The Monastery

Chapter 23: The Five Precepts

Jampa threw an apple up in the air and caught it. "I told you not to eat so much," he said, looking at Susant who was clutching his stomach in pain. "If you haven't eaten in a few days, you have to slowly break back into it."

              Susant was taking long, deep breaths. "How would you know?"

              Jampa laughed. "Is it not obvious? Because I have gone without eating before."

              Susant let out a drawn-out sigh. It seemed that, no matter what happened or what was said, Jampa always smiled or laughed about it, even if it was the misfortune of others.

              Jampa came to a stop, eyeing Susant. "Besides, I cannot lie."

              Susant stared back at him strangely. "That's an odd thing to say. Everyone is capable of lying."

              Jampa nodded. "True enough. But in here, not even the bold are brave enough to lie." He held up his arms, motioning that he was talking about everywhere within the monastery.

              "And why's that?"

              "If you are going to be staying here for a while," began Jampa, "then there are some things you should know." He walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. Susant followed and sat next to him.

              "In the monastery are a small set of rules. Here, they are known as the Five Precepts. No matter what happens, no matter what kind of mental state you are in, I would highly recommend not breaking them. As you can see, this is a magical place, full of things that we could never dream of understanding. They say that, if you break the precepts while walking on the grounds of the monastery, the Ancient Ones will punish you as they see fit."

              "The Ancient Ones?"

              Jampa nodded again, taking a bite out of the apple. "You know, gods and what not."

              "What are the Five Precepts?" Susant asked, slightly worried that he may have broken one already.

              Jampa held up his first finger. "First off, there is no killing." Susant rolled his eyes. He could have guessed that one. "I know, I know," said Jampa. "Seems like an obvious one but think about it for a second. There is no killing. At all."

              Susant shrugged his shoulders before realization struck him. "At all? Not even bugs?"

              "Nothing at all. Even if you were covered in a swarm of mosquitos."

              Susant cringed at the thought. He didn't like killing animals or creatures, but who hadn't killed a bug here or there throughout their life? It would take some focus in order to not break the precept, for he feared the actions of his subconscious mind. 

              Jampa raised his second finger. "The second one, is no stealing. I should note that they define stealing as taking something that wasn't given to you." Susant thought it over. That one would be simple.

              Jampa raised his third finger. "The next one we have already spoken of. There is no lying. About anything. No white lies. No nothing. If someone happens to ask you something about your past that you don't want to speak of, better to say you would rather not say, then skip around the truth with your words."

              "Got it," said Susant. "These are really simple rules when you think about it."

              Jampa raised his fourth finger. "This one is a little different. The fourth precept is that there is no sexual activity. The girls sleep in different dormitories than the boys. We are not allowed in their rooms, nor are they allowed in ours."