In “Essentials of Buddhist Sila and Vinaya” by Master Sheng Yen, you will see that Shifu has provided an interpretation for each type of precept, summarized in a concise heading. For example, the “Five Precepts and Ten Virtues” are called “Passports to Heaven from Earth”; the “Eight Precepts” are called “The Path to Liberation from Birth and Death”; the “Ten Precepts for Novice Monks” are called “The Foundation of the Path to Liberation”; the “Precepts for Bhikshu or Bhikshuni” are called “The Bridge to Nirvana,” and finally, the “Bodhisattva Precepts” are called “The Cradle of the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future.”
The main difference in these precepts is that they become increasingly refined. The simplest is the “Five Precepts and Ten Virtues.” The “Ten Virtues” are not actual precepts; the real precepts are the “Five Precepts”: no killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, or intoxicants. From the “Five Precepts,” we can further subdivide them into the “Ten Virtues” with three related to the body, four related to speech, and three related to the mind.
The three related to the body are: no killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. The four related to speech (mouth) are: no lying, frivolous speech, divisive speech, and harsh words. Then, there are three related to the mind: no greed, hatred, and delusion, which together make up the “Ten Virtues.” The “Five Precepts” are the most basic. The “Five Precepts and Ten Virtues” form one category. When we get to the “Eight Precepts,” there are three additional precepts, making them stricter. With the “Ten Precepts for Novice Monks,” it becomes even more stringent, with two more precepts in addition to the Eight Precepts. For the Bhikshu or Bhikshuni’ precepts, there are hundreds of them.
As such, we can see that the differences between the various precepts lie in their increasing specificity and detail. Because different precepts are upheld, the results achieved also vary. In other words, the karmic outcomes of upholding the precepts are different.
When we engage in seated meditation, although it is not a formal precept, during these tens of minutes, we can do nothing else but use the method, this somewhat embodies the meaning of precepts. It involves “refraining” from doing certain things and “engaging” in what needs to be done. During meditation, “refraining” means not engaging in random thoughts, and “engaging” means using the method. Although this is not an official precept, and even if you don’t manage to do it perfectly, it won’t have serious consequences. However, if we truly practice this and adhere to refraining from random thoughts and using the method, the results we achieve will be different.
From the way that Master Sheng Yen labeled and defined each type of precept, it can be seen that there are similarities among them, that is, these are merely the minimum criteria for moving forward. The “Five Precepts and Ten Virtues” are the “Passport to Heaven from Earth”: it is just a passport. It’s like having a passport for international travel; you may not have to travel by air, because you haven’t taken that step yet. The “Eight Precepts” is the “Path to Liberation from Birth and Death”: there’s a door, and behind it, a path opens up, but you have to walk it yourself. If you don’t walk, liberation from birth and death is still ahead, since you haven’t started, you are not there yet. The “Ten Precepts for Novice Monks” are the “Foundation of the Path to Liberation”: it’s just a foundation. Once the foundation is solid, we can then move forward. So taking the Ten Precepts is just laying the foundation. What about the “Precepts for Bhikshus or Bhikshunis?” They are the “Bridge to Nirvana”: the bridge is there, but it does not necessarily mean that you will cross that bridge because you may not walk over it. The “Bodhisattva Precepts” are merely the “Cradle of the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future”: there is still a very long way before reaching the level of the Buddhas of the past, present, and future.
Therefore, knowing the method of meditation and understanding what should be done and what should not is just the foundation. In order to achieve the desired result, we need to actually practice it! This is also an important reason why I want to lead “guided meditation.” I have found that many people love to attend lectures, and they feel like they’ve gained knowledge from attending these talks, but whether they actually practice it or not is unknown. At least those of you who are currently participating in the meditation sessions are genuinely following along and practicing meditation together. This means you are aware that the door is there, and we have indeed taken steps to walk on this path.
Only when we have truly started walking the path will we see the scenery along the way and see the obstacles that lie ahead. If you don’t walk it yourself, you won’t know about these obstacles. You might know about them because you’ve read many books written by ancient masters, and these books can tell you about the various obstacles practitioners might face, such as Mara-hindrances, celestial demons, and mental demons. But without personally experiencing them, these remain merely words written in books or things taught by some master. What exactly are they? You won’t know! Because you haven’t experienced them firsthand. When we actually practice and walk the path, we will find out, “Oh, this is that particular obstacle.” When we encounter these obstacles, we can then seek advice and gradually overcome them one by one. This is truly walking the path of practice, rather than merely gaining knowledge.
