Virtue in Buddhism is the procedure to control one’s bodily actions and the words. It is the way the Buddha taught us to manage our actions in fulfilling the path to realize Dhamma. This virtue also helps the disciple’s effort of developing three parts, the Samma Vacha, Samma Kammanta, and Samma Ajeeva, of the Noble Eightfold Path. There is also a number of benefits that you can enjoy in this life because of this virtue. In fact, the virtue can be protected by lay people as well as the monks.
Buddha taught the laypeople to observe five precepts in their day to day lives. Those are,
- Refrain from killing – That is, refrain from killing any being. This being can be in a just formed embryo or a fully grown person or an animal.
- Refrain from Stealing – Refrain from taking anything that is not yours with a stealing mind.
- Refrain from sexual misconduct – There can be women who live under the protection of a mother, a father, both mother and father, a brother, a sister, relatives, or under a tribe. Also, some women have committed their lives to practice Dhamma. Sometimes, a woman has a husband or engaged to get married. In some cases, she is intended to get married with someone just after simple engagement like wearing a garland of flowers. If someone to sexually act with any of these women and deprave her character, then it is known as sexual misconduct. A Buddhist disciple should refrain from these actions.
- Refrain from lying – A Buddhist disciple who has observed this precept should not tell a lie intentionally to deceive another person.
- Refrain from misusing alcohols, drugs or other similar things to get intoxicated – One should not use alcohols, beer, cigarette, drugs, or marijuana that result in tardiness and intoxication.
There are more precepts that a layperson could observe. Those are the “Aajeevaka” eight precepts, “Upōsatha” eight precepts, and ten precepts for laypeople.
The Aajeevaka eight precepts:
- Refrain from killing beings.
- Refrain from stealing belongings of other people.
- Refrain from sexual misconducts.
- Refrain from lying.
- Refrain from divulge secrets.
- Refrain from speaking harsh/rude words.
- Refrain from speaking meaningless words.
- Refrain from unrighteous living.
Upōsatha (holy) eight precepts:
- Refrain from killing beings.
- Refrain from stealing belongings of other people.
- Refrain from all sexual activities.
- Refrain from lying.
- Refrain from using alcohols and misusing drugs.
- Refrain from eating food after midday (prevent taking any food between after the noon of a day until the Sun rises in the morning of the next day).
- Refrain from performing dancing, singing, participating in music, watching unseemly shows, using garlands, perfumes, unguents, ornaments.
- Refrain from using high and luxurious seats.
Ten precepts for laypeople:
- Refrain from killing beings.
- Refrain from stealing belongings of other people.
- Refrain from all sexual activities.
- Refrain from lying.
- Refrain from using alcohols and misusing drugs.
- Refrain from eating food after midday (prevent taking any food between after the noon of a day until the Sun rises in the morning of the next day).
- Refrain from performing dancing, singing, participating in music, watching unseemly shows.
- Refrain from using garlands, perfumes, unguents, ornaments.
- Refrain from using high and luxurious seats.
- Refrain from using money, gold, and silver.
You can try observing these precepts at least one day of each month. This day is the full moon day and is known as “Poya day” by the Buddhists.
There are two types of precepts that monks should observe and protect. They are the “Sāmanēra” (novice) ten precepts and “Upasampada” (ordained) precepts. The novice ten precepts are,
- Refrain from killing beings.
- Refrain from stealing belongings of other people.
- Refrain from all sexual activities.
- Refrain from lying.
- Refrain from using alcohols and misusing of drugs.
- Refrain from eating food after midday (prevent taking any food between after the noon of a day until the Sun rises in the morning of the next day).
- Refrain from performing dancing, singing, participating in music, watching unseemly shows.
- Refrain from using garlands, perfumes, unguents, ornaments.
- Refrain from using high and luxurious seats.
- Refrain from using money, gold, and silver.
On the other hand, the ordained virtue consists of 227 precepts. A monk can start observing this ordained virtue after practicing the novice ten precepts for some time.
- What are the merits one can accumulate by observing and protecting these precepts?
The Supreme Buddha taught us the merits of protecting the precepts as follows:
- Virtuous person will grow in wealth by protecting his precepts.
- His virtuous life will promote his good name among people.
- With one’s cultivated virtue, one becomes courageous to go and work among any kind of crowd.
- By the time a virtuous person dies, he will be able to face the death with a good mindfulness.
- Once he died, he will be born in an upper level world like heaven.
Furthermore, a virtuous person can get many merits as a result of his effort on protecting the precepts.
Buddha taught us the Noble Eight-Fold Path as the path to Nibbāna. In fact, this path has to be fulfilled with respect to virtue, concentration, and wisdom. The Samma Vacha (virtue relates to the speech that leads to Nibbāna), Samma Kammanta (virtue relates to occupation that leads to Nibbāna), and Samma Ajeeva (virtue relates to life style that leads to Nibbāna) are the three parts that have been categorized under the virtue in the Noble Eight-Fold Path. Thus, one completes the Noble Eight-Fold Path by protecting his virtue because it is a part of the path to Nibbāna. Therefore, it is very important to cultivate one’s virtue.
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