Every morning we chant: I vow to cut off all evil within me. There will be no evil that I will not cut off. I vow to practice all types of goodness. There’ll be no type of goodness I will not practice. I vow to save all living beings. There’ll be no living being that I will not save. These are three vows we take when we take refuge: (1) The governing precept to abide by all the rules of discipline, (2) The governing precept to practice all virtuous deeds, and (3) The governing precept to save all living beings.
The most recent translation of the certificate we receive when we take refuge also states at the end: “Do not do any bad deeds. Do all kinds of good deeds. Purify your mind. These are teachings of all Buddhas.” An earlier translated said the same thing, but a little differently: “Abstain from all that is evil. Perform all that is good. Purify your thoughts. This is the teaching of all Buddhist sects.”
It appears that the Three Groups of Purifying Precepts stated at the end of the Refuge Certificate originated with verse 183 from the Dhammapada. The Dhammapada is a Theravada scripture from their Pali canon and is sometimes called the “Buddhist Book of Proverbs”. The Dhammapada can be found in in the Khuddaka Nikaya as part of the Sutta-pitaka of the Tripitaka. This section was added to the canon about 250 BCE and states: “To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s mind — this is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
In Mahayana Buddhism, the last line was revised, as we chant it, to reflect the bodhisattva’s vow to bring all beings to enlightenment and are derived from the Bodhisattva precepts. They are rooted in the ethical teachings of the Buddha, specifically found in the Brahmajala (Brahma’s Net) Sutra (this is not the Pali text of the same name) and other Mahayana sutras. In the Mahayana tradition the Three Pure Precepts are also stated as: Cease from evil (refraining from harmful actions). Do good (cultivating wholesome actions). Do good for others (working for the benefit of all beings). These precepts encapsulate the essence of Buddhist moral practice, emphasizing both personal ethical conduct and altruistic commitment to the welfare of others.
There are actually three primary canons of Buddhist scripture, called after the languages in which they were preserved — the Pali Canon, the Chinese Canon, and the Tibetan Canon, and many of the same texts are preserved in more than one canon. There is also an extensive Japanese Canon that is based on the Chinese, but also includes Japanese commentaries and esoteric scriptures.
In Expounding the Absolute Truth through the Heart Sutra, the Buddha Master tells us that:
“Everyone should put into practice the Three Sets of Pure Precepts. This is very important. They are the fundamental precepts for achieving accomplishment. The Three Sets of Pure Precepts are: [1] The first is the Disciplinary Precept to Prevent Evil. I vow to cut off all evil within me. There is no evil that I will not cut off. The Disciplinary Precept to Prevent Evil entails vowing and being determined to cut off all evil within oneself. I will eliminate all evil. [2] The second is called the Precept Relating to the Cultivation of Goodness. I vow to practice all types of goodness. There is no type of goodness that I will not practice. I will carry out all wholesome Dharmas, all good Buddha Dharma. I will perform all kinds of good deeds. There is not one kind of good deed that I will not perform. Whether the deed is large or small, as long as it is a good deed, I will do it. No matter how enormous or how tiny the evil deed may be, I will absolutely not do it in the slightest. [3] The third is the Precept to Save Living Beings. I vow to save all living beings. There is no living being that I will not save. That is, you vow to convey to deliverance all sentient beings. Not one living being will you fail to convey to deliverance.”
In relation to these three precepts He asked us what we must do before we can save living beings:
“However, disciples, you should know something. You must enlighten yourself and then enlighten others. Do not think that what I just said here means that you can say, ‘Tomorrow I will save living beings. Tomorrow I will go back home to teach my mother. I will tell her to kneel before me.’ Do not act in such a reckless manner, disciples, since you are not qualified to do so. Of course, disciples who are qualified are exceptions. Still, you may not tell your mother to kneel before you. She may only kneel before the Buddhas. I am especially talking about those disciples who are not qualified. You do not understand Buddha Dharma. You are still enlightening yourself. Enlightening others is out of the question for you. Perhaps you will say something wrong, such as, ‘People who are great cultivators do not fall under the law of cause and effect.’ That would be terrible. You must understand Buddha Dharma before you can save living beings.”
He also told us what we contemplate when we take those three precepts:
You now understand the Precept to Save Living Beings. At this point, you should quietly contemplate the following: I have resolved to learn from Buddha. I have mastered the above procedure. I want to break away from all of the sufferings of samsara. I want to escape from all of the distress connected with the cycle of reincarnation. Therefore, I should strictly abide by the Three Sets of Pure Precepts. I must not violate them.
In abiding by these precepts He asked:
“Have you hated any fellow-disciple? Have you quarreled or fought with members of your family? Are your defiant replies, your contending with others to win disputes, your eagerness to show your strengths, and your desire to prevail over others evil or good? It is worthwhile for you disciples to ponder all of these questions. These questions are very much worthy of your pondering. Therefore, I tell you that I am expounding Buddha Dharma. I am not storytelling. I hope that you disciples can truly accept the absolute truth of Buddha Dharma and apply it in your own speech, conduct, and state of mind at all times.”
CLICK for extensive article on “The Three Pure Precepts” for more background from a Zen perspective.
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