A spiritual path can be viewed as a series of skillful and unskillful actions. Skillful actions are harmless, wholesome actions. They lead to a sense of ease and to happiness.
Unskillful actions are stressful, producing dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
With inner stillness and mindfulness, one can discern the moral quality present in an action's roots, before it is performed. Thus one can determine if the action about to be performed will be skillful or unskillful. An unskillful act can be abandoned and replaced by a skillful act. The Precepts are simple guidelines for cultivating skillful action.