Let me clarify what I just said. If you are angry with someone, you do not hand in your precept, kill that person, and then take the precept again. That's ridiculous. The point of the precept is not to harm or kill anything, especially human beings. But if you know you are in a situation where you may have to kill someone, such as in war, then you can officially return the precept. When you return from war, then you can take the precept again. If you have a choice, you may refuse to go to war, perhaps as a conscientious objector. That is a personal decision.

What about killing someone accidentally? There are a few criteria regarding the first precept. In order for the precept to be violated, the killing must be premeditated. You must intend to kill someone, and you must succeed in doing so. And when you are killing the person, you must be aware of your actions. These elements must be present before it is clear that you have irrevocably broken the precept. Regardless of the precept, if you kill accidentally or intentionally, it still affects your karma.

STUDENT:

What is the consequence of mentally killing someone?

SHIH-FU:

Wishing someone dead is confined to your own mind. If you have not physically killed someone, then you have not broken the precept.

STUDENT:

In reference to killing, are all Buddhist monks and nuns vegetarians? Don't Tibetan Buddhists eat meat?

SHIH-FU: