Definition

1. Noun:
   • The Five Precepts: The five fundamental ethical training rules in Buddhism for lay followers, constituting a basic code of conduct.
   • The Five Prohibitions: A set of five abstentions considered essential for moral living and spiritual development in Buddhist practice.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Một Phật tử tại gia thường cố gắng giữ ngũ giới. (A lay Buddhist usually tries to observe the Five Precepts.)
  • Ngũ giới là nền tảng của đạo đức Phật giáo. (The Five Precepts are the foundation of Buddhist morality.)
  • Giới đầu tiên trong ngũ giới là không sát sinh. (The first precept of the Five Precepts is to abstain from killing.)

Advanced Usage

• The Five Precepts are often formally taken by recitation in a ceremony, expressing the intention to undertake the training rule.

  • Trong lễ quy y, các tín đồ phát nguyện thọ ngũ giới. (During the Taking Refuge ceremony, devotees vow to undertake the Five Precepts.)

• Each precept is a commitment to training (Pāli: sikkhāpada) rather than a commandment from a divine authority.

The Five Precepts Explained

1. Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī (To abstain from taking life): Refraining from killing living beings, often interpreted as practicing compassion and non-harm.
2. Adinnādānā veramaṇī (To abstain from taking what is not given): Refraining from stealing; cultivating honesty and respect for others' property.
3. Kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī (To abstain from sexual misconduct): Refraining from harmful or exploitative sexual behavior.
4. Musāvādā veramaṇī (To abstain from false speech): Refraining from lying, gossip, harsh speech, and divisive speech; practicing truthful communication.
5. Surā-meraya-majja-pamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī (To abstain from intoxicants causing heedlessness): Refraining from alcohol and drugs that cloud the mind and lead to the breaking of the other precepts.

Variants and Related Words

• Giới (n): Precept, moral discipline. A single rule or the entire system of ethical training.

  • Giới, Định, Tuệ là ba môn học căn bản. (Morality, Concentration, and Wisdom are the three fundamental trainings.)

• Thọ giới (v): To undertake, receive, or pledge to observe the precepts.

  • Cô ấy đã thọ giới tại chùa. (She undertook the precepts at the temple.)

Synonyms

• The Five Training Rules: Emphasizes their role as guidelines for personal development.
• The Five Ethical Codes: Highlights their function as a system of morality.
• The Five Abstentions: Focuses on the act of refraining from unwholesome actions.

Related Concepts

• Bát quan trai giới: The Eight Precepts, often observed by lay Buddhists on special observance days (), which include stricter versions of the first five precepts and three additional ascetic practices.
• Thập thiện: The Ten Wholesome Deeds, which expand on the principles of the Five Precepts, covering actions of body, speech, and mind.

1. The five nays (of Buddhism) (no killing of animals, no stealing, no sex, no vulgar speech, no alcohol drinking)