Five Precepts and Eight Precepts

Most lay Buddhists undertake the 5 precepts and for the more devoted Buddhists, they will undertake the stricter 8 precepts which include the earlier 5 precepts. 

This year Vesak Day, my friend took the 8 precepts at a local Buddhist temple. I was curious as he is married. He shared that the 8 precepts are only observed by laypeople during periods of intensive meditation practice and during uposatha (lunar observance) days. From the access to insight, "The Eight Precepts are based on the Five Precepts, with the third precept extended to prohibit all sexual activity and an additional three precepts that are especially supportive to meditation practice." My friend has been reminding me to practise the 8 precepts at Buddhist temple but I'm quite busy now. Maybe I go for 8 precepts in December. 

The five precepts are observed by most practicing lay Buddhists. As a Buddhist, I try to observe the five precepts. But sometimes I lapse by using incorrect speech when I get angry like being sarcastic or raising my voice. My practice is still not good. 

Buddha taught the Noble eightfold path to practise Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Thought, Right Understanding, Right Mindfulness, Right Effort and Right Concentration. By practising the five precepts, it helps the lay Buddhist to follow the right path. Thus the five precepts set by the Buddha are quite easy to follow. 

Whenever my friend said that Buddha did not say that we should not eat meat, I like to highlight one of the precepts to refrain from destroying living creatures. 2600 years ago during Buddha time, it was tough to have vegetables in the arid land. Thus Gautama Buddha did not take Devadatta's suggestion to enforce that monks don't eat meat else it would be tough for the people to offer food to the monks.

I also find it difficult to have no meat but at least I try to reduce the meat intake hopefully it helps to reduce suffering of sentient beings. If everybody can reduce meat intake, more lives can be indirectly saved.  

Website: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sila/atthasila.html

The Five Precepts:

1.

I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.

2. I undertake the precept t

o refrain from taking that which is not given.

3. 

I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.

4. 

I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech.

5. 

I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.

The Eight Precepts:

1. I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.

2. I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.

3. I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual activity.

4. I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech.

5. I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.

6. I undertake the precept to refrain from eating at the forbidden time (i.e., after noon).

7. I undertake the precept to refrain from dancing, singing, music, going to see entertainments, wearing garlands, using perfumes, and beautifying the body with cosmetics.

8. I undertake the precept to refrain from lying on a high or luxurious sleeping place.

The Heart Sutra

Many years ago, I brought The Heart Sutra book by red pine which is the line by line translation of the Mandarin Heart Sutra. The Mandarin Heart Sutra is the summary of the Diamond sutra and it comprises 260 Chinese characters translated by Master Xuan Zang during the Tang dynasty to Mandarin version. Even though it is the shortest sutra, it contains the essence of Buddha's teaching. This 196 pages book is really informative. When I first heard that Form is emptiness and emptiness is form from the Heart Sutra, I decided to learn more about the Heart Sutra and started this blog in 2017 to share what I learnt.

 

Below are some quotes I find meaningful. 

Suffering only exists because of our attachment to what is impermanent. 

Whatever is form is impermanent. And whatever is impermanent is suffering.

The Heart Sutra

The noble Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, 

while practicing the deep practice of Prajnaparamita,

 looked upon the Five Skandhas and seeing they were empty of self-existence, 

5 said, "Here, Shariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form;

 emptiness is not separate from form, form is not separate from emptiness;

 whatever is form is emptiness, whatever is emptiness is form. 

The same holds for sensation and perception, memory and consciousness. to Here, Shariputra, all dharmas are defined by emptiness not birth or destruction, purity or defilement, completeness or deficiency. 

Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no memory and no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body and no mind; 

15 no shape, no sound, no smell, no taste, no feeling and no thought;

no element of perception, from eye to conceptual consciousness;

no causal link, from ignorance to old age and death,

and no end of causal link,

from ignorance to old age and death;

no suffering, no source, no relief, no path;

20 no knowledge, no attainment and no non-attainment.

Therefore, Shariputra, without attainment,

bodhisattavas take refuge in Prajnaparamita

and live without walls of the mind.

Without walls of the mind and thus without fears,

25 they see through delusions and finally nirvana.

All buddhas past, present and future

also take refuge in Prajnaparamita

and realize unexcelled, perfect enlightenment.

You should therefore know the great mantra of Prajnaparamita,

30 the mantra of great magic,

the unexcelled mantra,

the mantra equal to the unequalled,

which heals all suffering and is true, not false,

the mantra in Prajnaparamita spoken thus:

Gate gate, paragate, parasangate, bodhi svaha.  

心经

观自在菩萨，行深般若波罗蜜多时，照见五蕴皆空，度一切苦厄。舍利子，色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色，受想行识，亦复如是。舍利子，是诸法空相，不生不灭，不垢不净，不增不减。是故空中无色，无受想行识，无眼耳鼻舌身意，无色声香味触法，无眼界，乃至无意识界，无无明，亦无无明尽，乃至无老死，亦无老死尽。无苦集灭道，无智亦无得。以无所得故。菩提萨埵，依般若波罗蜜多故，心无挂碍。无挂碍故，无有恐怖，远离颠倒梦想，究竟涅盘。三世诸佛，依般若波罗蜜多故，得阿耨多罗三藐三菩提。故知般若波罗蜜多，是大神咒，是大明咒，是无上咒，是无等等咒，能除一切苦，真实不虚。故说般若波罗蜜多咒，即说咒曰：揭谛揭谛，波罗揭谛，波罗僧揭谛，菩提萨婆诃。

This is Lecture 1 of The Heart Sutra. There are a total of 28 lectures on the Heart Sutra.