Chinese-English Precepts E-Book

for
Buddhist Five Precepts

Transmitted by Living Buddha Lian-sheng

Compiled by Alice Yang
Published in the padmakumara.org/forum
Published on January 27, 2011
Copyright 2011 by Living Buddha Lian-sheng
All rights reserved
This e-book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission


Table of Content
............................................................................................................3
About Living Buddha Lian-sheng .............................................................................4
...................................................................................................................5
....................................................................................................................7
Five Precepts ............................................................................................................10
..................................................................................................12
The Methods of Taking Refuge ...............................................................................13

About Living Buddha Lian-sheng

His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng is the Root Guru
of True Buddha School. He is referred to as Grand Master
by his disciples, and he is regarded as the emanation of
Amitabha Buddha.
As the lineage holder of the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and
Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Living Buddha Liansheng has attained the highest fruition in those schools
including the Great Perfection, Mahamudra, Lamdre, and
Yamantaka Sadhana.
Living Buddha Lian-sheng teaches both exoteric and
esoteric Buddhism, and also incorporates elements of Zen
and Daoism into his teachings. He emphasizes actual
practice and encourages students to integrate his Buddhist
teachings into their daily lives. The quintessence of his
personal journey, his methods of cultivation and his
realization are embodied in the True Buddha Tantric Dharma, which is an inspiring, practical, and
powerful teaching that is well-suited for people in modern society. Living Buddha Lian-sheng leads a
disciplined life which includes spiritual practice, teaching, writing, and painting. He is an excellent model
for spiritual cultivators in this degenerated age.
As of today, over five million people have taken refuge in True Buddha School. With over 400 chapters
worldwide, True Buddha School is recognized as a major Buddhist group today. Living Buddha Liansheng has written over 200 books in Chinese on topics ranging from Vajrayana Buddhism to Feng Shui,
Zen Buddhism, and Daoism. Many of these books are now being translated into English and various other
languages.


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China Town

China Town

Five Precepts
Transmitted by Living Buddha Liang-sheng
Translated by Lianhua Zhi-wei
Edited by Harmony, Alice Yang
Proofread by Rene Cordsen

(Excerpt from Living Buddha Lian-shengs Book 28: Reflections by a Tranquil Spring--From Heavenly
Beings to the Other Shore of Buddhahood.)
1. Refrain from Killing:
We should have a compassionate heart and exercise compassion towards all sentient beings. Treat
them fairly without discrimination. Do not kill or persecute any beings. Shakyamuni Buddha found
that all beings possessed the same Buddha-nature and the potential to become Buddhas. Also,
Buddhism advocates salvaging the world through compassion. Hence, the Buddha taught us not to
kill fellow sentient beings. Confucius once said, Hearing its cries, one does not have the heart to
consume its meat. Compassion is the basis to attain enlightenment. Therefore, we need to have
compassion towards all living beings. Do not kill them and avoid generating the karma of animosity.
Let sentient beings live out their natural life so acts of conflict and hatred can be eliminated. By doing
this, an ideal peaceful world may be realized.

2. Refrain from Stealing:

Cultivators must observe righteous behavior and be vigilant in guarding their pure hearts from being
corrupted. If they regard fame and fortune like passing clouds, they will not be seduced by the
material world and commit fraud, embezzlement, theft, robbery nor other wrongful deeds. They must
not take anything that does not belong to them. Hence, taking anything that is not given, not earned,
or not allocated are all considered stealing. Based on my observation, sentient beings do not abide by
this precept, and many of them have lost their hearts of justice. Newspapers are full of cases of
stealing through scheming and force. If everyone observes this rule of non-stealing, then society will
have peace.

3. Refrain from Sexual Misconduct:

Cultivators should practice celibacy to avoid committing the offense of sexual misconduct which
refers to sexual relationships with anyone else beside your legal spouse. Cultivators should regard
sexual pleasure as dangerous as a ferocious tiger and it should be feared and avoided. Husband and
wife should treat each other with respect. We should regard elder women as our mothers and younger
women as our sisters. Therefore, we should not have any deviant sexual thoughts. One must know

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that, Bodies of beautiful women are naturally smooth and soft;

With sharp swords by their waists decapitating mundane men; Even though you dont see any heads
roll, their marrow is already covertly wilted and dried.
In the Advice for Longevity (Chinese folk wisdom), it is said that:
Men should ask themselves whether they have properly stored their natural endowed vital energy.
Did they squander it during their youth? Did they guard it after getting married? Men should not
have mistresses, nor should they visit prostitutes or engage in sexual activities with homosexuals,
minors, animals, etc. Regardless of what sexual misconduct they might have engaged in, their
bodies are already depleted of their vital energy. Human bodies are not made of steel and cannot
withstand these types of daily abuses. With added worries from their life, their bodies will age
quickly and further decrease their vital force.
Hence, not only can men gain longevity by avoiding sexual misconduct, but also attain realization
because their hearts are not contaminated by deviant habits.

4. Refrain from Lying:

It is important to practice honesty because honesty is the fundamental principal of achieving harmony
with heaven and earth. In order for mens hearts to be harmonious with that of heaven, they must be
honest. Dishonesty is disrespect. Men who are dishonest but still making claims of great cultivation
and diligent practice are like men who try to get blood from a turnip. They use schemes to fool
others and deceive others by lying and giving false claims and testimonies. Exaggeration should also
be avoided because that is considered false speech and will create negative verbal karma.

5. Refrain from Taking Intoxicants:

Cultivators should be in full possession of their mental faculty. Folk wisdom teaches us, Dont say
that alcohol makes a man feel immortal; Many mistakes are committed when one is drunk; One
invites troubles, causing conflict and loss of trust. It is too late to feel regret when sober.
Cultivators must maintain a calm mind and avoid consuming alcohol and other intoxicating
substances. Alcohol and intoxicants are like hallucinogens. Getting intoxicated develops a flaw in
your character. Many misdeeds are committed after getting intoxicated. Therefore, cultivators should
maintain calmness of their mind and should abstain from alcohol and other intoxicating substances.

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Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu

17102 NE 40th Ct.
Redmond, WA 98052, USA
Tel: 425-885-7573
Fax: 425-883-2173

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The Methods of Taking Refuge

In Writing:
At 7:00 a.m. (your local time), on either the first or the fifteenth of every lunar month, face the
direction of the rising sun. With palms joined, reverently recite the Fourfold Refuge Mantra three times:
Namo Guru bei, Namo Buddha ye, Namo Dharma ye, Namo Sangha ye. Seeking Living Buddha Lianshengs guidance, I am taking refuge in the True Buddha, and prostrate three times.
Send a letter to the True Buddha Foundation to indicate your wish to receive the refuge
empowerment. State your name, address, age, and enclose a voluntary offering to the contact address of
Living Buddha Lian-sheng. Upon receiving the letter, the True Buddha Foundation will process your
request. The address is:

Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu

17102 NE 40th Ct.
Redmond, WA 98052, USA
Tel: 425-885-7573
Fax: 425-883-2173
Upon receiving the refuge request letter, the True Buddha Foundation will send you a refuge
certificate, a picture of Living Buddha Lian-sheng, and instructions on how to start cultivation of the Four
Preliminary Practices.

In Person:
You may obtain refuge empowerment personally from Grand Master Lu, or from a True Buddha
acharya who confers the empowerment on behalf of Grand Master, by visiting a True Buddha temple,
chapter, cultivation group, or by attending a True Buddha ceremony.

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