Observing the Five Precepts: A Path to Goodness : หน้า 144/207

How do you keep the Five Precepts intact? Conclusion When I was a student, I started training myself to observe Let me go over the Five Precepts one more time with the Five Precepts. This is how I did it. you. Before I was ordained, I wore a Buddha image around Why should we not kill? Because everybody loves his my neck. Every morning before going to school, I would life. hold the Buddha image in my hands and pay my respects by chanting: Why should we not steal? Because everybody needs possessions to be comfortable. If certain things were taken “Namo tussa bhakavato arahatо summа from us, we will not be able to survive. Even if we sumbuddhassa” three times. survive, our lives will be full of hardship. And then I would make my resolve with the Buddha Why should we not commit adultery? Because everybody image: loves their family and friends. 1. Today I will not kill. Why should we not lie? Because every body loves 2. Today I will not steal. honesty and truthfulness. 3. Today I will not commit adultery. Why should we not consume intoxicants? Because it 4. Today I will not lie. will destroy our conscience. Without our conscience, we would 5. Today I will not drink alcohol or use drugs. be capable of infringing upon all the other Four Precepts. Once I had done this, then I would leave for school. When Therefore, if you want to grow up to be good person, you I started, sometimes I was able to keep the Five Precepts for have to abide by the Five Precepts. the day, but sometimes I couldn’t. However, after half a year, I was able to keep all Five Precepts everyday. After I was The writer hopes that this account will help parents to able to abide by the Five Precepts for six years straight, then I teach their children to observe the Five Precepts, so that they was ordained. Do you think you can do it too? I think you grow up to be good people. The accomplishment we can can. feel most proud of is to raise our children to be ethical adults.