It's my birthday!
I'm still at Sesshin so this is another scheduled post, but a very special one - today is my Dharma birthday! Exactly one year ago today I took Jukai and was given the name Sei Shin (Clear Heart).
To celebrate this fact, I am posting the precepts of Bodhidharma and Dogen Zenji. In the Diamond Sangha we recite these precepts together during full moon and jukai ceremonies. They are jam packed with meaning and significance and certainly inspired my own personal vows.
Practicing the precepts has become my life. I can't think of a better way to say that. They are significant and relevant every day, in every situation. Zen's moral and ethical teachings (Sila) are given as much significance as zazen (Samadhi). Without practicing either one, there can be no genuine wisdom (Prajna). As Aitken Roshi says, students that don't practice leaning on nothing in their own daily lives "are like the elementary school student whose education is just a series of workbooks."
I'm doing a terrible job here trying to explain things here, or articulating the immense significance and relevence of the precepts so I'll leave it to Bodhidharma and Dogen.
The First Grave Precept: Not Killing
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the everlasting Dharma, not giving rise to concepts of killing is called the Precept of Not Killing."
Dogen Zenji: "The Buddha-seed grows in accordance with not taking life. Transmit the life of Buddha's wisdom and do not kill."
The Second Grave Precept: Not Stealing
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the unattainable Dharma, not having thoughts of gaining is called the Precept of Not Stealing."
Dogen Zenji: "The self and the things of the world are just as they are. The gate of emancipation is open."
The Third Grave Precept: Not Misusing Sex
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the ungilded Dharma, not creating a veneer of attachment is called the Precept of Not Misusing Sex."
Dogen Zenji: "The Three Wheels are pure and clear. When you have nothing to desire, you follow the way of all Buddhas."
The Fourth Grave Precept: Not Lying
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the inexplicable Dharma, not preaching a single word is called the Precept of Not Lying."
Dogen Zenji: "The Dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither surplus nor lack. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest."
The Fifth Grave Precept: Not Giving or Taking Drugs
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the intrinsically pure Dharma, not giving rise to delusions is called the Precept of Not Giving or Taking Drugs."
Dogen Zenji: "Drugs are not brought in yet. Don't let them invade. That is the great light."
The Sixth Grave Precept: Not Discussing Faults of Others
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the flawless Dharma, not expounding upon error is called the Precept of Not Speaking of Faults of Others."
Dogen Zenji: "In the Buddha Dharma, there is one path, one Dharma, one realization, one practice. Don't permit fault-finding. Don't permit haphazard talk."
The Seventh Grave Precept: Not Praising Yourself While Abusing Others
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the equitable Dharma, not dwelling upon I against you is called the Precept of Not Praising Yourself While Abusing Others."
Dogen Zenji: "Buddhas and Ancestral Teachers realize the empty sky and the great earth. When they manifest the noble body, there is neither inside nor outside in emptiness. When they manifest the Dharma body there is not even a bit of earth on the ground."
The Eighth Grave Precept: Not Sparing the Dharma Assets
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the genuine, all-pervading Dharma, not being stingy about a single thing is called the Precept of Not Sparing the Dharma Assets."
Dogen Zenji: "One phrase, one verse - that is the ten thousand things and one hundred grasses; one dharma, one realization - that is all Buddhas and Ancestral Teachers. Therefore, from the beginning, there has been no stinginess at all."
The Ninth Grave Precept: Not Indulging in Anger
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the selfless Dharma, not contriving reality for the self is called the Precept of Not Indulging in Anger."
Dogen Zenji: "Not advancing, not retreating, not real, not empty. There is an ocean of bright clouds. There is an ocean of solemn clouds."
The Tenth Grave Precept: Not Defaming the Three Treasures
Bodhidharma: "Self-nature is subtle and mysterious. In the realm of the One, not holding dualistic concepts of ordinary beings and sages is called the Precept of Not Defaming the Three Treasures."
Dogen Zenji: "The teisho of the actual body is the harbor and the weir. This is the most important thing in the world. Its virtue finds its home in the ocean of essential nature. It is beyond explanation. We just accept it with respect and gratitude."
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