ABSTRACT
From the time when Shakyamuni first turned the Wheel of the Dharma to ferry Ajnata Kaundinya to the Other Shore until the last time He gave voice to the Dharma to carry Subhadra there, those responsive to being ferried had all been taken across and now He lay among the four twin sala trees about to enter parinirvana. Do not go about wantonly destroying or trampling down the vegetation, clearing the land and digging up the soil literally or figuratively. The Precepts are what is appropriate to, and in accord with, the foundation and source of liberation, this is why they are called the Pratimokshas or what leads one toward liberation, accordingly, these Precepts can beget various meditations and the wisdom that eradicates suffering. The Precepts are foremost for well-being, the abiding place of merit and virtue. The Buddha has told us that the Four Noble Truths should not make us different from each other.
