The 5 Precepts

• StarPuppy

  7 Apr 08, 20:43

  What are the 5 Precepts?
  
  The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.

  -----------------------------------------------------------

  Is it possible to stay truthful to the 5 Precepts? espically to refrain from untrue speech and to take the life of anything living?

• An Eternal Now

  7 Apr 08, 20:49

  Originally posted by StarPuppy:

  What are the 5 Precepts?
  
  The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.

  -----------------------------------------------------------

  Is it possible to stay truthful to the 5 Precepts? espically to refrain from untrue speech and to take the life of anything living?

  Yes it's definitely possible if you are serious about it.

• StarPuppy

  7 Apr 08, 20:53

  I am quite curious

   

  "to take the life of anything living"

   

  what is living? vegetables are living things also..so by eating vegetables..we also sha shen?

   

  I am not fooling around..just that i feel the 5 precepts are very useful in this society

   

• An Eternal Now

  7 Apr 08, 21:04

  Originally posted by StarPuppy:

  I am quite curious

   

  "to take the life of anything living"

   

  what is living? vegetables are living things also..so by eating vegetables..we also sha shen?

   

  I am not fooling around..just that i feel the 5 precepts are very useful in this society

   

  No, what it meant is do not take away the lives of Sentient Beings.

  Plants do not have the cognitive capacity to suffer, they do not have nervous system and cannot have thoughts of their own.

  They do not have consciousness but have a natural capacity to function in the world, they have a natural intelligence/awareness/vitality, or you can call it Dharma-Nature (we don't call it Buddha-Nature because plants are not sentient and cannot attain Buddhahood, but dharma nature is essentially the same as buddha nature). They can react to environment accordingly.

  But they do not have mind and cannot produce thoughts, self-consciousness, they cannot suffer. That is why Mahayana monks who do not eat meat can still eat plants because plants do not suffer as a result, they do not grow hatred or agony or suffer during the process of being plucked off the ground. They do not have consciousness (the illusory self-consciousness) and do not take rebirth in the 6 realms.

• airgrinder

  7 Apr 08, 21:23

  hmmm...

  how about to refrain from untrue speech? Does mean not to lie? But in the society of ours, sometimes you need to lie. Or does it mean you can chose to keep quiet rather than lie? Erm... so by not speaking the truth, and keeping quiet, isn't this lying in itself??

  my mind is in knots...

• Isis

  7 Apr 08, 21:29

  How about idle speech ?

  What is the definitation of an idle speech ?

   

   

• An Eternal Now

  7 Apr 08, 21:34

  Originally posted by Isis:

  How about idle speech ?

  What is the definitation of an idle speech ?

   

   

  Gossip is an example.

  Any unproductive or unwholesome talks...

• An Eternal Now

  7 Apr 08, 21:35

  Originally posted by airgrinder:

  hmmm...

  how about to refrain from untrue speech? Does mean not to lie? But in the society of ours, sometimes you need to lie. Or does it mean you can chose to keep quiet rather than lie? Erm... so by not speaking the truth, and keeping quiet, isn't this lying in itself??

  my mind is in knots...

  It's difficult but as Buddhists we should try our best to be honest in whatever we do or in whatever situations. If lets say the job you do requires lots and lots of conscious lying, if possible make a switch. If not possible yet then no choice lor but see how you can gradually change from there.

• Bodhi hut

  8 Apr 08, 00:37

  share an article in my forum..its pretty long so i only paste the first contend here interested can go to this link to see.

  http://bodhihut.17.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=1077

  学佛必修的课程——四清净明诲
  美西佛教会　文�法师
  作者：文�法师 文章��：文�法师作�集 点击数：3558 更新时间：2008-3-17
  
  　
  　　
  
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  　　戒有大乘的戒，也有�乘戒；有在家弟�应守的戒，也有出家弟�必须严格��的戒。�乘将佛所制的戒，分为四级：五戒，八戒（优婆塞�优婆夷戒）；�戒，（沙弥�沙弥尼戒）；具足戒（比丘�比丘尼戒）；大乘还有在家��戒，出家��戒，以�三�净戒等等。其中以五戒为基本，以三�净戒为最高层。若然��五戒�清净，�得进而求�沙弥戒�具足戒�与��戒。　
  
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  　　出世间上上禅，是大乘��所修的禅定。���地��中所说的��禅定：一自性禅：是观一切法唯心，心能�摄一切法的禅定；二一切禅：是得一切自行化他功德的禅定；三难禅：是深妙难修的禅定；四一切门禅，一切三昧，皆由此而出的禅定；五善人禅：为大善根众生所共修的禅定；六一切行禅：是�摄大乘一切行法的禅定；七除�禅：是能�除一切众生苦�的禅定；八此世他世�禅：能令众生得二世之�的禅定；�清净净禅：惑业断尽，得大��的净报，�为清净，连清净之相亦��得，故�清净净禅。　
  
  　　��所说的，仅就最�修学禅定，由世间禅进而出世间禅，由�乘禅进而大乘禅，作简�的介�而已。至于其他大乘�论所说，诸佛��果上所�就的三昧，其数�的众多，其境界的深妙，��我们凡夫心之��，�之�议，亦�是用笔墨�以形容。�过，楞伽�所说，四�禅定中的如�禅，就是楞严�中，佛教阿难所修的首楞严王大定，是一切大定中的大定，属于诸佛所�的最高层次的境界。我们欲想进修此大定，必须从戒定慧三无�学开始。　
  
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  　　我们欲想æˆ�就任何一ç§�禅定，与开å�‘智慧，一律都è¦�以戒为基础。圆觉ç»�言：“尸罗ä¸�清净，三昧ä¸�现å‰�。”å�ˆè¨€ï¼š“æ— ç¢�清净慧，皆从禅定生。”æ�®æ­¤ï¼Œæˆ‘们应该知é�“，唯有æŒ�戒清净，始å�¯ä»¤äººæ‘„心ä¸�动，止æ�¯æ”€ç¼˜ï¼Œå¦‚是心ä¸�å�–境，境ä¸�牵心，心境脱节，内外湛然，犹如风止波å�œï¼Œè‡ªç„¶å�¯ä»¥æˆ�就禅定，å�¯å�‘心智。所以，佛在楞严ç»�中，对阿难言：“æ±�常闻我，毗奈耶中，宣说修行，三决定义；所谓摄心为戒，因戒生定，因定å�‘慧，是则å��为三无æ¼�学。”　
  
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• StarPuppy

  8 Apr 08, 20:34

  
  

  Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

  No, what it meant is do not take away the lives of Sentient Beings.

  Plants do not have the cognitive capacity to suffer, they do not have nervous system and cannot have thoughts of their own.

  They do not have consciousness but have a natural capacity to function in the world, they have a natural intelligence/awareness/vitality, or you can call it Dharma-Nature (we don't call it Buddha-Nature because plants are not sentient and cannot attain Buddhahood, but dharma nature is essentially the same as buddha nature). They can react to environment accordingly.

  But they do not have mind and cannot produce thoughts, self-consciousness, they cannot suffer. That is why Mahayana monks who do not eat meat can still eat plants because plants do not suffer as a result, they do not grow hatred or agony or suffer during the process of being plucked off the ground. They do not have consciousness (the illusory self-consciousness) and do not take rebirth in the 6 realms.

  Its hard not to eat meat..of course i do not waste food as i know its a disrespect to the animals which have died to save my hunger

  
  thats why i wonder is this modern society, is it still possible to follow the 5 Precepts...

• 798

  8 Apr 08, 20:39

  i kinda find fourth precept is the hardest to follow.

• 淋雨

  8 Apr 08, 20:41

  Originally posted by StarPuppy:

  What are the 5 Precepts?
  
  The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.

  -----------------------------------------------------------

  Is it possible to stay truthful to the 5 Precepts? espically to refrain from untrue speech and to take the life of anything living?

  
  must also do the opposite

  abstain from killing but must look after the welfare of being

  abstain from stealing but must pratice generousity

  abstain from sexual misconduct but must care for the body

  abstain from lying but also to speak kind words

  abstain from intoxication but also to purify your mind

   

   

   

• 798

  8 Apr 08, 20:44

  Originally posted by Isis:

  How about idle speech ?

  What is the definitation of an idle speech ?

   

   

  
  those speech is something like gossip or make comment which disrespectful to person. idle speech is something like the person being too 八�.

  things like, "this gal got a wonderful figure", "my boss is not a fair person".

• JitKiat

  10 Apr 08, 10:28

  一切众生第一念就是�护自己，如果说这���能会对自己�利，就�敢说真�。但是一定�想到对我�利� 于我有害，这个伤害到何�程度，当中有善巧方便。如果伤害的幅度�大，还是�说实�；�大的伤害，从自己牵涉到社会�群众，就�以�说实�。这是「开 缘�，�是破戒，�但没有罪过，还有功德。

  
  

  世尊举例说，一个��五戒�善的人，在三岔路��到一个猎人正在追�一�兔�。这个�戒的人看�兔 �往左边跑了，猎人问他：「你看到兔��？�他说：「我看到了。�猎人问：「往哪里去了？�他说：「从�边去了。�他指相�方�，虽然这是妄语，但是这个 妄语救了兔�的命，这是善心；也救了猎人，猎人如果�生将���果报。两边都救了，这是「开缘�。修学五戒�善一定�懂得「开��犯�，什么状况下�用什 么方法，它是活活泼泼的.

  In short, telling lies is allowed if it will benefit ourselves, others, family and the entire society.

   

• rokkie

  10 Apr 08, 12:51

  Originally posted by StarPuppy:

  What are the 5 Precepts?
  
  The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.

  -----------------------------------------------------------

  Is it possible to stay truthful to the 5 Precepts? espically to refrain from untrue speech and to take the life of anything living?

  i think these are doctrine for monks or nuns ,or the laymen.I found it's very hard to follow the 5 precepts in daily life .Refrain form the untrue speech ,i think we should be true to ourself first ,then if we have to talk some untrue speech ,we better not intend to hurt someone.

• rokkie

  10 Apr 08, 12:57

  for the eating meat thing ,i think it's not quite nessesary ,because in original buddhism buddhist is allowed to eat meat ,as you know after buddha practice hardly in the woods ,he drink 乳糜 from a 牧羊女。After buddhism spread to china ,i think one emperor make this rule.

  I have to say i am a fan of meat ,but i eat 三净肉。which means the meat for eating only.Not the wild animals

• goldevil

  11 Apr 08, 20:17

  killing beings with the buddhanature is bad , though this lifetime they cant be buddha ..........