The Buddhist Precepts | The Six Paramitas

The five basic Buddhist precepts, which complement the three cumulative pure precepts, can be taken partially. It is not necessary to take all five. These five precepts are: not killing, not stealing, not lying, not committing sexual misconduct, and not taking intoxicants.

Why do the shravaka precepts last only a lifetime? The seed generated by taking and maintaining the Buddhist precepts can be regarded as the precept essence. Different from ordinary matter, this subtle essence is a hidden, non-manifested form-dharma1 or phenomena of form that arises from material phenomena such as body and speech. Therefore, when physical life ceases, that precept essence also ceases.

On the other hand the essence generated by the bodhisattva vows is established on the subtle level of one’s mind-stream, or mental continuum. The virtuous seed that is generated by the bodhisattva precepts and vows is imbedded in one’s subtle mind-stream, and will continue to mature until the ultimate attainment of buddhahood. It is actually a mind-dharma, not a form-dharma. Since the mind-stream is without beginning or end, the precept essence persists until one achieves full buddhahood.

While the bhikshu (monk) or bhikshuni (nun) precepts are taken once per lifetime, the bodhisattva precepts can be taken cumulatively over and over again. This is how bodhisattvas integrate the precepts into their conduct and being over many lifetimes.

That is one difference bemeen the precept essence of a shravaka and that of a bodhisattva. Another difference is that the shravaka vows place greater emphasis on renunciation, that is to say, on
escaping suffering, on cutting off desire, and on transcending the three realms of samsara.2 Although the bodhisattva precepts also involve renunciation, they go beyond renunciation and take altruistic bodhi-mind as the very foundation of the path.

In taking their vows, monastics renounce career, wealth, social status, and other things associated with lay life. On the other hand, lay people who enjoy some of these assets should also contemplate that such material things are intrinsically empty. They should understand that their worldly goods are the results of many interdependent conditions coming together, and are therefore inherently impermanent. Nevertheless, while contemplating their emptiness, one should still use one’s assets wisely to benefit sentient beings. One should use one’s body speech, mind, and resources to help others without having notions of “I am helping others.” As one upholds the bodhisattva precepts, renunciation and bodhi-mind manifest inseparably.

The very spirit of the bodhisattva precepts is the vow to benefit others. Through genuinely benefiting others, we ultimately benefit ourselves. Instead of making our own concern paramount, we first look to the welfare of our immediate family and the sangha.3 We then extend that spirit to relatives, friends, and associates. Finally, we hold this attitude to strangers, the larger society, and the environment. This truly benefits us many times over. Ordinarily, people believe that if they do not take care of themselves first, “Heaven will crush them and the ground under their feet will crumble.” However, the bodhisattva’s way of taking care of self is using expedient means to benefit others. The precepts provide us with the moral foundation for accomplishing this.

Here, the word ‘dharma’ is being used in the sense of ‘phenomenon’, or ‘object’ as opposed to ‘Dharma,’ with a capital D, which refers to the teachings of Buddhism.

The three realms (triloka) that constitute samsara, the cycle of birth and death, are: the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm. Human beings exist in the desire realm. The form realm is a heavenly realm inhabited by gods who still possess form. The formless realm is a heavenly realm inhabited by formless gods.

The term ‘sangha’ specifically refers to the community of Buddhist monks and nuns, but it may also refer to the larger community of Buddhist practitioners.

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