..续本文上一页well as lay people. When taking precepts for lay practitioners there are five actions one must abstain from; sexual misconduct, killing, lying, stealing and from taking alcohol. This is referred to as a lay person observing all the five precepts. Taking the vow will result in great benefit. Rinpoche then tells a story about the benefit of a vow.

　　 One of the buddha”s disciples called Katyayana went to a village and was expounding the dharma, and there was a person in the village whose livelihood was slaughtering others, and Katyayana told him that he must take one of the precepts, and he replied, "How can I do that

　　 I would like to but there is no way for me to be able to do it. I have to kill, it”s my livelihood and without that I have no job." Katyayana responded, "Yes that is true, but there is still a way, you can kill sentient beings in the daytime, but do you also have to kill at night

　　" And the slaughter said,"No." So Katyayana said, "Take the vow, and form the resolve, that at nightfall you will not kill any beings." So the story goes that from just taking that vow the village slaughterer gained great benefit. In this way, being a lay follower of the Buddha, it is of great benefit to keep as much of the discipline as we are able to. In the training of samadhi meditation the results will be that much more with regard to stability within the practice. There is a great benefit in the precepts and observing them. There is extensive benefit from forming the resolve to refrain from killing, others.

　　 Take the example of a cat. If the cat takes a holiday and is sleeping, it is refraining from killing an animal. Does it gain any merit from that

　　 No, it doesn”t. It only gains by not accumulating more negative karma as the result of killing. Because as soon as it wakes up it is ready to kill again. Where as if one has taken the vow, the precept of not to kill, the imprint of that precept will remain in one”s mind, and when the chance or opportunity comes up, one will not become involved in the negative action, therefore there is a vast difference.

　　 The next chapter, the twenty-ninth, called "The Ten Benefits" defines the paramita of patience, diligence, concentration and meditation. When we train in being patient, we will not give rise to anger and the doors to the lower realms will be closed. We will have no enmity and can remain at peace, without fear of being harmed. These are the benefits of a bodhisattva who trains in patience.

　　 There are ten benefits accompanying the paramita of diligence. We will not digress from the Dharma teaching of which we have heard. We will retain what we have learned and, with exertion, we will achieve the different concentrated states of samadhi. Following this, the Buddha explains the benefits of discriminating knowledge from learning and studying and that it is important to learn the words of the Buddha and to receive the oral or pith instructions from a qualified master. We can gain great benefits from detailed studying and here the Buddha mentions the ten benefits from detailed study. The first is there will be no faults with afflictive states of mind, or disturbing emotions. By understanding the teachings, we will be less agitated, we will not involve ourselves in feeling hostile toward others. By learning the details of the buddhadharma we will be able to clarify doubts and uncertainty and will be able to refrain from an unclear state of mind. Therefore we will not remain doubtful. Learning and studying will insure that our view, meaning, and orientation becomes straight forward, direct and we will avoid taking a wrong path. We will follow the excellent path toward enlightenment. Having listened to dharma teachings and understanding them to a certa…

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