Today, I'm going to tell you about some faults I used to have in the past. My major fault was that I would fight. Furthermore, I was also very greedy, and I had the fault of seeking; also the fault of selfishness, and the fault of pursuing personal gain. At that time I was very narrow-minded. These five seeds that were latent in my mind kept me from developing wisdom. In fact, I was becoming stupider every day. So I decided I was going to change and act in exactly the opposite way. That is the reason for establishing the Five Great Principles.

The first principle emphasizes not fighting: people not fighting with people, families not fighting with families, countries not fighting with countries, and worlds not fighting with worlds. Also, one must not fight with oneself. This means not fighting on the outside and not fighting on the inside. If you don't fight inside, then you'll experience a state of peacefulness in your mind, and with this tranquil frame of mind the outer world will be peaceful, too. If people don't fight with each other, then people will be at peace. If families don't fight with each other, then families will be at peace. If countries don't fight with countries, then the countries will be peaceful. And if worlds don't fight with each other, then all the worlds will be at peace. If you can refrain from fighting, you're holding the Buddha's Precept against killing. But as soon as you start to fight, then all kinds of competition, struggle, and battles ensue. So, if you don't fight in this way, then you are holding the Precept against killing.

The second principle emphasizes not being greedy. If you are without greed for the five desires of wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep, then you won't want to steal.

The third principle is not to seek. This means you don't seek either inside or outside. Inwardly, you're not seeking some kind of security or bliss for your own body. On the outside, you're not chasing after enjoyments or any sensual pleasure. If you don't seek, you hold the Precept against sexual misconduct. Whenever the Precept against sexual misconduct is broken, it's just because some seeking is involved. So, you can hold this Precept if you don't seek.

The fourth principle is not to be selfish. This means that no matter what situation arises, you don't become selfish. And if you're not selfish, you'll be able to hold the Precept against engaging in false speech. If you are not selfish, why would you ever need to lie? You'll very naturally hold the Precept against lying if you're not selfish.

If you don't pursue personal gain, then you will be able to hold the Precept against taking intoxicants. People take intoxicants because they're hoping to benefit themselves in some way; they get a little "outside help." Perhaps they experience a kind of pleasurable, euphoric state, or they rely on stimulants or drugs to pick up their spirits, or perhaps they think it's going to make them a little healthier. These are all pursuits of personal gain. However, if you don't engage in these activities, then you'll be able to hold the Precept against taking intoxicants.

So at the very minimum, if you can manage not to fight, not to be greedy, not to seek, not to be selfish, and not to pursue personal gain, you'll be able to hold all Five Precepts perfectly. If you can hold the Five Precepts perfectly, then you'll become a really good person. Once you've become a good person, you'll be able to amass merit and establish many good works. Then in the future you can advance to become a world-transcending