Most religions have moral and ethical rules and commandments. Buddhism has Precepts, but it's important to understand that the Buddhist Precepts are not a list of rules to follow.
In some religions, moral laws are believed to have come from God, and breaking those laws is a sin or transgression against God. But Buddhism doesn't have a God, and the Precepts are not commandments. However, that doesn't exactly mean they're optional, either.
The Pali word most often translated as "morality" is sila, but sila has many connotations that go beyond the English word "morality." It can refer to inner virtue such as kindness and truthfulness as well as the activity of those virtues in the world. It can also refer to the discipline of acting in a moral way. However, sila is best understood as a kind of harmony.
Buddhism is not just a religion, but also a discipline and way of life that encourages people to follow certain guidelines to help them conquer suffering. Buddha teachings are about about peaceful, righteous and thoughtful. The Five Precepts of Buddhism are actually the gist of the teachings and a moral guidelines that people can follow. These precepts, if followed can help people to build up their moral strength and live peacefully with their fellow. Buddhism places a great emphasis on 'mind' and it is mental anguish such as remorse, anxiety, guilt etc, which is to be avoided in order to cultivate a calm and peaceful mind.
Five Precepts of Gautama Buddha
As the way to create peace and happiness for one's family and all the Kingdom.
1. The First Precepts is do not kill: Observing this precept nourishes compassion. All living being fear death. As we cherish our own lives, we should cherish the lives of all other beings. Not only should we refrain from taking human life, we should strive to avoid taking the lives of other species, We must live in harmony with people, animals and plants. If we nourish a heart of love, we can reduce suffering and create a happy life, the kingdom will have peace. When the people respect each other's lives, the Country will prosper and be strong and it will be safe from invasion by other countries. When if the Kingdom possesses great military force, there will be no reason to use it.
2. The Second Precept is do not steal: No one has the right to take away the possessions that another has earned by his own labor. Attempting to seize an-other's goods violates this precept. Do not cheat others or use your influence and power to encroach on other's goods. Making profits from the sweat and labor of others violates this precept, as well. If the Citizens observe this precept, social equality will flower and robbing and killing will quickly cease.
3. The Third Precept is avoid Sexual Misconduct: Sexual relations should only take place with your spouse. Observing this precept builds trust and happiness in the family, and prevents unnecessary suffering to others. If you want happiness and the time and will to help your country and people, abstain from having several concubines.
4. The Fourth Precept is do not lie: Do not speak words that can create division and hatred. Your words should be in accord with the truth. Yes means Yes.. No means No. Words have the power to create trust and happiness, and they can create misunderstanding and hatred and even lead to murder and war. Use words with great care.
5. The Fifth Precept is do not Drink Alcohol or Use Other Intoxicants: Alcohol and Intoxicants rob the mind of clarity. When someone is intoxicated he can cause untold suffering to himself, his family, and others. Observing this precept is to preserve health for the body and mind.
Buddha said. "In addition to the sufferings of Birth, Old Age, Sickness and Death, human beings endure other sufferings which they themselves create. Out of ignorance and false views, people say and and do things that create suffering for themselves and others. Anger, Hatred, Suspicion, Jealousy, and Frustration cause suffering. All these arise from lack of awareness. People are caught are caught in a house on fire, and most of our suffering we create ourselves. You can not find freedom by praying to some God. You must look deeply into your own mind and situation in order to uproot the false views which are the root of suffering. Once you understand the nature of suffering it can no longer bind you.
If someone is angry at you, you can get angry back at him, but that only creates more suffering. If you follow the way of awareness, you will not react with anger. Instead, you will quiet your mind in order to discover why that person is angry at you. By looking deeply, you can uncover the caused that led to the person's anger. If you see that you bear responsibility for angering the person, you will not angry, but you will accept that your own misconduct has contributed towards creating his anger. If you are without blame, you can try to see why the person has misunderstood you. Then you can find true intention. In this way, you will avoid causing more suffering to both yourself and the other person.
Only with understanding can we love. All suffering can be overcome by looking deeply into things. On the path of awareness, we learn to follow our breath to maintain mindfulness. We follow the precepts in order to build concentration and attain understanding. The precepts are principles of living which foster peace and joy. Practicing the precepts our ability to concentrate develops, and we are able to live with great awareness and mindfulness. Mindfulness nurtures the capacity to illuminate the true nature of our mind and our environment. With that illumination comes understanding.
Buddha speaks "But suffering is only our face of life. Life has another face, the face of wonder. If we can see that face of life, we will happiness, peace and joy. We are hearts are unfettered, we can make direct contact with the wonder of life. When we have truly grasped the truths of impermanence, emptiness of self, and depend co-arising. We see how wondrous our own hearts, minds and bodies are. Because we imprison ourselves in our suffering, we lose the ability to experience the wonders of life, when we can break through ignorance, we discover the vast realm of peace, joy. liberation, and nirvana. Nirvana is the uprooting of ignorance, greed, and anger. It is the appearance of peace, joy, and freedom.
Buddha said that the more a person loves, the more he will suffer and despair. Life has a great need of the presence of love, but not the sort of love that is based on lust, passion, attachment, discrimination and prejudice. There are another kind of love, sorely needed, which consists of loving kindness and compassion, or Maitri (Friendship) and karuna (Compassion). Usually when people speak of love they are referring only to the love that exists between parents and children, husbands and wives, family members, or the members of one's cast or country. Because the nature of such love depends on the concepts of 'ME' and 'MINE'', it remains entangled in attachment and discrimination. People want only to love their parents, spouse, children, grandchildren, their own relatives and countrymen. Because they are caught in attachment, they worry about accidents that could befall their loved ones even before such things actually take place, when such accidents do occur, they suffer terribly.
People become indifferent or even hostile to those outside their own. Circle of love, attachment and discrimination are source of suffering for ourselves and others. Love for which all beings truly hunger is loving kindness and compassion. Maitri (Friendship) is the love that has the capacity to bring happiness to another. Karuna (Compassion) is the love which has the capacity to remove another suffering. Maitri (friendship) and Karuna (compassion) do not demand anything in return. Loving kindness and compassion are not limited to one's parents, and countrymen. They extend to all people and all beings. In 'MAITRI' (Friendship) and 'KARUNA' (Compassion) there is no discrimination, no 'me' or not 'mine'. And because there is no discrimination, there is no attachment. Maitri (Friendship) and Karuna (Compassion) bring happiness and ease suffering. They do not cause suffering and despair. Without them, life would be empty of meaning. With loving kindness and compassion, life is filled with peace, joy, and contentment.
According to the way of Enlightenment, love cannot exist without understanding. Love is understanding. If you cannot understand, you cannot love. Husbands and wives who do not understand each other cannot love each other. Brothers and Sisters who do not understand each other cannot love each other, cannot love each other. Parents only want children who do not understand each other cannot love each other. If you want loved ones to be happy, you must learn to understand their sufferings and their aspiration. When you understand, you will know how to relieve their sufferings and how to help them fulfill their aspirations. That is true love. If you only want your loved ones to follow your own ideas and your remain ignorant of their needs, it is not truly love. It is only a desire to posses another and attempt to fulfill your own needs, which cannot be fulfilled in that way.
In the way of liberation, there is no cost. To the eyes of an enlightened person, all people are equal. Every person's blood is read. Every person's tears are salty. We are all human beings. We must find a way for all people to be able to realize their full dignity and potential.
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