..续本文上一页means not to ruin the world, but to protect it and help it advance. When the Buddha established the precepts, he did so not merely in line with his own opinions, but rather in line with the ways and opinions of people throughout the world. How can we know that this is so

　　 We needn”t ask the Buddha himself; we can consider the matter on our own:

　　(a) Take a simple example, like killing: Fishermen make their living by killing, and some of them end up making money by the fistfuls from it. Still, they complain about the hardships of their work and sometimes they even fall in the ocean and drown. The fact that they complain about their work shows they don”t like it. As for the fish, they don”t like it either. Even gnats and mosquitoes don”t like being abused. So why do we abuse them

　　 Because we haven”t associated with wise people. We see the harm and the pain, yet we still go ahead and do it out of our own darkness and delusion. This is one example to show that the Buddha established the precepts in line with the views of the world.

　　Example (b): Stealing, Is there anyone in the world who likes it

　　 If the world liked stealing, there probably wouldn”t be laws forbidding it — and what human society doesn”t have such laws

　　 The fact that we have these laws shows that we don”t like stealing. Even things about to be stolen don”t like to have people steal them. Animals, for instance, when they”re cornered by thieves, will try to run away. Thieves and robbers usually complain that their work is hard — always having to lurk and keep out of sight, going without food and sleep. The fact that they complain shows that they don”t like their work. So why do they do it

　　 Because they haven”t associated with wise people. Wrong looks right to them because of their own darkness and delusion.

　　Example (c): Adultery. Who in the world likes it

　　 Go ask those who do it, and they”ll complain that they suffer from it. Ask those who are done to, and they”ll complain that they suffer from it and don”t like it. Sometimes they end up killing themselves. This shows that the world doesn”t care for it. So why do people do it

　　 Because they haven”t associated with wise people. Wrong looks right to them, and so they bring about the ruin of the world. They get fined or put in jail, and get into difficulties with their families, knocking one another over the skull just for the fun of it. To do wrong in this way will bring tears to a parent”s eyes and ears, and trouble to the hearts of the authorities. These are things that bring about the ruin of the world.

　　Example (d): Lying. Is there anyone in the world who likes it

　　 When a person is lying, he has to be wary out of fear that others will find him out. When he”s about to lie, he suffers in trying to figure out how to get away with it. Once he”s lied, he suffers out of fear that no one will believe him. A person who is lied to has to question and cross-examine, out of fear that what he”s heard may not be true. Even small children don”t like to be lied to. Say that a child is crying for its mother, and its father lies to it, saying, "There — your mother”s coming." When it doesn”t see its mother, it”ll cry without stopping. Why

　　 Because it can”t trust its father. But not to mention human beings, even animals don”t like to be lied to. Say that we take some cooked rice and lure a dog with it. Once it sees the rice, it”ll think we”re going to feed it, so it comes prancing up with its rear high and its tail wagging — but instead of feeding it, we take the rice and run off. If we do this three or four times, after that it probably won”t come, because it knows we”re lying. This shows that no one likes lies. So why do people lie

　　 Because they haven”t associated with wise people. Wrong looks right to them, and so they cause the worl…

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