Poll: the most difficult precept for you?

[Alīno]

Greetings friends !:)

What is the most difficult precept for you?:) and why?

For me, it's a speech precept, not in its raw form as deliberate lying, but in more finest forms. When you are seeking to some one, some times its goes so fast that you cant see how your past habits comes out... But important is working with it, purifying sila little by little

And you ?

[SarathW]

In the following Sutta series, Buddha says that:
Even if you’re alone with a female she might not occupy your mind, but possessions, honor and popularity would still occupy your mind.

https://voice.suttacentral.net/scv/inde ... SN17.21-40

[SarathW]

At Sāvatthī.

“Mendicants, possessions, honor, and popularity are an obstacle even for a mendicant who is perfected, with defilements ended.” When he said this, Venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha:

“Sir, what do possessions, honor, and popularity obstruct for a mendicant with defilements ended?” “Ānanda, I don’t say that possessions, honor, and popularity obstruct the unshakable freedom of heart. But I do say that possessions, honor, and popularity obstruct the achievement of blissful meditations in this very life for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute. So brutal are possessions, honor, and popularity—bitter and harsh, an obstacle to reaching the supreme sanctuary. So you should train like this: ‘We will give up arisen possessions, honor, and popularity, and we won’t let them occupy our minds.’ That’s how you should train.”

https://suttacentral.net/sn17.30/en/sujato

[Alīno]

Interesting !
Thank you Sarath

[buddho99]

What is the definition or honor in this sutta? Why and how is it an obstacle (the other two I understand)?

[perkele]

What is the definition or honor in this sutta? Why and how is it an obstacle (the other two I understand)?

I think it is meant in a similar sense as popularity here.

[DC2R]

Like Alīno, maintaining right speech throughout the day is the most difficult for me. I often catch myself deceiving others through speech, and sometimes a single lie ends up leading to more lies in order to keep a false story going. It's an area of my practice that I have been putting effort into lately, and one thing that I found helping is making a commitment to myself in the morning after meditation. I can keep this commitment in mind throughout the day, so when I feel the desire to speak falsely, I have a clear and recent reminder of the practice that I have dedicated myself to.

[Dhammanando]

What is the definition or honor in this sutta?

Sakkāra means being shown reverence or held in esteem by others.

[buddho99]

Thank you Bhante.

[JohnK]

I just picked "entertainment" even though I do not train in eight precepts.
Being married, I engage in activities of various kinds with my wife - not that the activities are especially unwholesome, but they do often pull me away from mindfulness. I also think there is an element of seeking entertainment in my participation on DW and even reading suttas! What I mean is that, rather than sit with, and getting to know more deeply, the subtle dukkha of being, I give my mind a distraction, something to engage in. I think I am "entertained" by my mental fabrication. I recall something I read when first engaging with the suttas, from Bhikkhu Bodhi's In The Buddha's Words:

"The meditating monk begins by removing the gross impurities of bodily, verbal, and mental conduct...Then he eliminates the middle-level impurities of unwholesome thoughts...next come the subtle impurities of meandering thoughts. Finally, he must eliminate thoughts about the Dhamma, the subtlest obstacle." (p.260). [Emphasis added]

Posting this has been entertaining.
(Hopefully, there is also a wholesome aspect to such entertainment.)

[manas]

I just picked "entertainment" even though I do not train in eight precepts.
Being married, I engage in activities of various kinds with my wife - not that the activities are especially unwholesome, but they do often pull me away from mindfulness. I also think there is an element of seeking entertainment in my participation on DW and even reading suttas! What I mean is that, rather than sit with, and getting to know more deeply, the subtle dukkha of being, I give my mind a distraction, something to engage in. I think I am "entertained" by my mental fabrication. I recall something I read when first engaging with the suttas, from Bhikkhu Bodhi's In The Buddha's Words:

"The meditating monk begins by removing the gross impurities of bodily, verbal, and mental conduct...Then he eliminates the middle-level impurities of unwholesome thoughts...next come the subtle impurities of meandering thoughts. Finally, he must eliminate thoughts about the Dhamma, the subtlest obstacle." (p.260). [Emphasis added]

Posting this has been entertaining.
(Hopefully, there is also a wholesome aspect to such entertainment.)

Hi,
I hope you don't lose any sleep over reading suttas for entertainment. I can't think of anything more wholesome with which to distract the mind, from the stresses of life. Even if the motive were distraction, you would still be filling your awareness with the words of the Buddha! As I understand it, we need to hold on to the raft until quite a late stage of the practice...

[TRobinson465]

Speech by far. It seems straightforward but its hard not to slip up and say something inaccurate even just from lack of mindfulness. Everything else is pretty easy to keep, except maybe killing when ants infest my house it becomes difficult to get rid of them without killing any.

[rhinoceroshorn]

Speech of course.
All the others became plain habit.
I live alone and barely talk to people, so when I have the opportunity I sometimes don't do my best, though it's not really a breach of precept but I simply not getting satisfied enough thinking I could have given a better response or the like.
I'm trying to give long pauses to think and speak slowly.

[rhinoceroshorn]

I also need to review my posts before posting them.
This post will be a remainder.

[confusedlayman]

i maintain celibacy (3/5 precept) and abstain from alcohol (5th precept)

except those all other precepts transgress in minor way