When we count precepts like Ten Prohibitory Precepts, we feel if we fail to observe even one of them, we will not be a good Buddhist—as if the purpose of taking vows or taking precepts is just to observe those things literally. That is maybe the usual way of understanding precepts. But the true purpose of precepts is not just to observe precepts so that you can attain enlightenment. Why we observe precepts or why we take vows is to actualize Buddha’s spirit.
—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.