The Demon and the Five Precepts

In an ancient forest, under the hazy moonlight, a ferocious demon stood blocking a man's path. Its eyes glowed red, its nails long and sharp. It roared, "You must break one of the Buddhist Five Precepts. If you do not, I will tear you to pieces!"

The man trembled, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. He was a devout Buddhist who had taken refuge in the Three Jewels and vowed to uphold the five precepts: not to kill, not to steal, not to engage in sexual misconduct, not to lie, and not to consume intoxicants. He thought, "I cannot kill, steal, commit adultery, or lie. But drinking... a little bit should be fine. It is the lightest of the precepts."

He raised his head, his voice shaking. "I... I choose the fifth precept. I will drink."

The demon cackled and handed him a heavy jug of wine. The man took a long gulp, the liquor burning his throat and searing his stomach. Soon, his head swam, his face flushed red, and his eyes glazed over. He began to talk nonsense and staggered about.

In his drunken stupor, he saw a wild chicken run past. His instincts took over; he seized it and snapped its neck—breaking the first precept: killing. Then he saw a money pouch dropped by a passerby, picked it up, and stuffed it into his own pocket—breaking the second precept: stealing. Later, he encountered a lonely woman in a hut, and his base desires overtook him; he forced himself upon her—breaking the third precept: sexual misconduct. The next morning, when he sobered up, his wife asked, "Where did you go last night?" He stammered, "I... I was working overtime"—breaking the fourth precept: lying.

The man slumped to the ground, clutching his head and wailing. He had broken all the precepts because of a single cup of wine. The demon emerged from the shadows, laughing loudly. "You thought the fifth precept was the lightest? But it is the very gateway that led you to all your transgressions!"

From that day on, the man never dared touch alcohol again. He told this story to all his friends, so they would understand that once one loses control of reason, a person is capable of anything.

**Meaning of the Story**

The fifth precept—abstaining from alcohol and intoxicants—is not a light precept, but the most important one, for it safeguards reason. Once reason is lost, a person easily breaks all the other precepts. A practitioner must resolutely uphold this precept to avoid losing wisdom and human dignity.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang