Radical Therapy

This is an audiobook of Bodhi Leaves No.123 by Lily de Silva, "Radical Therapy: Buddhist Precepts in the Modern World" narrated by Jim Swift. The print edition can be found in the Pariyatti Edition of Collected Bodhi Leaves Vol. V. Excerpts: "The Five Precepts are designed to discipline and purify the three avenues of human action-body, speech, and mind. Abstention from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct disciplines bodily action. Abstention from false speech disciplines verbal action. It is also expected under this fourth precept that one should refrain from slander, abusive speech and frivolous talk. The dual discipline of body and speech has a salutary effect on the purity of mind, though complete mental purity can be brought about effectively only through bhavana, mental culture or meditation. The fifth precept against the use of intoxicants attempts to safeguard the mental faculty from degenerating through a bad habit. A man under the influence of intoxicants has no control over himself, and thus is easily tempted to transgress the four other precepts as well. ... Conflicts, terrorism and wars have to be understood as the external manifestations of the internal disharmony of man. Man thinks violent thoughts, therefore there is violence in society. The corrupt mind brings suffering in its wake. This is an eternal truth. If happiness is what we yearn for, we have to entertain wholesome thoughts and act with wholesome thoughts; then happiness will follow effortlessly like a shadow. To train the mind for wholesome thoughts and healthy attitudes, our physical and verbal activities must be disciplined, and this is exactly what the Five Precepts do. They control our destructive potentials and humanise the predatory animal in us.