The Five Precepts (
Pali: Pañcasīla,
Sanskrit: Pañcaśīla
Ch: 五戒,
Cantonese: Ng Gye,
Mandarin: wǔ jiè,
Japanese: go kai,
Sinhala: පන්සිල්,
Thai: ศีลห้า) constitute the basic Buddhist code of
ethics, undertaken by lay followers of the
Buddha Gautama in the Theravada and Mahayana traditions.The laity undertake to follow these training rules at the same time as they become
Buddhists, taking refuge in the
Triple Gem: In the
Buddha (teacher), in the
Dharma (teaching) and thirdly in the
Sangha (community of monks and nuns). In Mahayana countries a lay practitioner who has undertaken the precepts is called an
Upasaka. In Theravada countries any lay follower is in theory called an upasaka (or upasika, feminine), though in practice everyone is expected to take the precepts anyway.
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The minimum set of moral rules for Buddhism, practiced by both the lay people and the monks of the
sangha . They forbid (1) theft, (2) improper sexual practices (adultery for lay people, sexual activity of any kind for monks), (3) killing, (4) lying and deceiving, and (5) drinking alcoholic drinks. To see how the Five Precepts are laid out within Theravada Buddhism,
click here .
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