Five Precepts

(Excerpt from Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s Book 28: Reflections by a Tranquil Spring–From Heavenly
Beings to the Other Shore of Buddhahood.)

1. Refrain from Killing:
We should have a compassion heart and exercise compassion towards all sentient beings. Treat them fairly without discrimination. Do not kill or persecute any beings. Shakyamuni Buddha found that all beings possessed the same Buddha-nature and the potential to become Buddhas. Also, Buddhism advocates salvaging the world through compassion. Hence, the Buddha taught us not to kill fellow sentient beings. Confucius once said, “Hearing its cries, one does not have the heart to consume its meat.” Compassion is the basis to attain Enlightenment. Therefore, we need to have compassion towards all living beings. Do not kill them and avoid generating the karma of animosity. Let sentient beings live out their natural life so acts of conflict and hatred can be eliminated. By doing this, an ideal peaceful world may be realized.

2. Refrain from Stealing:
Cultivators must observe righteous behavior and be vigilant in guarding their pure hearts from being corrupted. If they regard fame and fortune like passing clouds, they will not be seduced by the material world and commit fraud, embezzlement, theft, robbery nor other wrongful deeds. They must not take anything that does not belong to them. Hence, taking anything that is not given, not earned, or not allocated are all considered stealing. Based on my observation, sentient beings do not abide by this precept, and many of them have lost their hearts of justice. Newspapers are full of cases of stealing through scheming and force. If everyone observes this rule of non-stealing, then society will have peace.

3. Refrain from Sexual Misconduct:
Cultivators should practice celibacy to avoid committing the offense of sexual misconduct which refers to sexual relationships with anyone else beside your legal spouse. Cultivators should regard sexual pleasure as dangerous as a ferocious tiger and it should be feared and avoided. Husband and wife should treat each other with respect. We should regard elder women as our mothers and younger women as our sisters. Therefore, we should not have any deviant sexual thoughts. One must know that, “Bodies of beautiful women are naturally smooth and soft; With sharp swords by their waists decapitating mundane men; Even though you don’t see any heads roll, their marrow is already covertly wilted and dried.”

In the Advice for Longevity (Chinese folk wisdom), it is said that:

Men should ask themselves whether they have properly stored their natural endowed vital energy. Did they squander it during their youth? Did they guard it after getting married?
Men should not have mistresses, nor should they visit prostitutes or engage in sexual activities with homosexuals, minors, animals, etc. Regardless of what sexual misconduct they might have engaged in, their bodies are already depleted of their vital energy. Human bodies are not made of steel and cannot withstand these types of daily abuses. With added worries from their life, their bodies will age quickly and further decrease their vital force.

Hence, not only can men gain longevity by avoiding sexual misconduct, but also attain realization because their hearts are not contaminated by deviant habits.

4. Refrain from Lying:
It is important to practice honesty because honesty is the fundamental principal of achieving harmony with heaven and earth. In order for men’s hearts to be harmonious with that of heaven, they must be honest. Dishonesty is disrespect. Men who are dishonest but still making claims of great cultivation and diligent practice are like men who “try to get blood from a turnip.” They use schemes to fool others and deceive others by lying and giving false claims and testimonies. Exaggeration should also be avoided because that is considered false speech and will create negative verbal karma.

5. Refrain from Taking Intoxicants:
Cultivators should be in full possession of their mental faculty. Folk wisdom teaches us, “Don’t say that alcohol makes a man feel immortal; Many mistakes are committed when one is drunk; One invites troubles, causing conflict and loss of trust. It is too late to feel regret when sober.” Cultivators must maintain a calm mind and avoid consuming alcohol and other intoxicating substances. Alcohol and intoxicants are like hallucinogens. Getting intoxicated develops a flaw in your character. Many misdeeds are committed after getting intoxicated. Therefore, cultivators should maintain calmness of their mind and should abstain from alcohol and other intoxicating substances.