During the three-month monastic Rains Retreat ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro
During the three-month monastic Rains Retreat, lay Buddhists often try to be stricter with their precepts. Success varies. Three types of response can observed in those that fail, which shows us a lot about how our minds work when we don't follow up on commitments
- ‘No I didn't. Not really.’ We break our vow but refuse to accept that we did so. Usually this involves re-defining the vow. For example, we say that in fact the precept does not prohibit all consumption of alcohol, only getting drunk
- ‘Yes I did. But...’ We break our vow but try to minimise the importance. For example: ‘Well yes I did tell a lie but it was only a small one, it wasn't malicious, and being too strict with these things is not the Middle Way.
- ‘Yes I did. And...’ We break our vow but make a bargain with ourselves in order to feel better about it. For example “Well yes, I did break my vow but I'm going to keep it even more strictly in the future.
Keeping vows requires us to be aware of how tricky our mind can be. Don't be fooled by it. If you do break a vow, don't give up. Learn from your mistake and humbly start again.
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