And a good way to start the new year. There wasn't as much machine gunning. It's not very appropriate.

[02:01]

On New Year's Eve, just after midnight, everybody wrote something down on a piece of paper that they wanted to work on, or get rid of, or deal with, and put it in a file. Not so easy. Often I tell people, if you want to do something, make some improvement in your life or change, do something small. by little, even if it is a big change, and to not be discouraged by falling down or not being able to accomplish right away or completely what we set out to do.

[03:45]

and the problem that we set up. recorded by his students. And Dogen is talking about precepts.

[05:17]

Eijo asks him about precepts. And Dogen says, you should maintain the precepts and regulations. Still, it is wrong to insist upon them as essential, establishing them as a practice, and expect to be able to gain the way by observing them. And Doge is not denying that, but he's putting a different kind of emphasis on precepts. And there is a Vinaya school, in Japanese, the Ritsu school, which kind of atrophied. After Buddhism came to Japan, the precept school, where precepts were the most prominent practice,

[06:26]

kind of faded out. And of course, this is also considered a kind of criticism of Japanese Buddhism. But anyway, he says, don't expect to gain the way by only observing precepts. To follow them, just because they are the activities of Zen monks, to follow them just because they're the activity of, in other words, they're the kind of style or basis for behavior, but not because they lead to enlightenment. take them as the primary practice.

[07:29]

I don't mean to say, however, that you should break the precepts and become self-indulgent. Clinging to such an attitude is an evil view and not that of a Buddhist practitioner. We follow the precepts or regulations simply because they form the standard for a Buddhist and are the tradition of some monasteries. While I was staying at Chinese monasteries, I met no one who took them as the primary For the attainment of the Way, devoting all effort to Zazen alone, has been transmitted among the Buddhist ancestors. For this reason, I taught a fellow student of mine, Go Gen Bo, a disciple of Zen Master Eisai, to abandon his strict adherence of keeping the precepts and reciting the precept sutra day and night." In other words, there are sutras which are devoted to precepts.

[08:32]

or anything that falls outside of the precepts. So one becomes precept-bound, rule-bound, So there's no spontaneity to your life. You're only just simply being carefully monitored by rules. So Ajo asks, when we practice and learn the way in Zen monastery, we should keep the pure regulations Chang Chingyi, or the regulations for Zen Monastery.

[09:45]

It says that receiving and maintaining the precepts is the prerequisite. In this tradition, the fundamental precept also has been handed down. In the oral and face-to-face transmission of this lineage, the students are given the precepts transmitted from the West or from India. These are the Bodhisattva precepts. Also, it says in the Precept Sutra that people must recite the sutra day and night. So then, if Ejo is asking, he says, then why do you have us discontinue this practice of reciting? If it says so in the sutra, in the bhajan, it says so, how come you, Dogen, are asking us not to do this practice? And Dogen replied, you're correct, you're right. Practitioners of the Way certainly ought to maintain Hyakujo's regulations. The form of maintaining the regulations is receiving and observing the precepts and practicing zazen and so forth.

[11:15]

The meaning of reciting the precept sutra day and night and observing the precepts single-mindedly is nothing other than practicing shikantaza. In other words, shikantaza is practicing the precepts. that it's more of an intuitive regulation rather than an imposed regulation of rules. So that your behavior comes from inside rather than being regulated strictly from outside. When we sit zazen, what precept is not observed and what merit is not actualized? Well, it's easy to keep the precepts when you're sitting zazen.

[12:17]

But when you walk out the door, that's the hard part. The way of practice carried on by the ancient masters had a profound meaning. without holding on to personal preferences, we should go along with the assembly and practice in accordance with those ways. The Mahala Sutra has 10 major precepts and 48 minor precepts. Those are called Bodhisattva precepts.

[13:21]

Later, they were reduced down to 16 precepts, which is what is observed by most of the schools in Japan today. is that precepts are not something imposed on us to restrict our behavior, but something which comes from inside. It is our natural request for how to behave, which comes through zazen and through the practice of shikantaza, which is a non-dual activity. The problem is we develop habits and are easily influenced and assessed, become assessed through our emotions and our thinking mind.

[14:33]

And it's very difficult to control our body-mind and our habits and our emotions. So a Zen student should have some self-control. If we can't control our mind and our emotions, then it's very difficult to practice, and we create problems for ourselves and others. So, Jungian is not saying that we shouldn't practice precepts, but he's taking a middle way. In his time, did away with all kinds of precepts.

[15:37]

Those teachers said that it was impossible in this particular age, 1300, in the 13th century, to practice. And so chanting the name of Buddha was a salvation, the only way to salvation. not using presets as a guide. So the ten precepts become koans in the Zen school, because they are in different levels.

[17:09]

There are at least three different levels. So when we had a Bodhisattva ceremony a little while ago, we recite the precepts. And then I recite Dogen's precepts. So we say, I vow not to kill. not killing the life, not killing life. The Buddha's Hebrews transmit the life of Buddha to not kill. This is Dogon's precept.

[18:15]

So I'm going to talk a little bit about Dogon's precepts in relation to the ten precepts. So the first one is, I vow not to kill. And Dogon says, not killing life, the Buddha seed grows, transmit the life of Buddha and do not kill. So what does not killing life mean? Literally, it means don't willfully do something, take life from some other creature. But it's impossible not to take life in this life because What life is, is taking life. Everything, all existence, everything that lives is taking life, something else, in order to exist.

[19:18]

You may be a vegetarian, and each one contains life. So how do you not kill while killing? How do you not take life? This is a koan, and you can see that there are various levels for this admonition. not killing, the Buddha seed grows. So how do we take life? Buddhist and Zen practice, eating is a practice.

[20:43]

It's not just eating. Food is served, it is cooked and served in a very ceremonious way, and eaten in a very ceremonious way. So the consciousness of this transformation, The same food eaten in a different setting doesn't taste the same. There's something about the consciousness and the care. So even though the energy is being transferred, it's not called killing.

[22:04]

Cikantaza means just doing something without Before the white man came to America, and even during the first few hundred years, the Indians had the same attitude toward not only whatever they ate, all of life, the birds and the trees. not stealing, no stealing.

[23:35]

And Dogen says, self and objects are such, two yet one. The gate of liberation stands open. This is actually a kind of monk's precept, because monks are dependent on You can't even make your own food, so you beg for food. And if people appreciate your practice, they put something in your bowl. If not, then you don't eat. But he was just standing out to the side.

[24:43]

And I realized he couldn't eat because he had to be served. of what comes, we accept. What doesn't come, we forget about. And if your practice is virtuous, you will always be supported. That's the attitude of a monk. So your whole life depends on your practice. And there's some kind of trust in the universe

[25:45]

Then, the third vow is not to misuse sexuality. Dogen says, let the three wheels of self, objects, and action be pure, with nothing to desire, one goes along together with the Buddhas. Well, sexual activity is Sexual activity is not good or bad, right? It's just a natural phenomenon for procreation and allowing the mind to become obsessed with something.

[27:35]

And it's not that there's something wrong with the sexual act. What the problem is, is our attachment to another person, or our attachment to our own desires. So, Tolkien says, let the three wheels of self, objects, and action be pure. So what is the purity? Purity means that when you do something, know what in love with ourself, it's very hard to know, is it the other person that I'm in love with, or is it my desire that I'm in love with?

[29:00]

And we transfer the desire to the object, which is the other person. And we don't see that. need, if you feel, I need this other person, then that neediness is you. So to love someone means to do the best for that other person, not what's necessarily best for you, but to do something, what's best for this other person, regardless of what my need is. That's more in the area of love. Whereas what we construe as love often is neediness, our own neediness. And then we say, oh, I am in love with... But it's just a cover for our own obsessions and neediness.

[30:08]

there is either surplus or lack. It means that it's not, you don't lack anything, and there's not too much. The sweet Jew, I'm sorry, with nothing to desire, I'm reading the wrong line, with nothing to desire, one goes along and the other others. And then, the fourth one, I vowed to refrain from false speech. He says, The Dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither surplus nor lack. The sweet dew saturates all and harvests the truth. always there.

[31:39]

And there's nothing to lack, and there's not too much. The sweet dew is like the dharma. Dharma saturates all. It's like when you walk out of the rain, It saturates all and harvests the truth. So there's no need to be false. If there's some need to be false, what is the problem? What are you lacking? And then, The next one is, I vow not to sell the wine of delusion.

[32:45]

Often this precept is, don't sell liquor to people. But actually, not to sell the wine of delusion is more, deeper. And Dogon says, originally pure, don't defile. This is the great awareness. In other words, from the beginning. Why mess it up? Why fiddle with it? Why try to make it different? Why try to find a different reality? Everything that we use to change our consciousness even though it may look brighter, it's just a way to delude ourselves.

[33:47]

And then the next one is, I vow not to slander. And Dogen says, in the Buddha dharma, go together, appreciate, realize, and Be careful about talking about others. Everyone is in a different place. If you say something about somebody that's a criticism, that sticks in somebody's mind.

[35:06]

And then when you think about that person, you think about that criticism. This happens. It's almost impossible not to do that. This is how politics works. You just keep slamming your opponent. And then every time you hear about that person, you think, oh yeah, they're bad, they have all these problems, faults. You can't help thinking that. Good people are defeated through slander. self and then at the expense of others. In other words, not to raise yourself up by criticizing others.

[36:08]

Often, you know, if we can't get, if people are on this level and we want to get higher but we don't have the ability, we tend to put the other one down so that we'll be higher without having to worry about it. It happens all the time. Dogen says, Buddhas and ancestors realize the vast sky and the great earth. They manifest the noble body. When they manifest the noble body, there is neither inside nor outside an emptiness, nor a bit of earth on the ground. In other words, what is this praising of self, since there is really no self to praise, and putting others down, since there's no self to put down? The Buddha, when they manifest the noble body, There is neither inside nor outside an emptiness. What is this pettiness of trying to raise ourself up in some way and create an ego? Putting people down is just one way of doing it.

[37:14]

The other part is just how we want to be recognized and how we want to be set up in some way Everybody will think we're wonderful. If we want everybody to think we're wonderful, we should do something wonderful. Like letting go of that need to feel wonderful. But, you know, we all do. We all want praise. We all want recognition. You know? It's true. But there's a saying, if you want to have a friend, Then the next one is, I vow not to be avaricious. And then Dogon says, one phrase, one verse is the 10,000 things and the 100 grasses.

[38:16]

One dharma, one realization is all Buddhas and ancestors. From the beginning there has been no stinginess at all. This is a little difficult. One phrase is like, move. 100 grasses means the various existences. In other words, if you have, whatever you have contains everything. We don't need so much. And also, to work on one practice, take on so much.

[39:28]

Just really penetrate one thing is enough. That's what Dogen is saying. And then the next one is, I vow not to harbor ill will. Dogen says, neither negative nor positive, neither real nor unreal. There is an ocean of illuminated clouds and an ocean Don't fall into one side. Don't fall into the side of good or bad. Don't become attached to your anger. Sometimes the clouds are And then the last one is, I vow not to abuse the three treasures, the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

[40:49]

So he says, to expound the Dharma, Dogen says, to expound the Dharma with his body is foremost. In other words, be the Dharma. Express the Dharma with his body. Virtue returns to the unfathomable ocean of reality. life. taking seriously the precepts, especially the precept of letting our precepts come from within and honoring the precepts within us.

[42:38]

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