The Five precepts

 THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

The most important thing is not to be rich, famous, not even to be healthy. The most important thing is to practice being noble. That means doing your best to have virtuous conducts. The more honest, respectful and caring you will be, the better you will be protected from all kinds of problems and the better you will feel.

The five precepts are the minimum we should try to apply. It is the most important thing with unselfishness and attention, because we can get the biggest benefits if we avoid words and acts which cause suffering and if we are only cared by helping and giving relief. Moreover it is easy; it is only a good practice to make. This is an explanation of the five precepts:

1. Not killing or causing harm to other living beings.  

The first precept is to not kill. It is very negative to kill someone, even a person who does harm because if we kill him (or her) it is a human being that will be killed not his (her) actions. You even have to stay clear from killing animals because these are beings which suffer when they are injured. If you do respect animals, even the small insects sometimes they feel it and are nice to you.

When you hurt someone a person or an animal it is just like hurting yourself because all our deeds redound to us sooner or later. Sometimes you feel guilty and it can be terribly painful and sometimes for long, even if it appears later. When you help people who get problems (even if you don't know them), you feel happy, you are well-liked and respected. If you do things you would not like to be done to you, it is the opposite, and you will do debts which will cause you unpleasantness.

2.    Not taking the not-given. 

The second precept is to not steal. A French proverb says: "ill-gotten gains never prosper". That means you will never profit by things got unfairly. As any damage act that jinxes. That’s one which says "He that will steal a pin will steal a pound" is also true; it's in the details that you can see if you are really honest or not. It is very important to practice not to take something that is not offered, even a candy. There is no useful reason to be dishonest. If you are honest and those who surround you are not, you will provide inspiration and not the other way. Dishonesty is like a disease which spoils other people's life. Better cure people caring for sick persons than sick persons infecting cured people.

3. Avoiding sexual misconduct. 

(It is not possible to show a picture to illustrate clearly this precept)

The third precept is to not indulge a sexual misconduct. That means if you have a "boyfriend" (girlfriend) you will have to be faithful to him (her) and have no one else. It is very unsound to live a cheating life. It compels you to lie all the time. This can bring about hugely sorrow. Moral hurting is much more aching than physical pain.

As in honesty, virtue in love is something very important. If you really want to know true love with a boy (girl), or at least if you only want people to love you sincerely you have to never play with other people feelings.

4. Avoiding false speech. 

The fourth precept is not to tell lies. If there are so many problems at this time it is greatly due to lie. This precept seems to be childishly simple but it is also the easier to break. Though there are only profits observing it. If you lie, even just a little bit, nobody can trust you, those who love fairness and wisdom will stay clear from you and you will easily be disposed to meet people who are used to do bad things. On the contrary, if you practice being always sincere refraining from telling lies you have a lot to win : you will have more friends, people will pay attention to you, will entrust you interesting things, you will be merrily helped etc.

5. Abstaining from drink and drugs that cloud the mind. 

The fifth precept is to not use up alcohol or more widely everything intoxicant. For instance, you can take medicines, but only to cure a medical problem otherwise it is dangerous. As well as destructing health, alcohol or another drug (any) can compel you to commit evil deeds and being unaware of it, some of these can be irreparable.

What is more important than having a clear mind and a healthy body? Even cigarettes are a poison you should avoid because it only brings disadvantages including for the people around.

     About The Five Precepts

There are people who make great celebrations and beautiful presents in the temples with a lot of devotion but they do not respect the five precepts. All their deeds are not worth it! It is just like a race car: if the engine is used up, rusted, badly blended, deprived of some parts or without petrol, no matter what you do with a beautiful body, with a beautiful painting, it's a waste of time because the car will not be able to cruise properly.

Respecting the five precepts is really the main thing whatever you do in your life because they are the wisdom foundation. Virtue is a fundamental part to understand realness in depth.

The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.

The Buddha

The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.

Siddhartha Gautama - The Buddha

By finding the path to Enlightenment, Siddhartha was led from the pain of suffering and rebirth towards the path of Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened one'.

A life of luxury

buddha temple statue,
 kathmandu, Nepal

Opinions differ as to the dates of Siddhartha Gautama's life. Historians have dated his birth and death as circa 566-486 BCE but more recent research suggests that he lived later than this, from around 490 BCE until circa 410 BCE.

He was born into a royal family in the village of Lumbini in present-day Nepal, and his privileged life insulated him from the sufferings of life; sufferings such as sickness, age and death.

Discovering cruel reality

One day, after growing up, marrying and having a child, Siddhartha went outside the royal enclosure where he lived. When he went outside he saw, each for the first time, an old man, a sick man, and a corpse.

This greatly disturbed him, and he learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate of human beings - a fate no-one could avoid.

Becoming a holy man

Siddhartha had also seen a monk, and he decided this was a sign that he should leave his protected royal life and live as a homeless holy man.

Siddhartha's travels showed him much more of the the suffering of the world. He searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first by studying with religious men. This didn't provide him with an answer.

A life of self-denial

Siddhartha encountered an Indian ascetic who encouraged him to follow a life of extreme self-denial and discipline.

The Buddha also practised meditation but concluded that in themselves, the highest meditative states were not enough.

Siddhartha followed this life of extreme asceticism for six years, but this did not satisfy him either; he still had not escaped from the world of suffering.

The middle way

He abandoned the strict lifestyle of self-denial and ascetics, but did not return to the pampered luxury of his early life.

Instead, he pursued the Middle Way, which is just what it sounds like; neither luxury nor poverty.

Enlightenment

Bodhi tree next to
Mahabodhi temple,the
spot where
Buddha
achieved enlightenment

One day, seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening) Siddhartha became deeply absorbed in meditation, and reflected on his experience of life, determined to penetrate its truth.

He finally achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha. The Mahabodhi Temple at the site of Buddha's enlightenment, is now a pilgrimage site.

Buddhist legend tells that at first the Buddha was happy to dwell within this state, but Brahma, king of the gods, asked, on behalf of the whole world, that he should share his understanding with others.

The Teacher

Buddha set in motion the wheel of teaching: rather than worshipping one god or gods, Buddhism centres around the timeless importance of the teaching, or the dharma.

For the next 45 years of his life the Buddha taught many disciples, who became Arahants or 'noble ones', who had attained Enlightenment for themselves.