The Five Precepts

Caitríona Reed

from July 2003 Ordinary Dharma Newsletter

Listen to the Mustn’ts
Listen to the Mustn’ts, child, listen to the don’ts.
Listen to the shouldn’ts, the Impossibles, the Won’ts
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, anything can be.  Shel Silverstein

Our lives teach us that “Everything is interconnected, everything we do matters.” Buddhist teaching, like life, is a practical affair. The teachings are drawn from experience, and from what has been shown to work. The Buddha was not interested in speculation.

The inner–contemplative, and the outer–active, cannot be separated. By saving ourselves, we save the world; by saving the world we save ourselves. In truth, neither are ‘saved’, we simply go deeper into the intimacy of the relationship, inner and outer, sacred and profane, samsara and nirvana. In the process we learn that kindness and wisdom are not different from each other, and that joy is our first and natural state of being.

The difficulty with 'moral precepts' is that many of us have lost patience with rules, and with the hierarchies and institutions that have imposed them. Rules invite either conformity or rebellion. In the face of escalating violence, finding collective integrity and creativity is of the greatest urgency, as is finding new ways of expressing old truths.

It has taken me a year or so (with lots of help from my friends) to arrive at this version of the precepts. I have been looking for a way to make them emphatic without being oppressive, and to have them convey the tone of our practice and teaching. I wanted to keep them simple enough to memorize easily, but also have them evoke the whole context of our work and practice.

We learn that we are not alone, that our ancestors as well as the spirits of those who are yet to be born, are with us. More than that, I have found that the awareness of this presence deepens and gives body to my own life and practice.

The Buddha's simple description of practice as sila, samadhi, pañña (precepts, stability, and understanding) is applicable now as ever. The question as always, "what sort of precepts can lead to stability in times like these?"

The Five Precepts from Manzanita Village
(Newly Revised Version)
click here for Spanish translation

1 Aware of the violence in the world
and of the power of nonviolent resistance
I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth,
and future generations
and vow to cultivate the compassion
that seeks to protect each living being.

2 Aware of the poverty and greed in the world
and of the intrinsic abundance of the earth,
I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth,
and future generations
   and vow to cultivate the simplicity,
gratitude, and generosity that have no limits.

3 Aware of the abuse and lovelessness in the world
and of the healing that is made possible
when we open to love
I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth,
and future generations
  and vow to cultivate respect
for the beauty and erotic power of our bodies.

4 Aware of the falsehood and deception in the world
and of the power of living and speaking the truth
I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth,
and future generations
   and vow to cultivate the ability to listen;
   and clarity and integrity in all I communicate—
by my words and actions.

5 Aware of the contamination of the world
and of my responsibility for life as it manifests through me
I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth,
and future generations
  and vow to cultivate discernment and care
in what I take into my body and mind.