For the past few years, I’ve been trying to become a better Buddhist. And the most challenging part of that endeavor — which I mentioned in my previous article — is upholding the Five Precepts.
I’m revisiting this topic again in this article because I keep breaking some of the precepts, despite my best efforts to the contrary. All of us encounter situations that make us act out of character. What matters most is how we handle ourselves afterward. Do we blame ourselves or accept it as a part of the human condition?
Thinking about this question reminded me of an essay “Precepts Are the Whole of the Dharma” by a meditation teacher, Christopher Reed, included in the book “For the Future to Be Possible.” He writes:
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There is another wonderful aspect to the precepts. They are actually impossible to keep!
To refrain from harming others? What a profound practice! We receive the Five Precepts knowing that by doing so we are opening up to our own failure. We cannot fix the world, we cannot even fix our own life.
By accepting failure we express our willingness to begin again, time after time. By recognizing failure we change, renew, adapt, listen, and grow. It is only by practicing without expectation of success that we can ever truly open to the world, to suffering and to joy.
What extraordinary courage there is in risking losing what you know for the sake of the unknown; risking what you think you are capable of for the sake of your true capability!
What profound freedom — not having to get it right all the time, not having to live for the sake of appearance! By opening to our own failure, we open to the magnificence of the unknown, participating unconditionally, renewing our life.
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Complement this excerpt from the book “For the Future to Be Possible” with Confucius on the key principle of a good life and then revisit our guide on how to practice lovingkindness meditation.
I’m a freelance writer and mindfulness advocate behind this blog. I started my meditation practice in 2014, and in 2017 I launched this website to share what I learn with others. Here are the three things you can do here:
1. Schedule a free consult if you want to learn Buddhist meditation.
2. Download free mindfulness resources for stress relief
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