Questions tagged [five-precepts]
The Five Precepts constitute the basic Buddhist code of ethics, undertaken by lay followers of the Buddha Gautama in the Theravadan as well as in Mahayanan traditions.
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Why do the opposite of skillful virtues result in remorse?
"Skillful virtues have freedom from remorse as their purpose,
Ananda, and freedom from remorse as their reward."
AN 11.1
It is natural that non-regret arises in a virtuous
person, one whose ...
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Role of mortification and ascetism in buddhism
I am recently observing the effects of "asceticism" or in my case, simply reducing food/taste related pleasures. I know the Middle Way in Buddhism advocates avoiding the both the extremes of ...
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Is copying code online breaking the second precept?
I'm a computer science student striving to uphold the principles of Buddhism, particularly the precept of "not taking which is not given." In my journey to learn coding, there are moments ...
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Which category from the Kalama Sutta does "relying on common sense" fall under
I was reflecting on a craving I had for something addictive tonight while going to bed, and realized, "My notion of having 'just a little bit' of this addiction is just my relying on common sense....
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Is spaying or neutering of stray animals for population control ok?
Killing of stray animals like dogs and cats violates the first precept.
However, is spaying or neutering of stray animals for population control acceptable from Buddhism's perspective? Does it violate ...
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Should one be practicing restraint or be practicing mindfulness?
Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but many Theravada teachers warn against practicing restraint in the commonly understood sense of the word.
For example, if I understand correctly, Yuttadhammo ...
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Drunk in Dream without any alcohol in the past month
I had this dream in an afternoon 3-hr long nap today where I was so drunk that I could not keep track of the present. I remember, at one moment I was conscious that I feel drunk and then the next ...
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Is impersonating breaking the 4th Buddhist precept?
Most if not all of us had used alias, pseudonym or avatar at one time or another while interacting with others on the Internet. There may be good reasons for doing so such as the desire to protect our ...
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Is vaping nicotine considered a violation of the fifth precept?
I understand that vaping nicotine is not a particularly healthy habit and is addictive. However, I’ve used it to quit smoking cigarettes and it has resulted in me abandoning them entirely, which I ...
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Lying while playing a game
I have been looking into Buddhism and this is the question I found hard to answer.
I do understand that lying in Buddhism is breaking the 4th precept. I also know that in case lying is required in ...
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Interpretations of the fifth precept
The fifth precept, in Pali, reads
Suramerayamajja pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I do not know Pali, but from what I understand, this is literally interpreted as a prohibition against ...
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Did I violate the fourth precept?
I am a Theravada Buddhist. I got selected to a government university in my country. I got a message saying “Your online registration under Additional Intake for Special Subject for the A/Y 21/22 is ...
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Conversions and former bad deeds
I have read that obedience to the five precepts at least guarantees that practitioners will not fall back into the lower worlds (animal world, wandering spirit world, and hell world) when they are ...
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Can you break the five precepts (except for lying) if the need arises?
I have come across someone stating that you can break any of the five precepts with exception of lying if the need may arise. Is this true? In Theravada Buddhism.
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Sexuality, marriage and the fourth precept
Let's say a person were to seek for, and enter a monogamous heterosexual relationship and eventually marriage, but actually he or she is either homosexual or bisexual (but more inclined to ...
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taking vows (the Five Precepts) and magic mushrooms
I was thinking about taking vows and I had a few questions:
does cannabis and magic mushrooms count as intoxicants?
does masturbation count as sexual misconduct?
if cannabis and magic mushrooms are ...
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Can a married man have sex with a prostitute without breaking the third precept?
I tried to find the answer and looked into theses questions on the site
The Third Precept and Prostitution
Buddhist attitude towards prostitution and non-procreative sexual activity
How is sexual ...
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Mercy killing (not assisted suicide) and the ramifications of the karmic action
Of course one of the 4 imponderables is the results of karma.
I am just asking if there is any sutta explanation on the effect of killing with malice compared to mercy killing?
Difference between ...
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Making a true promise "on the dharma"
Is making a true promise, on the dharma, good karma?
Not asking about the precepts per se, but it was about precept centred behaviour (a lack of infidelity etc. from me): and now I feel blissed out, ...
user23322
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Are the Five Precepts a gradual training?
In this answer it's said that the Five Precepts are not a form of gradual training.
Are they are a gradual training? If not, why?
Thank you for your time.
user21421
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About the Upasakasila Sutta and LGBT
Is the upasakasila sutta based on the Tipitaka (Pali Canon) or is it based on the Mahayana teachings?
Also, I understand that Buddhism doesn't condemn LGBT, but in the Upasakasila Sutta, it is written:...
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What is musavada in the five precepts?
What is musāvādā in the five precepts?
On this five precepts page, it is translated as "incorrect speech", presumably by Ven. Thanissaro.
On this DN 27 page, Ven. Sujato translated it as &...
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Laws of the land, and Buddhist virtues and precepts
Some laws coincide with Buddhist precepts for e.g. penalizing murder and theft.
But there are other laws like traffic rules or Covid-19 rules which have no direct equivalent in Buddhism.
However, we ...
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Bodhisattva Precepts
I've been really into the ethical and moral foundation of buddhism and stumbled onto the precepts. Would it be wrong of me to recite the bodhisattva precepts that I've found online that I identify ...
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What are the benefits of keeping the lay precepts, if you're not a bodhisattva?
What are the benefits of keeping the lay precepts, if you're not a bodhisattva? I'm asking about doing so in a liberal (no infidelity or drug addictions) and to a conservative (no sex or glass of wine)...
user19950
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Animal sacrifices mentioned in the suttas or vinaya?
Hindus believe that the Buddha opposed Vedic rites of animal sacrifice in his time, for example, on this page and on this page.
This apparently influenced later Hindus to abandon the practice of ...
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Is observing the five precepts a gradual training?
Which Pali suttas refer the subject of "gradual training"?
Do the Pali suttas say observing the five precepts is a "gradual training"?
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Keeping a pet cat, without training or encouraging it to kill rats
Let's say a lay Buddhist has a rat infestation problem in his or her house.
Catching rats using traps and killing them is clearly breaking the first precept of not taking a life.
What about keeping a ...
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Does feeding animals with dead chicks and live worms break precepts?
As part of a volunteering job where endangered animals are taken care of they have to feed them with dead chicks recuperated from the agro industry, which is blameless and doesn't break precepts, ...
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the five precepts and marijuana - does marijuana count as an intoxicant?
The fifth of the precepts is "I undertake the training to refrain from intoxicants."
does smoking marijuana count as an intoxicant ?
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Buddhist ethics & hydroponics: ethical issues?
AFAIK, in Theravada, ordained monastics are prohibited from growing their own food. Even hydroponics would likely be prohibited by vināya due to probability of harming small unseen life (algae, etc) ...
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Does the first precept require me to check the shower for bugs and make sure to remove all of the bugs before using it?
I recently noticed that perhaps fewer than 10 bugs seem to be in my shower. I can try to remove all of the bugs from the shower before using it so that they don’t get washed away and killed. However,...
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Unintentionally killing insects when playing sports and running
I jog everyday and teach children how to play basketball. There are some insects on the path where I jog and on the basketball court, and I’m sure we unintentionally kill a few of them. We live in a ...
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How bad is the karma of feeding meat to your children?
I have a girlfriend who has a daughter from another man. If I raise this kid not vegetarian, will that be bad karma? Her mother is an omnivore and the kid is being raised in an omnivore household. It ...
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Things that I have pirated in the past
Ever since I was a kid I have pirated and bought illegal copies of many different kind of media such as music, movies, video games and softwares.
Now as an adult do I have to pay for all these ...
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Are there any sila / vinaya for mind?
There are five precepts.
I don't kill living species.
I don't do sexual miaconduct.
........
Similary, Are there any for mind ? Like,
I don't think ......
....
We can think according to the five ...
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Is there something specifically wrong with keeping the 8 precepts as a lay person?
I know that the 5 precepts were intended for lay people. I know that in lay life, most people choose to only keep the 5 precepts, and there is no requirement to keep any more. I know that sometimes ...
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Not doing anything
q:
Is not doing anything in a situation and just being mindful breaking
any of the precepts?
user16793
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Different lyings
Here are my questions:
Can lying be nonverbal? like in action?
Is cheating lying?
Is writing the wrong answer when you know the correct answer lying?
Is skipping the line cheating, ...
user16793
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irrational fear of hell and damnation and spiralling, please help me?
I've posted on this Q&A site before when my grandmother just passed away, and some of the answers here really helped me feel a lot better and eased my fear enough for me to go back to my normal ...
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Responding to Worldly Questions
Namo Buddhaya!
People always ask "How are you?", "Isn't that beautiful/horrible", "You are so lucky/unlucky!", "Did you enjoy/like that", and so on.
How do I respond to these things in a way that ...
user16793
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Why has the "3rd precept" of the 5 precepts been interpreted as being so permissive?
It seems to me that according to one interpretation of the "3rd precept" of the 5 precepts one could even engage in various sexual acts with a vast number of prostitutes nonstop and that still wouldn'...
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Possible to intentionally kill without "intention"?
The 5 criteria of killing
1) There is life present
2) The person knows "there is life present"
3) Intention to take away the life
4) Action or speech that causes "life is taken away"
5) Life is taken ...
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Is it possible to attain stream-entry if one is only following "the 5 precepts"?
Is it possible to attain stream-entry if one is only following "the 5 precepts"?
Are there any suttas that seem to address this question?
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How did Sarakani become a stream enterer despite having an alcohol drinking habit?
I read SN 55.24 (quoted below) and it says Sarakani became a stream enterer despite having an alcohol drinking habit, because he undertook the training before he died.
What does the sutta really mean?...
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5th precept missing from 8fold Path?
I can find the first 4 precepts explicitly listed in the 8fold Path- but not the 5th precept regarding intoxicants. Am I missing it in there somewhere? I am wondering if it was a later addition to the ...
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5 precepts and the mental factor of sila
Once the 5 precepts is observed from a monk, is there any rupa of sila being formed as a kind of mental factor in the observer? And this rupa of sila (like a vase?) if thus polluted,it can be cleansed,...
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Breaking of five precept
Breaking of five precept would generate bad consequences from the evil deeds or from being not able to keep the precepts itself? The so called breaking of the body of precepts? some traditions say ...
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Would the Buddha have considered engaging in anal sex as breaking the 1st and/or 5th precept?
Would the Buddha have considered engaging in anal sex as breaking the 1st and/or 5th precepts?
I would like to know this as I am trying to better understand the 5 precepts.
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What is appropriate usage of medicines that are intoxicating?
What is appropriate usage of medicines that are intoxicating?
I know that cannabis has been used for pain relief but if the use of the cannabis is intoxicating then what is the right view of what is ...
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