THE FIFTH PRECEPT SURAMERAYA

THE FIFTH PRECEPT

SURAMERAYA

By MEY Sopheakdei, 2011

I.     Introduction

Buddhism is a religion-a very great religion. People who follow and practice this religion are called Buddhists. Buddhism is a very old religion, more than 2555 years old, founded by the Buddha who lived in India in the sixth century B.C. India is known as the birthplace of Buddhism because it was there that Buddhism arose and from there it spread to other parts of the world. This country is very strange in religions because it is the land of many great religions and strange beliefs. Buddhism is a religion of self-help. It teaches man to depend on himself, to be courageous and confident in his own ability. If he is thirsty, he should drink water to rid out of his thirst. Buddhist philosophy places man at the center of all things. “It cannot” is just a theory. Buddhism advices man to strive and work hard to achieve his goals, material or spiritual, through his own efforts, not through prayer or mere wishful thinking.

Buddhism is a religion of free thought. It discourages blind faith and urges man to think freely. It believes in man’s potentials and teaches that all men are capable of attaining the highest state of spiritual liberation. Buddhism also teaches that all men are born equal and are free to choose whatever is best for themselves. Buddhist teachings are logical and scientific. Many Buddhist principles can be understood through logical reasoning, others can realized through a proper process of experimentation. The teaching of Buddha, though very old, is still valid and practical and can be followed with advantage by all people of the world. Buddhism teaches man to be kind and gentle. Buddhists are peace loving people and also because Buddhism is a religion of self-help, it is suitable for the strong-minded. Because it encourages free thinking, it enjoys a special place in the hearts of modern free thinkers. Because its teachings are scientific, it is highly respected by the intellectual. The Buddhist emphasis on peace and loving kindness makes the religion appealing to peace-loving men.

Moreover, the history of the Buddha Dharma begins with the enlightenment of the Buddha, who at the age of thirty-five (probably around 528 BCE) awakened from the sleep of delusion that grips all beings in an endless vicious cycle of ignorance and unnecessary suffering (samsara). Having awakened, he decided to “go against the current” and communicate his liberating wakefulness to suffering beings-that is, to teach the Dharma. For forty-five years, he crossed and recrossed India’s central Gangetic plain on foot conveying his profound, brilliant wakefulness directly as well as by means of explanation that grew into a great body of spiritual, psychological and practical doctrine. His enlightened as well as the doctrine leading to it have been passed down through numerous unbroken lineages of teachers, which have spread to many countries. Many of these lineages still flourish. Throughout Buddha’s teaching there are many sermons or dharma teaching to discipline the human beings to be kind, good, happiness and wholesome in the society in which there are Four Noble Truth, Eightfold Paths,  Ten Precepts, Eight Precepts or Five Precepts and so on.

However, these involve in guideline the human beings to be good and kind and human beings born into this world cannot choose the kind of body they would like to have. There are creative forces belonging to each, which are responsible for the variety and diversity of human types, thus making some of them good-looking and others displeasing to the sight. Those who are good-looking can, like brilliant flowers, do better than those displeasing to the sight in attracting the eyes of the passer-by, but that is all they can do as far as ‘skin-deep’ beauty is concerned.

It is far worse in the case of a vicious person who, despite his or her outward beauty and charm, is to be given a wide berth by all. It is a fact that a man’s life depends on both aspects of his being, that is to say, his body and mind. The former is independent of will and consequently unchangeable, whereas the latter, given the strength of will, is subject to alteration and development.​​ Of course, a man is very likely to choose a line of action that he has followed before, but with training and discipline the mind can be made less wavering and more stable. It is for this purpose that a system of mind control and self-mastery is laid down.

The first step is called Precepts, by which a code of moral conduct is laid down as the basis and framework during the elementary stage of the course. This, like a ruler for drawing a straight line, prevents Buddhists from sidestepping the right path and urges them on straight to the goal. With this elementary stage well established the rest is sure to be won sooner or later. Violent offenses are of two kinds, physical and verbal. Physical violence includes personal offenses such as killing, property offenses such as stealing, and sexual offenses such as adultery. Verbal violence is principally the telling of lies.

All such misdeeds are based on bewilderment, the chief cause of which is intoxicating drugs such as alcoholic liquors. These harmful drugs stupefy the mind and under their influence a person has no control of his senses. To prevent this, a system of basic morality has been laid down by the sages.

Actually, observance of the five precepts constitutes the minimum moral obligation of a practicing lay Buddhist. These five precepts enjoin against killing living beings, taking what is not given (or stealing), sexual misconduct, false speech, and use of intoxicating drink or drugs.

The practice of Buddhist moral precepts deeply affects one's personal and social life. The fact that they represent a course of training which one willingly undertakes rather than a set of commandments willfully imposed by a God or Supreme Being is likely to have a positive bearing upon one's conscience and awareness. On the personal level, the precepts help one to lead a moral life and to advance further on the spiritual path. Moreover, popular Buddhism believes that the practice of morality contributes to the accumulation of merits that both support one in the present life and ensure happiness and prosperity in the next. On the social level, observing the five precepts helps to promote peaceful coexistence, mutual trust, a cooperative spirit, and general peace and harmony in society. It also helps to maintain an atmosphere which is conducive to social progress and development, as we can see from the practical implications of each precept.

The first precept admonishes against the destruction of life. This is based on the principle of goodwill and respect for the right to life of all living beings. By observing this precept one learns to cultivate loving kindness and compassion. One sees others' suffering as one's own and endeavors to do what one can to help alleviate their problems. Personally, one cultivates love and compassion; socially, one develops an altruistic spirit for the welfare of others.

The second precept, not to take things which are not given, signifies respect for others' rights to possess wealth and property. Observing the second precept, one refrains from earning one's livelihood through wrongful means, such as by stealing or cheating. This precept also implies the cultivation of generosity, which on a personal level helps to free one from attachment and selfishness, and on a social level contributes to friendly cooperation in the community.

The third precept, not to indulge in sexual misconduct, includes rape, adultery, sexual promiscuity, paraphilia, and all forms of sexual aberration. This precept teaches one to respect one's own spouse as well as those of others, and encourages the practice of self-restraint, which is of utmost importance in spiritual training. It is also interpreted by some scholars to mean the abstention from misuse of senses and includes, by extension, non-transgression on things that are dear to others, or abstention from intentionally hurting other's feelings. For example, a young boy may practice this particular precept by refraining from intentionally damaging his sister's dolls. If he does, he may be said to have committed a breach of morality. This precept is intended to instill in us a degree of self-restraint and a sense of social propriety, with particular emphasis on sexuality and sexual behavior.

The fourth precept, not to tell lies or resort to falsehood, is an important factor in social life and dealings. It concerns respect for truth. A respect for truth is a strong deterrent to inclinations or temptation to commit wrongful actions, while disregard for the same will only serve to encourage evil deeds. The Buddha has said: "There are few evil deeds that a liar is incapable of committing." The practice of the fourth precept, therefore, helps to preserve one's credibility, trustworthiness, and honor.

The last of the five Buddhist moral precepts enjoins against the use of intoxicants. On the personal level, abstention from intoxicants helps to maintain sobriety and a sense of responsibility. Socially, it helps to prevent accidents, such as car accidents, that can easily take place under the influence of intoxicating drink or drugs. Many crimes in society are committed under the influence of these harmful substances. The negative effects they have on spiritual practice are too obvious to require any explanation.

To understand more on the fifth precept (Surameraya) among five precepts (pacha Sila) in Buddhism, we need to know some key concepts of the practice of Buddhists through their daily practice which will be detailed below. Of course, we should know what are, the conditions of the fifth precept, benefits of avoiding taking intoxicant or drug, and impact of taking intoxicant or drug in the fifth precept of five precepts in Buddhism? Why do human beings need to practice fifth precept among five precepts? And how are the importance and benefits of practice fifth precept among other five?

To analyze the topic more understandable, we have to select the real reason to find out the cause of taking drug and the benefit from not taking drug and furthermore, we also apt to seek furthermore information for encourage all people to practice throughout its importance and benefits in which it can help all people living together with happiness.

II.    Understanding of Surameraya  (Intoxicants)

First of all, we should understand some world in which they are useful to explain to the concept of precept in the content. The Pali word for moral discipline, sila, has three levels of meaning: (1) inner virtue, ie, endowment with such qualities as kindness, contentment, simplicity, truthfulness, patience, etc.; (2) virtuous actions of body and speech which express those inner virtues outwardly; and (3) rules of conduct governing actions of body and speech designed to bring them into accord with the ethical ideals.

These three levels are closely intertwined and not always distinguishable in individual cases. But if we isolate them, sila as inner virtue can be called the aim of the training in moral discipline, sila as purified actions of body and speech the manifestation of that aim, and sila as rules of conduct the systematic means of actualizing the aim. Thus sila as inner virtue is established by bringing our bodily and verbal actions into accord with the ethical ideals, and this is done by following the rules of conduct intended to give these ideals concrete form.

The Buddhist texts explain that sila has the characteristic of harmonizing our actions of body and speech. sila harmonizes our actions by bringing them into accord with our own true interests, with the well-being of others, and with universal laws. Actions contrary to sila lead to a state of self-division marked by guilt, anxiety, and remorse. But the observance of the principles of sila heals this division, bringing our inner faculties together into a balanced and centered state of unity. sila also brings us into harmony with other men. While actions undertaken in disregard of ethical principles lead to relations scarred by competitiveness, exploitation, and aggression, actions intended to embody such principles promote concord between man and man—peace, cooperation, and mutual respect. The harmony achieved by maintaining sila does not stop at the social level, but leads our actions into harmony with a higher law -- the law of kamma, of action and its fruit, which reigns invisibly behind the entire world of sentient existence.

This deductive method the Buddha uses to derive the first four precepts. The fifth precept, abstaining from intoxicants, appears to deal only with my relation to myself, with what I put into my own body. However, because the violation of this precept can lead to the violation of all the other precepts and to much further harm for others, its social implications are deeper than is evident at first sight and bring it into range of this same method of derivation.

Another reason why the precepts are worded in terms of abstinence is that the development of positive virtues cannot be prescribed by rules. Rules of training can govern what we have to avoid and perform in our outer actions but only ideals of aspiration, not rules, can govern what develops within ourselves. Thus we cannot take up a training rule to always be loving towards others. To impose such a rule is to place ourselves in a double bind since inner attitudes are just simply not so docile that they can be determined by command. Love and compassion are the fruits of the work we do on ourselves inwardly, not of assenting to a precept. What we can do is to undertake a precept to abstain from destroying life and from injuring other beings. Then we can make a resolution, preferably without much fanfare, to develop loving-kindness, and apply ourselves to the mental training designed to nourish its growth.

a.   Definition

Any thoughts, speech or actions that are rooted in greed, hatred and delusion and thus lead us away from nirvana or heaven rime are bad and any thoughts, speech, or actions which are rooted in giving, love and wisdom and thus help clear the way to nirvana are good. To know what is right and wrong in god-centered religions, all that is needed is to do as you are told, but in human-centered religions like Buddhism, to know what is right and wrong we have to develop a deep self-awareness and self-understanding. And ethics based on understanding are always stronger than those that are a response to a command.

So to know what is right and wrong, the Buddhist looks at three things such as the intention behind the act, the effect the act will have upon oneself and the effect it will have upon others. If the intention is good which rooted in generosity, love, and wisdom and it helps me and other, then my deeds and actions are wholesome, good, and moral.

 On the other hand, the fifth precept in Pali words are Surā,meraya,majjapamāda, thānā veramani  sikkhāpadam samādiyāmi, which means “I undertake the training rule to abstain from fermented and distilled intoxicants which are the basis for heedlessness.” The word meraya means fermented liquors, sura liquors which have been distilled to increase their strength and flavor. The world majja, meaning an intoxicant, can be related to the rest of the passage either as qualified by sura,meraya or as additional to them. In the former case the whole phrase means fermented and distilled liquors which are intoxicants, in the latter it means fermented and distilled liquors and other intoxicants. If this second reading is adopted the precept would explicitly include intoxicating drugs used non-medicinally, such as the opiates, hemp, and psychedelics. But even on the first reading the precept implicitly proscribes these drugs by way of its guiding purpose, which is to prevent heedlessness caused by the taking of intoxicating substances.

Moreover, today many people find wine drinking enjoyable. Some even claim that drinking a little bit of wine has help to one's health and makes one's life live longer. However, this statement should be thoroughly investigated. Many Buddhist monks in Burma who never drink alcohol in their lives live up to eighty, ninety, or even a hundred years old in average. On the other hand, the statistic of how long those who drink wine live is far less than those who abstain from drinking. Therefore a statement like this could be solely based upon addiction, but not health. One may argue about self-control on the issue of drinking, but this is blindly closing one's eyes for the long-term consequences. Drinking in the long run decreases the ability of one's immune system, and it makes one's intelligent and reasoning faculties slow or even getting ruined. It also makes one grow weaker when one gets old. Furthermore, if one is a householder, drinking can leave his home unprotected, his wealth unprotected, his wife and children unprotected, and even causing himself harm if he drives after drinking. There are serious consequences in the act of drinking that one should think of. A man never likes a woman who gets drunk everyday, and similarly, a woman never likes a man who gets drunk everyday. One not only loses one's wealth, one's family, and one's friends, one also loses his health and his self-control. Addiction to alcoholic drinks and drugs is one of the bondages that binds one to the rounds of birth and death, and as one realizes this and wish to put forth zeal to stop one's suffering, one should therefore make a vow for absolute abstention from drinking.

Alcohol consumption is inconsistent with a Buddhist's quest to understand and develop the mind. Buddhists believe that by practicing meditation, wisdom and morality, every individual has the innate ability to experience true happiness. The Buddha encouraged his followers to refrain from consuming any kind of intoxicant. This included alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. These substances are said to be inconsistent with Buddhist beliefs as they distort the mind. Buddhists regard the mind as precious; they work diligently, through meditation, to master it.  Buddhists follow five precepts, serving as guidelines for correct and moral behaviour. One of the precepts clearly states that Buddhists should 'refrain from taking intoxicants'. Buddhists adhere to these guidelines with differing degrees of success.

The Buddha was against any form of alcohol consumption, even in moderation, because of the effect it has on the mind. Mindfulness is central to Buddhist philosophy. This concept requires a constant awareness of changes occurring in the mind and body. Mindfulness enables the individual to react wisely to emotions and sensations when they arise. Alcohol distorts the mind and makes it impossible to practice this tenet. Karma is another Buddhist teaching inconsistent with the use of alcohol. The Buddha taught that each individual must be responsible for one's own Karma. This involves being responsible for the consequences of one's actions, speech and thoughts. Alcohol tends to encourage irresponsibility. It is possible to generate much negative karma while under the influence of alcohol. 

The Buddha taught that true happiness was to be found in letting go of attachments. Many people are deeply attached to the feelings they experience when drinking alcohol. Through meditation it is possible to let go of this attachment. Buddhist meditation has been successful in treating alcoholism.  Many people use alcohol as a means of avoiding problems that arise in life. Buddhism encourages people to deal with life's difficulties and challenges. It encourages individuals to view problems as opportunities to learn and grow. By practicing meditation, an individual can develop the courage and determination to deal with life, rather than rely on alcohol to create an artificial sense of contentment. Alcohol consumption is inconsistent with Buddhist beliefs for a number of reasons. Buddhists exert an enormous amount of effort through meditation in order to change the mind. By consuming alcohol the individual is unable to have any control over the mind.

This precept encourages the abstinence from liquors and intoxicating drinks of all kinds, both fermented and distilled, since they are productive of loss of self-control. By the word meraya is meant fermented liquor, whether prepared from sugar or other raw materials. This becomes sura when it is distilled for more concentration of flavor and strength.

Both kinds are equally bad in that they weaken self-control, thereby making a person do what he would never have dreamt of doing in his saner moments. Thus the evil of these intoxicating drinks is that they stupefy the mind, driving a person out of his senses.

Whatever it is that we have done without careful planning or thinking it is just those things, which we regret. If we have done whatever we can to prevent an obstacle or accident, we can reasonably excuse ourselves if things happen to fall short of our anticipation or fail to turn out as we expect. This is beyond our means and we do not sorrow over it. But if through our own self-stupefaction with liquor we become impulsive and are driven to hysterical action or even go berserk, there will be no greater regret than this. Such, however, is only the moral side of a person’s affairs. Often there are more serious troubles, which follow. These may be a fine, imprisonment, injury or dismissal from a position in disgrace.

Violation of this precept often leads a person to the four previously mentioned evils (killing, stealing, adultery, and lying). It is because of this fact that the Buddha laid down the fifth precept, for when this precept is strictly observed, the chance for committing the four other evils will be greatly reduced, if not eliminated. Liquor is any drink that intoxicates the mind or overcomes one’s reason, or, to be more precise, a person’s self-control. In a pure undiluted form, it is a colorless liquid with a strong smell. It burns with a smokeless flame, which, although not so bright, gives out great heat. It is lighter than water, but, unlike oil, can readily mix with water, not just floating on its surface. Such a liquid is more commonly called alcohol.

b.          The conditions

The taking of intoxicants is defined as the volition leading to the bodily act of ingesting distilled or fermented intoxicants. It can be committed only by one's own person (not by command to others) and only occurs through the bodily door. For the precept to be violated four factors are required:

(1) The intoxicant

The first element or condition that comes to destroy the human beings’ quality and quantity in being good, kind and qualified human beings is intoxicant. When the intoxicant is produced to be liquid or material which can make human to be drunk that kind of liquid is regard as Surameraya which involve in the fifth precept of the five precepts in Buddhism practiced by Buddhist lay men and women. That liquid is regarding as intoxicant which people will be drunk after they drink or they will disorder of their mental.

(2) The intention of taking it

The second element or condition is intention of taking intoxicant in which the human being desire to take or we can say the purpose or willingness to take intoxicant. After we recognize that that liquid is intoxicant and we want to drink it. The intention which we have will involve destroying the fifth precept. If there is only intoxicant and we do not have intention or will to take it that will be fine because that liquid will be away from you in which you do not have the will to taste it. So, the intention is absolutely important in involving destroying the fifth precept.

(3) The activity of ingesting it

The third condition is your activity of ingesting that intoxicant. After you know that it is the liquid of intoxicant and you have intention of drinking it you express your action through your body. Your action is to take that intoxicant into your throat. That means your activity of ingesting intoxicant is involving destroying the fifth precept which you take refuge or vow for yourself.

(4) The actual ingestion of the intoxicant

The final condition is the actual ingestion of the intoxicant which means that that intoxicant is over throw your throat, so it is the final action or thing which causes the failure of taking the fifth precept. However, the first thing is that there is intoxicant and then you have intention to taking that intoxicant. Furthermore your action also involves in destroying your vow in taking refuge in the fifth precept and the final condition is that that intoxicant is flown into your stomach.

c.  The Impact of taking intoxicate

Intoxicant is the poisonous medicine which can poison every person who practices it. That means every person who takes the drug or intoxicant and likes it very much will get their actions’ result is bad deed. According to the Scriptures, the evils of taking intoxicating drinks are of six kinds: 

1.   A Waste Of Money Due To Uncontrollable Craving.

The purpose of earning money is to pay for the necessities and comforts of life, but this does not mean that we should seek only to satisfy our present wants and indulge every passing desire, thinking nothing of the limit of our income or of our earning capacity.

A wise man is always moderate in his expenses with something put away for an emergency, sickness or old age. He draws a line between the necessities of life and luxuries. Food, clothing, shelter and medicine are examples of the necessities of life which cannot be dispensed with, whereas betel nuts, cigarettes and liquor are included in luxuries which should be either avoided or reduced to a minimum.

Habitual use of these luxuries, especially liquor or other alcoholic drinks, will create an uncontrollable craving, which is a drain on one’s income. By giving way to such influences, he deprives himself of what would otherwise have been reserved for a rainy day. In most cases, as when a person has a limited income there is surely nothing that will ruin himself and his family as will this habit of intemperance or the excessive indulgence in intoxicating drinks.

Even if he should happen to have enough financial support for such a wasteful habit, however, as in fact few have, intemperance is nonetheless an evil, for its other dangers are still ever present with the same destructive force.

An employee who becomes a drunkard impairs his own efficiency in his work. He is one who is prone to absent-mindedness and indecent acts and is one who is sure to be thrown out of work to starve.  If a person who runs a business becomes an alcoholic himself, he is doomed to lose that business sooner or later through misjudgment or muddled-mindedness. There can be no progress expected of a business run on alcohol. 

2.     A Great Cause Of Quarrels

In sane moments, everyone wants peace and dislikes quarrels of all kinds. If it happens that one is provoked or teased, one usually has a certain degree of forbearance, and, except in a really serious case, will choose to avoid more trouble rather than to retaliate. But with alcohol as a stimulant, this will not be the case.

A person tends to have a shorter temper and any simple, meaningless word can arouse him to an uncontrollable rage. Many drunkards have been known to attack others without provocation. Thus alcohol can drive a person out of his senses, blinding him to a11 reason and decency and making him think that everyone is his enemy.

3.     A Great Cause Of, Not Remedy For, Disease

Alcoholics often excuse themselves for temperance on the grounds that they are suffering from several kinds of disease, such as loss of appetite, stiffness of muscles, weakness of body and mind, and sleeplessness. It is through alcohol, so they say, that such diseases are made tolerable for them. This, according to their argument, is equivalent to saying that alcohol is a medicine, or to some extent necessary for a person’s health.

But, obviously, the alcoholic is in no better condition than those who abstain from it, and oftentimes they are worse. This should bring us to the reverse conclusion that alcohol, instead of being a remedy for preventing disease, is really itself the cause of those diseases.  Any harmful foreign substance that is absorbed into the blood impairs a person’s health. In extreme cases, it can be a poison destroying a person’s life.

Alcohol, being a poison by its very nature, always hinders and never helps the body or mind to work properly. There is a general misunderstanding that alcohol can give or increase a person’s strength to work. As far as alcohol is concerned, there is perhaps no greater misconception than this. It is true that alcohol can stimulate the circulation of the blood for a time, thus deceiving a person into thinking that he is growing stronger, but his strength is by no means increased.

In some cases, however, alcohol may be useful in that it deadens the unpleasant feeling caused by some diseases, but it must be used carefully and only sparingly to produce the expected result. In the long run, its excessive or careless use will be very dangerous to the patient’s health.

4.     A Great Cause Of Disgrace

A person’s good name is his essence. It makes him worthy of respect and is of great help in his work, which is his way of earning his livelihood. But this good name or reputation is an acquired quality, which is built up by effort and time. It is not until people are convinced of a person’s behavior, feeling sure that he has stood the test of time and temptation that they will treat him with honor and respect.

Nevertheless, reputation is a frail thing, being easier lost than gained. And very often, one slip is enough to throw a person back to where he started. It is just natural that a person should safeguard his good name with the utmost care. But under the bewildering influence of alcohol, he is apt to forget everything and lose all power of self-control. Most regretfully, in such moments he will never hesitate to disgrace himself or to undo what he has painstakingly done over many years.

5.     Loss Of Self Control

A man’s mind is generally governed by conscience telling him what is right and what is wrong, what should be avoided and what should be done. There is here an analogy between a man’s conscience and the driver of a horse-driven carriage. As long as the driver keeps a tight rein on the animal, the carriage runs smoothly on its way.  But whenever he is absent-minded and releases the reins, the horse will gallop freely in any direction taking itself, the driver and all, to ruin.

Thus the mind, without the guiding light of conscience, will lose all power of self-control and is unable to think and act properly. Such a person will not hesitate to do or say what he would otherwise have avoided at all costs. This is another evil of liquor.

6.     Interference With The Function Of The Brain

Although people are different from one another in the levels of their intelligence, yet they can make it better or worse for themselves. The way to improve intelligence is to nourish the brain by thinking for themselves and sober reasoning. This is like a piece of land which, without loosening up or fertilizing, would be no better than a desert or a place suited only for wild growth.

Just as tilling and fertilizing make land permanently suitable for cultivation, so it is by learning and proper self-training that the brain will be nourished and a person’s intelligence improved. Here a human brain may also be likened to an instrument or an engine. A knife kept without use becomes rusty or blunt, and a machine left without being used cannot function well.

Even our own muscles, deprived of any movement or exercise, will become stiff and fatigued. So is the brain will be developed and function properly through enough and suitable exercise. But it must not be disturbed in the performance of its duty, otherwise the best results cannot be expected. Of all the causes that harmfully interfere with the function of the brain, there is perhaps nothing worse than the poison alcohol, which paralyses feelings and stupefies the faculty of reasoning. When the brain, which is the seat of intelligence, is impaired, a chain of evil consequences affecting the person physically, emotionally and socially is sure to follow.

How liquor can bring on evils and disease may be obvious to many, but few, if any, realize its potential danger, even in so-called ‘moderate drinking’. It is true that no one wants to be under the power of alcohol the first time he tastes it, but the first taste leads temptingly to the second and ‘occasional drinking’ becomes more frequent.

d.     The Benefits of avoiding taking intoxicate

Furthermore, abandoning the use of intoxicants, the disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking intoxicants. In doing so, he gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression.

III.       Conclusion and Recommendation

Buddhists should remind themselves of the fact that the essential purpose of this precept is to abstain from whatever intoxicates the mind and damages a person’s health and good name. Thus all other intoxicants, such as Indian hemp, opium, marijuana and others are to be included (as majja - those that bewilder the mind).

Indeed, they are not directly mentioned in the wording of the precept itself since they were not known in the time of the Buddha. But there is what are called the maha-padesa (the great references) which Buddhists may turn to for a basis for judgment in case of doubt or indecision due to unforeseen circumstances. These references may be explained in brief as follows: whenever there arises a thing or an event and the question arises as to whether it should be allowed or prohibited.

Buddhists must weigh its benefits and dangers honestly and thoroughly and then determine into which category it should fall with regard to its nature. Such drugs with their injurious and intoxicating effects can thus be reasonably included in what is to be abstained from under the meaning of this precept.

Opium and other opiates are also used for medicinal purposes as painkillers, sometimes by smoking and at other times by being taken orally or by injection. This is reserved, however, only for cases of extreme necessity when pain has become so severe that it becomes unbearable. Here it is applied against symptomatic pain, giving time for the other remedies to produce their direct curative effect on the disease itself.

Many people, however, not knowing its dreadful potential danger, look only at its soothing property and choose to use it for pleasurable effects, only to become its complete slave afterwards. In some cases, where disease has become chronic, the application of this drug has to be repeated until it forms a habit with the patient, even after recovery.  It then becomes indispensable for the gratification of desire itself, instead of being a remedy for the disease.

The evils of being addicted to opium (including, of course, the other opiates) are manifold. In short, it leads most certainly to the wreckage of a person’s health, money, virtue, and good name. The greatest danger of opium is its seemingly beneficial effect in its early stages. It deadens pain, dispels worry and anxiety, induces sleep and encourages the imaginative faculty. This is opposite to the stimulating, pugnacious effect of alcohol and deludes a person into thinking that it is really helpful.

But after a time, the person becomes overwhelmed with drowsiness and stupefaction, with his appetite lost his stomach upset, his blood poisoned and its circulation depressed. Also accompanying these adverse results is a general debility with the derangement of the nervous system and dullness of the mind.

One who is addicted to opium is forced to steal to supplement his income. This deprives him, and his dependents, of other decent items of expenditure or a sum to be put away in case of an emergency or illness. It is only when he is fortunate enough to have an unlimited income, which is most rare, that a person can be its complete slave without much affecting his financial status.

Since opium stupefies the brain, which is the headquarters of physical and mental activities, a person is apt to lose his self-control and be powerless in the face of temptations. He can shamelessly tell lies or commit thefts, which he would never have thought himself capable of had he not been under its tyrannical influence. It is only through having a constant financial supply of opium that he is able to remain a law-abiding citizen, otherwise there would be no sense of virtue left in his mind.

In view of these actual and potential evils, however wealthy and consequently immune against crime a person may be, he is nonetheless scorned and loathed, although silently, by everyone who knows of his habit. He is said to be always on the road leading to destruction, for his life is all the time hanging on the thread of his wealth, which has to bear the weight of ever-increasing desire.

Let all self-respecting people bear in mind the above-mentioned evils of opium. Even in the case of necessity, let them be scrupulously heedful of its use, whether in taking it orally, smoking it or injecting it, for this kind of drug saps energy and mental strength and forms a habit, which can be broken only with the greatest difficulty.

Another kind of drug is called hemp or Indian hemp (cannabis sativa). In small doses it may be used for medicinal purposes to produce sleep or to dull the senses. It is also addictive and has an intoxicating effect. Addicts prefer to smoke it. It reacts mainly on the nervous system, producing both visionary and auditory hallucinations. Thus what a person addicted to it sees or hears is often distorted and exaggerated. Very often a rope is to him a snake and the sound of a drum becomes thunder or the roar of a cannon.

This in turn gives rise to a morbid fear and an uncontrollable excitement leading eventually to delirium and insanity.  There are several other kinds of intoxicants, all of which produce the same adverse effects on the health, both of the body and the mind. They are regarded as things to be avoided under this precept.  In cases of extreme necessity, however, all are to be used abstemiously and with the greatest possible care.

IV.          References:

1.     Ven. S. Dhammika, Good Question Good Answer, Sukhi Hotu in 2007

2.     Ven. Pategama Gnanarama Ph.D., Essentials of Buddhism, Principle Buddhist and Pali College of Singapore, 2000

3.     Jonathan Landaw, The Story of Buddha, Hemkunt Press, E-1/15 Patel Road, New Delhi-110008

4.     Bhikkhu  Sophan Seng, A CONSTITUTION FOR LIVING, 2003

5.     Nina Van Gorkom, Buddhism in Daily Life, Triple Gem Press, 46 Fircroft Road, Tooting bec, London,  1992

6.     Bhikkhu Narada, Buddhism for Beginner, Sri Lanka, 2008

7.     Samuel Bercholz and Sherab Chodin Khon, Entering the Stream, Shambhala, Boston, 1993