Sila

Zen talk Januari 2026

In its simplest form, the ceremony of taking refuge consists of two parts. The first is the Tisarana: taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. This is followed by the transmission of the sila.

I deliberately leave sila untranslated here, because any translation immediately evokes wrong connotations. Sila is sometimes translated as virtue or ethics. In the expression pancasila, it is usually rendered in English as the five (panca) precepts or rules of conduct.

These five ‘rules’ are: do not kill, do not steal, do not engage in sexual misconduct, do not lie and do not use intoxicants. The spontaneous reaction is to hear this as the Buddhist version of the Ten Commandments. In terms of content, the similarity is indeed striking, but the relationship is fundamentally different. They are not commandments and they are not prohibitions.

Why are there no commandments in Buddhism? The simple reason is that in Buddhism there is no authority that can command or forbid anything. This is very different from monotheistic religions, where there is an almighty God as the ultimate authority. God’s law applies universally, whether you are a believer or not. If you do not obey the law, you will be punished and, in the worst case, face eternal damnation in hell.

Sila, on the other hand, is something you are free to choose. In the Pali text of the pancasila, it is called sikkhapada. Pada means path, just as in English. Sikkha means training or practice. Sila is a path you can walk, a practice you can engage in.

So, what then explains the similarity in content between sila and the commandments? Quite simply, they are necessary conditions for human coexistence.

If we kill each other, our coexistence will cease. In situations of war or genocide, societies collapse. If we no longer trust each other and abuse each other, our coexistence too will come to an end. And what if language is no longer reliable? If fake news can no longer be distinguished from what really happened, language loses its meaning. This applies both at the level of individuals and on a global scale. I find it particularly frightening to see what is currently happening in the world.

And it extends beyond humans. Biologist Frans de Waal wrote a book with the telling title “The Bonobo and the Ten Commandments.” Monkeys and other animals that live in communities appear to adhere to the same, obviously implicit, rules. They apparently do not need a God or an enlightened teacher for this.

But if sila is not a commandment but a choice, why should we make that choice? It is simply our nature as social beings. We cause great harm for ourselves and others when we lose sight of that. That is the message of the Buddha: what causes suffering and what leads to well-being? Because it is our nature, we spontaneously feel that way. There is no need for threats of hell and damnation.

You could say that in Buddhism, the two meanings of “the good life” coincide. There is good living in the sense of virtuous living, and there is good living in the sense of enjoying life. Ultimately, that is a false distinction.

The Pancasila originated as a very simple formulation for lay people, something that everyone can adhere to.

In later traditions, other rules were added, other formulations and refinements. Buddhism always tries to speak the language of the listener. That is also the reason for placing the mandala of the five Buddha families more in the foreground in our Zen group and linking the sila to it as five choices.

The five Buddhas symbolize the choices we have in dealing with ourselves, with each other, and with the world. We have discussed this many times before, so I will summarize them briefly.

Vairocana, the Buddha of the white family, often depicted with four heads looking in the four directions, represents the willingness not to intoxicate yourself, but to keep your mind open and to look.

Amitabha, the Buddha of the red family, often depicted with his hands in his lap as if in meditation, represents the willingness not to subject others to your own needs, but to reach out to all living beings with love and compassion.

Akshobhya, the Buddha of the blue family, often depicted with his hand touching the ground, represents the willingness not to get carried away by judgments, but to listen and understand.

Ratnasambhava, the Buddha of the yellow family, often depicted with an open hand giving, represents the willingness not to keep everything for yourself, but to share.

Amoghasiddhi, the Buddha of the green family, often depicted with a gesture of “do not be afraid,” represents the willingness to commit oneself not only to oneself, but to all living beings.

In the ancient texts, sila is often referred to as a gift. In Mahayana, it is Vairocana, the central Buddha of the mandala, who passes on sila. It is a gift that enables you to live a good life.