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Book: An Overview
of The Buddhadharma
- Book: An Overview of The Buddhadharma
- Title: The Simplest Precept
- Written by: Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by: Janny Chow
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The Simplest Precept
That was why, at the beginning, the Buddha taught us the simplest
way of practicing Buddhism: "Avoid all non-virtuous actions
and execute all virtuous deeds." The avoidance of
non-virtuous actions is passive while the execution of virtuous
deeds is active. The avoidance of non-virtuous actions refers to
the observing of "precepts."
In the beginning, there were not as many stipulated rules. The
only precept was to "avoid all non-virtuous acts."
One was urged to actively "pursue good deeds"
and to meditate under a tree to enter into the "Pure Consciousness."
Later on, many precepts came into existence. Why? When the students
made a certain transgression, a rule was set up to provide guidance.
As the number of transgressions increased, the number of rules multiplied.
The purpose of the rules was to retrieve one's mind
to transform it into the One Mind and to cultivate stability. Without
the rules, one's mind would become dissolute. However,
if one is completely and freely grounded in stability, and one's
mind is able to expand and contract freely, these precepts serve
no purpose, as such a person already lives in the state of "as-is-ness"
whereby all self-will is completely surrendered.
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