Right Action in the Eightfold Path is the second ethical principle. It pertains to the body as a means of expression, as it really involves the body’s actions. The idea of practicing the Five Precepts in our daily life comes back to Right View. If we have Right View, and can see the correctness of the Four Noble Truths in samsara; the Five Precepts will then come naturally. We will want to follow them, knowing that they will lessen suffering for ourselves and others we come in contact with.
The First Precept is to abstain from harming sentient beings, particularly abstaining from taking life. Suicide falls into this category, as we are no less important a sentient being as any other around us. This brings up often the question of eating meat. The Buddha and his disciples where not vegetarians – they ate what was offered to them when they went on alms rounds. If meat was put in their bowl, they ate it. The exception to this is if the animal had been killed specifically for them; they would not eat it, as the animal would have lived if it had not been sacrificed to feed them.
The Second Precept is don’t take what is not freely given. So, do not steal – but more so than that, do not manipulate others to get what you want. Do not take it if it is not yours, whether you do it by force or by guile. Manipulating others to give you something means what you received was not freely given to you. Guilt, emotional blackmail, harassment, threats – they all fall into this category. It is not just the action of physically taking something which is not yours; it is also all the actions and mindstates that lead to you getting what is not offered.
The Third Precept is to abstain from sexual misconduct. Do not hurt yourself or others with your sexual actions. Lying or leading others to believe you feel a certain way in order to bed them, cheating on a significant other, and having sexual activities with a person who is in a committed relationship are all examples of sexual misconduct. The harm done by this one act can be immeasurable; not only do we cause suffering to the significant other, but to the children and other family members as well. The ripples and impact from this action can have lasting harmful effects, all due to one selfish act. The harm we can do ourselves with sexual misconduct can be grave as well. The guilt, shame, and general self-hatred that can be kicked off by heedlessness is only the beginning of our problems. If we act with reckless abandon with our sexual energies, it can very well mean death to others and ourselves.
The Fourth Precept is to refrain from false speech. Do not lie. This idea of honesty pervades all the precepts. It goes further than just not lying; sometimes it can mean having the wisdom to know whether to speak at all. I often like to run what I am going to say through two criteria: Is it true? and Is it useful? If what I am thinking meets both of those, then I will open my mouth. Harsh speech is to be refrained from as well. As speech is our primary form of interpersonal communication, it has the capacity to be extremely harmful when we are not mindful of what and how we say things.
The Fifth Precept is to abstain from intoxicating drinks and drugs causing heedlessness. I found this one to be very important on my path. For me, when this precept was broken, I would soon break all the others due to my heedlessness. It’s impossible for me to be mindful of myself and others when I am intoxicated. Heedlessness, i.e. being unmindful, makes the practice of Right Action impossible.
Right Action is the practice of reacting compassionately and kindly to others, to be honest and respect others belongings, to keep our sexual relationships harmless to other and ourselves.