Hanzze wrote:manas wrote:it's kammically very unwholesome to break a strong vow, imho.
No, not at all. Its very naturally that we break a precept. But maybe the problem comes form the misunderstanding of precepts and take them as a vow (promise). We are raised to make promises, we life for promises and we think that we need to keep promises and often put them much higher as simply precepts.
To keep a precept means to let go of promises. A promise is sooner or later a burden, because in the time we gave a promise we did not know nature and its laws. Nothing is for sure, so to make a promise is very unsecure and leads to troubles.
The better and mindfuller one observes silas, the more he/she will understand the problem with promises. So it's good to give up all promises before train the precepts in a good way that they are also improved all the time.
When ever you violate a precept, just renew it and try to do not the same mistake again, which needs the improvement of ones way of live, of course.
Hi Hanze,
maybe you misunderstood what I meant. I was not talking about the five precepts, or eight precepts. I do not see these as 'vows' actually, although I do think we should try our utmost to follow them. I see them as
guidance for how we ought to live ethically.
No, I was referring to making a strong and specific, solemn vow, in front of one's altar even, to try to bludgeon as if with a sledgehammer, the particular bad habit, addiction or whatever, by saying "I solemnly swear that I will not....(etc) for (whatever specified length of time)!" This is something of a different order. It's like if you are in a court of law, they will ask you to solemnly swear to tell the truth, etc. It might just be my own opinion, I'm not sure, But I do see this as a bad thing, to break an oath of that nature. That's what I meant when I said, better not to make that kind of oath, unless you are
sure you will be keeping it.
But more to the point -
why is this necessary? Why can't the OP start by taking eight precepts on full moon days, or full - and - new moon days, or even weekly if he wishes, rather than the 'sledgehammer' approach of a strong vow, trying to force oneself to become 'pure' rather than letting purity develop naturally, as the result of patient, diligent practice
over time?