Buddhists cannot only take the Three Refuges without observing the Five Precepts. IMP.2. Those who make the mind to take refuge in the Three Jewels have already stepped on the ladder of liberation, but if they do not keep the five precepts, they will only take the first step and then stop, unable to progress to true liberation. These five precepts not only lead strong people on the path to liberation, but also bring order, happiness and peace to the family, country, and society. The Five Precepts are the sure ties to create happiness for individuals. individuals and groups, it is the teacher who prevents us from doing wrong things in the Dharma-ending age. Therefore, Shakyamuni Buddha made the following urgent testament before he entered Nirvana: "After my extinction, practitioners must respect the precepts as teachers; even though I am still in the world to teach them. deceive you for thousands of years Whether or not we keep the precepts is entirely up to us. Buddhism differs from other religions in that the Buddha is not a supreme judge with the power to reward and punish. A thought, a word, a good or bad action has brought with it a seed of reward and punishment. The Buddha was just a very compassionate and very wise guide. He shows us which path is the light path and which is the dangerous path that should not be taken. But if we do not follow the bright path but want to go down the dangerous path, then of course we will encounter natural disasters, but Buddha did not create disasters to punish us. The Court is the Law of Cause and Effect. If we do evil, we get bad results; If we do good, we get good results. The five precepts are the five strongholds that prevent us from going astray, are the five barriers that prevent us from falling into the abyss, while we walk the path of liberation. II. THE YEARS 1. Do not kill The first commandment that the Buddha advises us is not to kill life, from humans to animals. Life has a precious value, especially human life; Killing another life to make up for this life is an evil and unreasonable thing. Buddhism forbids killing for many reasons a) Respect for fairness. We regard our life as precious, an absolute treasure. If someone plots harm, we will fight back to protect life. I already know the value of my life, why would I want to trample people's lives? Broadly speaking, animals also know how to value their lives. As when a cow or a pig is about to be hit on the head, poked with blood, we see their fierce resistance, their extreme pain, with screams and struggles to escape death! According to justice, what we do not want anyone to do to us, do not do to other people or to another species. Buddha taught: "Everyone is afraid of the sword, everyone is afraid of death. So think in your heart of people, don't kill, don't say kill!". b) Respect Buddha-nature equally. Sentient beings each have a different body shape, but still have the same Buddha nature. If Buddha-nature is equal, there can be no reason to say that Buddha-nature is more valuable in people than in things, in this class, this skin color is more valuable than in that class, that skin color. To kill a living being is to kill Buddha nature. c) Cultivate compassion. The Buddha's compassion considers all beings as his children, so he does not agree to allow his disciples to kill living things, in any case. Because killing with the heart is a cruel heart that has reached its peak, compassion is strangled. Killing an animal without cause is just as cruel as killing a human. To ruthlessly make another person or thing struggle, groan, writhe in blood, in hot tears before taking his last breath, is to kill one's own compassion, is to smother the very seed of love. precious in our souls. Thus, it is difficult to practice to achieve the right result. Confucius once said: "Van Qi Qing is impatient to see the truth, sees the birth period, and is impatient to see the death". (Listen to the animal's cry, can't bear to eat it; see it alive, can't bear to see it dead). Thus, people with compassion or benevolence do not have the heart to kill people or things. d) Avoid cause and effect of revenge. When we kill a person or an animal, their resentment is so overwhelming that it is difficult to quell. They were killed because of her, because of their weakness. Meanwhile, they embrace their hatred, Waiting for a chance to get revenge. Just like that, every day we sow hatred for people and things, accumulated for a long time, that unjust family is bigger than our strength, maybe we will be killed by it. The more you create killing karma, the more you plunge yourself into suffering. Buddha taught: "People often have a mind to kill, the more their karma grows, the more they turn around in samsara, with no day out." Benefits of Non-Killing For these reasons, the Buddha forbade Buddhists to kill. Not killing has the following advantages: a) On a personal level. A person who does not cruelly kill or harm animals, does not cruelly shed blood, does not skin, butchers, beheads, or strangles, in his heart is not troubled, remorseful, body and mind are light, relaxed, Sleep is peaceful, face is gentle, clear. b) Social aspect. If all humans in this world adhere to the Buddha's first precept, there will be no war, and the karma of birth and death will be liberated. Therefore, the ancient Ancestors taught: It is imperative that sentient beings do not kill karma, The ten directions have a land of war, the Gia family, the guardians of the good, Thien ha*a sad and unsatisfactory peace. Meaning: All sentient beings have no karma to kill, There are no warriors in the Ten directions, Every home and every place cultivates good, Worrying that the world is not at peace. Limitations: Still knowing that killing is a cause of suffering, but people at home still eat salty foods, while doing other jobs, how can they avoid breaking the precept of killing. Here, we do not have to be so thorough, just keep the important part of not killing people, and big animals like: buffalo, cow, horse, dog, pig... There are many small animals, If you can avoid killing as much as you can. We should go slowly rather than surely. Especially not to kill animals unreasonably, kill for the satisfaction of killing. While keeping the precepts of killing, we should watch out for two things: a) We should not allow ill will to arise. Killing a large animal, either unintentionally or in self-defense, the fruit of it is lighter than killing a dragonfly with a malicious intent to kill for fun. b) Training in killing situations should be avoided: Children aged 3 and 5 go out to the yard to meet dragonflies, butterflies catch and then cut off their wings, tear their heads off, if their parents see them without scolding them; When they were 12, 13 years old, they bought slings and rubber bands to catch birds, when they were 20, 25 years old, they stabbed pigs' throats and killed dogs, still uninhibited, later on, used to violence, in anger, they can kill people without fear. So not only should we not let our children get used to killing animals, nor should they be allowed to witness murder scenes in cinemas or in the middle of life. 2. Do not steal or steal Everyone knows that stealing is taking things that belong to people, without consent, or forcing people to consent by force or authority. Valuable things such as houses, fields and gardens, money, pearls, ivory, etc., to petty things such as betel leaves, chili peppers, etc.. people don't give them, but they try to steal them. Theft takes many forms: Ỷ strong factions snatch people's side is robbery; relying on the power to make money the weak are thieves; catching people in their time of need to lend heavy loans, selling them at a cheap price is stealing; Speculative hoarding to sell at black market prices is robbery. Using the trick of stalking, stealing from people is stealing; underweight, underweight, tax evasion, tax evasion, Borrowing from someone without trying to return it is also stealing. It can be summed up in one sentence: any form taken by unrighteous people by greed is theft. If, because of poverty, the wife is sick, the children are sick, there is a shortage of rice, and there is no medicine, so it is forced to cheat, then the crime is still mocked; But if you are rich, dress happily, get on carts and get off horses, but also deceive people to take possessions, rob workers, to live a regal life on the sweat and tears of the poor, the crime is very heavy! Why did Buddha forbid stealing? The Buddha forbids theft for the following reasons: a) Respect for fairness: We don't want anyone to take ours, why are we so eager to steal from others? Our personal property rights, we know how to respect, so why do we trample on people's property rights? It is unfair to do so. A society without justice cannot survive for long. b) Respect for equality. Everyone has the same Buddha nature, why would we want to make others suffer so that we can be happy? Why do we want to enjoy unrighteous privileges when we are just a human like so many others? c) Cultivate compassion. Once we accidentally lose something or some money, we are full of sorrow, we can't eat well, we can't sleep well, why would we have the heart to take someone's property so that others have to mourn and suffer for us? People often say: "Money is the lifeline". Thus, a person who robs people is plundering people's blood and bones, killing people's lives. Only people who have no compassion for others, and their conscience do such dark things. And I, being a Buddhist, am trying to cultivate compassion, We cannot steal from anyone. d) Avoid the karma of revenge. In an organized society, respecting justice, theft is always punished. Stealing is brought to the criminal court, robbery is taken to the criminal court. Before being caught, thieves have to find hundreds of ways to hide, living in the dark. When caught, thieves must be bound, interrogated, imprisoned, locked up. My fate was extremely miserable, leaving my family, parents, wife and children also sad, ashamed, and lost all hope in the future. But if the law of the world does not punish, the thief cannot escape the law of cause and effect. Stealing from people will be robbed by thieves, causing hatred and suffering. The Buddha said: "A person who is attached to beauty and talent who refuses to let go, is like a child who is nostalgic for a bit of honey stuck on a knife blade, happiness, and many generations of descendants also inherit the sound of grandparents and parents to be glorified. b) In terms of unions. If one day in society, no one has the heart of greed, theft, then the house does not need to be closed, the property is not preserved, the lost object is not lost, there is nothing happier! People suffer because they don't have wealth, but those who have much still suffer because they have to take care of it. The person who does not steal means that he has silently given others security. Confucianism has a saying: "Non-righteous people do not communicate, unjust things do not fight". What if we are Buddhists go and steal? 3. Do not commit adultery Adultery means that you want to talk about illegal lewdness. The law teaches that people who leave the home world must completely stop lust, and those who stay at home must not indulge in sexual misconduct. When husband and wife have enough wedding ceremony, it is called the main ceremony; In addition, sneaking around doing illegal activities is called evil. But if the husband and wife are officially married, but sleeping and sleeping are not the place, and they are not restrained, it is also part of adultery. That's to say it's crude. To put it more subtly, all distractions, immoral thoughts, and leisurely play are also part of adultery. Buddha forbids sexual misconduct for the following reasons a) Respect for justice. Everyone wants his family to be warm and happy, his wife and children are righteous, so why would he destroy his family, humiliate his sect, and put his wife and children on the path of lewdness. b) Protect family happiness. There is nothing more painful, darker, when a family where the husband or wife has a private, evil heart. Happiness is no longer, when husband and wife do not trust each other! When a family falls into this situation, the children will be ashamed, neglected, orphaned, relatives do not care about, career ruined, villages denigrate, reputation tarnished. An essential condition for maintaining family happiness is the fidelity of husband and wife. It is often said: "If you pretend to be obedient to your husband, you will also dry up if you slap the east pool". Because of the wickedness of one of the two companions, jealousy, quarrels, and beatings often occur in the family, sometimes leading to murder. Sometimes, for revenge, people often see the scene "he eats cha, she eats spring rolls". If a husband has the heart to spy on his wife, their own wife and children are also trying to break the fence to other people's houses. They destroy the happiness of people's families, the happiness of their families is also broken first. Therefore, forbidding adultery is a necessary condition to build happiness for one's family and another's family. c) Avoid hatred and evil retribution. Buddha said: "He who embraces lust is like one who carries a torch against the wind, determined to be burned." people have an evil mind indulged in lust, sooner or later they are determined to be harmed: if they do not lose their home and country, they will also break their legs and lose their lives by the point of a gun or a sword. In the past, the dark, catastrophic results of lust infatuation were nothing short of; We only need to unload the piles of history books or daily newspapers, and we will see many in every page, every paragraph. Among the enmities, none is more powerful than the hatred caused by the frivolous deception of love. Murders happen every day, mostly as a result of adultery. Benefits of not committing adultery Therefore, keeping the precept against sexual misconduct has the following benefits: a) On a personal level. "People in the world who do not engage in wrong conduct will enjoy four benefits as follows: The six senses (ears, eyes, nose, tongue, body, and mind) are perfected. They will be respected throughout life. All troubles and disturbances will be eliminated. interference . The meaning of words and actions before and after conflicts, different from top to bottom, inconsistency inside and out, all belong to lies. b) Slanderous talk, which is a little chain for a lot, makes the listeners get angry; is to refine speech, refine a good voice, raise and lower the voice slightly to seduce listeners, make people passionately infected; sometimes it's satirical, slurred, sarcastic, and stingy, making the listener miserable. In short, how many words are not true, true, add or subtract, until frivolous, glossy literature makes the listeners confused, causing troubles, are called gossip. c) Two-way tongue talk, or more roughly, is saying "two-pointed shock", that is, when you come to this place, you go to this side to talk bad about the other party, when you come to the other side, go back to that side to talk about it. slander this side, turning close friends against each other, benevolent people oppose and hate each other. d) To speak cruelly, is to speak vulgar, gruff, abusive language, to make the listener suffer, sad, and afraid. Why does Buddha forbid telling the truth? The Buddha forbids telling falsehoods for the following reasons: a) Respecting the truth. Buddhism is a true religion; Buddhist followers must respect the truth. People who are familiar with lies, not necessarily looking for the truth, can hardly prove the results. We are living in delusion, the main job of a monk is to try to break that illusion in order to see the original vow; If you can't do that, but on the contrary, you pile up that illusion with lies and deceit, it is extremely unethical. b) Cultivate compassion. The main motivation of lies is selfishness, cruelty, wanting to harm people to satisfy their dark desires. The deceived person, deceived to suffer for their own sake, sometimes having to be enmity with kings and enemies, sometimes having to go bankrupt. Cultivators who do so have exhausted their conscience and have already strangled the love in their hearts. Once compassion no longer exists, which means that the main motivation is lost, the practice is only a lie, deceiving people, and of course never having good results. c) Preserving loyalty in society. In a family, a union, a society where no one believes in anyone, every effort from small to large will fail. In Confucianism, one of the five basic virtues is faith. "Being unfaithful and unfaithful" is the teaching of Confucius. Family and social happiness cannot be found in lies of suspicion and envy. d) Avoid suffering karma. Words are not swords, but they are more dangerous than swords, for they have two points, one stab at another person and one stab at the person who wields it. No one has ever forgotten the story of the shepherd boy who wanted to fool his neighbors by shouting "Fire! Fire!", but he only fooled people once; next time, his house really burned, even though he cried out, no one bothered to come and fix it. See, the liar only brings disaster to himself. Therefore, the Buddha taught: "The magician deals with the government in the middle of the mouth, the reason for beheading is due to the evil language", that is: For everyone in the world, the sharp ax is in the mouth, the reason for cutting yourself is because of the word. speak evil. I had to say seperately, to say that distorting is to harm people, but when I have harmed people, people will always harm me. "Evil retribution for evil" is like that. To avoid enmity, avoid bad karma, we should not lie and lie. The benefits of not lying a) On a personal level. Respected and trusted by people, no one holds any grudges; Wherever you go, people around you will give you a friendly and warm welcome. In business, honest people have many clients, and are entrusted with many precious responsibilities. b) In terms of unions. Family and society are united in trust. All joint works are promoted with good results. Compatriots love and understand each other more. Limitations: Lying is a great disaster for yourself and society. However, there are also some cases when it is advisable to lie. That's when out of compassion you have to lie to save people or things. Lying is a crime in cases where greed and hatred are motivated. On the contrary, if motivated by compassion, one must lie, then there is no sin. 5. Do not drink alcohol All things that have intoxicating yeast, or toxic substances are not allowed to drink. I can't drink it myself, but I also can't force others to drink. Forcing and encouraging others to drink, the sin is worse than drinking. When he was seriously ill, drank unhealthy drugs, and the physician told him to mix alcohol with the medicine, he was temporarily allowed to use it. But before using it, let them know. When the illness is over, do not continue to take the medicine mixed with alcohol. For what reasons did the Buddha forbid drinking alcohol? The Buddha forbade drinking alcohol for the following reasons: a) Preserving the seeds of wisdom. Alcohol is more dangerous than poison. A cup of poison we drink immediately dies, but only one body in the present, but drinking alcohol destroys wisdom, having to die and be reborn for innumerable kalpas. Therefore, in order to preserve the precious seed of wisdom, the Buddha forbade drinking alcohol. b) Preventing the causes of sin. Wine itself is not a sin like killing, theft, adultery, but it can cause the other sins to be born. When drunk and intoxicated, any sin can be mortal. Here is a story to prove it: A farmer was plowing the field in the middle of the field, when suddenly appeared before him a huge, strange evil spirit, threatening to kill him. He was terrified, crying and begging for his life. The evil god said: If you can do any of these three things, I will spare you: either kill your father, or beat your mother, or drink all the wine left on your table. The farmer thought for a while and replied: Please let me drink a liter of wine. The evil god listened, seemed satisfied, and then disappeared. At noon that day, the farmer came home and saw a liter of wine that his dear grandfather had bought to treat his guests, because the house was about to have an anniversary, he quickly grabbed it and drank it all down. His father saw that his son was insolent, grabbed a stick and charged at him. The magic has penetrated, he no longer knows right and wrong, snatched his father's staff, beat him with a good dead tree! The mother ran to hug the mule. He hasn't vented his anger yet, beaten up his mother. The village ran over to arrest him to lead him to the mandarin for the crime of killing his father and beating his mother. When he woke up, he knew that drinking was the heaviest of the three things that the evil god had forced him to do. In short, alcohol causes a lot of sin. Here are 10 harmful effects of alcohol that in the scriptures mentioned: Lost wealth; The growth of lust; Intellectual decline; Unsuccessful career; Body and mind much suffering; Body or disease; The mind of anger is impulsive, likes to argue; Virtue dissipates; Lifespan is reduced; The common net fell to hell. The benefits of alcohol prohibition a) On a personal level. Those who don't drink alcohol can avoid the 10 harms mentioned above: no loss of money, less sickness in the body, no evil and killing, less anger, intellectual growth, longer life expectancy, etc. b) In terms of union. The family is happy, the children are less sick, the society is harmonious, the race is strong. C. CONCLUSION 1. Non-Buddhist Buddhists are not Buddhists We have seen the practical and beneficial uses of the five precepts individually and collectively. If the Three Refuges are the foundation, then the Five Precepts are the five steps of lay Buddhists to step up to Sainthood. In the first step, if a Buddhist can make a vow to keep all five precepts, the better; If because of many attachments we can't keep all five precepts, we can keep some of the precepts that we find practicable such as: not drinking, not lying. Then with diligence and strong Bodhicitta, I continue to vow to keep other precepts such as not stealing, not committing sexual misconduct... But having made a vow to keep any precepts, keep them. Don't take one step forward, two steps back, if you stick around like that, you'll never get anywhere. If a Buddhist does not observe any precepts, how can he be called a Buddhist? Ordinary people, not following Buddha, can still maintain proper conduct such as not drinking, not lying, not stealing *rather, let alone a Buddhist? We come to Buddhism because we want to go beyond the ordinary life of the world. If we have entered the religion but still continue with the ordinary life of the world, then we want to tarnish the religion, not admire it. Therefore, Buddhists must try to keep the precepts to be worthy of their name, to bring happiness to themselves and all sentient beings.END=NAMO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.26/6/2021.IMP.2.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.