Truth for the Family: Understanding Precepts and Human Nature : หน้า 143/216

Part Five: Truth for the Family stockpile of behavioral (social, emotional and spiritual) problems, creating a generation of people who are only interested in themselves. Ignorance is the force behind so many social ills. Parents are ready to point fingers, punish their children, and blame society for their bouts of depression and angst, concluding that the cure must also be external, a mysterious antidote hidden somewhere in the outside world. If we fail to get to the root of the problem, that is, the failure to help instill a moral code in our children, how can we break the cycle of global anguish? Teaching our children to abide by a moral code is the most important responsibility we have to help counteract social and moral deterioration. What is a Precept? The word precept (sila in the ancient Pali language) means nature. Everything has its own nature. The rain will fall during the rainy season. If it does not, then it is not natural. The horse always stays on its feet even while sleeping. If it lies down, then it is sick and not in its natural state. Therefore, the applicable meaning of the word precept for us is: To preserve the nature of our humanity, and To refrain from bringing trouble to ourselves and to others What is the Nature of Human Beings? The true nature of human beings consists of five characteristics: 1. By nature, humans will not kill. A human who takes life has deviated from the nature of humankind. He has turned animalistic, like tigers, bears, or crocodiles Family Day By Day 141 Acts of Self-Discipline