The Five Precepts

Buddhism's specific ethical guidelines, its Ten Commandments, so to speak, which are common to all schools, are the Five Precepts. These are: Do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, do not commit sexual misconduct, and do not use intoxicants. All are expressions of ahimsa.{*} The first four prohibited actions harm living beings directly, while the fifth attacks our judgment and self-control, paving the way for us to commit harmful acts and cause suffering to ourselves and others.

There are three things that it is important to note about the Five Precepts: First, the acts they prohibit are wrong because they cause suffering, not because a lawgiver, either divine or human, has said they are wrong. Therefore, in the strictest sense, they are not commandments at all, but instructions for applying ahimsa, the ultimate moral imperative, in our lives. Lying, for example, is wrong because it causes injury and destroys trust. Lies arise from greed, hostility, or fear; they are the enemies of lovingkindness. Even when it is not violent or coercive, sexual misconduct violates trust, breaks vows, and destroys families.

Second, although they are expressed in negative terms, the Precepts carry a positive meaning. Peter Harvey, Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Sunderland, observes that, "While each precept is expressed in negative wording, as an abstention, one who keeps them increasingly comes to express positive virtues as the roots of unwholesome action are weakened. Each precept thus has a positive counterpart. The counterpart of the first is [loving]kindness and compassion." Tibetan Buddhist scholar, translator, and friend of the Dalai Lama Dr. Robert A. F. Thurman reminds us that "Not merely not killing, but preserving lives is the first of Buddhism's 'commandments.' "

The Second Precept teaches us to be generous, while the Third instructs us to use our speech to benefit, heal, and bring together, not to exploit, injure, or divide. The Fourth Precept teaches that celibacy or a sexual relationship--whichever we choose--should be an expression of lovingkindness and compassion, not a manifestation of our ego. The Fifth teaches that we should put only wholesome nourishment into both our bodies and our minds.

Finally, since the Precepts are guidelines for practicing ahimsa, the First Precept, "Do not kill," is paramount and takes precedence over the others. Buddhism teaches, for example, that our speech should tend toward truthfulness and kindness; and when the two conflict, we should choose kindness.

---The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights, by Norm Phelps

*Ahimsa: (ah-HIM-sah) Nonviolence. The Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist teaching that striving to cause no harm to sentient beings is the foundation of ethical behavior and spiritual growth. (Sanskrit, a, "no" and himsa, "harm"; Pali, avihimsa)