It is said in the auto-commentary to Abhidharmakosha that it is acceptable for people such as butchers (who do not kill at night) and prostitutes (who do not work during the day) to take the precepts for less than a day and a night. If such people take the Eight Mahayana Precepts they will have the fruits of the practice, and therefore, if the precepts are taken for just half the period and protected during that time, there is no fault; in fact, they will become very meaningful. One should try to observe the precepts for the entire period of a day and a night, but if one cannot observe them for the complete twenty-four hour period, one can observe them for half that time, or for even a half-hour. When the precepts are taken, the exact duration for which they will be observed should be stated: “from now until sunset tonight,” for example.
In the teachings of Gelong Jangchub Zangpo it is said that since (the Mahayana) accepts the taking of the bodhisattva vows from now until enlightenment, this principle also applies to the Eight Mahayana Precepts, which can also be generated from now until that time.
Compendium of All Explanations (Kun-tu Nam-sha), composed by Gyaltseb Je, also says that the Eight Mahayana Precepts can be generated for more than twenty-four hours. He says that the assertion that the fast-day precepts are generated for only a day and a night and no longer is found in the tradition propounded by one particular Hearers’ school of thought and is a mistake.
In the teachings of Maitripa, the request when the precepts are given is, “Venerable (Tib. dzumpa, ‘firm in avoiding nonvirtue’), please pay attention to me. I, the upasaka [lay holder of precepts] whose name is…, until the essence of enlightenment….”
According to Kunkyen Jamyang Shepa, the method of the nearabiding eight precepts taken until enlightenment is stated in the explanations of various sutras and tantras. The Mahayana Restoring and 31 Purifying Ordination is definitely generated up until enlightenment because it incorporates the mind generation of bodhicitta.
Even the Lesser Vehicle tradition, which does not accept that the vow of near-abiding can last for more than one day, contains the opportunity of taking the vows for many days at one ceremony. The texts of Thubten Jhidor state that one is allowed to take the precepts for many days at a time. Even though the eight fast-day precepts are definitely a branch of the one-day approaching and abiding precepts, on occasions such as the celebration of Buddha’s Great Miraculous Deeds, if the precepts are to be observed without interruption for half a month, they may be taken just once for that duration. Besides, if the ceremony of the one-day vows is recited up to fifteen times, there is no mistake in this becoming the one-day vows for as many days as the number of recitations.
The commentary to Abhidharmakosha says that if one is taking the fast-day precepts for a continuous period of half a month or so, it is acceptable to take them at one ceremony by reciting the prayer the same number of times as days the precepts will be observed, or else one can simply say, “I shall observe the precepts from the first day of the month until the fifteenth.” Also, if one wants to take the precepts every eighth, fifteenth and thirtieth days of the month for one year, it is acceptable for one to take the vows by changing the wording to “I shall observe the precepts every eighth, fifteenth and thirtieth of each month of this year.”
If the near-abiding precepts can be taken for many days at one time, there is no need to mention that the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination can be taken for as many days as one wants. Nevertheless, if one is able to take them freshly every day, there are many benefits in stabilizing memory and awareness, and the practice becomes perfect.
The question can arise, “If one degenerates one of the four root vows, is it necessary to continue to protect the other seven?” Once there were two wandering beggars, one of whom protected all his vows and, as a result, was born as a king in the human realm. The wife of the other insisted that he eat fruit in the afternoon, and he could not refuse. Due to breaking this precept he was unable to attain rebirth in the human realm, but because he observed the remaining seven precepts he was reborn as a king of the nagas. Eventually, both attained the state of a foe destroyer. Like the two beggars, one receives separately both the benefits of protecting the precepts (one keeps) and the shortcomings of not protecting the precepts (one doesn’t keep).
Even if one falls short on one precept, one should protect the others as much as possible. Even if one precept, such as fasting, is broken for some reason, one should not abandon it entirely for the rest of the day—whenever possible one should still protect it. (The degenerated vow should be immediately purified and restored by reciting the purification mantra three times.)
As explained before, if one protects just one precept for even a second, one receives immeasurable benefits—benefits that are not received merely by not engaging in harmful actions (without having taken the vows). One should have the preliminary thought, “In the presence of the holy object I shall protect the vows from now until….”
In short, if one wishes not to let oneself down, even though one can protect only one precept, one should protect it. Furthermore, even if that one precept can be kept for only a brief moment, one should protect it for that time.
5 From a teaching given in Tibet. Translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Venerable Thubten Gyatso. [Return to text]
