A SPECIAL PRACTICE OF KEEPING THE EIGHT MAHAYANA PRECEPTS

Keeping the precepts is a special practice of moral discipline that is performed with bodhichitta motivation. Once a month we engage in this practice beginning our day with the prayer practice A Pure Life at 6:30am in which we take the eight Mahayana precepts.

The essence of the practice is to keep these eight precepts purely for a period of 24 hours. We take vows to abandon: killing; stealing; sexual activity; lying; taking intoxicants; sitting on a high or luxurious throne or seat; wearing jewelry, perfume, or make-up; singing or dancing; and eating more than one special meal between noon and 1pm. More details are given in A Pure Life.

There are many benefits to practicing moral discipline in this way. It helps us solve our day to day problems and creates good karma to take us to a fortunate rebirth in the future. It is a powerful method both for purifying negative karma and accumulating merit or good fortune and brings us closer to the happiness of Enlightenment.