In “The Sixteen Buddhist Precepts” Rev. Clairissa reads aloud the late Rev. Master Daizui MacPhillamy’s expression and commentary on the Precepts as passed down in the Sōtō Zen tradition. It includes the Three Treasures Precept, The Three Pure Precepts, and The Ten Great Precepts. 

These Sixteen Precepts are our deepest Refuge and the Buddha’s practical guidelines for living life in accord with our deepest wish by ceasing from harm, doing only good, doing good for others. It is through formally receiving and living these Precepts wholeheartedly that one may become a Buddhist, if one so wishes. And, as Rev. Master Daizui put it, they are simply a description of how to be a decent human being.

This version of the Precepts was first published in 2001, as one part of Rev. Master Daizui’s small booklet/series of pamphlets titled The Eightfold Path of Buddhism. This recited version with minor edits is gratefully offered here by the Wallowa Buddhist Temple with the kind permission of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives.

Here is a link to download a pdf of this booklet in its entirety: 

https://wallowabuddhisttemple.org/pdfviewer/the-8-fold-path-of-buddhism/