Question: What is the significance of taking vows in Buddhism?
Answer: There are several kinds of vows for Buddhists. Taking refuge in
the Triple Gem is one kind. Committing to the Five Precepts is another, as is
to the Eight Precepts, Bodhisattva Precepts and Monastic Precepts. And there
are other independent vows. Vows express commitment to
avoiding of evil, doing of good and purification of the mind. With strong commitment, there will be definite progress.
Question: How is taking of vows, for example to be vegan different from
just abstaining from eating animal products?
Answer: With commitment, one is fully serious on that committed to, while
without commitment, one is half-hearted. This further explains the major differences between commitment
and non-commitment: http://thedailyenlightenment.
Question: When vows are taken, do they last for this lifetime or from life
to life?
Answer: It depends on how the vows are committed to. For example, the
Five Precepts are usually committed to for life, while the Eight Precepts for
at least 24 hours.
Question: Are vows the same as precepts?
Answer: Precepts are moral guidelines adhered to as vows, but vows are not
always precepts. For instance, the first
precept of not killing is a vow, but Amituofo’s
(Amitabha Buddha) 48 Great Vows are
in terms of helping all beings to quickly attain Buddhahood; they are not
precepts in terms of vowing not to do certain misdeeds.
Question: Is there any difference between taking a vow to not kill versus
observing a precept to not kill?
Answer: Taking of precepts involve a ceremony to formally express commitment (i.e. vowing) for life (other than the Eight Precepts), while
other vows might have no specific ceremony for expressing them, unless one
chooses to vow formally.
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