Drive Safely

When we drive a car, we are expected to observe certain rules so that we do not have an accident.

Two thousand five years ago, the Buddha offered certain guidelines to his lay students to help them live peaceful, wholesome, and happy lives. They were the Five Wonderful Precepts, and at the foundation of each of these precepts is mindfulness.

With mindfulness, we are aware of what is going on in our bodies, our feelings, our minds, and the world, and we avoid doing harm to ourselves and others.

When we are mindful, we can see that by refraining from doing "this," we prevent "that" from happening.


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In Buddhism, precepts, concentration, and insight always go together.

Practicing the precepts brings about concentration, and concentration is needed for insight. Mindfulness is the ground for concentration, concentration allows us to look deeply, and insight is the fruit of looking deeply.

Practicing the precepts, therefore, helps us be more calm and concentrated and brings more insight and enlightenment, which makes our practice of the precepts more solid.


Extract from: For A Future To Be Possible - Commentaries on the Five Wonderful Precepts, by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh