Good morning. This afternoon we're having a lay ordination ceremony, so I thought that I would talk a bit. Can you hear me in the back? Talk a bit about what the meaning of ordination is and about the center of The ceremony, of course, is taking the precepts, 16 Bodhisattva precepts. Back in Buddha's time, Shakyamuni Buddha's time, people were attracted to Shakyamuni Buddha, and during his lifetime, they formed a Sangha. which is the members of a group.

[01:00]

And if someone wanted to be ordained, Shakyamuni would say, follow me. That was it. Of course, now, as time went on and Shakyamuni left, he went, of course, he didn't go anywhere. We call it dying. The Sangha created more elaborate ceremonies for ordination. That's what happens. Bureaucracy takes over from simplicity, which is, you know, it's a natural thing. So we don't like some of the people that are not They don't like bureaucracy, don't like it. And the people who do like it, do like it, so they keep it going.

[02:04]

But it's important. Some kind of bureaucracy is important. The bureau of this and the bureau of that. I don't want to talk about bureaus. I want to talk about ordination. So, gradually, ordination became more elaborate. After Buddha passed on, the monks created a very elaborate precepts, two hundred and something for priests and maybe a hundred more for men. maybe a hundred more for women. Precepts are not bad things. They just help us to be free from attachment. I think that

[03:10]

our habits become ingrained and then we become attached to our habitual way of doing things. And then it's a kind of addiction. Most everybody is addicted to something. We don't think of it as addictions. We usually use the word addiction for dope and liquor. and things like that, extreme. But we are addicted to our everyday habits and our likes and dislikes. And so the mild form of addiction is called attachment. So everyone is subject to attachment because we have emotions and thoughts and feelings These are all the equipment that we have for forming attachments, which is natural.

[04:19]

But the problem is, attachments are good. Some attachments are good, and some attachments are really bad. So, attachments lead to suffering. And so Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha said, I only teach what causes suffering and how to deal with it. That's all I teach." But of course he taught more than that. But that was his basic teaching, how to let go of attachments, to find your freedom from attachments. So we think of freedom often as the freedom to do whatever we want. But that freedom to do whatever we want is the cause of addiction and attachment. So what is freedom? This is a big problem. What is freedom? So in most cultures, in most spiritual practices, freedom to do

[05:32]

what we want, but the problem is, then what do we want? So I think life is like a maze. We're born into this life, and then at some point, there are all these directions that are open to us, and the maze is full of directions. but only one of them leads to the other side, the exit door, so to speak. So, Buddhadharma is about how to find the right path that leads to the ultimate goal without finding dead ends. So, When we just follow our desires, we often enter these pathways which are very seductive without thinking about what is the end result.

[06:44]

And we find that we come to a dead end. So when people get to be 50 or 60 or 70 or whatever, they say, well, I lived all my life. doing this, and it became a dead end. So we want to avoid that. And so Buddha says, to avoid suffering, we have to be careful about what we attach to. So therefore, In Buddha's time, just after Buddha, the monks set up these rules or precepts to follow, which supposedly keep us from falling into unwholesome attachments that cause suffering.

[07:48]

So in time, when Buddha, the Dharma proceeded to China from India, the monks followed pretty much the Vinaya, which it is called, the precepts. When the Dharma came to Japan from China, the monks the teachers, the head monk, the leaders of the various sects of Buddhism in Japan, reduced the precepts to 16. In order to trim the tree, a lot of the precepts, the various categories of precepts, was in the 250. They let go of the categories and simply because a lot of them were just local categories, you know, like how to eat.

[08:55]

In India, you eat with your fingers. In China, you eat with chopsticks. And in Japan, you eat with chopsticks and a spoon. So, that kind of local precept is like, don't mash the When you make a rice ball, don't mash it into your face, and don't lean over and take a rice ball from your neighbor. Really. So it's not necessary to follow local precepts, right? So what are the most fundamental precepts? The most fundamental precepts were reduced to 16. The first three being to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

[09:56]

Those are the first three. And if you take refuge in Refuge means safety. Another way of saying it is to take refuge, not to, now I return to Buddha, now I return to Dharma, now I return to Sangha. So it's like we've strayed in our life from precepts which are frugal attachment. And then we return to our basic nature. The thing about precepts is that it looks like the precepts are imposed on you, but actually they're not imposed on you. Precepts are, they're not suggestions, but they're So, if we understand the guiding principles, the guiding principles elicit our own need and our own request for guidance.

[11:20]

So, the guidance actually, the precepts, give us a suggestion of how to conduct ourselves, but the actual conducting of ourselves comes from inside. So in Zen practice, it's not like we follow rules, but because we have the precepts which are guiding principles, it awakens our own understanding, and so our understanding comes from within ourself. The guiding principles are simply just that. So when we conduct ourselves, it's almost impossible to follow completely the guiding principles. If there were rules, which there were back in the old days, killing the Buddha, killing your parents, doing stuff like that, you'd be kicked out of the Sangha forever.

[12:43]

And then there were various rules. actually, having sex, if you were a monk, you'd be kicked, if you did have, you'd be kicked out and you couldn't return. So, these rules are very strict, but our rule, our precepts, you know, morality changes over time and the way we approach life changes over time. And so, we have to, the precepts become more like guiding principles instead of rules. So if you break the precepts, but we don't, when you do something that is counter to the precepts, it's not necessarily breaking the precepts. We call it staining the precepts because it's not your intention to break the rules, but you just can't help yourself.

[13:45]

You know, life forces drive us to do things that are against the rules. Every one of us has impulses that drive us to go against the rules. And if it was breaking the rules, none of us would be able to practice the Dharma. We'd all be kicked out. So we don't do it that way. we have compassion for ourselves and for each other. So when we transgress the rules, I mean, the precepts, it's staining. And so there's a way of repenting. And of course, this is always also true in the ancient saga. What they used to do, they had the uposata ceremony once or twice a month, depending on which school the full moon ceremony and the new moon ceremony where the monks would come together and if they had transgressed the precepts, they would admit what they had done in front of the Sangha, and then they would be assigned some kind of retribution.

[15:08]

And if they had done something that really was major, they'd either be kicked out or had some kind of repentance they had to go through. So, in Japan, precepts, because of the kind of attitudes that Japanese have. They don't so much pay attention to the precepts, literally. like Suzuki Roshi, was the kind of priest who felt that precepts come from inside, not from outside.

[16:29]

And if you were a well-trained monk, a well-trained practitioner, you would understand the precepts internally, and you wouldn't need the guidance of imposed precepts. That works well for highly developed people. But for people who aren't so highly developed, they should really follow the precepts. I'm going to talk about the precepts, which we should all follow, even though they're imposed. But at the same time, we have to realize that life is not rigid. Life, you know, it's like life is malleable and we're driven by internal or Nature is expressing itself through us.

[17:39]

And so, how do we not control nature, but how do we control ourselves to work with nature and let nature work in a way that benefits ourself and others? To me, that's the precepts. So, you know, Like Suzuki Roshi said for himself, he said, the meaning of precepts is compassion. If you work on compassion, if compassion is your wisdom, the balance of wisdom and compassion is the basis of precepts. And if you are concentrated on compassion and wisdom, that's the precepts. and you're following all the precepts. So we have to understand what compassion is and what wisdom is. So there's three pure precepts.

[18:57]

return to Buddha, return to Dharma, return to Sangha, is the basis of compassionate action and wisdom. So the Buddha is the, you are Buddha. Each one of us is Buddha. We don't, although Buddha is the whole universe, we are microcosms. Each one of us is a microcosm of the universe. You want to understand the universe, just understand yourself. So the basic precept is act like Buddha. Sorry, but it's not easy. But that's the basic precept. In order to follow Buddha's path, we follow Buddha. But there's nobody in front of us. We do follow the wisest people, hopefully. If you have a good teacher, even if he's not around, he's not around or has died, you still follow your teacher's guidance.

[20:11]

And the Dharma is the truth, the reality of practice. And you practice with the Sangha. You yourself are the Sangha. but all the people that you are associated with is the Sangha, and everybody encourages everybody else. That's the main practice, is the practice of Sangha. So here are the 10 precepts. The 10, they're often called prohibitory precepts or grave precepts. grave, it means deep and profound. But here they're called clear mind precepts. I like to use that, clear mind precepts. To me, clear mind precepts means not knowing anything but being totally open, means clarity, right, and freshness.

[21:25]

So instead of, you know, feeling the weight of precepts, of grave precepts, they're very profound, but profanity is also in the clear mind, right? So the first, often the precepts, the 10 prohibitory precepts are, they just state, don't do this, don't do that, don't do this, and don't do that. But here the precepts are, avoid this, but do that. So they're both negative and positive, rather than just negative. So these are the precepts that we use now. So we say, I resolve not to kill, but to cherish all life.

[22:30]

So that's the negative and the positive, right? One is the question, the other is the statement, the other is the response. I resolve not to steal or take what's not given, but to honor the gift not yet given. And I resolve not to misuse sexuality, but remain faithful in relationships. I resolve not to lie, but to communicate the truth. I resolve not to sell or use the wine and drugs of delusion, but to polish clarity. I resolve not to dwell on the mistakes of others, but to create wisdom from ignorance. I resolve not to praise myself and downgrade others, but to maintain modesty, putting others first. I resolve not to withhold spiritual or material aid, but to share understanding, giving freely of self. I resolve not to harbor ill will, but to dwell in equanimity.

[23:33]

And I resolve not to abuse the three treasures in respecting the Buddha, unfolding the Dharma, and nourishing the Sangha. So, there are two ways to understand or to approach these precepts. One is ordinary. Do this, don't do that. Don't do this, do that. That's a kind of dualistic way of thinking. But actually, each one of these precepts is approached as a koan. Meaning, although this is right, the other side is, it's not necessarily right. It's not what you think of it at face value. For instance, the first precept, I resolve or vow not to kill.

[24:36]

It's impossible not to kill. Everything is killing something. Every one of us, every time we eat, we're killing something. It seems like we're killing something, but what does killing mean? We're taking life. Everything is taking life from something else. This is nature. This is a world of Devouring. In order to sustain ourselves, we have to take life from something else. So everything is taking life from something else. We're all guilty, but you're not guilty. Are we guilty or not guilty? This is a big question. What is meat for one, is vegetable for another? I'm still talking.

[25:46]

So, when we think about being generous and cherishing all life, right? Respect all life at the same time that we're eating it. This is why we always bow or chant something before we eat, because we're paying respect to that which we take life from. So that in order to nourish, we say taking life, but actually that which we eat is offering life to us. Maybe it wiggles and doesn't want to cooperate. You know, animals, like cats, for instance, they love to play with their prey, you know.

[26:55]

And certain animals will not eat dead prey. They only will eat live prey. But we have this judgment on it. We say, you know, because we're human and we have compassion, So nature, I can't say what part of nature has or doesn't have compassion, but humans do. It's characteristic of humans to have compassion for wiggling things. And everything wants to live. Everything wants to live, but everything has to die. That's our big koan. Everything that's born once has this desire to live, and the only way it can live is to kill something else.

[28:02]

This is a cruel world, but humans have compassion and judgment. So there are two aspects. One is everything is just the way it is. And the other is that humans have human, human animals, human beings have compassion, and this is the human condition. So, But at the same time, everything is the way it is. So, everything being the way it is, is one side, regardless of how we feel about it.

[29:05]

And as human beings, we want to… We have, we say we treat each other, you know, the golden rules that we have. Treat each other as we would like to be treated. And we have justice. Our laws are based on justice. But that's human feeling. Nature doesn't care. It doesn't care. But as humans, our society is built on taking care of each other, even though we don't do that very well. But it's based on taking care of each other.

[30:12]

So as humans, we have to do that. But we have to realize that there are both sides. And that whatever we build up will be destroyed. But we have to build it up anyway. So life is a big koan. So I've resolved not to kill. It's impossible, right? Not to kill. So this is a big koan for human beings. This precept is based on reality, not just the desire. It's our desire. So how do we fulfill that desire? How do we fulfill a desire not to kill when everything is being killed? And we are killing things all the time. We do this, and we're killing something. We're killing all the little microbes in our eyelids.

[31:13]

Walking down the street, you're breathing air, which is killing something. In our atmosphere, there are all kinds of living beings just floating around in the air, and we inhale them, and they help to nourish us, actually. You know, when the light is coming in from the window in the afternoon here, We see all these millions and billions of dust notes in the air floating around, and we're breathing them. So, the next precept—I'll leave you with that one—the next precept is, I resolve not to steal, but to honor the gift not yet given. And that's a very interesting statement. I resolve not to, in other words, you know, it's normal human desire to steal, and then we have a rule not to steal.

[32:23]

It doesn't belong to you. So what doesn't belong to you? Nothing. Nothing belongs to us. but we think that things belong to us, and we need things. This is mine and that's yours. So this is a double kind of standard, right? Things belong to me, and this is mine, and that is yours, and don't take what belongs to me. And then we put people in jail for stealing. But actually, on the other side, nothing belongs to us. This body is not mine. It's all nature. It's just all nature. And nature is dictating that what I call myself, this collection of causes and conditions, is produced from the mother, grows up in the world and learns how to steal.

[33:30]

learns how to take care of, you know, itself. And then it leaves. So that's not my thing. You know, that's not about me. It's about, you know, I cannot stop the fact that every day I get older. And you too. We start out this way and then we start going that way. At some point we start going that way and losing things. So it's necessary to have clothes, it's necessary to have food, it's necessary to have certain things that keep us happy and living and going on. But then there's the point where it's too much. And then we create the habit of acquiring.

[34:36]

At some point, we fall into the habit of acquiring and needing what we think we need. So our standard of living goes up, but it's actually going down. That's the koan of our standard of living, because we all need more and more. When you pass all these garages that are open, people don't put their cars in garages anymore, but you have to have a garage for your car. That's the rule. It's just junk. Junk. All these garages are full of junk. And this is our addiction. We're addicted to junk. We're addicted to beautiful You have to have this, you have to have that.

[35:37]

And if you don't, then you're considered poor. But the monk is pure. The monk's poorness is pure. It's pure poverty. That's impure poverty and pure poverty. So if people, I'll be terribly criticized for this, but if people knew how to take care of themselves without thinking that they're in poverty, they'd be happy. And there are many people who are, actually, who make the most of their situation. And instead of feeling deprived, they feel free. So this is the koan of taking and not taking. Taking what's not ours. Nothing is ours.

[36:38]

So everything is a gift. We think of everything as a gift. Our life is a gift. So then he said, but to honor the gift, to resolve not to steal, but to honor the gift not yet given, that's a weird statement. So I think it means no attachment to expectation. Just don't, just how to be satisfied without greed. is practice, practice, how to be satisfied without being greedy. So, but greed is imposed on us, and it's becoming, it's already become the standard. We don't think we're being greedy, but we are.

[37:43]

It's okay. But because we don't realize it, that's a problem. The problem is once we become aware, then we see the problem. And I think, you know, most of us see that as a problem. So in some sense, you know, we want more and more. These people have it and we don't. So we need it because they have it. We don't need it, but we only need it because they have it. We need to keep up with the Joneses. But actually, if we know how to be satisfied, we don't need that, and we're free to be creative. You know, creative people like artists and musicians and so forth, have to work another job.

[38:50]

There was a bumper sticker that said, real musicians, real musicians have day jobs. So, and artists, painters, the same. But they need the time rather than the work. They need the time in order to be creative. You know, so they form communities and support each other. Anyway, don't steal. Don't take what's not given. And then I resolve not to misuse sexuality. You know, originally, this was a monk's precept. don't have sex if you're a monk, just out of the question. And male monks were not allowed to associate with women at all.

[39:55]

You can't go out and sit next to a woman, you know, because you have to preserve your celibacy. And of course, the same with nuns. In America, we have lay people who practice the same way as priests, everybody practicing the same way. So you can't say to lay people, don't have sex because they're married or whatever, you know. And morality in our particular time is different for various reasons. So we say, don't, you know, remain faithful in relationships. Remain faithful in relationships. So if you have a relationship, you should, you know, whatever that means to be faithful in a relationship, but that's also very tricky, you know, because all relationships are not necessarily compatible.

[41:05]

But it's beyond sex. It actually is like all of our relationships, the sincerity of all our relationships is important. So the relationship between teacher and student is very similar to a sexual relationship in the sex. But it's not about the activity. It's about the sincerity of a relationship. nature drives us. Not all monks can be celibate. There are certain people who kind of like that and it's easy for them, but there are other people who are very difficult for them because nature is driving and their drives are not so easily controlled. But does that mean that they shouldn't be ordained? This is a problem with the Catholic Church. It's like nature is driving these celibate men.

[42:14]

And the rule is you're not supposed to do this. And if everybody really just followed the rules, there wouldn't be very many priests. So that's a big problem. So every one of these precepts is a koan. It's like, the koan is like an irresistible force meets a immovable object. That's the koan. So, but at the same time, It's like, do this and don't do that. That's the literal way to follow the precept. But actually, life's not like that. Life is more like that or like this.

[43:20]

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