More Precepts
The Five Precepts previously outlined apply to laypeople practicing Buddhism. However, there are other precepts that apply to monks only, or bhikkus. A more rigorous set of ethics applies to those practicing a monastic life, and the number of precepts a monastic might vow to undertake varies from one Buddhist tradition to another. Here, however, are five additional precepts that are traditionally taken by monks entering monastic life:
Do not take food from noon to the next morning (except lemon water).
Do not adorn the body with anything other than the monk's robe.
Do not participate in or watch public entertainments.
Do not use comfortable beds.
Do not use money.
These additional precepts are designed to separate monks from life outside the monastery. Feasting, comfort, financial freedom, personal style, and entertainment are all restricted. These restrictions serve to focus the attention of each monk on the task at hand: the search for enlightenment through practice. These additional precepts are designed to limit the distractions that monks have to deal with so they can devote their exclusive energy toward awakening.
Each of these additional precepts serves to widen the gap between the monk's life and the life of the laypeople in his community. Though monks are encouraged to live among the population in order to better serve them, their focus is on meditation, mindfulness, the acquisition of wisdom, and the practice of the precepts. A monk's life is dedicated to selflessness. Each of the additional precepts a monk might undertake emphasizes the abandonment of self-identification and the practice of selflessness.
