Precept

A precept (from the Latin: præcipere, to teach) is a commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action.

Religion

In religion, precepts are usually commands respecting moral conduct.

Christianity

The term is encountered frequently in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures:

The usage of precepts in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible corresponds with that of the Hebrew Bible. The Septuagint (Samuel Rengster edition) has Greek entolas, which, too, may be rendered with precepts.

Roman Catholic Canon law, which is based on Roman Law, makes a distinction between precept and law in Canon 49:

In Catholicism, the "Commandments of the Church" may also be called "Precepts of the Church".

Buddhism

In Buddhism, the fundamental code of ethics is known as the Five Precepts (Pañcaśīla in Sanskrit, or PañcasÄ«la in PÄ?li), practiced by laypeople, either for a given period of time or for a lifetime. There are other levels of precepts, varying amongst traditions. In Theravadan tradition there are Eight Precepts, Ten Precepts, and the Patimokkha. Eight Precepts are a more rigorous practice for laypeople. Ten Precepts are the training rules for samaneras and samaneris, novice monks and nuns, respectively. The Patimokkha is the basic Theravada code of monastic discipline, consisting of 227 rules for monks, (bhikkhus) and 311 rules for nuns (bhikkhunis).

88 Precepts

88 Precepts is an essay or manifesto written by David Lane, a founder of the white supremacist organization The Order. Written while Lane was serving a 190-year prison sentence, 88 Precepts is a treatise on natural law from the view point of David Lane as well as guidelines for securing, protecting, preserving and establishing white territorial imperatives, and is an expansion upon Lane's own Fourteen Words. 88 Precepts is commonly used by white supremacy groups and those who advocate white nationalism and separatism.

The number "88" is also used by neo-Nazis to represent "Heil Hitler", as "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet whereas Lane claimed that 14-88 was part of his "Pyramid Prophecy" and part of his racialist pagan religion of Wotanism

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Five Precepts

The Five Precepts (Pali: pañcasÄ«lÄ?ni; Sanskrit pañcaśīlÄ?ni) constitute the basic code of ethics undertaken by upÄ?saka and upÄ?sikÄ? ("lay followers") of Buddhism. The precepts in all the traditions are essentially identical and are commitments to abstain from harming living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication.

Undertaking the five precepts is part of both lay Buddhist initiation and regular lay Buddhist devotional practices. They are not formulated as imperatives, but as training rules that lay people undertake voluntarily to facilitate practice.

Additionally, in the Theravada schools of Buddhism, the bhikkhuni lineage died out, and women renunciates practicing Theravadin Buddhism have developed unofficial options for their own practice, dedicating their life to religion, vowing celibacy, living an ascetic life and holding eight or ten precepts. They occupy a position somewhere between that of an ordinary lay follower and an ordained monastic and similar to that of the sÄ?maṇerÄ«. In Thailand, they are called maechi (Thai: à¹?ม่ชี, IPA: [mɛ̂Ë? tÉ•Ê°iË?]); in Sri Lanka, they are dasa sil mata; the Burmese thilashin are also now found in Nepalese Theravadin Buddhism as well; and in South East England, the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery founded by Ajahn Chah has siladhara.