[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [佛垂般涅槃略說教誡經](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389) › [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389~en-mt) › 1.2 # 佛垂般涅槃略說教誡經 1.2 English (machine translation) 1.2 - **Language:** English ### [1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389~en-mt.1.2) When Śākyamuni Buddha first turned the wheel of the Dharma, he liberated Ājñātakauṇḍinya; when he preached the Dharma for the last time, he liberated Subhadra. Those who were to be liberated had all been liberated, and between the twin śāla trees he was about to enter nirvāṇa. At that time, in the dead of night, all was tranquil and silent. For the disciples he briefly explained the essentials of the Dharma: “You monks, after my passing you should honor, treasure, and revere the Prātimokṣa, as if finding light in the dark, or as a poor person gaining a treasure. You should know that this is your great master, no different from when I remained in the world. Those who keep the pure precepts may not engage in buying and selling or trade; they may not acquire fields or houses, or keep people, slaves, or livestock. All forms of planting and cultivating, as well as wealth and treasures, are to be shunned as one avoids a pit of fire. You may not fell trees and clear grass, or till the soil and dig the earth. Compounding medicines, divining good and bad fortune, gazing at the stars to calculate fullness and decline, and astrological reckonings—none of these are fitting. Regulate your body, eat at the proper times, and live in purity. You may not participate in worldly affairs or serve as couriers. Incantations, elixirs of immortality, making alliances with the noble, and intimacy or frivolous familiarity—none of these should be done. You should rectify your minds and seek liberation with right mindfulness; you must not conceal your shortcomings or display marvels to delude the multitude. Concerning the four requisites, know moderation and be content. Merely accept what is offered and do not hoard. This is a brief account of the characteristics of keeping the precepts. Precepts are the foundation of true conformity with liberation; therefore they are called Prātimokṣa. Relying on these precepts, one can give rise to the dhyāna concentrations and the wisdom that extinguishes suffering. Therefore, monks, you should keep the pure precepts and not allow them to be breached. If someone can keep the pure precepts, they can possess wholesome dharmas; if one lacks the pure precepts, no wholesome merits can arise. Thus you should know that the precepts are the foremost dwelling place of peace and merit. - [Previous: 1.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389~en-mt.1.1) - [Next: 1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389~en-mt.1.3) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389~en-mt.1) ## Linked texts (1) - [佛垂般涅槃略說教誡經](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389.1.2) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389~en-mt.1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.389~en-mt.1.2) · Pramāṇa