Best Of

Do both and then be mindful and honest every time you break a precept. They’re training rules and guidelines to help protect you and others. You don’t have to take them only when you’re 100% able to not break them, that’s not their purpose.

@Ren_in_black said:
I've read that when a person accepts the Buddhist philosophy and wants to make it part of their life, the traditional way is to say "I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha."

And then, I suppose the natural next step is to take the 5 precepts.

But I'm not ready to take the 5 precepts.

Would you say this means I'm not truly ready to say "I take refuge?"

I want to start on the path, but not in a self-deluded way.

Some traditions will allow you to take four out of the five or even three. Plum Village groups are usually like that.

Taking the Three Refuges would mean finding a Sangha either in person or those days, online.

I have heard, that merely saying the Three Refuges is enough to declare oneself a Buddhist, if you so wish.

I don't really know the answer to your question. I can maybe say that its common when Asian teachers give the 5 precepts vow to say to the recipients that is okay to only take the ones you feel ready for. So if someone isn't ready to stop drinking, they don't have to take that one.

In general I'm on board with "start where you are" and take an incremental but steady approach in my practice rather than a jump in with both feet style.