Eight Mahayana Precepts
Held on the 15th of each month at 6.30am
(30 minutes)
The practice of taking and keeping the Eight Mahayana Precepts is a special practice of moral discipline undertaken with bodhichitta motivation – the supreme good heart.
The essence of the practice is to take eight precepts, promising to abstain for twenty-four hours from the following actions:
- Killing
- Stealing
- Sexual activity
- Lying
- Taking intoxicants
- Eating after lunch
- Sitting on high or luxurious thrones or seats
- Wearing ornaments or perfume, and engaging in singing, dancing and so forth
We then make a commitment to keep these precepts purely for the twenty-four-hour period.
We use the prayer booklet A Pure Life for this practice. Copies are available to use at the Centre, or you can purchase your own from Tharpa Publications in either printed or electronic form: A Pure Life – Tharpa Publications.
