Invoking Reality (eBook)

Chapter 1: The Moral and Ethical Teachings of Zen When Zen arrived and began to take root in this country, there arose a misconception about the role of morality and ethics in the practice of the Buddhadharma. Statements that Zen was beyond morality or that Zen was amoral were made by distinguished writers on Buddhism, and people assumed that this was correct. Yet nothing can be further from the truth. Enlightenment and morality are one. Enlightenment without morality is not true enlightenment. Morality without enlightenment is not complete morality. Zen is not beyond morality, but a practice that takes place within the world, based on moral and ethical teachings. Those moral and ethical teachings have been handed down with the mind-to-mind transmission from generation to generation. The Buddhist precepts form one of the most vital areas of spiritual practice. In essence, the precepts are a definition of the life of a Buddha, of how a Buddha functions in the world. They are how enlightened beings live their lives, relate to other beings, make moral and ethical decisions, manifest wisdom and compassion in everyday life. The precepts provide a way to see how the moral and ethical teachings in Buddhism can come to life in the workplace, in relationships, in government, business, and ecology. The first three precepts are vows to take refuge in the Three Treasures—,the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Buddha is the historical Buddha, but at the same time Buddha is each being, each creation. Dharma is the teaching of the Buddha, but at the same time Dharma is the whole phenomenal universe. And Sangha is the community of practitioners of the Buddha's Dharma, but at the same time Sangha is all sentient beings, animate and inanimate. The Three Pure Precepts are: 'not creating evil,' 'practicing good,' and 'actualizing good for others.' The Pure Precepts define the harmony, the natural order, of things. If we eschew evil, practice good, and actualize good for others, we are in harmony with the natural order of all things. Of course, it is one thing to acknowledge the Three Pure Precepts, but how can we practice them? How can we not create evil? How can we practice good? How can we actualize good for others? The way to do that is shown in the Ten Grave Precepts, which reveal the functioning of the Three Pure Precepts. The Ten Grave Precepts are: (1) Affirm life, do not kill, (2) Be giving, do not steal, (3) Honor the body, do not misuse sexuality, (4) Manifest truth, do not lie, (5) Proceed clearly, do not cloud the mind, (6) See the perfection, do not speak of others' errors and faults, (7) Realize self and other as one, do not elevate the self and blame others, (8) Give generously, do not be withholding, (9) Actualize harmony, do not be angry, (10) Experience the intimacy of things, do not defile the Three Treasures. The Sixteen Precepts—,taking refuge in the Three Treasures, the Three Pure Precepts, and the Ten Grave Precepts—,are not fixed rules of action or a code for moral behavior. They allow for changes in circumstances, for adjusting to the time, the particular place, your position, and the degree of action necessary in any given situation. When we don't hold on to an idea of ourselves and a particular way we have to react, then we are free to respond openly, with reverence for all the life involved. When we first begin Zen practice, we use the precepts as a guide for living our life as a Buddha. We want to know how to live in harmony with all beings, and we do not want to put it off until after we get enlightened. So, we practice the precepts. We practice them the same way we practice the breath, or...