Precepts should be requested from a left-home person an ordained monk

   To uphold precepts is just to do no evil but do all good. How many precepts are there? There are many sets of precepts. First, there are the five precepts. Those who have taken refuge with the Triple Jewel and who like to take another step forward should receive the five precepts. After having received the five precepts, another step forward would be to receive the eight precepts. Following that would come the ten precepts for novice monks and nuns.

   Lay people who like to receive precepts must request them from an ordained monk. To transmit precepts means to give preceptees the precept substance. A person who transmits the precept substance to you must be a Bhikshu. In the Vinaya, a Bhikshuni is not allowed to transmit precepts.

The basic rules to be observed by Buddhists

   The five precepts are the most fundamental rules that Buddhists should follow. They are: not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying and not consuming intoxicant. If you receive the precept against killing and constantly refrain from killing, you will be rewarded with longevity. You will live a long life. Why is it that some people have long life span while others have short life span? Those who had upheld the precept against killing are rewarded with a long life while people who liked to kill have the retribution of short lives. Why should we observe the precept against stealing? It is because stealing causes others to lose their wealth. What is stealing? It is covertly taking away properties and materials belonging to others. What's the retribution for stealing others' things? The retribution will be that of not being able to hold one's own wealth long. For example, someone may be rich originally, and all of a sudden that person gets robbed. Sexual misconduct, lying, and taking intoxicant are similar. For instance, someone who does not observe the rule against sexual misconduct might have affairs with other's women.

    In the future, that person's own wife or daughter will also be prostituted by others. Those are the kinds of retributions that will happen. As to lying, if we don't cheat people, we will not be cheated. Someone may complain, "I have never cheated any one in my life. Why is it that many people cheated me?" Didn't I just say that the matter of retribution is not limited to one lifetime? It spans three time periods: past, present, and future. You may not have cheated any one in this life, but do you know how many people you had cheated in your previous life? "I don't know." You don't know, and so it may be fitting that people cheat you now. A little wine doesn't hurt. However, if people drink a lot they will become confused and do crazy things. That's why drinking wine is prohibited in Buddhism. If we were to elaborate, the five precepts encompass many principles. The main point is that when we make sure our hands do no killing, we must also be sure that our minds do not entertain any thoughts of killing. Then we are truly upholding the precept against killing. The same applies to the precept against stealing. When our hands are not stealing, our minds must also be free of thoughts of stealing.

   Regardless of the value of objects, if someone uses something or takes something stealthily without getting permission, then that is considered to be a violation of the precept against stealing. Here is a very simple example. Someone buys a bottle of the kind of wine that you like and you think, "What's mine is mine and what's his is also mine." Then you go ahead and help yourself to a glass of wine, thereby violating not only the precept against stealing but also the precept against consuming intoxicants. Someone says, "I don't drink, so I won't violate that precept." You don't drink wine, but maybe you drink milk. Perhaps you find a carton of milk in the refrigerator and you go ahead and drink it with no concern as to who it belongs to. Someone asks you, "Whose milk is that?" "I don't know," you reply. You drank it without knowing whose milk it was. Wasn't that thoughtless? The milk itself is not the issue. Your drinking it without the owner's consent is. By doing so, you violate the precept against stealing. Taking anything without permission, including things edible or useful, is stealing.

   Someone informed me the other day that there is stealing going on in the laypeople's residence. Someone is upsetting others by stealing their food. Though the thief violated the precepts, still, those who bought the milk or wine should also reflect upon yourselves. "Why did he steal my things? Why did someone take my food? Oh, it must be that I stole others' food in my previous lives. I should just let the whole thing go." That is how the owner of the food should reflect upon the theft. However, that doesn't mean the person who is stealing can think, "I steal your food now and in the future I'll let you steal mine." You don't even know whether you will have things to eat in the future. If you don't have anything how can others steal from you? We should not harbor thoughts of stealing. Instead we should resolve, "I will not casually use things that are not bought with my own money." It is no problem if you get prior permission from the owner. That is not considered stealing. If you use others' things without permission, then that is considered a violation of the precept against stealing. In a more subtle aspect, taking even a blade of grass or a needle without the owner's permission is called breaking the precept.

    The precepts of not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying and not consuming intoxicant are the same. With my explanation of one, you will understand the others. Why can some people ascend to the heavens? It's because they upheld the five precepts. The blessing of those who ascend to the heavens may seem boundless and limitless. But they do come to an end. When the five signs of decay appear, beings who are in the heavens will still fall. Being born in the heavens is not ultimate either. Asuras have amassed some merit and virtue, but they created afflictions in the process. One example of that is being competitive in creating merit and virtue. People like that say things like, "I donated five dollars to the temple. How much have you donated?" They try to find out how much other people have donated. If the person says, "I have donated ten dollars," then the competitive persons thinks, "You donated ten dollars? Then I want to donate twenty." Anyone who always wants to compete with others in order to be number one will be certain to fall into the realm of Asura in the future.

   Such people amass some merit and virtue for sure, but it is based on the desire to win. We can call it fighting for fame. Such people hope others will say of them, "Did you notice that so-and-so is number one? He gives the most money." That kind of merit and virtue warrants rebirth in the realm of Asuras, because it is based on fighting to be number one. When you practice Buddhadharma you must truly realize cause and effect so that you won't be confused. Perhaps you cannot create fame here and so you go somewhere else to do it. You let everyone here know and hope that they will say, "Oh! Do you know so- and-so? He went to New York to do great meritorious deeds." Some like that is planting causes for rebirth as an Asura in the future. If you get angry whenever you talk, or want to be the number one in whatever matters, then you are planting seeds for rebirth as an Asura. If you don't cut off your afflictions, all the merit and virtue that you create will be defective.

    It will not be pure merit and virtue. We should do meritorious deeds, but we should not want people to recognize us as number one or number two. There's another type of people who pretends that he doesn't want to be known. He will tell you in private, "Do you know, I donated five thousand dollars to such-and-such Way-place. No one knows about it. I am only letting you know." This type of person is also an Asura. He is worse than the Asura type that I mentioned previously. Why is that? This type of Asura is a yin (dark), not a yang (light) type. Such a person pretends that he doesn't want to be known and yet he advertises even more in private. Thus, it's said, "If one is not true on the causal ground, the retribution one obtains will be crooked." If you don't plant a proper seed, the result that grows from it will also not be proper. Then what kind of fruit will you be harvesting? It will be rebirth as an Asura! What's bad about being an Asura? There are many bad aspects, such as fighting wars every day, etc. Would you say that's good? Where do such people come from? They come from places where they cultivated upholding the five precepts and practicing the ten wholesome deeds. However, their cultivation was lower-grade. Asuras are the result of cultivating the five precepts and ten goods deeds at a medium-grade level. Rebirth in the heavens is the result of top- grade cultivation. There are many more details that could be discussed if we are to analyze it.