Shuohua20141128 08:23
(Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program)
PRECEPTS TO BE ADHERED TO BY LAY PRACTITIONERS
Caller: Master Jun Hong Lu, when we, as lay practitioners, make a vow to have the Bodhisattva and Dharma Protectors watch over us, what are the precepts that we should adhere to? Do we really have to adhere to the precepts like monks and nuns? As a lay practitioners of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, what are the precepts that we should observe?
Master Jun Hong Lu: It’s simple. Basically a lay practitioner is required to “Do no evil and practise only the good”.
Caller: Are there any particular areas that we should pay special attention to?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Firstly, avoid sexual misconduct, abstain from stealing, abstain from lying and killing as well as taking intoxicants. These are the basic Five Precepts that you should at least adhere to. It also includes abstaining from lying, as doing so will cause harm to oneself. Lying is the prelude to misconduct. More often than not, a person who lies is more likely to be involved in a misconduct. Abstain from stealing, as a lay practitioner, will you commit acts of stealing both at home and in public places? Abstain from killing and sexual misconduct. One should also refrain from false speech. Both men and women must refrain from taking liquor because one can lose his senses when the mind is intoxicated.
Look at the famous Tang dynasty poet Li Bai, who had been drinking all his life. Despite being such an exceptionally great poet, his later years were in misery. You can see for yourself, his life came to an unfortunate end due to his addiction to alcohol.