Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai in 1300 BC.
THE
FIVE PRECEPTS PAST AND PRESENT
According
to Caodai historical viewpoint, the history of mankind’s philosophies and
religious doctrines consists of Three Eras. The present one is named the Third
Universalism.[1] The two previous ones are:
- The Second Universalism.[3] Sakyamunism (founded by Sakyamuni), Daoism
(founded by Laozi), Confucianism (founded by Confucius), and Catholicism
(founded by Jesus Christ), etc. belong to this era.
The
Five Precepts are the five basic rules given to disciples of various Eastern
and Western religions past and present throughout the Three Eras of
Universalism.
I. THE FIVE PRECEPTS IN
THE FIRST AND THE SECOND UNIVERSALISM
1. The First Universalism
a. Precepts prescribed by
Brahmanism
Of the Ten Precepts
prescribed by Brahmanism, the first five ones [4] should be
noticed. They are as follows:
Non-violence, non-injury (ahimsa).
‚ Truthfulness, honesty (satya).
ƒ Non-stealing (asteya.)
„ Non-indulgence in lusts (brahmacharya).
… Non-possessiveness, non-greed (aparigraha).
b. Precepts
prescribed by Judaism
According to the Old Testament, Moses received the Ten
Commandments from God on Mount Sinai in 1300
BC. Of the Ten Commandments, the last five ones (from six to ten) should be
noticed. They are as follows:
† You shall not murder.
‡ You shall not commit
adultery.
ˆ You shall not steal.
‰ You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbour.
Š You shall not covet your
neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his male
servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that
is your neighbour’s.
2. The Second Universalism
a. The Buddhist Five Precepts
Sakyamuni Buddha taught His lay disciples to observe the Five
Precepts:
Not killing.
‚ Not stealing.
ƒ Not committing wrong
sex.
„ Not making wrong words.
… Not drinking alcohols.
b. The Five Precepts of
Jainism
Living in India
The ultimate goal of Jainism is the liberation of the self
from rebirth, which is attained through the elimination of accumulated karma
(the consequences of previous actions). This occurs through both the
disciplined cultivation of knowledge and control of bodily passions. When the
passions have been utterly conquered and all karma has been removed, one
becomes a Jina (conqueror), and is no
longer subject to rebirth.[5]
To control bodily passions, Jains
(disciples of Jainism) are taught to observe the Five Precepts:
Ahimsa (non-violence, not
killing sentient beings).
‚ Satya (truthfulness).
ƒ Asteya (non-stealing).
„ Aparigraha (non-possessiveness, non-greediness).
c. The Ten Precepts of Daoism
The Ledger of Merits and Demerits Based on
the Ten Precepts 十戒功過格 is a Daoist sutra which prescribes ten
prohibitions. He who strictly observes them will get merits and he who violates
them will get demerits. The last three precepts (8, 9, and 10) are about
prevention of greed, anger, and ignorance. The first seven precepts are as
follows:
Precept 1: Prohibition of killing sentient beings.
Precept 2: Prohibition of stealing.
Precept 3: Prohibition of sexual misconduct.
Precepts 4, 5, 6, 7: Prohibitions of evil tongue; quarrels; flowery but
untrue speech; and wrong words.[7]
d. The Five Virtues of Confucianism
Instead of precepts,
Confucius taught his disciples to observe the Five Virtues (Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety,
Wisdom, Sincerity). According to Caodaism, the Confucian Five Virtues and
the Five Precepts are not different.[8]
e. Catholic precepts
The last five precepts of the
Ten Commandments according to the Roman Catholic Church are:
… You shall not kill.
† You shall not commit
adultery.
‡ You shall not steal.
ˆ You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbour.
‰ You shall not covet your
neighbour’s wife.
In
brief, the main contents of the Five Precepts are almost consistent in
Brahmanism, Judaism, Buddhism, Jainism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Catholicism
throughout the two eras before the Third Universalism marked with Caodaism.
That is why Caodai teaching regards the Five Precepts as the old law.
HUỆ KHẢI
