The Five Precepts

Buddhists undertake certain precepts as aids on the path to coming into contact with ultimate reality. Laypeople generally undertake five precepts. The five precepts are:

1.    I undertake the precept to refrain from harming living creatures (killing).

2.    I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not freely given (stealing).

3.    I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.

4.    I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech (lying, harsh language, slander, idle chit-chat).

5.    I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicants which lead to loss of mindfulness.

Read more here: » Buddhism Beliefs: The Five Precepts

Five Precepts

The precepts taken by lay Buddhists, prohibiting

i)               killing,

ii)             stealing

iii)            lying,

iv)            sexual misconduct,

v)             ingesting intoxicants.

See also "Ten Precepts."

 (See also: Five Precepts, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddhism - Refuge in The Three Jewels. Main Article: Refuge (Buddhism) Buddhists seek refuge in the "Three Jewels" of Buddhism as the foundation of their religious practice. The jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the "noble" and "monastic" Sangha [1] (the group of beings possessing at least some degree of enlightenment ...

See also:

Buddhism, Buddhism - What is a Buddha?, Buddhism - Origins, Buddhism - Principles of Buddhism, Buddhism - The Three Marks of Existence, Buddhism - The Four Noble Truths, Buddhism - The Noble Eightfold Path, Buddhism - Practices of Buddhism, Buddhism - Refuge in The Three Jewels, Buddhism - The Five Precepts, Buddhism - Meditation, Buddhism - Buddha-dhatu Buddha-Principle Buddha-nature, Buddhism - Other principles and practices, Buddhism - Vegetarianism, Buddhism - Buddhist religious philosophy and branches, Buddhism - Buddhism after the Buddha, Buddhism - Principal schools of Buddhist philosophy, Buddhism - Scriptures, Buddhism - Relations with other Eastern faiths, Buddhism - Buddhism in the modern world, Buddhism - Buddhism and the West, Buddhism - Buddhism, Buddhism - Related systems and religions, Buddhism - References and Links, Buddhism - References, Buddhism - Footnotes, Buddhism - External links

Read more here: » Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Buddhism - Practices of Buddhism

Buddhism, a religion and philosophy from ancient India, is based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, of the Shakyas. His lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 483 BCE; it spread throughout the Indian subcontinent in the five centuries following his death. Missionaries would carry Buddhism throughout Central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, as well as East Asian countries such as China, Korea, and Japan in the following two millenia. Buddhism is classified as an Ārya dharma ("Noble religion") and is one ...

Including:

• Buddhism - What is a Buddha?
• Buddhism - Origins
• Buddhism - Principles of Buddhism
• Buddhism - The Three Marks of Existence
• Buddhism - The Four Noble Truths
• Buddhism - The Noble Eightfold Path
• Buddhism - Practices of Buddhism
• Buddhism - Refuge in The Three Jewels
• Buddhism - The Five Precepts
• Buddhism - Meditation
• Buddhism - Buddha-dhatu Buddha-Principle Buddha-nature
• Buddhism - Other principles and practices
• Buddhism - Vegetarianism
• Buddhism - Buddhist religious philosophy and branches
• Buddhism - Buddhism after the Buddha
• Buddhism - Principal schools of Buddhist philosophy
• Buddhism - Scriptures
• Buddhism - Relations with other Eastern faiths
• Buddhism - Buddhism in the modern world
• Buddhism - Buddhism and the West
• Buddhism - Buddhism
• Buddhism - Related systems and religions
• Buddhism - References and Links
• Buddhism - References
• Buddhism - Footnotes
• Buddhism - External links

Read more here: » Buddhism: Encyclopedia - Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived in what is now Northern India and Nepal between 566 and 483 BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the ancient Indian sub-continent in the five centuries following his death. It continued to spread into Central, Southeast, and East Asia over the next two millennia. With approximately 708 million followers, Buddhism is a major world religion whose adherents are called Buddhists. Buddhist denominations are historically categ ...

Including:

• Buddhism - What is a Buddha?
• Buddhism - Origins
• Buddhism - Principles of Buddhism
• Buddhism - The Four Noble Truths
• Buddhism - The Noble Eightfold Path
• Buddhism - Practices of Buddhism
• Buddhism - Refuge in The Three Jewels
• Buddhism - The Five Precepts
• Buddhism - Meditation
• Buddhism - Buddha-dhatu Buddha-Principle, Buddha-nature
• Buddhism - Other principles and practices
• Buddhism - Vegetarianism
• Buddhism - Buddhist religious philosophy and branches
• Buddhism - Buddhism after the Buddha
• Buddhism - Principal schools of Buddhist philosophy
• Buddhism - Scriptures
• Buddhism - Relations with other Eastern faiths
• Buddhism - Buddhism in the modern world
• Buddhism - Buddhism and the West
• Buddhism - Buddhism
• Buddhism - Related systems and religions
• Buddhism - References and Links
• Buddhism - References
• Buddhism - Footnotes
• Buddhism - External links

Read more here: » Buddhism

The main principles of Buddhism: The Three Jewels, The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, The Five Precepts, The three marks of conditioned existence and vegetarianism.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Principles of Buddhism

While Buddhist practice varies considerably among its various schools, Marriage is one of the few concepts specifically mentioned in the context of Sila (Buddhist behavior discipline). One of the five precepts that even lay practitioners are expected to follow to the best of their abilities - specifically the third - is a promise to abstain from sexual misconduct. While it is generally understood that what constitutes "misconduct" from a Buddhist perspective is widely dependent from the local cultural reality (e.g. is polygamy "miscon ...

Read more here: » Buddhist view of marriage

Chinese cuisine Eight Great Traditions Anhui Cantonese Fujian Hunan Jiangsu Shandong Sichuan Zhejiang Others Chinese Buddhist Chiuchow Hakka Historical Chinese Hong Kong Huaiyang Chinese Islamic Macanese Mandarin Northeastern Sha ...

Including:

• Buddhist cuisine - Three types of restrictions
• Buddhist cuisine - Common sources for Buddhist foods

Read more here: » Buddhist cuisine

Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school. As much as 94% of Thailand's population is Buddhist of the Theravada school, though Buddhism in this country has become integrated with folk beliefs such as ancestor worship as well as Chinese religions from the large Thai-Chinese population. Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is influenced heavily by the architecture of other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailan ...

Including:

• Buddhism in Thailand - Influences
• Buddhism in Thailand - Ordination and clergy

Read more here: » Buddhism in Thailand

Vesak (from the name of the second month in the Hindu calendar) is the most holy time in the Buddhist calendar. The word Vesak itself is the Sinhalese language word for the Pali word "Visakha". Vesak is also known as Visakah Puja or Buddha Purnima in India, Visakha Bucha in Thailand, Waisak in Indonesia and Vesak (Wesak) in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The equivalent festival in Laos is called Vixakha Bouxa.Vesak is a public holiday in many Asian countries like S ...

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Vipassana is a Pali word that means insight; of seeing things as they really are. It is a technique that purifies the mind, that helps us overcome negative qualities of anger, hatred, greed and selfishness largely through self-observation and introspection.

(See also: Vipassana, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

While Buddhist practice varies considerably among its various schools, Marriage is one of the few concepts specifically mentioned in the context of Sila (Buddhist behavior discipline). One of the five precepts that even lay practitioners are expected to follow to the best of their abilities - specifically the third - is a promise to abstain from sexual misconduct. While it is generally understood that what constitutes "misconduct" from a Buddhist perspective is widely dependent from the local cultural reality (e.g. is polygamy "miscon ...

Read more here: » Buddhist view of marriage: Encyclopedia - Buddhist view of marriage

Chinese cuisine Eight Great Traditions Anhui Cantonese Fujian Hunan Jiangsu Shandong Sichuan Zhejiang Others Chinese Buddhist Chiuchow Hakka Historical Chinese Hong Kong Huaiyang Chinese Islamic Macanese Mandarin Northeastern Sha ...

Including:

• Buddhist cuisine - Three types of restrictions
• Buddhist cuisine - Only for some Buddhists
• Buddhist cuisine - Common sources for Buddhist foods

Read more here: » Buddhist cuisine: Encyclopedia - Buddhist cuisine

Neo-Buddhism is a modern Buddhist revivalist movement in India. As a popular movement, Neo-Buddhism began on October 14, 1956 when B. R. Ambedkar, the 20th century's most prominent Untouchable converted to Buddhism along with nearly 400,000 of his followers. Neo-Buddhism - Origins. At the beginning of the 20th century, Buddhism was all but dead in India, the land of its origin. Certain tribal groups in Bengal continued to follow Buddhism, as did peoples in Ladakh and Sikkim where Tibetan culture was influen ...

Including:

• Neo-Buddhism - Origins
• Neo-Buddhism - 22 Vows
• Neo-Buddhism - Distinctive interpretation
• Neo-Buddhism - Buddhism in India after Ambedkar
• Neo-Buddhism - S. N. Goenka
• Neo-Buddhism - Recent developments

Read more here: » Neo-Buddhism: Encyclopedia - Neo-Buddhism

Yasutsune Itosu, best known as Anko Itosu, is considered the father of modern karate. Although the same title is sometimes given to Gichin Funakoshi, mainly because he's the one who actually made karate known throughout Japan. Itosu's year of birth is dated in various sources to 1830, 1831, or 1832, and he died in 1915. While he certainly did not invent karate himself, his codification of the forms learned from his master Sokon Matsumura and the wide dissemination of his teachings to masters of various traditions that ha ...

Including:

• Anko Itosu - Ten Precepts Tode Jukun of Karate

Read more here: » Anko Itosu: Encyclopedia - Anko Itosu

The term Quan Yin Method was coined in the 1970s by Suma Ching Hai, a popular and controversial spiritual teacher who professes that she is a manifestation of God and the Buddha, to describe the type of meditation that she practices and teaches. It is a Chinese term lending to the English translation, “contemplation on the sound.” According to Master Ching Hai, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, popularly known as Quan Yin by many Chinese Buddhists and Taoists, practiced this form of med ...

Including:

• Quan Yin Method - Doctrine
• Quan Yin Method - The First Level
• Quan Yin Method - The Second Level
• Quan Yin Method - The Fifth Level
• Quan Yin Method - Metaphysical Method
• Quan Yin Method - Initiation
• Quan Yin Method - Master Ching Hai's use of the Quan Yin Method
• Quan Yin Method - Criticism

Read more here: » Quan Yin Method: Encyclopedia - Quan Yin Method

Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school. As much as 94% of Thailand's population is Buddhist of the Theravada school, though Buddhism in this country has become integrated with folk beliefs such as ancestor worship as well as Chinese religions from the large Thai-Chinese population. Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is influenced heavily by the architecture of other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailan ...

Including:

• Buddhism in Thailand - Influences
• Buddhism in Thailand - Ordination and clergy
• Buddhism in Thailand - Position of women

Read more here: » Buddhism in Thailand: Encyclopedia - Buddhism in Thailand

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. This can mean either any person who is not a member of the clergy or of any monastic order or, within such an order, a monastic who is not a priest (c.f., lay brother). The Roman Catholic Church during its Second Vatican Council defined the laity as those members of the Church whose role is to sanctify worldly realities. In recent centuries, the term is often used more generally, in the context of any specialized profession, to refer to those w ...

Including:

• Laity - Christian laity
• Laity - Episcopal Church
• Laity - Roman Catholicism
• Laity - The Lay Preacher in the Wesleyan / Methodist tradition
• Laity - Buddhist lay persons

Read more here: » Laity: Encyclopedia - Laity

In the Bodhisattva vows (sometimes called the Bodhisattva Precepts) of Mahayana Buddhism, the bodhisattvas take vows stating that they will not realize or attain Nirvana until all sentient beings have done so. This four-part vow is made out of compassion and the bodhisattva devotes his/her powers to helping others attain Nirvana. Buddhist lay persons may take the bodhisattva vows in order to initiate their spiritual journey. The following table of the four ...

Including:

• Bodhisattva vows - Brahma Net Sutra
• Bodhisattva vows - Asanga's Bodhisattvabhumi

Read more here: » Bodhisattva vows: Encyclopedia - Bodhisattva vows

Vesak (from the name of the second month in the Hindu calendar) is the most holy time in the Buddhist calendar. The word Vesak itself is the Sinhalese language word for the Pali word "Visakha". Vesak is also known as Visakah Puja or Buddha Purnima in India, Visakha Bucha in Thailand, Waisak in Indonesia and Vesak (Wesak) in Sri Lanka and Malaysia. The equivalent festival in Laos is called Vixakha Bouxa.Vesak is a public holiday in many Asian countries like S ...

Read more here: » Vesak: Encyclopedia - Vesak