The Eight Precepts are the basic standard of behaviour for our life in the monastery. You will find out more about these when you come, but as a guide, they are:

• Harmlessness: not intentionally taking the life of any living creature.
• Trustworthiness: not taking anything which is not given.
• Celibacy: refraining from any sexual activity.
• Right Speech: avoiding false, abusive or malicious speech and idle speech.
• Sobriety: not taking any intoxicating drink or drugs.
• Renunciation: not eating after midday (1pm in summer time).
• Restraint: refraining from games, listening to music and other entertainment and from self-adornment (Guests are asked to dress modestly and not to use electronic devices which offer music, social networking, films, TV or similar media distractions).
• Alertness: to refrain from over indulgence in sleep.

These precepts form the basis of ethics and renunciation on the Buddhist Path and are used as a framework for the development of virtue and insight.

This guide is aimed at providing an introduction to some aspects of monastic discipline for those lay people who are interested in understanding something of the background to the rules and conventions which structure the way of life of the monks and nuns of this tradition.

This guide is aimed at providing an introduction to some aspects of monastic discipline for those lay people who are interested in understanding something of the background to the rules and conventions which structure the way of life of the monks and nuns of this tradition.