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"The Threefold Training and the Daily Practice of Mindfulness"
Precepts, concentration, and insight are not a straight line of cause and effect, but rather a closed circle, where each element gives rise to and nourishes the others. The concepts of inter-containment, inter-being, and inter-penetration help us to understand this relationship more clearly:
- Inter-containment: this contains that
- Inter-being: this is that
- Inter-penetration: this enters into that
The Five Spiritual Powers—faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight—also operate in a circular way, inseparable from one another, helping us to transcend wrong views. Observing the precepts is not simply following orders, but is the fruit of concentration and insight, protecting our freedom, safety, and happiness. Sīla (precepts) is one of the six Paramitas that help the practitioner cross from the shore of suffering to the shore of liberation, in which:
- Śīla pāramitā (the perfection of precepts) is like a raft that preserves peace and happiness
- Prajñāpāramitā (the perfection of wisdom) is realized through deep looking
The foundation of Buddhist literature is the Tripitaka:
- Sūtra Pitaka – the teachings of the Buddha
- Vinaya Pitaka – the precepts and regulations for practice
- Abhidharma Pitaka – the systematization of thought
The Five Basic Precepts—not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not consuming intoxicants, not lying—are presented concisely, but it is necessary to deeply contemplate the detailed aspects of each precept. The Vinaya—the code of conduct, the rules of community life, and deportment—helps to maintain the diligence and dignity of the Sangha. Walking meditation, reciting the precepts, Dharma discussion, and mindfulness in each moment are all means to nourish the living body of the precepts within, bringing strength, concentration, and insight to the practitioner.