Five Precepts that Lay Practitioners Should Follow
First, you must not take the life of another living thing for your own survival. You must not use violence with intentional force to harm another living thing.
Second, it is acceptable to do something for one’s own benefit. You are free to pick fruit or catch fish, but you must not harm others in doing so. In other words, you must not steal from others.
Third, it is your freedom and right to seek to be happy. However, the act that you engage in to become happy must not harm others. Hugging someone and telling them you like them when they do not want such affection is an act of harassment. In other words, you must not by any means engage in sexual harassment or assault.
Fourth, you must not harass others verbally. Lying, using abusive language, or deceiving others is all acts of verbal harassment.
Fifth, you are free to eat whatever you wish. However, you must not harass others while intoxicated. Acts of sexual harassment, assault, damaging another’s property, and using abusive language, all while intoxicated, are acts that go beyond a person’s freedom to drink.
The above-mentioned precepts are called the five precepts of Buddhism. The act of you (the person who asked the question) selling expensive items to people who are willing to buy such items does not go against the five precepts. Such acts do not interfere with efforts for practitioners who wish to practice the five precepts at home. Helping customers with their needs and assisting them in buying what they want does not go against the five precepts. However, forcing customers to make a purchase or selling items at a high or wrongful price does go against the five precepts.
However, if you (the person who asked the question) come to assume an exemplary status (such as that of a Buddhist monastic), you must follow three more precepts:
First, you must lead a frugal life.
Second, you must refrain from becoming arrogant, no matter how high or popular your status.
Third, you must keep in mind that happiness to a practitioner does not equal feeling elated.
The above-mentioned precepts are the eight precepts of Buddhism. If you wish to become an exemplary practitioner to others, you must follow all eight precepts. You should not wear expensive clothes, even if you sell them for a living. You must do the same with make-up. You should not be extravagant, nor too arrogant or too elated.
