The Importance of the Five Precepts.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH. The Buddha taught: "Crossing the river of birth and death, the precept to make boats", throughout his life of preaching, the Buddha always upheld the precepts and considered it as one of the important lessons that every disciple needs to master. Why did the Buddha prescribe the five precepts for lay Buddhists? If the Three Refuges are the foundation, then the Five Precepts are the five steps that lead Buddhists to gradually walk to the path of liberation. "The righteous law is a pond" Gender is the harbor in the water Undefiled, clean Praised by benevolent people It is a place of wisdom Often take a bath to remove impurities When hands and feet are clean They crossed to the other side.” Buddha taught: The Buddha taught: "Crossing the river of birth and death, the precept to make boats", throughout his life of preaching, the Buddha always upheld the precepts and considered it as one of the important lessons that every disciple needs to master. The Five Precepts in the Dhammapada The Importance of the Five Precepts For me, the Five Precepts are not only a common lesson to apply to each Buddhist, but it is also useful for everyone. Before, I only knew about Buddhism because of family tradition. Both my mother and grandmother followed Buddhism, so I also knew a little about Buddhism, but did not understand deeply and had absolute faith in him. However, after reading the stories of the Buddha's life, the teachings summed up after 49 years of teaching the Dharma to save his life, I wholeheartedly believed and tried to practice accordingly. Not dry, hard to understand or abstract teachings His teachings are simple and always have practical examples. They are logical and easy to understand like any science being taught today. The Five Precepts is one of the first three lessons I learned after my religious education. Almost anyone can understand the meaning of the five precepts and apply them to everyday life. No matter what religion you follow, the five precepts are like a basic lesson, a premise to help us have the right understanding in this life. Because the things mentioned in the five precepts are not alien to normal human activities. The Five Precepts may seem simple at first, but if you understand them thoroughly and analyze them in depth, they still contain a lot of knowledge. Because of my limited knowledge, I just want to share a few basic things that I know with you. If you want to understand in detail and completely, you should read books written by the teachers to be able to fully understand the meaning of the precepts that the Buddha wants to convey to us. The Five Precepts is not only a common lesson to apply to each Buddhist, but it is also useful for everyone. How to practice overcoming the five precepts to have a happy life The benefits of keeping the five precepts Do not kill : It means not killing people, including not directly killing, not inciting people to kill, not happy to see people being killed. We know that if we value human life, we must know how to respect other people's lives, and by extension, animals also value their lives, so because of our equal compassion, we also reduce killing of animals. Do not steal: Many people wonder: "Why did the Buddha give this precept? Everyone in the family is always careful to keep it, always teaching their children to be honest, not greedy, not to infringe on people's things, right? Surely this precept is so easy to break?”. Robbery is divided into many forms. But we can simply understand that stealing is all actions out of greed and evil, thinking only of their own gain and forgetting the pain of others. This is an act contrary to humanity, against the law, so Buddhists absolutely must not do it. In addition, the fact that we start thinking about stealing, stealing, and cheating also commits the precept of stealing. Because the Buddha said: "No matter how high a person's wisdom, how deep his meditation, if the thief's mind is not eliminated, not only will he not be able to get out of the bondage, but the result will certainly be lost in the wrong path. , eternally immersed in birth and death". Then we know that the simpler things are, the more subjective and easy we are to commit. Like my friend once boasted that the security guard overpaid but didn't say anything, silently stuffed it in his pocket. I have a suggestion that I should return it because I will get used to it once and form a bad habit. But my friend didn't listen, told me to be hot, who can see money without greed? I don't say anymore, I just think that if you take it from someone, it will be taken back someday. So everything turned out exactly as I thought it would. The day I went to buy bread because I rushed to class, my friend lost several hundred thousand right in front of the store. My friend kept getting angry because there were so many people around that no one mentioned. It is true that if you take one, you lose ten. Cause and effect are never wrong. Therefore, all possessions, no matter how precious, convenient, important, or despised, no matter how much or how little, good or bad, even the smallest things like a needle or a blade of grass, are not allowed to "take without giving." . Even if there is a thought, it should not be because the line between thought and action is extremely thin. Therefore, in order to avoid fraud, there is no better method than to keep the path straight and the mind honest. The Six Doctrine Sutras teach that: "I would rather die by poverty than live without religion." Keeping the precepts is extremely important because the Buddha saw that when he did those bad things, he had to go to hell, fall to demons, and animals, so he gave the precepts for our good. Accomplish the Five Precepts and be reborn in the Western Pure Land Do not commit adultery: Lay Buddhists are allowed to be married but not to commit adultery. Because this is an act that hurts his family, his family risks bankruptcy. Today, people love freedom, live liberally, love new things, and do not keep the relationship between husband and wife. All suffering stems from personal desires that cause separation of husband and wife, but most pitiful are children. Not being properly nurtured has caused them psychological damage. That's why it is said that "a person who embraces lust is like holding a torch to go in the opposite direction and is determined to be burned". If each family keeps the flame of happiness, the society will develop more and more. Because “Family is the cell of society”. Thus, the Buddha taught us to keep the precepts, not to commit any wrongdoing in order to avoid enmity and evil retribution. Do not lie: To lie is to speak against the truth in order to seek one's own advantage to harm others, except in cases where the interests of others are unwilling to tell the truth so that the person is harmed or suffers. Buddhism is a true religion, so the more Buddhist followers need the truth. In "The 66 Buddha's teachings on life", it was written: "If you tell a lie, you have to make up ten more untrue sentences to cover it up, why is it so painful?". Speech is not a sword, but it is very dangerous because it has two points. One stab at another person, one stab at the person using it. So we keep the precept not to lie, to avoid the karma of revenge. The benefits of keeping the precepts are enormous. If we can't cultivate to attain rebirth, the next life will also be reborn in the heavens and human realms with full of blessings: healthy, beautiful, rich, etc., often near good friends, knowledge, and predestined conditions to continue our cultivation. fruit test. The Five Precepts - The Ten Virtues and the issue of maintaining family happiness Do not drink alcohol: Drinking alcohol makes the mind foggy, not calm and clear, so it is contrary to the Buddha's enlightenment purpose. Moreover, alcohol is often the cause of other bad consequences that are extremely dangerous for themselves and for society. In the Buddha's house, there is a legend as follows: "During the time of the Buddha, there was a person who received the five precepts and always kept the pure precepts. One day, coming home from outside, he was very thirsty, and he saw on the table a cup of wine that was as clear as water. He thought it was water, took a sip into his stomach. Unexpectedly, when the nature of alcohol played out, he broke the precepts continuously. Seeing the neighbor's chicken, he caught the thief to eat. The neighbor's wife who lost her chicken came to find her, and when she saw the beauty, he immediately raped her. After that, he was arrested on the street. He refused to plead guilty." Because he drank a cup of wine by mistake, he continuously violated all five precepts. That's how great the crime of alcohol is. In addition, in the Four Parts of the Law, it is also said: "It is not like taking alcohol to make medicine, using alcohol to wash your wounds. But you must be advised by the doctor, not by your own initiative, pretending to take alcohol as medicine, but enjoy the pleasure of drinking." Conclusion: Regardless of whether you are a Buddhist or a non-Buddhist, if everyone can observe these precepts, they will have peace of mind, a happy family, a society with fine customs and traditions, a peaceful world . Keeping the precepts is extremely important because the Buddha saw that when he did those bad things, he had to go to hell, fall to demons, and animals, so he gave the precepts for our good. Recall the last words of the Buddha to his disciples before entering Nirvana: "The precepts are everyone's teacher. The precepts are still Buddhism. If the precepts are lost, then Buddhism is lost. The precepts not only help each Buddhist, but also anyone who follows any religion, if they keep the five precepts, they will always keep a peaceful, peaceful, unconditioned mind as empty as space. Regardless of whether you are a Buddhist or a non-Buddhist, if everyone can observe these precepts, they will have peace of mind, their families will be harmonious and happy, their society will be fine, their customs and traditions will be fine, and the world will be at peace. For a future where new forms of the Five Precepts are displayed However, as an ordinary person, no one is without sin, the problem is that they know how to repent, repent, repair, and do as much good as possible to compensate for their merit. Absolutely don't give up because you can't keep one or two precepts and don't continue to practice. The benefits of keeping the precepts are enormous. If we can't cultivate to attain rebirth, the next life will also be reborn in the heavens and human realms with full of blessings: healthy, beautiful, rich, etc., often near good friends, knowledge, and predestined conditions to continue our cultivation. fruit test. To quote the teachings of Padmasambhava to close the article: “When your mind is free from craving, food, prosperity and enjoyment will automatically come to you. When you keep the precepts pure in your body and mind, your mind becomes flexible. When you don't have any ambitions or desires, the accumulations will spontaneously complete. When you understand the characteristics of samsara, your mind will be separated from worldly pursuits.”END=NAMO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.18/6/2021.