The eight precepts

The eight precepts (aṭṭha sīla) are a fuller set of training rules that lay Buddhists can take on for a day or longer. They build on the five precepts and bring a lay person’s life a step closer to the simplicity of monks and nuns.

The eight training rules

The eight precepts are to abstain from:

1. Killing living beings.
2. Taking what is not given.
3. All sexual activity.
4. False speech.
5. Alcohol and drugs that cause heedlessness.
6. Eating after midday, until dawn the next day.
7. Dancing, singing, music and shows, and adorning the body with garlands, perfumes and cosmetics.
8. Using high and luxurious seats and beds.

The third precept changes from avoiding sexual misconduct to complete celibacy. The last three are about restraint of the senses. In some lists the seventh is split into two, giving nine.

When they are kept

In Theravada countries, lay people often take the eight precepts on observance days, called uposatha, which follow the phases of the moon. Many keep them on the full moon and new moon days, and some on the quarter moons too. On such a day a person might spend time at a monastery, listen to teachings, chant and meditate. Others keep them at home.

In the discourses, the Buddha describes the observance day with eight factors as a time to recollect the qualities of arahants, the fully awakened ones, and to live like them for a day and a night.

Why keep them

The extra precepts are not about punishment or denial for its own sake. Each one removes a common distraction. Not eating in the evening leaves the mind lighter and more alert. Setting aside entertainment and adornment turns attention inward. A simple bed reduces indulgence. Together they give a taste of contentment that does not depend on sense pleasures.

People who keep the eight precepts often find that a single day of simplicity shows how much of daily life is driven by small cravings.

Taking the precepts

The precepts are usually requested from a monk or nun, who recites them line by line, though they can also be undertaken privately by reciting them yourself. They are taken for a set time, often one day. A first step for many people is to keep them for a single full moon day and notice the effect.