Precepts and Prayer

Saturday, February 15th from 7:00am-8:30am

with Resident Teacher Gen Kelsang Wangpo

Cost: Free

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The essence of the practice is to take eight precepts and to keep them purely for a period of twenty-four hours whilst fasting. By doing this practice again and again, we acquaint ourself with the practice of moral discipline and thereby make our human life meaningful. Taking and keeping these precepts is a special purification practice. Buddha realized that all living beings’ suffering comes from their previous negative karma, and so he taught special practices to purify it.

This is an intermediate level practice.

 

When we take the eight Mahayana precepts, we explicitly promise to abstain for twenty-four hours from eight actions:

1. Killing

2. Stealing

3. Sexual activity

4. Lying

5. Taking intoxicants

6. Eating after lunch

7. Sitting on high or luxurious thrones or seats

8. Wearing ornaments, perfume, etc, and singing and dancing, etc.

These eight, however, are merely symbolic, for in reality we promise to abstain from all non-virtuous actions for twenty-four hours.

We will follow the group Precepts practice with the chanted prayer and meditation.