Buddhism 102: Ethics

Lesson 1: Pure Precepts And Grave Precepts

Three Refuges, Pure Precepts, Grave Precepts

Reb Anderson refers to these precepts as "the body of Buddha's mind" (40) and "the shape of Buddha's mind" (47). The Three Refuges and the Three Pure Precepts are the underlying principles of Buddhist ethics.

Refuges

In many traditions, taking refuge is the first step of a Buddhist path. In some, it's marked by a ceremony, similar to confirmation in a Christian church. In others, it's a weekly ritual. In our temple in Detroit, we take refuge every week by chanting three lines in Pali, then repeating them in English. (Pali is the ancient Indian language that Buddha spoke in his daily life.)

Buddham saranam gacchami
Dhamman saranam gacchami
Sangham saranam gacchami

I go to Buddha as my refuge.
I go to Dharma, the teachings, as my refuge.
I go to Sangha, the community of all beings, as my refuge.

In some ways, practicing the Three Refuges is a little like starting a twelve-step program; when we take refuge, we admit that the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha can manage our problems better than we alone can. It's a logical next step from there to believe that living an ethical life is a better choice than living a selfish life.

Pure Precepts

The next step from there is three vows known as the Pure Precepts. These, like the Golden Rule, provide us with a generalized basis for determining whether an action is upright or not.

Embrace and sustain forms and ceremonies. This one could be seen as justifying nitpickiness in temples. That's not what it's about. Mainly it's about simplifying behavior in Buddhist communities. The meditation hall is for sitting, the kitchen is for cooking, the dining hall is for eating, the bathroom is for eliminating bodily waste. Embrace the form. Don't sleep in the dining hall, eat in the bathroom, or urinate in the meditation hall. Upright conduct, by this precept, is as simple as that.

Embrace and sustain all good. Every day gives us an opportunity to be good. When we follow this precept, we're looking for good in the world, so that we can embrace it and sustain it.

Embrace and sustain all beings. When we practice this precept, we celebrate the inherent worth of all people, all animals, and all other beings. We can't say, "This person has my compassion, but that person does not." All beings deserve our compassion. For any living being, there's something we can do to bring that being closer to enlightenment.

The Grave Precepts

The wording of the Ten Grave Precepts actually varies greatly in Buddhist texts, even within the Zen tradition. However, the first five are generally consistent in meaning, and they're the ones we'll focus on. They are:

1. Not killing
2. Not stealing
3. Not misusing sexuality
4. Not lying
5. Not abusing intoxicants. (Anderson 83)

Some Westerners who come to Buddhism are a little surprised by these precepts. We might expect something odd and mystical and foreign, but we end up with a few simple words to live by. Those of us who grew up in Jewish or Christian households probably think of the Ten Commandments' corresponding version of the first four. We might look at these and say, "Oh, is that all?"

Plus, some might point out that the third and fifth precept have a lot of wiggle room. What is misusing and abusing, anyway? How much alcohol can you drink without "abusing" it? Is tobacco an intoxicant? Is caffeine?

There's more to these precepts than meets the eye. We need to take some time to get to know them before we can really explore them.

Your assignment: Write these five precepts on a piece of paper. Put that piece of paper somewhere you will see it at least once a day for the next few days. Every time you look at the paper, think of these precepts and how they apply to your life.

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