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1 The Buddhist Moral Code of the 5 Precepts-The Panchasila What are Precepts? All Buddhists take ‘precepts’. These are like vows or promises made to the Buddha not to do certain things. There are many different levels of precepts: there are more than 200 that a Buddhist monk takes for example, and some nuns keep as many as 360. But there are five precepts that all Buddhists keep. The five precepts-the Panchasila ‘Pancha’ is a Pali word meaning ‘five’. ‘Sila’ (pronounced ‘Sheila’) means ‘moral discipline’. Nowadays this is usually translated as the five precepts. The five precepts are: • • • • • Not killing or harming any living being. Not stealing. Not lying. Not committing sexual misconduct-this means not being unfaithful to your partner. Not taking intoxicants-this includes both illegal and legal drugs. Breaking the 5 precepts-the results in future lives It is believed that these actions have serious consequences in future lives: committing sexual misconduct is said to result in rebirth as a wandering spirit for example, and taking intoxicants results in rebirth as an animal. More than this, Buddhists believe that, even when these rebirths are finished and beings come back to the human level, they still experience problems similar to the actions that they did in the past. So, if you committed sexual misconduct, you will have a partner who is unfaithful, and if you took intoxicants, you might come back as a drug addict. Breaking the 5 precepts-the results in this life However, there is another reason why followers of the Buddha choose not to do these actions, a reason that has to do with this present life rather than any future ones. Buddhists believe that actions like killing have such a negative effect on the mind that it makes it impossible to make any progress in meditation. So they take precepts because they want their meditation to work properly. What actually makes a Buddhist? Just saying ‘I am a Buddhist’ doesn’t make you a Buddhist any more than saying ‘I am the King of the Universe’ makes you a universal king. Two things make someone a Buddhist. The first is having faith in the Three Jewels of Refuge: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The second thing is keeping the precepts they have taken. Someone who doesn’t do this and just says ‘I am a Buddhist’ is a Buddhist in name but not in their actions. KS3 Buddhism, lesson 12: 5 Precepts G Beesley & the Dechen Community 2 Key Words Precept-a rule one vows or promises to keep Panchasila-the five precepts (literally ‘five moral disciplines’) Tasks v What are the Five Precepts? v What does ‘Panchasila’ mean? v Buddhists believe that all negative actions result in rebirth as an animal, a hell being, or a wandering spirit. What kind of rebirths do you think result from: a) Lying? b) Stealing? c) Killing? v Once you were reborn as a human, what sort of experiences do you think the above actions would result in? v Give the two main reasons why Buddhists keep the Five Precepts. v Why do you think it is that a person who doesn’t keep the Five Precepts can’t make any progress in meditation? ( Think about the effect that each of the five might have on the mind.) v Would you be able to keep these precepts? Which ones do you think you would find most difficult and why? v List some actions that go against the Five Precepts but are not against the law. v Think of five precepts for your school. Design a poster explaining why pupils should keep them. v Does deciding not to do certain things make you a better person? Why/why not? v Describe what life would be like if everybody just did what they felt like doing and no one followed rules. v Do you do the things you do out of choice or habit? Explain your answer. KS3 Buddhism, lesson 12: 5 Precepts G Beesley & the Dechen Community