The Second Treatise on the Perfections – 2704
2. Taking what has not been given (
adinnādāna
).
3. Unchastity (
abrahmacariya
).
4. False speech (
musā-vāda
).
5. Liquor, wines or intoxicants which cause heedlessness (
surā-meraya-
majja-pamādaṭṭhāna
).
6. Eating at the wrong time (
vikāla-bhojana
).
7. Dances, songs, music and watching shows (
nacca-gita-vādita-visūka-
dassana
).
8. Adorning or ornamenting oneself by wearing garlands, scents, or
ointments (
mālāgandha-vilepana-dhāraṇa-maṇḍana-vibhūsanaṭṭhāna
).
9. Lofty or grand beds (
ucccā-sayana-mahā-sayana
).
10. Accepting gold or money (
jāta-rūpa-rajata-patiggahaṇā
).
Of the ten precepts, the first two, the training rule about not taking life
(
pāṇātipāta-sikkhāpada
) and about not taking what has not been given
(
adinnādāna-sikkhāpada
), are to be observed by the laity or novices as
permanent precepts (
nicca-sīla
). The third precept, about celibacy
(
abrahmacariya-sikkhāpada
), is not mentioned as a permanent precept (
nicca-
sīla
) for the laity. It is the precept to be observed only when one is able to do so.
Again, out of the ten precepts, the seventh one: the training rule about dance and
songs (
nacca-gīta-sikkhāpada
) and the eighth one about garlands and perfumes
(
mālā-gandha-sikkhāpada
) merge into one factor; and the last training rule
about gold is excluded.
In accordance with this commentary also, those out of the ten precepts which the
laity should observe permanently are four: refraining from killing, stealing, lies
and taking intoxicants. The laity cannot always observe the precept about
celibacy (
abrahmacariya-sikkhāpada
). They are also unable to observe
permanently the precepts about food at the wrong time (
vikālabhojana,
) dance
and songs (
nacca-gīta
), etc. Thus it is clear that all these ten precepts are a
limited (
niyama
) type of morality (
sīla
) to be observed only when able.
Although it is mentioned in the Supplementary Readings (
Khuddaka-pāṭha
)
commentary that the training rule about money (
jāta-rūpa-sikkhāpada
) is a
special precept for novices, breaking it will not entail falling from novicehood.