The Eight Gates of Zen by John Daido Loori

Author:John Daido Loori
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala

5. THE LIFE OF A BUDDHA:

Right Action

When this Dharma 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 such as D.T. Suzuki, and people assumed that this was correct. 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 a moral and ethical teaching. That moral and ethical teaching has been handed down with the transmission from generation to generation. Unfortunately, not only was that seed of misconception to find its way into print, but no one bothered to correct it. So, for twenty years it sat there, and although there have been many teachers and many books on Zen, only one even addresses the subject. Somehow, the Dharma of moral and ethical teaching has not been expounded. Somehow, teachers who came from the East and those who have emerged here in the West have shied away from being categorized as moralists.

It is for that reason that the moral and ethical teachings are one of the eight areas of training here at Zen Mountain Monastery. The Buddhist Precepts form one of the most vital areas of practice for the students, regardless of whether they intend to take the vows of a monk or remain lay practitioners. 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 human beings, make moral and ethical decisions, manifest wisdom and compassion in everyday life. At the Monastery, the Precepts are the basis of the rules and guidelines for all residents. For those practicing away from the Monastery, the Precepts provide a way to see how the moral and ethical teachings in Buddhism can come to life in the marketplace, in relationships, in government, business, and ecology. The Precepts are unique among religious ethical teachings in that they are based on the experience of no-self, and that experience makes all the different in the world.

Here at Zen Mountain Monastery, we regard the intention to practice the Precepts as a very serious commitment. When students want to make the commitment to practice their life in accordance with the Precepts, they may petition to become a Buddhist, and if they meet the requirements, they enter into a week-long special training to study what that commitment really entails. Most other Zen centers have a very different process; at most, all you have to do is ask. If you can pay your dues, you are a student; if you want to be a Buddhist, a ceremony is scheduled. As a result, few people are able to appreciate what it means to really be a student, much less to really practice the Precepts.

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