In buddhism the principle of refraining from harm is not about heavy-handed moralism  •  it’s based on mindfulness and awareness: noticing what causes us to feel good and what causes us to feel bad, what causes us to harm others and what causes us to benefit others  •  while we can’t go through life without causing a certain amount of harm, the principle of refraining is about lessening the harm we cause  •  the five precepts help bring awareness to our state of mind and heart when we cause harm  •  taking the five precepts means refraining from killing, stealing, lying, a harmful approach to sexual life, and intoxicating substances  •  it is a very straightforward and honest assessment of one’s actions: did you do an action or not?  •  this practice is based on the four supports for right action: mindfulness, awareness, refraining, and cultivating.