FAQ: Should Pure Land practitioners observe precepts and morality?
Yes, if one is a serious practitioner, one shall observe precepts and morality. For lay Buddhists, the five precepts are commonly observed, that is, non-killing, non-stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying and no alcohol (to refrain from alcohol is to prevent the potential of having committed the first four mistakes).
In the Visualisation Sutra, the Buddha also talks about the Three Blessings of Pure Karma （净业三福）. This serves as a guiding principle for how Pure Land practitioners should behave in our daily life (to what extent we can do it is another question, but at least we should have the right attitude and want to do good).
Three Blessings of Pure Karma (净业三福）
(from the Visualization Sutra， 观经)
At that time, the World-honored One said to Vaidehi, “Do you know that Amitabha Buddha is not far away from here? You should contemplate continuously and visualize the beings who accomplish pure acts in that Buddha-land. I shall now describe to you with various examples, so that all ordinary people in the future who wish to practice pure acts can also be born in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Whoever wishes to be born there should cultivate the three blessings:
first, having filial piety towards one’s parents, attending to one’s teachers and elders, compassionately refraining from killing, and cultivating the ten good deeds; second, taking the Three Refuges, observing the various precepts, and refraining from breaking the rules of conduct; and third, generating Bodhicitta, believing deeply in the law of karma, reciting the Mahayana sutras, and encouraging people to follow the teachings. These three are called the pure acts.”
The Buddha further said to Vaidehi, “Do you know that these three acts are practised by all the Buddhas of the past, present, and future as the right cause of pure acts?”
For people who practice these pure acts (one or two or all three), one can attain a much higher grade of rebirth than one doesn’t. Jiawen will talk more about it in detail when she expounds on the Pure Land sutras later.
Even for non-Buddhists, morality should be upheld, so one can obtain peace of mind and live a relatively trouble-free life.
Namo Amituofo
