20 Renunciations

The 20 renunciations is a list of precepts that represent the initial stage of practice as a monk or nun in a program of training in the Medium Discourses.

The 20 Precepts

The list of 20 renunciations is a stock passage that occurs in MĀ 63, MĀ 80, MĀ 146, and MĀ 187. The 20 renunciations or precepts are:

1. Not killing beings or owning weapons
2. Not taking what's not given
3. Not acting contrary to the religious life (i.e., breaking celibacy)
4. Not speaking falsely
5. Not speaking duplicitously
6. Not speaking harshly
7. Not speaking frivolously
8. Not engaging in trade or handling money
9. Not taking on wives or concubines
10. Not taking on servants
11. Not taking elephants, horses, cattle, and sheep
12. Not taking chickens and pigs
13. Not engaging in farming or selling goods
14. Not growing crops like rice, barley, and beans
15. Not drinking alcoholic beverages
16. Not using large or high beds
17. Not using garlands, jewelry, perfume, or cosmetics
18. Not engaging in singing and dancing or attending performances
19. Not taking or creating valuable images (i.e., artwork and sculpture)
20. Not eating after midday

Relationship with Other Lists of Precepts

Shorter lists of 5, 8, and 10 precepts are also found in the Medium Discourses that are subsets of the full list.

In MĀ 128, the five precepts of lay disciples is taught, which are precepts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 15 above. The third precept is changed to sexual misconduct rather than complete celibacy.

In MĀ 202, we find the eight training precepts, which are precepts 1, 2, 3, 4, 15, 16, 17, 20 above.

In MĀ 16, there is a list of ten precepts that was taught to the laypeople of Kālāma, which include precepts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 above. The last three are renunciation of longing, anger, and wrong view, making the path of ten good deeds.