The Buddha gives advice on things not to do under any circumstances. You don’t want to break the precepts. You don’t want to engage in wrong speech. You avoid greed, ill will, and the view that your actions don’t yield results.

"It’s not the case that the Buddha leaves you to explore everything. He gives advice on things not to do under any circumstances. You don’t want to break the precepts. You don’t want to engage in wrong speech — not only in lying but also in divisive speech, harsh speech, idle chatter. And you avoid greed, ill will, and the view that your actions don’t yield results, don’t make a difference. Those precepts are principles you don’t have to test. Just use them."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Kamma of Concentration" (Meditations9)

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