A Survey; Do you obey the five precepts?

I don't kill, don't eat meat but I did once put my neighbour's budgie out of its misery when it fell off of its perch and broke its neck
I have stolen many years ago to survive
I never gossip and I fucking hate liars
With this fucked knee I cannot engage in sexual conduct never mind misconduct
Now I use nothing but in my younger years it would have been a miracle if anyone saw me straight. Does a bud light once in a blue moon count towards alcohol consumption?

 

^^^^^^.. This Is Truly Sad......I Have Known You For 10 Years.....And Until Now I Did Not Know

That You Had Gone "Downhill" So Rapidly......



Cheers Glen.

 

Morning (or afternoon I think in your neck of the woods) darling!

 

I don't think gossiping is a sin. It is something natural.

It is backbiting or slandering that maybe considered sinful.

 

All of the above except for the third.

I lie for trivial reasons, if it is harmless, so as to avoid things I don't like doing or in the name of being tactful and preventing hurt feelings.

If a friend calls me up to see a dumb cinema, I might say I have seen it or that I am suffering from fever or some other lies so as to avoid going for it.

 

Thank you for being honest

 

I still smoke weed and eat meat, but I follow the other ones

 

I don't legalistically "obey" the Precepts, in the sense that they are not laws or commandments. I was taught that they are more like guides; rather like signposts to help me keep to the trail, and not wander off and get lost in the brambles. So little of life is stark dichotomies of good and evil; much is varying shades of gray. Practicing the Precepts requires looking deeply, beyond the superficial. Take for instance the First Precept; most of us can congratulate ourselves on successfully getting through the day without killing anyone. However, consider what Herman Hesse said of killing;
"We kill at every step, not only in wars, riots, and executions. We kill when we close our eyes to poverty, suffering, and shame. In the same way all disrespect for life, all hardheartedness, all indifference, and all contempt is nothing else than killing. With just a little witty skepticism we can kill a good deal of the future in a young person. Life is waiting everywhere, the future is flowering everywhere, but we only see a small part of it and step on much of it with our feet." That depth of awareness, and how we work with that to uphold our Mahayana vow to liberate all beings, is what I consider to be Precept practice.

 

These are the Precepts as I received them.

I resolve not to kill, but to cherish all life.
I resolve not to take what is not given, but to respect the things of others.
I resolve not to engage in improper sexuality, but to be caring and responsible.
I resolve not to lie but to speak the truth.
I resolve not to cause others to take substances that confuse the mind, nor to do so myself, but
to keep the mind clear at all times.
I resolve not to speak of the faults of others, but to be understanding and sympathetic.
I resolve not to praise myself and disparage others, but to overcome my own shortcomings.
I resolve not to withhold spiritual or material aid, but to give them freely where needed.
I resolve not to indulge in anger, but to exercise restraint.
I resolve not to revile the Three Treasures, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, but to cherish and
uphold them.