Truth for the Family: The Five Precepts : หน้า 146/216

Part Five: Truth for the Family of infringing upon all the other precepts. Hence, the Fifth Precept reminds us not to consume intoxicants to maintain our true nature. Thus the Five Precepts are: 1. Do not kill; 2. Do not steal; 3. Do not commit adultery; 4. Do not lie, utter profanity, speak nonsense, or use divisive words; 5. Do not consume intoxicants such as addictive drugs and alcohol. These precepts may seem very direct and regimented, so here is another way of looking at it: 1. Save the life of other people and living beings. 2. Respect the belongings of others; do not take what is not given. 3. Control emotions and physical desires. 4. Give out positive and honest energy through speech; turn negatives into positives. 5. Abstain from using all intoxicating substances. These five precepts are universal and show us how to lead an ethical life. The more we observe these, the more "human" we feel. If we do not observe any of them, we no longer feel "human” because we do not feel any lasting peace or happiness. We end up feeling more like animals than humans. In the end, we seem to only produce trouble for Family Day By Day 144 Acts of Self-Discipline