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precepts

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | 513 words | Copyright

precepts. Buddhism has many sets of precepts, including the Five Precepts (pañca-śīla), Eight Precepts (aṣṭāṅga-śīla), Ten Precepts (daśa-śīla), and Ten Good Deeds (daśa-kuśala-karmapatha). Monastic precepts are set out in the Prātimokṣa and Vinaya. The precepts are understood not as commandments laid down by divine authority but injunctions derived from rational principles intended to promote human well-being.

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