Five principles P0 - introduction

Five principles P0 - introduction

We are looking at five principles in Buddhism.
But firstly what is a PRINCIPLE?
According to an online dictionary:

1/ a fundamental truth or proposition,
Serving as the foundation for a system of:
Beliefs,
Behaviour,
Chain of reasoning.

2/ a general scientific theorem or law,
With numerous special applications
Across a wide field.

Here we are not looking at scientific principles,
Rather Buddhist principles.

These principles express:
A/ at the highest level,
the way things really are,
They express reality,
That the Buddha first in our world saw,
Sitting under the Bodhi tree
When he gained enlightenment.

B/ at the middle level,
The true nature of our mind,
Which we can gain access to,
Which we can experience in meditation.

C/ at the lowest level,
Which actions are skilful,
Which actions are wise,
Which lead to greater harmony in ourselves and in the world,
Which are of benefit for ourselves and others,
which lead to happiness for ourselves and others,
And which actions do not.

So it’s very important to know these principles.
But knowing them is not enough.
We have to put them into practice.
We have to make the conscious decision to put them into practice,
To live by them.

To do this every principle has a PRECEPT.
In fact they all have two versions of each precept:
1/ a negative version.
That which we are trying to stop or reduce doing.
2/ a positive version.
That which we are trying to do or develop in its place.

It is worth saying precepts are not commandments.
Precepts are not something we have to do.
No one has ordered us to follow them.
Following the precepts is something we can chose to do,
As a means to move closer to reality,
As a means to meditate more deeply,
As well as a means to get the benefits of skilful action, of wise action.

The precepts relate to body, speech and mind.
In western thought the person is divided into body and mind.
Maybe the person is divided into body, mind and soul.
In Buddhism the person is divided into body, speech and mind.
So the precepts relate to the person as a whole.
Nothing is left out.
There are precepts for the body, for speech, for the mind.

We can think of following the precepts as a skill we develop over time.
We don’t have to do everything at once.
We don’t know now what we’ll be capable of in the future,
As a consequence of our current practice.

Finally we have PRACTICES,
We have specific practices.
Precepts are not principles,
But they are still general.
Practices are specific.
What we in our situation choose to do in the conditions we are in.

So we have the principle of raising our level of awareness.
We have the negative precept of not taking substances,
Which cloud the mind.
We have the practice of not drinking alcohol.

The goal of this course is to find practices,
So we can follow the precepts.
And live by the principles,
To help us move closer to reality,
And experience all the benefits that that brings.