Guideline 3 - Patimokkhe Ca Samvaro

Patimokkhe ca samvaro: Act in a way that keeps you near the entrance to nibbana. Whats the entrance to nibbana? The Patimokkha. Mukha means mouth or entrance. Mokkha means liberation. Sit close to your food so that your mouth is near liberation. Dont sit far away, or youll have trouble eating. Sit close enough so that liberation is within reach and you can stick it right in your mouth. In other words, whatever behavior is near the ways of the religion, thats the behavior you should follow. To be near the religion means following the holy life. Lay people have their holy life, too, you know, just as monks have theirs. Lay people follow the holy life in two ways. The first is observing the first five of the eight precepts: no killing; no stealing; no sex — this is what makes it the holy life; no telling lies; and no intoxicants. This is one form of holy life, near the entrance to nibbana. The second way for lay people to follow the holy life is by observing all eight precepts.

As for novices and monks, they should maintain restraint in line with the ten or 227 precepts. At the same time, they shouldnt omit any of the good types of behavior that they should follow. This is called acara gocara sampanno. Dont go wandering around in areas that are out of bounds and can harm you. In other words, dont let your body go there, dont let your speech dwell on those places, and dont let your mind go there, either. Dont associate with immoral people who are coarse in their habits. Dont ask advice from unvirtuous people. Dont let your mind get entangled with them. Try to keep in mind people who are good, together with the goodness that you yourself are trying to develop. This is called the holy life. Whoever behaves in this way is said to be restrained in line with the Patimokkha, right next to nibbana.