I vow to face the truth that does target us worse. Good evening. For this practice period, It's a good subject for practice period, because precepts is not something just theoretical, but something which we embody and which is the basis of our practice. We say zazen is precepts, and precepts is zazen.

[01:06]

So we really need to understand the nature of precepts. We say there are 16 Bodhisattva precepts, but these precepts have to be understood in various ways. So when we When I say study, when we enact the precepts in our daily life, we need to observe and understand from the various meanings for each precept. about five years ago.

[02:36]

I think it was about five years ago. I can't remember exactly how long ago. About five years ago, at Zen Center in San Francisco, we started to put together an ethics statement. Every Zen Center should have an ethics statement. It's okay. But it took which seems very simple, but through lots of discussion and lots of closely examining what ethics and precepts mean, I know you can't hear me, you'd be surprised at the controversy over ethics that ensued.

[04:03]

some people thinking there should be very strict ethical standards, and some people feeling there shouldn't be any. And between those two extremes, something was worked out. And the way it was finally worked out was that the ethics statement would be based on the precepts. To create an ethic statement out of thin air doesn't work so well. But we already had precepts in place. So to base the ethic statement on the precepts is quite natural. And that's what we did. So finally, this ethical principles and procedures for grievance and reconciliation is what this is called. was printed, and it has the precepts, or 16 precepts, and some commentary on what it means in the realm of ethics, and also procedures for grievances and reconciliation.

[05:24]

So, and this is quite new. Matter of fact, I haven't totally studied it myself. But I know enough about it so that I understand it. But we have 50 copies. And so I thought that I would give you each a copy. I know that there are more than 50. So those people who feel that they have studied precepts could let the rest of the people have them. And then if there's any left over, you can have one. And then next week, I'll get some more so that everybody can have one. So, golly. So if you have a pretty good familiarity with the precepts, you can give your copy to somebody else.

[07:09]

How many people don't have one? What do you need to bring next week if you didn't get one? Well, I just want a little ballpark figure. Not too many, four or five. But I'll get more. So let's just go over the precepts just to get familiarize ourselves with them.

[08:23]

So it's page six. No. Page three. Three. Page three. So the first of the 16 precepts are the three refuges. which represent the foundation and orientation of our bodhisattva life. So we take refuge in Buddha, we take refuge in Dharma, and we take refuge in Sangha. So these are called the three refuges. And then on page five, there are the three pure precepts, which are inseparable from the bodhisattva practice taught at Zen Center. They represent the aspiration of every bodhisattva to do no evil, to do good, and to save all beings.

[09:29]

Those have been translated in various ways, but this is how we do it now. This is the old way. And then there are the 10 essential precepts, which we call sometimes, on page six, 10 brave precepts or 10 clear mind precepts or 10 inhibitory precepts. A disciple of the Buddha does not kill, but rather cultivates and encourages life. And two, a disciple of Buddha does not take what is not given, but rather cultivates and encourages generosity. And three, a disciple of Buddha does not misuse sexuality, but rather cultivates and encourages open and honest relationships. And four, a disciple of Buddha does not lie, but rather cultivates and encourages truthful communication. And five, a disciple of Buddha does not intoxicate self or others, but rather cultivates and encourages clarity.

[10:32]

And six, a disciple of Buddha does not slander others, but rather cultivates and encourages respectful speech. And seven, a disciple of Buddha does not praise self at the expense of others, but rather cultivates and encourages self and others to abide in their awakened nature. And eight, a disciple of Buddha is not possessive of anything, but rather cultivates and encourages mutual support. And nine, a disciple of Buddha does not harbor ill will, but rather cultivates and encourages loving kindness and understanding. And ten, a disciple of Buddha does not abuse the three treasures, but rather cultivates and encourages awakening, the path and teaching of awakening and the So, before going into the precepts, I want to talk about the various ways that we think about precepts and the relationship of the Three Treasures, the Three Pure Precepts and the Ten Clear Mind Precepts.

[12:08]

And quoting from Dogen's Enji, and he's talking about refuge. He's talking about taking precepts. And he says, this is from the Kyoju Kaimon, which is Dogen's commentary on the precepts. He says, now we should take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. The three treasures have three measures and virtues called the one-body three treasures, the realized three treasures, and the maintained three treasures. The Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi is called the Buddha treasure. Being pure and genuinely apart from the dust is the Dharma treasure, and the virtue and merits of harmony are the Sangha, which is the Sangha treasure.

[13:28]

These are the one body, three treasures. To realize and actualize the Bodhi is called the Buddha treasure of the realized three treasures. The realization of Buddha is the Dharma treasure. To penetrate into the Buddha dharma is the sangha treasure. These are the realized three treasures. Guiding the heavens and guiding the people, sometimes appearing in the vast emptiness and sometimes appearing in the dust is the Buddha treasure. Sometimes revolving in the leaves and sometimes revolving in the oceanic storage, guiding inanimate things and guiding animate things is the dharma treasure. Freed from all sufferings and liberated from the house of the three worlds is the Sangha treasure. These are the maintained three treasures. When one takes refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, that person attains the great precepts of all Buddhas. Make the Buddha your master and do not let any of the waves be your master."

[14:35]

Sometimes we wonder, why are the three treasures considered precepts? We usually think of precepts as the ten prohibitory precepts or the ten clear mind precepts. But Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the fountainhead of the precepts. So there's actually one precept. And that one precept is manifest Buddha. And in order to manifest Buddha, one must manifest Dharma. And in order to manifest Dharma, one must manifest Sangha. So this triangle of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha is called the One Mind, Three Bodies of Buddha.

[16:07]

and it's the essence of all precepts. So, Buddha is essence, Dharma is the truth or phenomena, phenomenal aspect of Buddha. And the Sangha manifests Buddha's activity. So, the three treasures have three measures and virtues called one body, three treasures. One body is Buddha as three aspects. Dharma is Buddha, and Sangha is Buddha, and Buddha is Buddha, and Buddha is Dharma, and Buddha is Sangha, and so forth.

[17:18]

So the three are inseparable. And when we put emphasis on Buddha, we put emphasis on reality or our nature. And when we emphasize Dharma, we put emphasis on the law, the way things are, the truth as manifested, manifested truth. And when we put emphasis on Sangha, we put the Buddha as manifestation in the world. You can also see them as dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya. Buddha is Buddha nature, which is dharmakaya. And dharma is manifested wisdom, which is nirmanakaya.

[18:26]

And the Sangha is Buddha as embodied as each one of us. So he says, the three treasures have three measures and virtues called the one body, three treasures. The Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi means unsurpassed perfect wisdom. In the Heart Sutra, we say, unsurpassed perfect wisdom. We used to say, Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi. And we never wanted to translate that because it always sounded so good. But we translated it because it's consistent with translation. But Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi is untranslatable.

[19:30]

but we translate it anyway as unsurpassed perfect wisdom. So the Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi is called the Buddha treasure. And being pure and genuinely apart from the dust is the Dharma treasure. That's Buddha's wisdom as manifested. And the virtue and merits of harmony are the sangha, which is the sangha treasure. So the characteristic of sangha is harmony. And these are the one body, three treasures. They're the three treasures of one body. To realize and actualize the bodhi, bodhi means realization or enlightenment. To realize and actualize the Bodhi is called the Buddha treasure of the realized three treasures.

[20:34]

The realization of the Buddha is the Dharma treasure. What Buddha realizes is the Dharma. What we realize as Buddha is the Dharma. To penetrate into the Buddha Dharma is the Sangha treasure. These are the realized three treasures. Guiding the heavens and guiding the people, sometimes appearing in the vast emptiness and sometimes appearing in the dust, is the Buddha treasure. So, form is emptiness and emptiness is form. Sometimes appearing as form and sometimes as emptiness. Sometimes appearing as no self and sometimes appearing as a beggar in the dust.

[21:40]

Sometimes revolving in the leaves and sometimes revolving in the oceanic storage. Guiding inanimate things and guiding animate things is the Dharma treasure. freed from all sufferings and liberated from the house of the three worlds is the Sangha treasure. These are the maintained three treasures. When one takes refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, that person attains the great precepts of all Buddhas. Make the Buddha your master and do not let any of the waves be your master." So taking refuge in or becoming one with, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, is the attainment of the three treasures, or the great attainment of the great precepts. So actually, great precepts are being one with Buddha, Dharma, Sangha. That's the essence of precepts.

[22:49]

And then, there has to be some way to do that. So we have the one body, three treasures, and we have the realized three treasures, and we have the maintained three treasures. The realized three treasures are the three pure precepts. Refrain from evil, to do good, and to live for the benefit of all beings. This is realization of precepts. And this is Dharma, understanding Dharma.

[23:54]

These three pure precepts are very general precepts, right? And when we understand Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, then these three pure precepts naturally manifest. They're not something imposed, but they manifest as realization, to not to do evil, to do what is good, and to live for the benefit of all beings. This is the natural bodhisattva instinct. So this is called bodhisattva mind. And this is important to realize this. So this is called realization. And from realization comes the maintained precepts. To maintain means to actually do something in the world.

[25:03]

So we have the ten cardinal precepts, we call them various names. We have Hinayana precepts, or let's call them precepts of rules, precepts of behavior. manifestations of behavior, which are the ten clear-mind precepts. And then we have the Mahayana precepts, and we have the Buddha-nature precepts. So-called Inayana precepts are the literal understanding of precepts, the rules. That's what we usually think of as precepts, is the rules, something imposed from outside, or not necessarily from outside, but something strict, strict rules of behavior.

[26:29]

And Mahayana precepts are the manifestation of behavior which comes from our compassionate heart and mind. These are subjective precepts. And the basis of these precepts is compassion. And The third kind of precepts is the Buddha nature precepts. The third aspect is Buddha nature precepts. And Buddha nature precepts is non-dual precepts. Precepts of non-duality, which is the culmination of the Hinayana and Mahayana precepts.

[27:38]

The Buddha mind precepts Buddha nature precepts include Hinayana and Mahayana precepts. Just practicing precepts from Hinayana point of view is dualistic. And just practicing from Mahayana point of view is dualistic. But when we combine Mahayana, when Mahayana precepts are Hinayana precepts and Hinayana precepts are Mahayana precepts, when they include each other, then they become Buddha nature precepts. Which means non

[28:41]

precepts of non-duality. So, you know, when Nansen heard the monks arguing over a cat, who does the cat belong to? He picked up the cat and said, if anybody can say a word, I'll leave this cat alone. Otherwise, I'll cut it in two. Nobody could say anything, so he cut the cat in two. This is an illustration of dualistic, dualistic and non-dualistic understanding. Very interesting going. Does anything belong to us?

[29:43]

Who does the cat belong to? Well, the cat belongs to me. This is my cat. We say that. This is my cat. This is my this. This is my that. But actually, nothing belongs to us. But in the court of law, this is my cat. This is my car. And you can't have it. These are the rules, right? Wrong? right and wrong. So, in this world, we have to go by the rules. And when people violate the rules, it's wrong. And it's wrong to cut cats in two. Dogen said, if I had been there, I would have said, why don't you cut it into one? the cabin too.

[30:56]

So we have to understand from these three aspects, whenever we think about presets, we have to study them or act them out from the point of view of these three aspects. There are rules, and you cannot do away with rules. Nevertheless, there's the real, actual, compassionate action, which comes from our innate nature. The rules also come from our innate nature, but They're principles. The rules are like principles. And our actual, the way we act out our life comes from principles, but it also comes from intuition. So, we have rules on one side and intuition on the other.

[32:18]

And the combination of intuition and the rules is what gives us guidance in how we behave ourselves. And the other thing we have to understand is the two opposing things are actually two parts of one thing. Good and bad are two sides of one thing. Right and wrong are two sides of one thing. The one thing is buddha nature. Pleasure is buddha nature and pain is buddha nature. Having what we want is buddha nature and not having what we want is buddha nature. Justice is buddha nature and injustice is buddha nature.

[33:20]

So everything is buddha nature. Everything is buddha nature. Yeah. Everything is buddha nature. So to be at one with our true nature is to let go of dualistic thinking. When we let go of dualistic thinking, then we can operate in the world of duality. Can you explain how injustice is buddhanature? Is what? Is buddhanature. What is it if it's not buddhanature? The devil? It could be delusive activity based on not being aware of your buddhanature. It's, yeah, delusive activity, not being aware of buddhanature. But delusive activity is also buddha nature.

[34:30]

We don't like to think so. Birth and death, which one do you prefer? Will you die? These are important questions. How do you feel about that? Is that injustice? So, there's the actual world, the way things actually are, and then there's the human world. Then there's the animal world. and the insect world, and the fish's world. And the human world thinks about good and bad, right and wrong, birth and death.

[35:40]

Human consciousness has this characteristic So in the human world, we have rules. Animal world has rules too. They're more simple. But in the human world, because we feel justice and injustice and all the dualistic aspects of life, we have rules about it. But this is human activity, which is also Buddha nature. But there's the justice and injustice of the human world, and then there's just the way things actually are in the non-dual world, which means things just happen.

[36:50]

We don't like it when things are not good, and we do like it when things are good. But whether they're good or not good, things just happen the way they happen. There are reasons and causes, of course. But these are two aspects of our life. No matter how much we want to save something, going to not be there. No matter how much we want to get rid of something, it's going to be there. But that's our human desire. It comes from human desire. But in the dynamics of the way things work, they just work that way. Could I say something? When I see the picture, like in, I think it's yesterday's paper, the day before, of that starving baby in Zaire, how do I reconcile that?

[38:01]

I mean, that to me is injustice, and how can I reconcile that with woman nature? That starving baby? On the human world, on the human level, on the human level, that's injustice. No argument. It's injustice on the human level. But on the fish's level, the fish couldn't care less. The bird just looks down at it like the way you look at ants. I'm not saying that we... Do you understand? These are different levels of reality. So, In the human world, we have what's called compassion. Compassion means that we understand that everyone suffers the same way. And so our compassion leads us to do something about that.

[39:06]

And we should do something about that. This is because we live in the human world. At the same time, things are just happening that are somewhat in our control, but mostly not. In other words, one is born into this world, and no matter how much you want to stay young, you grow old. No matter how much you want to stop breathing, you breathe. No matter how much you want to stop eating, you eat. No matter how much you want your hair to stop growing, it grows up to a certain point. It's just all happening. It's nature. Nature is producing and changing things.

[40:10]

And our behavior as human beings influences all this. We are self-creating beings. So, this is the human world, the human world of suffering and happiness and compassion and hate and anger and all these emotions and thoughts. Human world. And we need to take care of that, you know, and at the same time, we have to see a bigger picture. That's what I'm saying. I'm not saying we should, because, you know, if you only think, well, all is one, so what's the difference? That's incomplete. We have to see the picture as complete. And we may not like to see the picture as complete. We don't like to see the fact that we're going to die one day. We don't like to look at that. So we don't talk about it very much. But each one of us is marching to our death.

[41:16]

Do you like it or don't you like it? I want to kind of try to restate what you're saying to see if I get it. We have this human life and this human nature that we bring to it. With our thoughts and feelings, we tend to interpret things and make meaning out of them. And because we're human, that's what we do. And it's not that we should stop doing that. It's that we should notice that we do that. That when we attribute things, with things like injustice or compassion or kindness, that that's our activity. We do that. That's our activity. And it's only part of Buddha's activity. I mean, human activity is Buddha's activity, but Buddha's activity is also many, many other kinds of activities. For me, what's helpful is knowing, is being conscious of when I'm making an interpretation.

[42:27]

so that I don't prevent myself from helping, because if I just say, well, it's just all one, I'm just making that interpretation, I have to be fully committed to my human activity, because that's the life I'm living. You have to be totally committed to your human activity, because that's your purpose on Earth. as a human being is to be totally committed to being as human as possible. And that's not separate from or distinct from or anywhere away from being fully Buddha. That's also there. Well, that's Buddha. That is being fully in the realm you're in. For a fish, being a fish totally is Buddha. Being a bird totally Being a total bird is Buddha. So humans read newspapers and respond and react to them.

[43:32]

That's what we do. That's our reaction. Right. And waking up to that, that's what we do, is waking up. So to be aware is to be Buddha, is awakening Buddha mind. And to manifest compassion is the essence of Buddha mind. The essence of wisdom is compassion. The activity of wisdom, the manifestation of wisdom is exemplified as compassion. When you say to be aware, are you saying to be aware of my reaction to the newspaper article? Just have awareness. I'm not saying what specifically you should be aware of, just manifest awareness. The thing is that when I observe my awareness and I think that I'm being aware, I also notice that I'm not choicelessly aware, that I'm selectively aware.

[44:46]

Selectively aware, yes. So this is why our mind, thinking mind, modifies and discriminates. Modifies and discriminates. But you have to do that. You have to discriminate in order to divide. Discriminate means to divide. to categorize and divide, which is necessary. But it's also necessary to stop discriminating. When one stops discriminating, there's no good or bad or right or wrong. This is why we sit sasan. Because you have the opportunity to stop discriminating and just experience or be at one with everything. We're not discriminating. You know, there's this feeling, there's this pain, but it's not good or bad.

[45:49]

It's not I like or don't like. You have the opportunity to experience Buddha nature.

[45:56]

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