The Purpose and Framework of Precepts

Ordinary beings predominantly commit evil and rarely perform good, frequently creating unwholesome karma, which consequently makes them regular inhabitants of the Three Evil Realms. To enable sentient beings to sever the suffering of cyclic existence within the six realms, the Buddha gradually established numerous precepts. In the initial period after the Buddha's enlightenment, when the conditions for formulating precepts had not yet arisen, in order to restrain his disciples' physical, verbal, and mental actions and guide them onto the correct path of practice, the Buddha admonished his disciples: "Refrain from all evil, cultivate all good, and purify your own mind—this is the teaching of all Buddhas." This statement serves as the overarching principle guiding spiritual practice and embodies the essence and general framework of the precepts. From this framework, specific branches and detailed items can be expanded to guide sentient beings in progressively receiving, upholding, and deepening their practice of various precepts, thereby perfecting the threefold training of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, and gradually advancing toward Buddhahood. The meaning of this framework is: abstain from all unwholesome actions, practice all wholesome dharmas, and purify your own mind—this is the disciplinary conduct taught by all Buddhas of the ten directions.

To sever all evil and cultivate all good, to exhaust all unwholesome actions and perfect all wholesome actions, leads to the attainment of Buddhahood. This process inherently encompasses the training in meditation and wisdom, for without meditation, one cannot sever evil or cultivate good, and without wisdom, one likewise cannot sever evil or cultivate good. Only with wisdom can one fully recognize and discern good and evil along with their karmic consequences, thereby enabling the cessation of evil and the cultivation of good. The deeper and more refined the meditation, the deeper and subtler the evils that are severed and the wholesome dharmas that are cultivated. The deeper and more refined the wisdom, the more numerous and subtle the evils that are severed and the wholesome actions that are cultivated. Therefore, the threefold training of precepts, meditation, and wisdom is an indivisible unity; separated, they cannot lead to Buddhahood. Any notion that prioritizes wisdom while neglecting precepts and meditation is profoundly biased and unwise. Thus, what exactly constitutes spiritual practice should become clear to our minds.

The cessation of evil and cultivation of good is the overarching framework. Under this framework, it branches into numerous subdivisions ranging from coarse to subtle and shallow to profound. As these branches become increasingly deep and subtle, they reflect increasingly profound wisdom and progressively lighter afflictions of ignorance, ultimately leading to their complete eradication. These branches correspond to the various Vinaya systems of the Mahayana and Hinayana vehicles. The most fundamental and elementary level comprises the Hinayana Five Precepts, Ten Wholesome Deeds, and the Eight Precepts of the Uposatha. A deeper and more refined level encompasses the Hinayana Śrāvaka precepts: the Śrāmaṇera Precepts, Śrāmaṇerikā Precepts, Bhikṣu Precepts, and Bhikṣuṇī Precepts. The deepest and most subtle level consists of the Mahayana Bodhisattva Precepts: the Lay Bodhisattva Precepts, Monastic Bodhisattva Precepts, and the Bodhisattva Precepts outlined in the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra. All these branch precepts remain inseparable from the overarching framework and the fundamental purpose of severing evil and cultivating good. Each branch precept corresponds to a distinct level of wisdom. The Hinayana precepts correspond to the patient endurance of the non-arising of dharmas (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti) from the first fruition (śrotāpanna) to the fourth fruition (arhat) and the pratyekabuddha stage. The Mahayana precepts correspond to the patient endurance of the non-arising of dharmas from the ten abodes (daśa-vihāra) to the ten dedications (daśa-pariṇāmanā) and the patient endurance of the non-arising of dharmas from the first bodhisattva ground (bhūmi) to the tenth.

Different levels of wisdom correspond to different degrees of severing evil and cultivating good. This wisdom manifests in the ability to distinguish and recognize good and evil along with their boundaries, thereby enabling the abandonment of unwholesome dharmas and the practice of wholesome dharmas. When sentient beings are deeply entrenched in ignorance and lack wisdom, they fail to recognize what constitutes unwholesome or wholesome dharmas and remain oblivious to the consequences of their actions. Wisdom is categorized into mundane cognitive wisdom, Hinayana cognitive wisdom, and Mahayana cognitive wisdom. Different levels of wisdom entail different understandings of wholesome and unwholesome dharmas.

In the process of upholding precepts, the accurate discernment of good and evil is crucial. What constitutes an unwholesome dharma? Unwholesome dharmas are actions that harm the interests of others. Such actions may benefit oneself or not, but ultimately, they result in self-harm. Therefore, unwholesome actions are afflicted actions born of ignorance. Any physical, verbal, or mental action that harms the interests of others is unwholesome, arising from ignorance. The heavier the ignorance, the graver the unwholesome action. To the extent that ignorance is eliminated, unwholesome dharmas are diminished. The coarsest unwholesome actions cause the greatest harm to sentient beings and are generally recognizable and perceptible. Slightly subtler unwholesome actions cause harm that is less obvious and direct, making them harder to recognize and perceive. They are often habitual and difficult to reflect upon. The subtlest evils require the deepest wisdom to eradicate. Without eliminating ignorance and possessing sufficient wisdom, one cannot recognize evil or conquer afflictions. Thus, it is evident that severing evil requires wisdom. Without wisdom, one cannot recognize the harm and consequences of unwholesome dharmas and thus cannot subdue the unwholesome mind.

What constitutes a wholesome dharma? Contrary to unwholesome dharmas, any physical, verbal, or mental action that benefits sentient beings is a wholesome dharma. Any action beneficial to sentient beings is also beneficial to oneself. Therefore, actions that benefit both self and others constitute wise conduct. Without wisdom, one cannot perform wholesome actions. The deeper the wisdom, the greater the wholesome actions, and the greater the benefit to both self and others.

In its entirety, the Buddha Dharma is the method for enabling sentient beings to cease evil and cultivate good. Upholding precepts constitutes spiritual practice, permeating the entire path. It progresses from the gross evils of the mundane level, to the subtle evils of the Hinayana level, and finally to the minute evils of the Mahayana level, ultimately eradicating all ignorance to achieve perfect goodness. Simultaneously, it advances from the minor wholesome deeds of the mundane level, to the wholesome deeds of Hinayana selfless liberation, to the great wholesome deeds of Mahayana altruism, and further to the Bodhisattvas' great compassion, loving-kindness, sympathetic joy, equanimity, unconditional great compassion, and the ten infinite vows, culminating in the supreme goodness of all Buddhas, who establish pure lands in the ten directions to deliver all sentient beings, thereby achieving the ultimate perfection of goodness. Precepts, meditation, and wisdom are fundamentally an inseparable unity. For the sake of expedient means, this unity is presented as three to accommodate sentient beings' gradual practice. Therefore, upholding precepts is crucial. In our daily lives, we should constantly reflect on our physical, verbal, and mental actions, avoiding the unconscious perpetuation of unwholesome habits. Self-awareness is a vital aspect of practice. Only upon recognizing our faults can we correct them. Through correction, we subdue afflictions and karmic obstacles, setting foot on the correct path of practice, and will ultimately attain Buddhahood.