Eight Precepts and Moon Cycle

System of Full Moon Day Eight Precepts

People who observe Poyaday Precepts (Uposatha Sila or Full Moon Day Eight Precepts) receive large amounts of merits, great powers & vibration of merit incomes. Lord Buddha had spoken about these precepts in Uposatha Vaggha in Anguttara Nikaya. Here we give you some translation of those sutras. You can visit the temple on full moon day or observe these precepts at home by thinking your home as a temple. Sri Lankan Buddhist people perform Buddhist rituals, ask for Buddhist preaching, discuss dharma with Buddhist mentors & read Buddhist books on full moon days. In addition, they also offer flowers, light incense sticks & oil lamps for the virtue power of Lord Buddha and separate this day for meditation at temples or inside the home.

These precepts are to be observed or practiced according to a fully enlightened (Arahant) Buddhist monk's daily routine. Lord Buddha said a person who observed these precepts every full moon day until death will most likely be reborn in the heaven of their liking. Then again Lord Buddha said even a person who observed these precepts only once will be born in their desired heaven as a powerful god. Listed below are the precept systems. You must wear clean white or light colored clothing on full moon days. You want to think in such a way as "I am staying today as enlightened Buddhist Monk" by protecting these precepts.

• From 6am today until 6am tomorrow, I will abstain from killing any living being and causing pain, fear or unpleasantness to anyone.
• From 6am today until 6am tomorrow, I will abstain from stealing & will ask permission from the rightful owner before using any unknown goods.
• From 6am today until 6am tomorrow, I will abstain from any sexual activities. I will not even look at the opposite gender with any sexual feeling.
• From 6am today until 6am tomorrow, I will abstain from lying and will only talk with positive words.
• From 6am today until 6am tomorrow, I will abstain from consuming any alcoholic drinks or meals which help to destroy concentration.
• From 6am today until 6am tomorrow, I will consume only two hard meals before 12pm (as breakfast & lunch) & will refrain from eating dinner. I will also limit my drinking meals.
• From 6am today until 6am tomorrow, I will abstain from listening to music, dancing, playing, telling jokes, using cosmetic scents and wearing garlands & ornaments.
• From 6am today until 6am tomorrow, I will abstain from lying on luxurious beds & using comfortable chairs. Today I will not use any luxury house hold goods.

Practice these precepts for your own success. It will provide you with a more luxurious life & give greater mind powers to achieve your life goals. Also, by observing these precepts it will determine the destination of your next life between the god's realms & human realms. A popular Buddhist teaching explains that "Not the sweet smell of flowers, not even the fragrance of sandal, rose or jasmine blows against the wind. But the fragrance of the virtuous one blows against the wind. Truly the virtuous one pervades all directions with the fragrance of his virtue. Of the entire fragrances, sandal, rose, purple lotus and jasmine, the fragrance of virtue is the sweetest. Faint is the fragrance of rose and sandal but excellent is the fragrance of the virtuous, wafting even amongst the god’s realms", which is taken from Puppha Vagga verses in Dharmapadha.

In astrological point of view, observing Poyaday Precepts help to reduce malfunctions of Moon and the Venus. When we are staying with higher precepts, divine energies can move through our energy body and it helps to reducing illnesses and improves immune system. Also gods can communicate with you and give you mental suggestions in such days. People who have marriage problems and severe negative planetary combinations in their horoscope may suggest observing Poyaday Precepts. Traditional astrological books advice such people want to observe Poyaday Precepts in temples where Lord Buddha had rested on Nirodha Samapaththi. It helps to reduce their karmic issues. Not only in full moon days, traditional Buddhist people observe these higher precepts in three moon phasing days such as Dark Moon and two Half Moon days. Observing eight precepts in four days in every month is creating higher positive karmic energies for reduce negative karmic issues.