The 5 Precepts

How to sleep well at night

The recent Malaysian political drama has created much anger, anguish, disbelieve and exasperation in the lives of the public and politicians alike.

It is likely that there will be some (the accusers, the accused, the slanderers, the victims, the heated-up bloggers, the agitated commentators, the conspirators, the bombers, the liars, some immigration workers, some policemen, some lawyers, the family and love ones of these people affected) who may not be sleeping well.

Thus humbly let me suggest a way..........

The way:
Do no evil
Do more good deeds
Make the mind calm and peaceful

Simple, yet difficult to do.

What is "do no evil'?

The 5 precepts
1. Refrain from killing another human being
2. Refrain from stealing
3. Refrain from indulging in sexual misconduct
4. Refrain from making false speech
5. Refrain from taking intoxicants

Why?
1. It is respecting the right of the other beings to live. When one is killed because of your instructions or actions, his relatives and friends suffer and whether or not the authorities take any actions, the death will haunt you even before they know who the killer is. If there is anything that you must kill, it is your own anger.

2. Stealing will create the fear of being caught, before, during or after the act of stealing. This causes agitation in the mind and as such one may have nightmares of being caught.

3. Although moral standards are different in different countries and cultures, illicit sex must be avoided. Sex involves satisfying our sensual pleasure of that moment. By avoiding such acts, we avoid having enemies, avoid being hated, and most importantly avoid having to regret it later.

4. Long or short term, lies will not prevail, only truth will. Lies lead to quarrels, misunderstandings, slanders and false accusations. Respect for the truth will result in a more peaceful and trusting society.

5. Intoxicants, such as alcohol, drugs, smoking, etc, besides being harmful to the health, can cause the person to do things he would otherwise not do when his mind is clearer and not intoxicated. In this regard he may break the other precepts. Thus a clarity of mind can benefit us, our family and society.

Benefits of the precepts?
No remorse, no regrets, no fear.
Better sleep and peace of mind and vice versa.

We have freedom. The choice of how to live our lives is entirely ours. But think about the precepts.

A 60 year old person will tell you it is not easy to practice it in daily life. It can be a challenge but it will definitely let you live a happy life.

Sleep well!