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Section IV: Nehan-e - Assembly Upon the Parinirvana of Buddha

Chapter One: Buddha's Enlightenment and Humankind

... As they began to recognize the importance of law, humankind rediscovered the way of meditation. ... Through the Precepts, the transmission of the Precepts, we understand what awakening is, what are the contents of awakening. ... When we are in the muddy road, to hate being in the muddy road doesn't do anything. The first thing is to step out of it, or find out how to walk in the muddy road. Hatred is extra. If there is some problem, kindly deal with it, take care of it yourself, in the right way. ... In primitive Buddhist orders, Precepts, meditation, and wisdom or sutra, together, are called sangaku, three learnings, and one always contains the other two.

Jukai, Receiving the Precepts

... With jukai, it is not yet achieved; but for Buddha, it is achieved, so he can say, "You're on the track."

Chapter Two: Sange

... this enormous energy of desire, this life strength, this desire to survive, causes fear. ... Seeing, hearing, sensing, intuiting the nature of utter truth are the functioning of our eyes, ears, and sense of touch. So we repent. ... Actually, when repentence, self-acknowledgement, is completed, all qualities of Buddha nature, all Precepts, are already accomplished in the existence of our avowal. ... Now I cannot do it without giving zazen deep respect. Physically, it is almost nothing, like brushing your teeth or going to bed, but it is hard to really let it arise and let me do it ...

Chapter Three: Triple Treasure

... "Buddha, Dharma, Sangha" means "ultimate awakening, truth, all beings." ... totally admit you are as you are, and totally trust in being ... We came from Truth, we are in Truth, and we will go back to Truth ... Seeing yourself as an enormous, long life is what this repentence is ... Sangha means the whole of existence

Chapter Four: Three Pure Precepts and Prohibitory Precepts

Three Pure Precepts

First, to embrace and sustain right conduct.

Second, to embrace and sustain every good.

Third, to embrace and sustain all beings.

Prohibitory Precepts

.. It doesn't matter whether you realize it or not. Bodily participation in zazen, itself, is the proof. Zazen is the concrete form of the utter belief in who you are, and there is no thinking about it, or about anything. ... Whether we exist alone or among all, these Precepts express extremely kind concern, letting us know what truth is.

Chapter Five: No Killing Life, No Stealing, No Attaching to Fulfillment ... Precepts exist to cause a dilemma for us, and a deeper understanding of what this giving/taking life is.

First Precept: No Killing Life ... If we take this Precept literally, the only way to keep it is to die without food.

Second Precept: No Stealing ... The basic recognition of this Precept contains the dilemma of possessing everything and anything, and possessing nothing. This is the human contradiction.

Third Precept: No Attaching to Fulfillment ... There is only you and Absolute Being, so there is basic confusion in having two objects as the Absolute. Yet, the ethical meaning of this Precept is quite obvious. Adultery is a confused state.

... "Self nature is mysteriously profound. Truth of no attachment. Not to give birth to attaching to loving is called 'no desiring,' 'fu in yoku,' 'no wrong, no scattered desiring.'

Chapter Six: No Illusory Words, No Selling the Wine of Delusion, No Dwelling on Past Mistakes, No Praise or Blame, No Hoarding Materials or Teachings

Fourth Precept: No Illusory Words ... We lie, tentatively, and then we get into more problems. ... It has to be worked out.

Fifth Precept: No Selling the Wine of Delusion ... The unity of energy with other existences is very delicate, and if we are intoxicated, we lose the opportunity to unite with them.

Sixth Precept: No Dwelling on Past Mistakes ... The true loving quality which appears with words is necessary if we wish to relate with other people.

Seventh Precept: No Praise or Blame ... Like a scale, always the mind acts to put yourself high and others low. In Buddha mind there is no such activity.

Eighth Precept: No Hoarding Materials or Teachings ... Even yourself doesn't belong to you! You are everything. This means you actually have no self to limit.

Chapter Seven: No Being Angry, No Abusing the Triple Treasure ... When we study the Precepts we are studying our life in a very clear way. You come to it with an empty mind.

Ninth Precept: No Being Angry ... To turn the contents of anger into wisdom, you live it and learn something from it. ...

Tenth Precept: No Abusing the Triple Treasure - Buddha, Dharma, Sangha ... To think of the Triple Treasure somewhere outside of you is the beginning of abusing, departing, from it. You are keeping yourself from it. ... From the very beginning, utter belief that you are Buddha, is required.

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