Thirty-six precepts

Thirty-six precepts. An expanded version of the ten precepts for novice monastics (śrāmaṇera/śrāmaṇerikā) that are enumerated in Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya, which is the vinaya lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.

These precepts are to avoid:

1. Taking a human life;
2. Killing an animal or insect;
3. For selfish reasons, doing an action which may kill an animal or insect and not caring about it; for example, using water that contains insects without straining it; digging a hole in the earth without considering the creatures that might die as a result; cutting grass; overburdening an animal, which causes its death;
4. While doing something for others, doing an action which may kill an animal or insect and not caring about it; for example, splashing water which has insects on a dry place;
5. Sexual intercourse;
6. Stealing, taking what has not been given. This includes borrowing things and not returning them, not paying fees and taxes one is required to;
7. Lying in which one claims to have spiritual realizations or powers that one does not have;
8. Accusing a pure bhikshu or bhikshuni of transgressing one of the four root precepts (parajika) when he or she has not;
9. Insinuating that a pure bhikshu or bhikshuni has transgressed one of the four root precepts when he or she has not;
10. Causing disunity among the sangha community through untrue slander or taking sides in a disagreement;
11. Supporting someone who is creating disunity in the sangha community, taking sides in the dispute;
12. Doing actions which obliterate lay people’s faith in the sangha; for example complaining untruthfully to lay people that action brought by the sangha against oneself was unfair;
13. Telling others lies;
14. Criticizing the storekeeper in the monastery of giving more to those who are near to him or her instead of sharing them with all, when this is not the case;
15. Criticizing directly or by insinuation that the storekeeper in the monastery of not giving oneself a share of the food or other things equal to that given to other monastics, when this is not the case;
16. Claiming that a monastic gave a teaching in return for a little food, which is not the case;
17. Criticizing a bhikshu or bhikshuni by saying that he or she transgressed a precept in the second group (sanghavasesa) when this is not the case;
18. Abandoning the training, for example, rejecting the good advice of a nun or monk; criticizing the Pratimoksha Sutra;
19. Covering the vegetables with rice; covering the rice with vegetables;
20. Taking intoxicants;
21. Singing with self-attachment or for nonsensical reasons;
22. Dancing with self-attachment or for nonsensical reasons;
23. Playing music with self-attachment or for nonsensical reasons;
24. Wearing ornaments;
25. Wearing cosmetics;
26. Wearing perfumes;
27. Wearing the rosary like jewelry, wearing flower garlands;
28. Sitting on an expensive throne;
29. Sitting on an expensive bed;
30. Sitting on a high throne;
31. Sitting on a high bed;
32. Eating after midday (Exceptions: if one is ill, if one is traveling, or if one cannot meditate properly without food.);
33. Touching gold, silver or precious jewels (includes money);
34. Wearing lay people’s clothing and ornaments; letting one’s hair grow long;
35. Not wearing the robes of a Buddhist monastic;
36. Disrespecting or not following the guidance of one’s ordination master.

    (Precepts 34-36 are called the three degenerating actions.)

See also

• Five precepts
• Eight precepts
• Ten precepts