The Five Precepts consist of the bare minimum of moral behaviour for a Dhamma practitoner. Being a sincere devotee involves much more than just following the precepts, and anything less than that disqualifies one from honestly calling oneself a disciple of the Buddha. If you ask someone why they should keep the precepts or what are the benefits of doing so they will usually say something like: “To avoid making bad kamma.” Wanting to circumvent unwholesome behaviour, people sometimes ask if smoking violates the precepts, in particular the fifth. Smoking and intoxication are often associated with each other because of the popular perception that those who smoke also drink alcohol. When the issue is brought up the opinions tend to be either “smoking does not violate the fifth Precept” or “yes, it does.”
Those in this first camp will justify their stance by saying, quite correctly, that there was no tobacco in ancient India, thus people did not smoke, and the fifth precept was never meant to include smoking. But this answer needs to be looked at more carefully because it is both right and wrong. It is right that tobacco did not exist in ancient India; it only became known outside North America after the 16th century. However, that does not mean that people in ancient India did not smoke. In fact, we know they did! The two ancient Indian medical texts, the Suśruta Saṃhitā, and the Caraka Saṃhitā, both mention smoking. The first even describes how to make cigarettes and use them. Cigarettes (dhūmavatti), smoked for enjoyment and for their supposed health benefits, were made by grinding cardamom, saffron, sandalwood and aloe wood into a fine paste and moulding it over a reed so that it was about 15 centimetres long and the thickness of a thumb. When the paste was dry, the reed was removed, and the resulting hollow cigarette was smeared with clarified butter or sandalwood oil before being ignited. The Caraka Saṃhitā recommends sitting in an upright but comfortable posture while smoking, taking three puffs at a time and inhaling through both the mouth and nostrils but exhaling only through nostrils.
Although this type of smoking was sometimes done for pleasure it was mainly recommended for medical reasons. It was thought to be good as a purgative, as a cure for tiredness, depression, throat and nose problems, and as being beneficial for pregnant women. Such ancient cigarettes could not have been addictive like tobacco and lacked the toxic chemicals found in modern cigarettes, nonetheless, inhaling any kind of smoke is now known not good for the lungs. The oldest parts of the Suśruta Saṃhitā, and the Caraka Saṃhitā, date from several centuries after the Buddha but smoking may have been current during his time. Whatever the case, cigarettes are not mentioned in the Tipiṭaka.
Another type of smoking is mentioned in the Tipiṭaka, however. It seems that certain types of herbs were burned, and the smoke inhaled through a small metal tube (dhūmanetta). This tube was curved so that one end was put in the mouth, the other end near the nostrils, and blowing into the tube forced the smoke into the nostrils from where it was inhaled. The Buddha subscribed to this kind of smoking and in the Vinaya, the rules for monastics, he allowed monks and nuns to have such smoking tubes (Vin I, 204). But it is clear that this was only because such smoking was thought to be good for one’s health. In the Dasabrāhmana Jātaka, however, using smoking tubes for whatever pleasure might have been derived from them is said to be unworthy for a monk. In other words, smoking for non-therapeutic reasons was considered unacceptable.
So much for the argument that smoking does not contravene the fifth precept. What of the argument that it does? Before looking at this it is necessary to understand why abstaining from alcohol is one of the most basic Buddhist ethical principles. The central focus of much of what the Buddha said concerns the mind, its nature, its various modalities, how it can be transformed, and the benefits of doing so. It is no coincidence that the very first verse in the Dhammapada, the most popular of all Buddhist sacred texts, begins with the words: “Mano pubbangamā dhammā,” or “mind precedes all phenomena.” The way to nibbāna lies through a transformed mind. It is also very clear from the Tipiṭaka that the Buddha, like many people before and since, understood that even small amounts of alcohol has a distorting effect on the mind. Its depressant quality lowers inhibitions, leading to making bad judgments, taking poorly considered risks, unruly speech and behaviour and so forth, often with negative social consequences. Studies show that 84% of all suspects arrested for serious crimes in the United States had recently ingested alcohol. It is likely to be similar in other countries. The old Buddhist adage that breaking the fifth precept can lead to breaking all the others, is quite true. Thus, the rationale behind the fifth precept is to keep the mind lucid and clear to avoid problems now and attain worthwhile spiritual goals later.
So, the next question is: “Does smoking have a distorting effect on the mind?” There is no evidence that it does. In fact, a cup of strong coffee has more of an effect on consciousness than smoking many cigarettes one after the other. Thus, smoking does not violate the fifth precept because it does not negatively impact the mind and thus does not have an ethical component. A person could be kind, honest, thoughtful towards others, and also be a regular smoker. With that said, one important aspect of the precepts to consider is avoiding the negative (vārita) and practicing the positive (carita). The positive aspect of the five precepts are: not taking life but promoting life, not taking what belongs to others but sharing with others what belongs to us, not using others for our own pleasure but respecting their right to choose how and with whom they derive pleasure, not lying but speaking truthfully to the best of our knowledge, and lastly, not befuddling our minds but keeping it clear, lucid and alert.
But there is another aspect to the precepts that deserves mention. At the start of this essay, I mentioned that most Buddhists believe that the main purpose of keeping the precepts is to avoid making bad kamma. But as is clear from the vārita and carita aspects of the precepts, they are as much about benefiting others as benefiting oneself. In the Aṅguttara Nikāya, the Buddha called adhering to these precepts a consideration towards others which “creates love and respect, and which is conducive to helpfulness, non-dispute, harmony and unity” (III, 289). He saw following the precepts as a gift to others which would benefit both the giver and the receiver. He said: “When a noble disciple practices the five precepts, he gives the gift of freedom from fear, the gift of freedom from hatred and the gift of freedom from ill-will to limitless beings. And in giving these gifts, he thereby partakes in a freedom from fear, from hatred and from ill-will which is limitless” (IV, 246). On another occasion, the Buddha called virtue “freedom-giving” and “conducive to concentration” (III, 132) and, in the Dīgha Nikāya mentioned that one of the most important benefits of practicing the precepts is that one experiences “the happiness of being blameless” (I, 70). In other words, sincere disciples should practice the five precepts because they care about their own welfare and happiness, and that of others, not just because they want to avoid “making bad kamma.”
Thus, the next logical question: “Is smoking detrimental to ourselves and others?” The answer is, of course, yes! It has long been known that smoking directly causes numerous life-threatening diseases. It has also recently been shown that second-hand smoke is nearly as dangerous. The Buddha often said that certain behaviours should be avoided or done “for one’s own benefit, for the benefit of others, for the benefit of both.” Not smoking or giving up smoking, would certainly be behaviour that would be in harmony with this.
One final note: Buddhist monks of all traditions are not permitted to drink alcohol. But in Thailand, Burma and Cambodia it is acceptable for them to smoke, and many do. In Sri Lanka, however, smoking is looked upon with considerable disapproval, so Sinhala monks do not, at least not in public. But in most Southeast Asian Buddhist countries it is acceptable for monks to chew betel, which has been proven to be a major cause for mouth, throat and tongue cancers. In fact, it is just as cancer-causing as smoking. So, if it is contrary to a life of Dhamma to smoke, why should it not also be to chew betel, or engage in any activity that is harmful to one’s health? Perhaps it is time there was some more serious Dhamma discussion on this question.
