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These basic training rules are observed by all practicing lay Buddhists. The precepts are often recited after reciting the formula for taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.
The Five Precepts:
1. Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.
2. Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.
3. Kamesu micchacara veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.
4. Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech.
5. Suramerayamajja pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.
“Furthermore, abandoning the use of intoxicants, the disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking intoxicants. In doing so, he gives freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings. In giving freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression to limitless numbers of beings, he gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression. This is the fifth gift, the fifth great gift — original, long-standing, traditional, ancient, unadulterated, unadulterated from the beginning — that is not open to suspicion, will never be open to suspicion, and is unfaulted by knowledgeable contemplatives & brahmans.”
— AN 8.39
Bodhidharma says of number five: “The ten dharma worlds are the body and mind. In the sphere of the originally pure dharma, not being ignorant is called the precept of refraining from using intoxicants.”
I could say so much more sources about the need to abstain from any and all intoxicants while exploring the true nature of the Mind, but I would be at a remiss considering the self-evident evil being present as an alluring and most seductive force to excuse the use of the aforementioned, especially considering the massive negative karma it causes not only its propagator, but the victims of said persuasion, or discussion, alike.
Trust me, there is no way around the fifth precept, however much you might believe a closer view on the subject might gain the reader the slightest spiritual advantage towards his, or hers, first enlightenment and right liberation from any and all forms of ignorance and suffering.
The adept should perhaps contemplate this simple axiom in his, or hers, daily meditations, and find THAT within, which is not subject to the axiom and hence not rooted and present in the very same, as something – about to become, begotten and finally gone;
EVERYTHING ABOUT SAMSARA IS A GRAND ILLUSION. ILLUSION CAN NEVER BEHOLD TRUTH, AS TRUTH BEHOLDS ILLUSION – THEREFORE, WHAT IS OF SAMSARA STAYS IN SAMSARA.
You’ve jumped the gun on me concerning the five-precepts–they will be presented in a later blog in this series.
We are an eclectic endeavor on this site and will continue to present subject matter that is relational to Buddhist Meditation/Mysticism. But thank-you for relaying the other side of the equation.
I understand your position. But I have to add this as something worth a certain measure of consideration by those reading your article;
Any way of covering intoxicants, be it the more “mind-altering” Psychopharma like Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), Ayahuasca, MDMA, Peyote, Psilocybin, and similar cerebral drugs of the samsaric mind, as means that can offer their users a potential spiritual clarity into the sphere of Nirvana is dangerous. I deem them dangerous because all they offer are layers of distorted visions of the true rendering confusion, upon confusion (read Samsara) and the most damageable of all – the impurities of the Heart-Mind, now enhanced, and dominant overshadowing the spiritual clarity found in the absolute purity and clarity that is required as to SEE and PASS through the gateless gate into the nirvanic sphere of the deathless.
This is why Mara manages to so easily deceive sentients to squander one life, after another, in endless rebirths, remaining ignorant of their true nature. Sometimes a very small misstep is sufficient at a certain point of one’s life is sufficient to wreck an entire and very rare existence in a realm favorable for awakening from a dark beginningless chain of dreams.
Standing on the threshold of the gateless gate, with a right view of the dharmakaya, is one thing where degrees of karmic impurity is still present, but passing through it and standing on the shore of Nirvana, firmly, demands absolute spiritual purity.
There is no way around this and the artificial laws of men have no dominion over the latter that can change that fact.
Even the best shamans (frequent users of mind-altering drugs) were never any bodhisattvas, or Samhyaksambuddhas, or even arhats for that matter, while doing what they did, often as a spiritual service to their local community.
They were, of course, healers (with a few exceptions of those going rogue to the other side), but this did not mean they held any right knowledge that was even at par with a mere Pratyekabuddha.
As I wrote in my previous comment. Whats is of samsara, stays in samsara. Impurity, even the slightest, can never give the good disciple, of the way, an enlightening glimpse (right view) of the deathless, or even better, induce the mind of a buddha-to-be to fully bloom and encompass the nirvanic sphere of the true samhyaksambuddhas and bodhisattvas – the very goal of any good Buddhist.
The very notion of intoxicants being any path to the previous is anathema to what the true meaning of the Buddhadharma presents to anyone approaching it with a Pure Heart and a Clear Mind, hence the ancient Chinese description of this invaluable jewel of jewels, XIN (Heart-Mind).
If covered by layers of confusion, the light within XIN does not come through (and en-lightens), but once the impurities are gone, the light flows in all ten directions freely and abundantly, affecting all good creatures in its proximity; even attracting devas sensible to its singular radiance with a power that is needed for the final release from Samsara, once and for all.
Lama Mike Crowley, particularly in his work Secret Drugs of Buddhism, offers a provocative and scholarly “re-reading” of the Fifth Precept. He suggests that the modern, blanket prohibition on all mind-altering substances is a significant departure from the original intent.
Here is an encapsulation of his clarification on the misconceptions versus his interpretation of the “true” meaning.
1. The Common Misconception: The “Dry” Law
Most modern practitioners view the Fifth Precept as a total ban on any substance that isn’t caffeine or nicotine.
The Interpretation: “I undertake the precept to abstain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.”
The Result: A culture of total abstinence where even a glass of wine or a medicinal herb is seen as a “broken” vow.
2. Crowley’s Clarification: Linguistic Specificity
Crowley argues that the original Pali text—Surā-meraya-majja-pamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī—is far more specific than modern translations suggest.
Surā & Meraya: These refer specifically to fermented and distilled alcoholic beverages (beers and wines).
Majja: Often translated as “intoxicant,” Crowley notes its root relates to “madness” or “muddling.”
Pamāda: This is the pivot point. It means “heedlessness” or “spiritual sloth.”
The Reality: Crowley contends the precept is specifically an anti-alcohol injunction. In the climate of ancient India, alcohol was seen as a substance that led to brawling, loss of mindfulness, and “heedlessness”—the antithesis of the Buddhist goal.
3. The “Visionary” Exception
This is where Crowley gets witty and controversial. He argues that while alcohol was forbidden because it dulls the mind, other substances—specifically entheogens (psychedelics like Soma or Amrita)—were likely used by early Buddhist practitioners to sharpen it.
The Distortion: Over centuries, as the “secret” tradition of using visionary plants faded, the ban on “intoxicating alcohol” was lazily expanded to include “all drugs.”
The Crowley View: If a substance facilitates Appamada (mindfulness/diligence) rather than Pamada (heedlessness), it doesn’t actually violate the spirit of the precept.
Summary: Misconception vs. Reality
Feature – The Misconception – Crowley’s “Way Things Are”
Scope – All drugs and alcohol. – Specifically alcohol (fermented/distilled).
The “Evil” – The substance itself is “bad.” – The state of heedlessness is the problem.
Goal – Sobriety for the sake of rules. – Clarity for the sake of Enlightenment.
Psychedelics – Lumped in with narcotics. – Seen as tools that potentially support the path.
“The precept is not a commandment from a divine authority, but a practical hygiene for the mind. If a substance makes you sloppy, loud, and forgetful of the Dharma, it’s Surā. If it reveals the nature of mind, that’s a different category entirely.” — A distillation of Crowley’s stance.
Crowley essentially moves the goalposts from moralistic abstinence to functional mindfulness. He suggests that the “true” precept asks us to avoid anything that makes us “check out,” while remaining open to what helps us “tune in.”
Fascinating account.