out for ants and small insects that scavenge the ground and avoid them.
As for vegetarians, in the Buddha’s time it was also the principle that whatever was given in almsgiving should not be left behind, even if it is meat, and that we should gratefully take other lives. However, it is not permissible to overlook the killing of other living beings for one’s own food, or to kill and cook them oneself.
The important thing is to remember that we are alive on this planet because we coexist, with the help of all beings, and to always care for other life, and to be non-violent.
2. to abstain from stealing
This means that we should not take what is not given to us.
Even if it is not a criminal act such as theft, robbery or fraud, we actually steal more than we think. Are you aware of it?
Wasted talk: this is stealing other people’s time and is time theft.
Interruptions: interrupting when it is not your turn is an act of taking someone else’s turn when it is not the order given to you.
Not informing: the deliberate act of not informing others is an act of stealing the advantage others should gain in order to gain advantage for oneself.
3. to abstain from sexual misconduct
Monks are forbidden to engage in any sexual activity (including masturbation), while householders should not engage in sexual intercourse with anyone other than their partner. This is because even if there is mutual consent, engaging in sexual intercourse with a non-partner will cause serious harm to the partner.
Sexual desire is a very great desire among greed, as it is an instinct for procreation. However, it is not an essential desire for human survival, like appetite or the desire to sleep.
It is a desire that changes all priorities because it is an action that impacts all six sense organs at once. It is an animal desire that is difficult to control with reason and is a major obstacle to practice.
4.to abstain from lying
This includes backbiting, swearing, gossip, harsh language, insinuations and exaggerations. The verbal acts also overlap with precepts 1 and 2.
Words can sometimes be so destructive that they can psychologically kill others. Honesty, on the other hand, allows others to trust you and give you a lot of help.
5. to abstain from intoxication
Avoiding addictive substances such as alcohol and drugs. This includes smoking and fruit wine. For monks, it is not a precept but a prohibition.
In fact, this fifth precept is said to be the most important of the five precepts to keep. The reason for this is that intoxication makes it easy to break the other four precepts.
People make many “mistakes“, large and small, even without drinking, but drinking makes them less self-controlled and more likely to commit wrongdoing. Intentionally increasing that factor is unwise.
Furthermore, intoxication is not good for you, as it harms your health, damages your property and damages your reputation in the public.
Alcohol and drugs paralyses the brain, particularly the part of the cerebrum responsible for reason and judgement. This causes people to become more instinctively active, less self-controlled, in a good mood and talkative, relaxed and free from stress.
However, it interferes with the practitioner’s job to use reason and keep the self-control function in full operation at all times. If you are even lightly intoxicated, you cannot meditate or concentrate your mind, much less gain insight.
Alcohol and drugs are unnecessary for a person seeking enlightenment. To drink or not to drink is only a matter of one’s own choice: to abstain from alcohol and aim for enlightenment, or to drink and give up on enlightenment.
If you find yourself unable to stop drinking alcohol or drugs, or if you do drink from time to time, ask yourself, “Why do I want it?” Observe your mind at the time. If you can understand this, you will be able to leave alcohol or drugs more easily than if you ‘hold back and stop‘.
conclusion
There are many additional precepts for ordained monks, but Buddha originally thought that “The five precepts are enough. Many rules can hinder meditation“.
The Five Precepts are moral principles. Keeping them is not that difficult, except for the fifth one. They are very ordinary moral principles and can be easily observed if you have compassion for other living beings.
What is rather more difficult is controlling one’s own mind in relation to others who do not keep it. Observing morals does not mean forcing others to observe them or boasting about what you are observing. It is just something that should be done in silence.
The Five Precepts are not all prohibitions, but precepts that we impose on ourselves, such as “to abstain from“. They are not to be observed because they are rules or because the Buddha said so. The Buddha only told us that we should not do these five things. The Five Precepts are not for others to follow, but for oneself.