Good morning. Last week we had our monthly Bodhisattva ceremony, which is loosely called repentance ceremony and renewal of vows. And once a month we do this as close to the full moon as possible. So last week, several people said that they didn't know why we did this or what it meant. And we had some discussion about it. And I said that I would talk about it this week.

[01:02]

I'm going to talk about it anyway. Many of you know, most of you know this anyway, but traditionally in Buddhism, the monks have a confession ceremony twice a month, on the full moon and the no moon. And they, of course, have 250 precepts, which they recite each time. And if one of the monks has transgressed one of the precepts, he says so, as the precept comes up. And then there's some consequence that's given to that monk.

[02:23]

And it can be anything from expulsion to maybe paying a fine. Even though they don't have any money. Or foregoing something, I don't know. Anyway, what we do is called Sanghe. Sanghe means, it's not exactly a personal confession of sins, but it's acknowledging or avowing our karma. Avowing our, openly acknowledging our actions. but not any specific action. Paying attention to the fact that wittingly or unwittingly we're always creating karma.

[03:33]

And we call this the Bodhisattva Ceremony, but in Japanese it's Ryaku Fusatsu, which means abbreviated, or short, Sange ceremony. So, is the avowal of karma. And then all the rest, well the second part is the homage to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. And the third part is taking the four vows, Bodhisattva vows, and then taking the refuges, and then taking the precepts. So it's The first part is avowing or acknowledging our karma and all the rest is renewing our intention to practice.

[04:49]

So we do this once a month. And so each time we do that, we renew our practice. And renewing our practice over and over again is very important so that we don't just go on and on in the same old way without paying attention to what we're doing. Often, when I talk to people about how to practice, I say, decide for a period of time how you're going to practice. what your practice looks like, it's going to look like for that period of time, a month, or two months, or three months, or a week. And then stick with that, stay with that, and see what the difficulties and the possibilities of that decision are.

[06:00]

And then at the end of that time, if it's a month, look at that and say, can I continue another month in this way? You should do that. Everyone should do that. Otherwise, you say, well, I'm going to practice. I'm going to sit zazen every day. And then you find you can't do that. And then pretty soon you find yourself getting further and further behind and more and more carried. And then you give up. Because it's open-ended. Your practice is open-ended. you have no way of fixing it, unless you're very aware. So this gives you an opportunity to be aware. To every month, actually, if you take the Bodhisattva ceremony as a point of departure, at that time say, is what I'm doing the right way to practice?

[07:02]

That would be a very good thing to do. Is my schedule right? sitting three times a week, right? Or can I sit four? Or should I only be sitting once? So you have some way of looking at how you're doing and not just leaving it open and finding yourself degenerating and then giving up. So renewing frequently, taking a look and renewing your practice frequently is very important. And I think this ceremony has that quality for us. So, the repentance part, or the sange part, so that we say, all my ancient twisted karma from beginningless greed, hate, and delusion, born through body, speech, and mind, I now fully vow.

[08:07]

This is our translation. There are other translations. Another translation would be, all my ancient evil karma, or I now fully atone, or I now confess and purify. Those are different translations. So we should be careful about a translation. Often people get hung up on the words. Last time we talked about twisted Twisted, I think that whoever translated this didn't like to use the word evil. And we often don't like to... Americans don't like to use the word evil unless they're Christians. I'm talking about others. But seriously,

[09:11]

twisted, it has the feeling of bad. But also, as someone pointed out, it has the feeling of entwined. In the first place, karma means volitional action. And an action that brings bad results is called bad karma. An action which brings good results is called good karma, loosely speaking. So when we do something wholesome, then there's a wholesome result. When we do something unwholesome, there's an unwholesome result. So our karma, though strictly speaking, is the act itself, the karmic act which is volitionally produced. and then there is a result from every action is a result.

[10:15]

This is the law of cause and effect and it's very strict. So whatever we do is governed by law, by certain laws, physical laws, and laws of cause and effect. And we don't always know what the effect of a cause will be, but generally speaking, when our intentions and our actions flow this way, then results from this side appear, and the same for this way. So there's good karma, which causes good results, bad karma, which causes bad results, and neutral karma, which is neither bad nor good, but just is.

[11:34]

So we're continually creating karma. The purpose of Buddhist practice is to be able to be free from karma. But even though that's so, we always are subject to karma. But as well as being subject to karma, we can also be free from karma. So this is why Buddhist monks are so careful in their life, because they don't want to keep creating karma. And that's the purpose of their monastic practice. But we're always creating some kind of karma. What keeps people who understand the law of karma from doing evil acts is that what you do always comes around back to yourself as the result of your actions.

[12:58]

Sometimes people say, well, if Buddhists don't believe in a God who rains down retribution, what stops you from doing all kinds of evil things? Well, it's the law of cause and effect. What you do creates everything we do creates an effect as a result and bears fruit. But karma is not fixed. So there's fixed karma and unfixed karma. Fixed karma means that you're born in a certain place from certain parents with a certain lineage

[14:07]

and a certain race and a country, and so forth. And that can't be changed. And you're born with this body, which can't be changed, and the color of your eyes, and so forth. We do have changes these days, which can be made. But those are anomalies, and they're different. You can graft something, you know. If you have a tree, you can graft, if you have a plum tree, you can graft on pears. But the seed from the tree will not produce the hybrid. So, unfixed karma, it means that there's always a way to change your karma. As soon as you stop doing certain things, the karma is no longer produced.

[15:15]

So our destiny is not fixed. Karma is not fate. Destiny is different than fate. Destiny means, to me, that each one of us is has a certain way that we go. And our life has a certain form and each one of us becomes the result of what we do. And that's not fixed. Because of what we do is what we are. what we do, the product of what we do. So that's why we need to be careful about what we're doing, because we don't always see that it will bring about a result. In the Dhammapada, Buddha says, the result of what we do follows us around, just like

[16:34]

A cart follows the ox. We're actually pulling our karma around with us, the results, and we can't shake it off. But we can't change. We can't change the direction of our life and change our actions, which changes our destiny. So we say, all my ancient twisted karma, good and bad, the results of all that we've done. Ancient means from a long time past, from beginningless. Greed, hate, and delusion. Greed, hate, and delusion are the three poisonous roots which create karma.

[17:36]

If you think about the actions which you do, which create pain and suffering for yourself, they mostly grow out of greed, ill-will, and delusion. And they are born through our bodily actions, our speech and our thought, our mind. So, I confess, this is true. This is a vow. So we openly acknowledge this, that this is so, and then make some effort to keep our life in line with our practice.

[18:45]

So sange doesn't mean much unless we make some effort to keep our life in line with our practice. Then, there are the homages. And we pay homage to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We say homage to the seven Buddhas before Buddha, to Shakyamuni Buddha, to Maitreya Buddha, to Manjushri Bodhisattva, to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, and to the succession of ancestors. Originally, the ancient Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are legendary.

[19:57]

And this legendary aspect is used allegorically. And if you read the Mahayana Sutras, the seven Buddhas, many past Buddhas, Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, the Bodhisattvas are all featured actors in the Sutras, and they represent various aspects of our psyche and our being. So there are two aspects. One is the allegorical aspect of these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and the other is the aspect of our own personal life as Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Shakyamuni Buddha. So when we read the sutras, sometimes it looks like something out there that's happening, but it's really all about who we are. All the koans are about who we are.

[21:01]

They're not about a legend in a book. But that aspect is also true. but it doesn't mean anything unless we personalize it. The reason we say homage to the seven Buddhas before Buddha is that they represent innumerable Buddhas before Buddha, uncountable Buddhas before Buddha, because in Mahayana thinking, there have been many, many, many Buddhas before Shakyamuni. the Buddha that we consider the Buddha of our time, who said, I have just discovered the ancient path, followed by all the other Buddhas. So these seven Buddhas represent innumerable Buddhas of the past. And then Shakyamuni Buddha and Maitreya Buddha, who is the Buddha of the future.

[22:09]

Someday Maitreya Buddha will appear, but actually you are Maitreya Buddha. Someday you will appear in truth. Someday your enlightened being will come forth. It's already there waiting to be stimulated. Each one of us, in a sense, is Maitreya Buddha. Each one of us goes through the life cycle of all the Buddhas. Each one of us goes through the life cycle of Shakyamuni Buddha. You say that in the past all the ancestors were just like we are. extraordinary people, just like you.

[23:19]

And Manjushri Bodhisattva is our wisdom mind. We say Manjushri Bodhisattva is the teacher of all the Buddhas, and represents our non-dualistic mind. Samantabhadra, Bodhisattva, represents our practice. When we practice, we are Samantabhadra, fugen, bosatsu. And Avalokiteśvara is our deeply compassionate mind, which hears the cries of all the world. And then we say homage to all the ancestors, the succession of ancestors, which means all those people who have made practice available throughout the generations.

[24:32]

So gratitude is an aspect of enlightenment. Gratitude for all the people that went before us is an aspect of enlightenment. and we identify with them. And then there are the four bodhisattva vows. Beings are numberless. I vow to save them. Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless. I vow to enter them. Buddha's way is unsurpassable. I vow to become it. The four bodhisattva vows are an expression of our enlightened mind. It means that we put others before ourself. But, strictly speaking, each of the four vows is a response to the four noble truths.

[25:37]

Life is suffering. life is subject to suffering is the first truth. So the response is that although beings are numberless, I vow to save them from suffering. Unnecessary suffering. You know, everyone goes through suffering. There's necessary suffering and then there's unnecessary suffering. When your friend dies, you have necessary suffering. But if you mourn too long, you have unnecessary suffering. If you can't move and take up your life again, you have unnecessary suffering. And we're always, through our karma, through our karmic actions,

[26:49]

We're continually causing unnecessary suffering in the world. So we vow to save each other and ourselves from unnecessary suffering. Delusions are inexhaustible. It's a response to the fact that suffering comes from inordinate desire. or delusion. We usually sometimes say desires are inexhaustible. This is the cause of our suffering and I vow to end them. I vow to put an end to delusive suffering, delusive desire. Dharma gates are boundless. I vow to enter them. It's a response to the third truth, which is

[27:50]

I vow to pay attention to all teachings of Buddhism. And the Buddha's way is unsurpassable. I vow to become it. It means I will be the teaching itself. I will be one with the teaching. I will be one with truth. And then there are the refuges. I take refuge in Buddha. I take refuge in Dharma. I take refuge in Sangha. Three jewels. We also say, I can say, I return to my true nature. I return to Buddha means I return to my true nature or I become one with my true nature. Taking refuge in Buddha is also zazen.

[28:56]

Zazen is to return to your true nature or take refuge in your true nature as Buddha, the Buddha within yourself, not some other Buddha. And to take refuge in Dharma is to take refuge in the truth within yourself. and to pay attention to the law of existence. And to take refuge in Sangha is to identify with everyone, to see everyone as yourself. The Buddha the law and the people.

[30:03]

And then there are the three pure precepts. Pure precepts are general, kind of generalized, but to refrain from all evil and to do what is good and to live for the benefit of all beings. Those are the three pure precepts. And the ten grave precepts. I vow not to kill, not to take what is not given, not to misuse sexuality, refrain from false speech, to refrain from intoxicants, not to slander, not to praise self at the expense of others, not to be avaricious, not to harbor ill will, and not to abuse the three treasures. Very difficult. Simple, but difficult. And these ten precepts arise out of our own daily way of life.

[31:21]

They're not something imposed on us. People say, well, I don't like to have ten commandments. and something imposed on me. But they're not imposed on us. The precepts arise out of our own inner being. If you see, if you realize that, then you're not caught by them. And the precepts are not rules. They're guidelines for your behavior. They're ways to check ourselves, monitor our life so that we are always on the path. There should be no aspect of Buddhist practice which captivates you or which holds you prisoner or which dominates you.

[32:29]

Every aspect of Buddhist practice is to free you. And if you run across something that you don't feel is freeing you, or that you feel is dominating you, then you should question that. Why is this happening? What is this? Why do I feel this way? A precept will always challenge you. The precept always challenges our ego. We're always running up against our ego, no matter what we do. And we tend to blame the precept, often, instead of looking at ourself. Which is very common with people. We tend to blame others, rather than look at ourselves. Sometimes we tend to blame the practice.

[33:33]

Oh, if the practice wasn't to show you that way, it would be a lot better. If it didn't challenge my ego so much, it would be a lot better. But if the precepts give you a problem, that means that they're working. If your practice gives you a problem, it means that It's working. If your teacher gives you a problem, it could be working. Your relationship could be working. Sometimes, you know, your teacher may give you a problem and you feel it's not really working. But even so, you have to look at yourself. Sometimes the teacher is not good, and then you have to be able to discern.

[34:35]

Well, I will not do that because the teacher is wrong. You should know that. It's good if you can make that discernment. So, sometimes you need to help your teacher, because your teacher is always trying to help you, even when you think the teacher is not, or wrong, or something. So, there's one main precept. The main precept is, act like Buddha. All the rest are aspects of that precept.

[35:36]

Even if you think, well, how can I act like Buddha? I'm just Joe. But Joe is Buddha. And Buddha is Joe. Each one of us has the potential to manifest our Buddha nature. And through practice, and through difficulty, and through our problems that become stimulated, without a good problem, our nature doesn't become stimulated. Often we try to fix our problem. If you have a problem, you want to fix it. But we have to be careful, because even if you do fix your problem, another one will take its place.

[36:46]

So it's important to see the value of our problem. If you can see the value of your problem, a lot of the problem will not be a problem. So this is our Bodhisattva ceremony, somewhat explained. And if you have any questions, please. I'm so curious about delusion. Can you talk about it a little? Sometimes it's called the folly. But delusion is basically taking

[38:01]

what is not for what is, and taking what is for what is not. In other words, taking what is detrimental, thinking that it's and having something good and thinking that it's detrimental. So, for most people, seeing the world in a polarized way is delusion. You know, we like candy.

[39:10]

And we like to keep eating candy, even though we know it's not good for us. That's kind of a delusion. And candy comes in many forms. So, wanting pleasure But knowing that whatever pleasure we have, we have to pay for it. Or not knowing that is delusion. Not knowing that whatever we get for nothing, we have to pay for. Everything has to be paid for in some way or another. Piper always has to be paid. So whatever we're doing, we may not feel the result of what of our actions at the moment, but we feel it later.

[40:13]

Then we say, oh, God, all this time I've been doing this. This is very abstract, right? But accumulating will is a kind of delusion for the sake of will. But basically delusion means dualistic thinking. It means not realizing who we are and not realizing who we're not. For instance, According to Buddhism, basic arrogance is, I am alive. That's basic dualistic arrogance.

[41:23]

Or to not realize how the laws of cause and effect That's delusion. And to not realize that there is no self is delusion. To think there is a substantial self is delusion. To not realize that there isn't is a delusion. So delusion is rampant. To not realize that this is a dream is delusion. To not realize that we live in a dream is delusion. So it's a big subject, delusion. Matter of fact, just this very life itself, as we live it, is called the realm of delusion.

[42:32]

because we see everything in a partial way. We don't see in a total and complete way. And the way to let go of delusion is to let go of partiality, to let go of our partial thinking and views. Buddha says, as long as you have views, views are delusive, because they're partial. So, why we practice zazen is to let go of our partiality and our views. let go of everything and just experience totality, which is beyond words, beyond thinking, beyond our experience.

[43:50]

And when we do have this experience beyond our experience. We feel much gratitude when we pay homage to all the Buddhas and ancestors. So the result of letting go is gratitude. Gratitude is the expression of enlightenment. letting go of partiality and abuse and immersing ourselves in reality.

[44:54]

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