This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good evening. Hi. I'd like to introduce our speaker today, Shafir Bhattri. She has followed the teachings of Buddha since 1995, and her current emphasis on compassion and social activism. She's completed the Community Dharma Leadership Program and the Patent Engagement Programs at Spirit Rock, and received her PhD in Humanities with the purpose of transformative learning and change from CIIS.

[01:02]

And she's a self-taught mixed media artist who has exhibited across the United States. Welcome to her. Hi, Louise and everyone. First of all, I'd like to thank Rosalie. and the co-leaders, Rosalie and Toto. And although the abbot's not here, I also want to thank the abbot and all of you for coming. So I invite you to relax, take a breath, and just enjoy yourself this evening. My talk is called The Five Precepts as a Pathway to Liberation. The precepts are very dear to me. It's one of the practices that, as a Buddhist practitioner, that I find humbling, grounding, and very emotionally rewarding, because it's a practice that's all the time.

[02:21]

Now, the tradition, the classic teachings of the Buddha discuss... the five precepts as this. I undertake the precept or training to refrain from destroying living creatures. I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given. I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct. I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech. I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness. And that source is from the access to insight. Manzanita Village is a retreat center in Southern California. And two dear friends of mine and teachers were followers of Thich Nhat Hanh.

[03:24]

And then when they created their own center, they adapted the five precepts. And those are the ones that I practice. And so those are the ones I'm going to talk about in detail. So I'm going to say them all, and then I'll go into each one in detail. And you can see the difference, and you can hear the difference. Aware of the violence in the world and the power of non-violent resistance, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate the compassion that seeks to protect each living being. And if you remember, the first one is observe the precept of abstaining from the destruction of life and how it's been adapted My Manzanita Village talks about violence in the world, the power of nonviolent resistance, and how from that place, sometimes you move to action.

[04:35]

If you think of Dr. King's life, that's a representation of that. I stand in the presence of the ancestors. Everything I do comes from the ancestors. I walk on their backs, and so I pay homage to them. Whether I say it or not, everything comes from And then there's the earth with just the knowledge name of this planet that we're living on and that we have been given a gift, really, to take care of it. And I don't think we've been doing such a good job. So the way each phrase is with each precept reminds me of my commitment and my vow. And then we speak about future generations. And everything I do is for future generations. So I have my daughter and my grandchildren, and I think about them, and I think about what their world is going to be like. And if there's anything that I can do that impacts that, then that's for the greater good.

[05:39]

And then I've done my job. It's like the Bodhisattva vow, that the intention of liberation, not until all beings are awake, is a wonderful aspiration. I remember reading when Mandela had a conversation with Van Kirk back in the 90s. He told Mandela that, I'll let you be free. I'll let you come out of prison. If you give up your ways, renounce what you're doing. And he said, not until all people are free. And then I'll give it up. So in some ways, he was acknowledging, affirming the bodhisattva vow. And that's pretty amazing. And then the last part is the vow to cultivate. So there's a commitment, there's an intention, there's an effort, there's a willingness to take what is said and live it in our own life, in our own way, which makes sense because the Buddha, and I'm paraphrasing the Buddha, that you take anything that you're taught

[06:54]

from his teachings. Go check it out for yourself to see if it makes sense. And so, I'm offering you the same thing. These five precepts, as adapted by Ketriyan Ramita at Manzanita Village, is with the same intention. Just don't take my word for it, but go check it out for yourself. So we're moving into the second one. Aware of the poverty and greed in the world, And of the intrinsic abundance of the earth, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations, and vow to cultivate the simplicity of gratitude and generosity that have no limits. I observe the precept of abstaining from taking that which is not given. This is also the practice of generosity. And how do we practice generosity in our lives? And this doesn't mean, oh, I'm going to donate this and I'm going to give that, because that's only one aspect of it.

[08:01]

But I want you to take a moment and think about your life. Showing up here today is an act of generosity. It's a practice of generosity because you're taking the time to say, this matters to me. And what I'm learning from here, hopefully I can take and use in my life and affect others for the greater good. That's a practice of generosity. If you are in a relationship with someone, then your commitment to communicate and to love this person, to cherish this person, are acts of generosity. If you are a parent, that's all you do 24-7. You practice and you practice and you teach. And you do it from this place of generosity because it matters. Issues and oppression and dealing with racism and trying to make the world better, stepping up in those arenas, you do it because you want to and you care.

[09:02]

Those are acts of generosity. So generosity is not just donations. That's one aspect. But our lives in so many ways represent practices of generosity that we're not aware of or we don't frame in that way. So I'm inviting you to hold it in a bigger spectrum. Aware of the abuse and lovelessness in the world and of the healing that is made possible when we open to love, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate respect for the beauty and the erotic power of our bodies. And this one is, I observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct. So sexual misconduct has a wider range and frame because sometimes those of us who have experienced trauma are not, we don't know how to love, we don't know how to care.

[10:05]

So taking the time to make a commitment to say, I am willing to learn what I don't know is a practice of healing. And it's a practice of respect for the beauty of my own body or the beauty of the power of the erotic, which is beyond just a sexual definition. And we say we're open to love. We're open to the possibility. And we're sending this forth in relationship to the ancestors, the earth, and future generations. Aware of the falsehood and deception in the world and of the power of living and speaking the truth, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate the ability to listen with clarity and integrity in all I communicate by my words and actions.

[11:08]

This one is so important. Not that they all aren't. This is about the precept, excuse me, from extending from falsehood. It's also about wise speech. It's about the ability to communicate and to listen and to agree to disagree. And so this practice of wise speech is huge to deal with idle gossip and chatter and slander and backbiting or saying things that are not truthful. thinking about what you're going to say before you speak and the intention of not causing harm and being responsible for what you think before you even open your mouth. So it starts way before the words come out. What is your intention here? How do you practice this? How do you live this? What is the difference between telling the truth and being honest? So this is huge. And we're committed to doing it.

[12:10]

And the precept is about God. the commitment to do this, or at least make an effort to do the best that you can. The fifth one is aware of the contamination and desecration of the world and of my responsibility for life as it manifests through me. I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth and future generations involved to cultivate discernment and care for what I take into my body and mind. And the precept here is abstaining from intoxicants that could cloud my mind and cause carelessness. It's pretty obvious, but at the same time, let me make the obvious transparent. We're responsible for what we drink, what we eat. what we put into our bodies. And sometimes we have to take medication. So we do it wisely. We take the medication.

[13:12]

But we do it with intention. We don't abuse our bodies. We don't drink while we're on retreats. So there's a lot here for people in recovery. This is huge because it's not just about drugs and alcohol. It's about whatever addiction that causes you harm. So when you make that commitment, To say, I am responsible for life as it manifests through me, that's a huge vow. And all we can do is the best that we can to cause the least amount of harm. What's so beautiful about these precepts is that they're not just the moral precepts, but they have to do with ethics. And all of us have been raised in families where we've been taught ethics and we've been taught morals and we've been taught values. Now, some of those values and ethics and morals we may disagree with, but there's a foundation there.

[14:13]

We've been taught right from wrong. We've been taught to say please and thank you. Most of us have been taught to respect our elders. In my culture, it's still not okay to call an adult by their first name. I don't call my mother by her first name. That's not okay. So in some cultures, that's okay. But not, I'm not able to. And my daughter doesn't. And my grandchildren, my granddaughter tried it one time. I looked at her, and that was the last time she tried it. So, you know, it's about values. It's about respect. It's about teaching. And then praying that what we teach lands in a way that... our children and our grandchildren and the people we come in contact with manifest it in ways that are for the greater good, for themselves and for others. And so this fundamental core part of Buddhist practice are ethics.

[15:16]

And then there's the practice, which is the mental culture. And then there's wisdom, which the wings of wisdom are two. There's wisdom and compassion. That's the practice, essentially. And then everything else is weaved or grown or sprouted from there. Ethics are what we stand on. It's the pillars of the teaching. And they're so, so important. And they're guides. The Pali word for morality is sila. And it's a very, very important step in a spiritual practice. And without having ethics or morality, wise concentration isn't able to happen. We're not able to have concentration or mindfulness or focus or intention or effort because we don't have a pillar to stand on.

[16:18]

We need to have a guide. These are our guides. And what's so beautiful about them is that we can take each one of them and interpret it and how it makes sense in our lives. So this is how I've interpreted because this is how I resonate with the way that Manzanita Village has been more inclusive and the way it's very explicit about ancestors and the earth in future generations, and my vow. But we all vow. We all make different commitments. The challenge is, can we stick with it? Once we make this commitment, can we stay with our commitment? And that's also the beauty of the practice. It's the beauty of meditation, is that it is a practice. So we get to do the best that we can, over and over and over again. I could say there's a right and a wrong way, but I think what's important here is to cultivate discernment so that you come as your own individual self to understanding what's wise and what's unskillful.

[17:35]

And in that process of discernment, you get to make the determination of how you decide what's good and what's not good or what's evil or what's... right or kind-hearted. The teachings of the Buddha are very explicit about that. However, I think it's all open to interpretation. And since it's open to interpretation, we bring our own understanding of what's right and what's wrong and what's good and what's bad and what's evil and what's not evil. And sometimes those lines are blurred. And then what do we do? We practice discernment. And we make mistakes. And our mistakes are our gifts that help us understand, oh, this and not that. And hopefully somewhere in this practice of understanding, there's not a lot of judgment going on or a lot of self-blame or criticism because that gets in the way.

[18:40]

And that's where we get to harm ourselves sometimes unintentionally. So what does this path have to do? What do these precepts have to do with liberation? Everything. Everything. Because you get to practice this all the time. And like, how cool is that? Okay, so you made a mistake. You start again. Wise speech, you didn't say it the best way. You get to do it again. These vows are not Set stone. These are the bars. These bars are high. So my task for my life is do the best that I can. I have this as a goal. I have this as a guide. And most of the time, I fall short. Trust me, I fall short a lot. And yet, I know they're here. I know that they're there to help me and that I can always fall back on them.

[19:44]

And that is wonderful and it helps me so much. There's a poem that I want to leave you with that's called The Invitation. And what I really appreciate about this poem is that it weaves the precepts in it in a way that makes sense in my life. And not once does she talk about the precepts. And you can get this off the web. And her name is Oriah Mountain Dreamer. And it's a wonderful poem. And it's called The Invitation. So I'm going to leave you with this invitation. And then I'm going to open it for questions, if anyone has any, or comments. The Invitation. It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

[20:44]

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayal or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own. If you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

[21:59]

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty. every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, yes. It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.

[23:03]

I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children. It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me, and not shrink back. It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else fails away, falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself. and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

[24:08]

So this is practice two. This invitation takes the concepts of the precepts and makes it very real for me. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty every day May we continue to grow and develop in our practice and understanding of the precepts for ourselves and for all beings in all directions without exception. Thank you. So I left some time for questions and yeah, we'll go from there. So thank you. Yes.

[25:15]

Thank you. be respectful for myself and my own fear, and for their fears, since they don't know what can be found in me. I don't know if I should sometimes just say about my kindness to myself, and just before, sometimes I'm kind of stuck in an area where they're continuously conversing in a very, well, helpful way towards each other or towards someone else. Mm-hmm. So how can you help most people to stop that?

[26:20]

Like, how do you, like, I know it's probably each situation is different, how safe do you feel to, or do you just put it inside you? So the question is, how do you handle strong emotions, or how do you handle, and do you intervene or not intervene? Yeah, it's typically, like, young children. Mm-hmm. So the question then is, what is the best way to handle a situation where there are strong emotions? Okay, thank you. This is a practice of discernment. I want to bow to you. in terms of the compassion that you already have within you about how difficult the situation and your care for everyone involved, including yourself.

[27:25]

And that's a practice in itself, and that's wisdom. Discernment comes in when you have to decide what needs to be done, or is there something that needs to be done. And if there's not something to be done and the situation is still what it is, how can you hold that with kindness? And that's always a challenge. Sometimes sending loving kindness might be helpful. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it's enough. Discernment is a practice. And the question then comes to you, is this timely? Is this helpful? Is this kind? Is this necessary? Is this truthful? And you're the one that has to make that decision. But holding them all in compassion is a practice in itself. So I bow to the wisdom in that. And there's no easy answers.

[28:31]

So thank you. Yes. Hi. So, you know, Zen has this phrase, grandmotherly kindness. Yes. And I'm interested in learning more about it. And so I thought maybe I'd ask a grandmother. How has being a grandmother changed or transformed your practice, particularly in the precepts? So the question, and help me if I forget it, how as a grandmother has my being a grandmother changed my understanding of the precepts? Good question. I find I'm more patient, and I think that has to do with age, baby.

[29:39]

I'm grateful for these precepts and how it's held because when I have conversations with my grandchildren, when they do listen to me, let's be real, I get to talk about life with them, you know, and that's kind of fun. I don't really know how much... impact I have. But my granddaughter told me one time that I'm her favorite. And I said, well, thank you. She's like, oh, you don't have to be humble about it. You know it. So I was like, they bust you every time. What can I tell you? What can I tell you? You know, they're joy. And I'm grateful. And I find that I have more patience and kindness. And I am grateful for that because I need it.

[30:39]

I think we all do, but I need it. So I hope that's helpful. I also want to say a special welcome to all the young people from Syracuse. Hey, New York is in the house. So welcome all of you. My granddaughter is in college too. Good luck to you all. Other questions? Yes. So you mentioned your appreciation in the translation of the precepts around ancestors. Yes. So I find that one of the things I appreciate about this practice is that we chant the names of buddhas and ancestors. Mm-hmm. So culturally, they're different ancestors. But I come from a place where this is important.

[31:44]

This calling on this power of where I come from is the same. So I find it binds me to a culture and a spiritual practice that is not one that is mine by the way. So I wonder how you would... encourage people to inhabit a space of calling on ancestors when perhaps in their personal lives what they think of as immediate ancestors or characters is painful for them and maybe not such a positive idea? Do you have any words around the framing of this space that might not be so apparently safe for people? Let's see if I can. Yes, it does. Help me with phrasing this question. Is there a way to acknowledge and call on ancestors when some of that experience in one's life has been painful?

[32:50]

Okay. Yes. Yes. The beauty of the ancestors is that they're all around us. And it doesn't have to be limited to one cultural framework. I remember when I did a three-month retreat, I thought I was losing my mind. I probably was. And I would go on these walks, and the lake was about three miles around if I walked the whole lake. And by the time I finished, I called on every single ancestor from every single tradition. I don't even know if I was related to him or not. I was like, please, Lord, get me through this. So that's the short answer, which is open your heart to whatever is possible and just allow yourself to be willing to be with what arises so that if

[33:56]

calling on the ancestor in a place where it may be harmful or hurtful, then don't do that. That's not using discernment. The practice is about kindness. The practice is about care. The practice is about compassion. So I don't think an ancestor is going to be upset if you call on somebody from a different tradition. What's important here is the intention. May I be sustained. May I be carried with this. I acknowledge your presence. Thank you for being here. Whatever works for you, spirit is here. The ancestors are here of whatever tradition. And I know sometimes when I've talked in people of color settings where it's just a multitude of different folks, the room is packed, not just with

[34:57]

the people sitting in the room, but all the ancestors. And it's wonderful. So whatever works where there's the least amount of harm you bring to it is just say thank you. Thank you for showing up. Be there for me. Thank you. You don't even have to have a name. It's the intention here. And you're being held. We're all being held. So thank you. I hope that helps. Okay, one more. Yes? Can you talk a little bit more about the crossroads of Buddhism and your interpretation of Buddhism? So the question or request is to talk about Buddhism, my understanding of Buddhism and the crossroads or intersection with social justice. Yes?

[35:57]

okay I'm glad I only have a couple of minutes alrighty so dare I be okay there's no difference honey because the Buddha was a social activist every place he went to He spoke to the community that he served. He spoke to the crowd of whomever showed up, whether they were householders or monks or nuns. He spoke the language of who was there. Being a social activist is really challenging in the sense that the reality of a lot of the oppressions aren't going to change in my lifetime, or maybe not even yours. And I remember seeing Alice Walker and Jack Cornfield talk, and Alice was saying that she thinks it's going to maybe be 500 years easy to see the impact that really changes, not just the words.

[37:18]

So when we look at Gandhi and we look at King and that spectrum, what... the king brought to it from Gandhi's influence, there's still work to be done. And then we go from king to mandala, there's still work to be done. And forgive me, I'm going to mispronounce her name, but Aung San Suu Kyi, what she's done, there's still more work to be done. We all want a better world. There is no question of it. Most people do. They want as less harm as possible or no harm. They want a planet to live off, healthy food, air to breathe, the basic needs. We all want that. And we all want to be loved. That's a practice. And the reality is there's oppression. And it's not going to go away just because my intention is not to cause harm.

[38:20]

But I'm not going to worry about it. All I can do is plant a seed. And may the ripple of whatever I do be enough. And sometimes it's not. And yet, I continue to move forward. Like Arias says, I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty every single day. And I would invite you... to think about it as every single moment. And that's a bodhisattva law. So thank you. Thank you all. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma talks are offered at no cost and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma.

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For more information, visit sfcc.org and click giving. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

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