Follow Ups | Post Followup | Back to Discussion Board | VegSource

From: Keith (d207-216-60-167.bchsia.telus.net)
Subject: Precepts
Date: June 12, 2005 at 9:24 pm PST

In Reply to: Re: different places posted by Claudine on June 12, 2005 at 5:13 pm:

The five precepts (not killing, not stealing, not telling lies, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not consuming intoxicants) are not generally regarded as being required for all Buddhists.

The basic requirement to be considered as a Buddhist is to take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The five precepts are an additional committment taken by lay practitioners: in other words, people who want to practise Buddhism instead of just being Buddhist. The distinction would be similar to church-going Christians versus non-church-going Christians.

You will probably find that different schools, different temples and different teachers place different emphasis on the importance of following the five precepts.

Keith

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup