Roshi continued our study of the six Paramitas this week.  To recap, last time, we focused on ‘Dana’ or generosity.  Roshi reminded us that Dana should not be based on self-interest, rather Dana is generated from the inherent boundlessness of existence.  Dana is recognizing this and allowing this boundlessness to flow through us.  It is the exact opposite of the “scarcity mindset” which plagues so many of us in modern society.

 

This week we focused on the Paramita of Sila or Buddhist ethics.  Sila arose because the historical Buddha was concerned about the behaviors monks would need to engage in to truly become liberated.  Our practice is about discovering those things which hold us back from realization.  At one level, our fundamental desires are a big part of this hinderance.  Roshi noted that the heart wants liberation, but our physical nature always gets in the way.  These desires are part of us, however and cannot easily be ignored.  The Sila, or ethical rules, simply recognize this reality and provide “guardrails” to ensure that these desires do not overcome our drive to liberation.  

 

Roshi noted that during the time of the historical Buddha, there were hundreds of Sila rules.  These rules covered everything from how to take in food to how to deal with the opposite sex.  There were rules for how to use the bathroom to what possessions a monk could have (very few!)  Over time these rules were adjusted and modified to ensure they were skillful and were focused on enabling liberation.  The guiding rule for Buddhist ethics always comes down to eliminating distractions so one can focus on the great matter at hand – Liberation.  This corpus of rules eventually evolved into the Jukai practice we observe to this day.  

 

Roshi noted that in the Jukai practice, there are three distinct levels or guiding principles.  The first, and most foundational, is ‘Do No Harm‘.  This is a very simple principle, but it is very important.  It is from this we get the “Restraining Rules like eschewing killing, stealing, violence, etc.  Clearly, we need to stop being harmful before we can even contemplate saving all beings.  

 

Once we have our harmful nature under control, we can start working on the next set of practices – namely ‘Doing Good‘.  Here we are looking to generate merit in the universe.  What is merit?  It could be practicing meditation, chanting, being mindful.  However, it can also be giving someone a smile or a kind word.  

 

The highest level Roshi mentioned was “To be of Benefit to Others”.  Needless to say, we must be accomplished in the first two levels of Sila before we can really approach this third level.  Here the goal is to behave in such a way that we eliminate the suffering of all beings.  Roshi pointed out that in the US many people claiming to be Zen teachers do more harm than good because they fixate on saving all beings without having really mastering the first two levels.

 

Roshi wrapped up by noting that nowhere in the Jukai ceremony is the term ‘Bodhisattva’ ever mentioned.  Why is this?  He likened the Jukai to a Recipe.  Except for the title, the recipe never talks about the item one is creating.  It talks about ingredients and steps to create the item.  Jukai is the exact same thing.  We are the ingredients, the Sila are the steps, and Bodhisattvas are what is made.  Roshi reminded us that if we follow this recipe of liberation step by step – 1, 2, and 3, we are guaranteed to get the perfect result every time.