Special Topics
Observing the Precepts Allows One to Feel at Ease
The scientific study of habits has recently become a prominent study area, as good habits can make a significant difference in one's life. The Buddha had already established the precepts, which serve as beneficial habits to help people in their self-cultivation. Observing the precepts serves as the code of conduct for Buddhists. They allow us to curb our desires as well as purify the body and mind, thereby allowing us to reduce afflictions and move closer toward achieving liberation. &nb...
To Observe Precepts, One Needs to Have the Right View and Follow the Middle Path
Receiving and observing the precepts is also about cultivating good habits. In terms of self-cultivation, these are referred to as the familiarization of wholesome habits and involve consistently doing virtuous deeds. Our lives are filled with wholesome or unwholesome habits and deeds which accumulated over time. Therefore, the reception and observance of precepts can help people subliminally develop conditioned responses within the norm, enabling them to spend the majority of their time walk...
Using the Psychology of Habit to Create the Right Conditions for Keeping the Precepts
In recent years, the scientific study of habits has become a prominent study area. After long-term follow-up observations, experts have found that self-disciplined individuals develop good habits by familiarizing themselves with wholesome habits, thereby avoiding having to constantly put their willpower and self-control to the test. In other words, they stay away from situations where temptations are prevalent, which, in a sense, is a form of self-restraint. For Buddhists, following the prece...
Keeping Precepts, a Life Experiment
The book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, emphasizes that tiny changes can bring about great accomplishments, while small changes will generate a compound "snowball" effect, thereby leading to fruitful results in one's life. What about the compound effect of observing precepts? Precepts are also known as "pratikmosa," a term which entails that each precept has the function of leading to greater or lesser degrees of liberation. We may feel that this co...
Q1：I love and enjoy freedom. So what if I lose my freedom after receiving the precepts?
The Observance of Precepts Q&A If upholding the precepts can make one a better person, then what are most people afraid of in this regard? Are they afraid of losing their freedom, apprehensive about breaking the precepts, or anxious about having no flexibility? Let us unpack this fear and clarify the true meaning of upholding the precepts. Ven. Chang Fa (Director of Dharma Drum Mountain Lanyang Practice Center) Q1：I love and enjoy freedom. So what i...
Q2: Why are we afraid of taking the precepts when we clearly know that it is good for us? How do we overcome this uncertainty?
Some people worry that, after taking the precepts, breaking them will lead to karmic retribution. In fact, regardless of whether we receive the precepts or not, the law of causality is still present. The Buddha established the precepts out of compassion for all sentient beings. This is why he earnestly and repeatedly exhorted us to follow the precepts, in order to prevent us from having to suffer negative karmic results. As a Buddhist saying goes: "Bodhisattvas fear the ca...
Q3：Is there any room for flexibility in upholding the precepts? If so, how do we maintain this flexibility without losing the spirit of the precepts?
The Buddha formulated each precept based on its respective causes and conditions. However, he always remained flexible and was willing to make changes and modifications when any problems arose in upholding them. For instance, the Buddha once asked a young bhikkhu why he was so thin, to which he replied that he had not been eating enough for quite some time. At the time, a disciplinary rule stated that young monks must stand up and pay respect to every veteran monk who passed by, whic...
Q4: Is it enough to just do good deeds regularly, or is it necessary to also observe the precepts? How should the precepts be broadly applied in our daily lives?
Doing good deeds regularly may help us cultivate karmic blessings. However, if we fail to observe the five precepts and create negative karma instead, we will very likely not qualify for a human rebirth in our next life. For example, some pet animals may be enjoying a lot of karmic blessings, yet they have no way of directly engaging in Buddhist study and practice the same way that humans do. Therefore, the observance of the five precepts is the required spiritual provision for those who wish...
Q5: How do we encourage our family and friends to observe the precepts? What if they cannot take the whole precepts all at once?
When I was a social worker, I used to pay care visits to the old communities in the Wanhua district. Many of our clients there had been used to living in cluttered environments since their childhood. Once, I guided a few children from the community to clean up the area in an attempt to create a different, more comfortable living space for them to experience. I wanted to show them that they do have options. Similarly, when encouraging others to observe the precepts, we can invite them to go an...