The Five Precepts. What are they?
To undertake the rule of training to refrain from killing living beings.
To undertake the rule of training to refrain from stealing.
To undertake the rule of training to refrain from sexual misconduct.
To undertake the rule of training to refrain from false speech.
To undertake the rule of training to refrain from intoxicants which confuse the mind.
Why do we want to undertake this training? Through Compassion to ourselves, and for others. Through Right Intention, understanding from our Right View that everything we think, say, and do has a result for ourselves and others.
So this is Morality. As we develop Compassion, Morality becomes a natural expression of our practice. We don't want to cause harm with our actions, speech and thoughts, so renunciation becomes more natural.
In the beginning, when we haven't got sufficient levels of Compassion and Wisdom, we may use these precepts to encourage us and help us keep to this direction in order to protect ourselves from harm. We may have to use a lot more Effort and Determination in the beginning, until our Compassion and Wisdom have caught up and it becomes a natural expression of who we are at that moment. We're always changing, so if we want virtue to be a natural expression of who we are, then we have to have more moments of skillful Compassionate thought based in Right View, so that with this new conditioning, this kind of thinking will become more natural.
Over time, with practice, our Buddhist Morality becomes much more refined in keeping to the Truth. We see it on a deeper level. It's also being truthful to our direction, our resolutions. Truthful to ourselves, truthful to the Right View and Right Intention, etc.