This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good evening. It's really wonderful to be here with all of you tonight on this chilly night, this chilly spring night. My name is Linda. I'm the director here at Tassajara. I think the first thing I want to say is I just want to share my gratitude for all of you being here, guests and students, residents, short-time summer students, all summer students. It's an amazing community and every one of you is part of it when you're here and you take Tassajara back out into the world with you.

[01:04]

We feel that year after year in this valley, so thank you all. So tonight I wanted to talk about Jukai. We had a Jukai ceremony last night and we'll have another one this weekend. interesting because the last talk I gave was at City Center last month, and it was also on the occasion of a Jukai, and I also talked about Jukai then. So a couple of you heard that then. I think I'll talk about some different things, I hope. So Jukai means receiving the precepts. And my eyes are getting worse and worse. And I want to talk about the particular meaning that receiving the precepts has in Buddhism and in Zen. I want to say first of all that Buddhism is not about what you think.

[02:10]

It's not about what you believe. It's not about faith in any kind of sense that we might be familiar with from Christianity. In fact, there's a very nice bumper sticker that I'm very fond of that says... meditation is not what you think. Quite literally. And on his deathbed, the Buddha said, don't just take my word for things. Don't just believe it because I said it. Be a lamp unto yourselves and find out for yourselves. So... The Dharma is about practice, it's about experience, it's about finding out for yourself and seeing what's true for you. So that's very much related to the practice of the precepts.

[03:14]

So Dogen wrote a fascicle called Jukai, and in it he says, Receiving the bodhisattva precepts is the beginning of entering the way. Entering dharma is always receiving the precepts. Refrain from unwholesome action is no other than practicing Zen in pursuit of the way. The words, observing the precepts is a prerequisite, are indeed the treasury of the true dharma eye. So for Dogen, I think that there are really three foundations of his practice. And Dogen is the founder of our school, Soto Zen, or of our branch of Soto Zen. And one is the practice of Zazen, and one is the precepts, and one is the lineage of Buddhas and ancestors.

[04:20]

And we do zazen practice every day. And we chant the lineage of the Buddhas and ancestors every morning. And we practice the precepts every day. And periodically we have the opportunity to take the precepts when we have a full moon ceremony, which we will be doing very soon on the occasion of the full moon. Everyone is welcome to take the precepts, to renew their vows, And then in special ceremonies of jukai, both lay ordination and priest ordination, we take the precepts in a very formal way. And I want to say, before going any farther, that even though taking the precepts and going through this ceremony is very special, It's also, I won't say nothing special, but it doesn't make one person more special than another.

[05:28]

It's not about getting a merit badge or now you're in the inside group or that there's some kind of hierarchy. Everyone is welcome to practice here, to practice Zen, to practice meditation, It's open to everyone, regardless of what you believe, what your faith may be. You may be practicing two faiths. But it is a public commitment and a vowel of the precepts. So, yeah, like that. So Dogen, when he started his practice, had a very deep question, which was, if we all have Buddha nature, which he had deep faith in, he believed that each human being is fully endowed with Buddha nature, has the complete means of awakening, why do we have to practice so hard?

[06:39]

Why do we have to do anything at all? And he asked many teachers, and he didn't get an answer that satisfied him, and he journeyed around Japan, and he went to China. And finally he found a teacher, Ru Jing, who was able to satisfy his questioning and helped him to awaken. And his answer to that question wasn't like this is why or this is because, but it's expressed all throughout his teachings of his... faith in practice, of his faith in the lineage of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in sitting practice and in the precepts. And he talked about this his whole life in many, many different ways. And he particularly talked about practice realization, that there is no separation between practice realization.

[07:41]

You don't practice to become a Buddha. It's not like now you're not a Buddha. And through great efforts, you become a Buddha. I also can't say that's not true. We have to practice, but we don't become something else. We realize what we already are, but we have to put it into practice. We have to manifest it, or we never become what we truly are. So always the practice realization. We practice the precepts. and they are the expression of our true self. So they're both a means of training and our actualization already, both together. So when a student feels

[08:47]

a calling to take the precepts, feels a call to deepen in their practice, to make a commitment. They go to their teacher and they ask to take the precepts and to sew a rakasu. So a rakasu is a small version of this robe, of an okesa, and it has five panels. And each panel is made from one long and one short piece. So it's made from either scraps of cloth or a piece of cloth cut into smaller pieces and then sewn back together like you'd sew a quilt. And there are hundreds and hundreds of tiny little stitches to sew this back together. And it's made small so that you can wear it. more easily for work or for informal occasions.

[09:47]

So lay people have only a rakasu and priests have both a rakasu and an okesa. And a lay rakasu is blue and a priest is black or brown, if you were wondering about the colors. And as the student sews the rakasu with each stitch, she says silently to herself, Namu Kiei Butsu. And that means taking refuge in Buddha, diving into Buddha, plunging into Buddha, just wholeheartedly letting go into Buddha with each stitch. Actually, it's time. So as the needle goes in, it's Namu, and as it goes under the fabric, Kiei, and then pulling the thread through Butsu. each stitch over and over and over. And so that taking refuge in Buddha becomes woven into the very fabric of the new clothes that you will now wear.

[10:55]

And this takes many, many hours or days or weeks, or sometimes years, depending on how quickly people sew, what kind of time they have. So when they're finished, when they've completed it, then they give the rakasu back to their teacher. And the teacher gives them a new name, a Buddhist name, and writes it on the back of the rakasu. There's a piece of white silk on the back, and they write it on the back. And then it's given back to them in the course of the ceremony, along with their new name. So the ceremony itself, so I'm going to go through, we just heard the ceremony, but I'm going to go through the ceremony a little bit and explain, say a little bit more about each of the parts.

[11:58]

Because each part has so much meaning and the way it fits together is very well thought out and very particular. So the ceremony begins invoking the presence and compassion of our ancestors in faith that we are Buddha. we enter Buddha's way. So from the very beginning of the ceremony, we invoke the presence and compassion of our ancestors. We make homage to the Buddha's ancestors. We chant their names. And the Buddha's ancestors are not separate from us here and now. We might think that they lived hundreds or thousands of years ago, or are perhaps even mythical. But this moment is the only moment that exists. Here and now are Buddhist ancestors, or they are not at all.

[13:01]

So we invoke them, we realize them, we call them into the room by our remembrance, by our presence, by our connection in our hearts, by our inviting their wisdom and compassion to be with us, to be completely revealed in us now. And by doing so, we make that connection with all Buddhas and ancestors and we open our hearts and our minds to their wisdom and compassion. And the next thing that happens is there's a vowel, or sometimes called confession and repentance. So it's all my ancient twisted karma, from beginningless greed, hate, and delusion, born through body, speech, and mind, I now fully avow.

[14:04]

That's chanted three times. So karma is action. So it's all mental action, physical action, even thought action. So from beginningless time, all my actions, yes, I avow it. I accept it. I accept responsibility for it. It's not mine, but I receive it. I don't deny it. I don't push it away. Okay. Okay. That's how it is. I avow. Yes. And this can be really difficult. But this is actually the basis and the ground of being able to let it go. Until we actually let it in, we can't let it go. We often spend so much of our time trying to

[15:10]

pretend that we are other than we are, that we didn't do or say or think the things that we did, or maybe more, we don't want to see the effect on other people. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm not that one. But until we completely avow, oh, I feel how my actions manifest in the world. I experience how they touch you. I can actually stand to see your hurt or your anger or your disappointment. When we can do that, then we can actually open our hearts and we're open to change. We don't have to hold on to who we think we are. We can open to this moment and we can open to this person and the next moment and the next and the next.

[16:15]

So this is such a paradox. It seems like a paradox that in order to change, to grow, to transform, we actually have to be completely where we are. So this is the beginning. The beginning of the ceremony. I now fully avow just me, it's just like this. I make mistakes. I keep going forward. And I vow to keep making effort. So Dogen says, don't worry about your limitations. Just serve the community. Don't worry about who you are or who you aren't or who you think you should be.

[17:22]

Just open your heart. So with this kind of true humility, with nothing to defend, we're now able to take refuge. So this small, painfully inflated self that we often worry so much about defending and taking care of has now been taken care of, can be a little more at peace. Okay, I don't have to worry. I'm actually open to taking refuge in something larger than me, larger than my little self that often feels like the center of the universe. Now I can take refuge. I'm actually open to doing that. So take refuge in Buddha, in Dharma, and in Sangha. In Buddha as the perfect teacher, Dharma as the perfect teaching, and Sangha as the perfect life, the community, the life of the community.

[18:31]

The Buddha has... The Buddha's disciple Ananda once said, oh... Truly, good Dharma friends are half of this way of life, half of the perfect life. And the Buddha said, no, don't say it so, Ananda. They're the whole of our life. They're so central to our practice, our community, our Dharma friends. And then after taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the preceptor says, from now on and even after realizing Buddhahood, will you follow this compassionate path of the three treasures that I am now passing to you? So now, after taking refuge in the three treasures, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, now the path will be outlined.

[19:42]

this compassionate path, which is the way, the way of realization, of making real. So we have this heartfelt intention and now it's time to actualize it. How do we actually make this real? So there are three pure precepts and they are vowing to refrain from harmful conduct, to engage in skillful conduct, and to live for the benefit of all beings. So those are in the broadest possible terms. Do no evil, do all good, live and be lived for the benefit of all beings. So this is the most all-encompassing ethical statement that we can make. But then it gets down to the ten grave precepts, which are... we might say, where the rubber meets the road.

[20:44]

This is where we really bring it into practice, not just the ideals. We start with the ideals, we start with the intention, but then how do we actually manifest it? So the ten grave precepts are not to kill, not to take what is not given, not to steal, not to misuse sexuality, not to lie, not to intoxicate the mind or the body of oneself or others, not to dwell on the mistakes of others, not to praise self at the expense of others, not to withhold spiritual or material aid, not to harbor ill will, and not to disparage the three treasures, the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. I've often found it so remarkable that four of the ten of those have to do with right speech.

[21:51]

Speech is just such a huge part of our lives together, and it really makes sense that with the power of speech, we devote nearly half of the precepts to speech. So these ethical precepts are not unique to Buddhism or to Zen. They're, I think, fairly universal. They're remarkably similar to the Ten Commandments. But they come from, I think, a little bit different of a place. I don't want to say that the Ten Commandments can't be related to in this way also, and I think many people do. But at heart, the... Buddhist precepts are, well, they're somewhat impossible. It's like vowing to save all beings. I vow not to kill, and yet, yes, we cannot kill human beings, we cannot kill animals, but we inadvertently step on small insects or breathe them in, and there's all these tiny forms of life.

[23:09]

Many of us are very hard on ourselves and we kind of kill the spirit of ourselves or maybe of others. So many levels of killing. It's not just about the most obvious level. It's about how do we take the spirit of this into every aspect of our life? How do we manifest the spirit of not killing? What is the spirit of giving life? So all of these precepts can be put in both negative or prohibitory and positive or affirming statements. And the first levels are sort of an introduction. It's like, where am I coming up against this? What's coming up for me? What's happening for me? And as we continue, and we might think, well, you know, I've got that one down.

[24:15]

And as we continue to practice with the precepts, our practice goes deeper and deeper and becomes more and more rich. What is the true meaning for me of not killing? How do I not kill my own spirit? How do I not stifle others' spirits? What does it mean to truly give and sustain life? What is life giving? What is life affirming? These questions go very deep. And each one of the precepts can be approached in the same way. What does it mean to intoxicate? Is it just drugs and alcohol? Or is it distractions, TV, computers, reading, zoning out, chatter.

[25:21]

What does it mean to wake up? What does it mean to have a clear mind? It's not to be rigid. The precepts are about how we meet them, how we practice them. Can I see myself... worrying about how well I'm doing. Am I doing okay? Am I following the precepts? Will other people think I'm following the precepts? Here I am taking these vows. I've got to look good. What if I don't look good? I don't want to look good for other people. They give us something to come up against, something to both be a firm limit and something to soften in relationship to. We soften our minds and soften our hearts when we come up against limits, boundaries, dare I say rules, guidelines. I think guidelines is a much better word.

[26:24]

So this rubbing, this encountering, this softening is so much a part of our practice. In Zen, we don't really have much of a tradition, particularly in Japan, of hermit practice. It's very communal practice. Our practice is coming up against ourselves as we meet others. Wherever I go, there I am. I see myself in your eyes. I see my own actions in the expression on your face. in your response this is wonderfully difficult and as we settle into our practice with one another we develop a true trust and a true intimacy

[27:38]

We've seen that we can really be ourselves with each other and with ourselves. When we can go through those difficult times together, this tests our relationships, helps us be stronger in ourselves and for each other, with each other. We can do things that we didn't know were possible. Like just sitting in the zendo. So many people have said to me, you know, I've had a home practice before I came here, and I maybe sat for 20 minutes, and I had a regular 20-minute-a-day practice, and I didn't really think I could sit for an hour. But everyone else was sitting so still. I didn't think I could get up and move. And they found out that they could actually sit. So The precepts are the same way.

[28:43]

They're a support. They're support for us to practice together, support for us to all wake up together. And sometimes we might question, well, why do I, you know, I don't want to follow this, but we actually want everyone else to follow them. I think that's pretty clear that we think these are a very good idea generally, and they're just often a challenge for us individually. So after reciting the ten grave precepts, the preceptor then says, abiding according to the ten grave precepts, even after realizing Buddhahood, will you continue to observe them? And the student says, yes, I will. And this is repeated three times. So again, even after attaining Buddhahood, even after complete realization, you still practice these precepts forever.

[29:58]

These are the way of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. These are the way of the Buddhas and ancestors. These are a way of practice. We don't stop practicing. It's not practicing in order to He's practicing to manifest. And then the preceptor says, the way you keep precepts should always be like this. You have received Buddha's precepts and are a child of Buddha. Now you can really work for all beings and realize Buddha nature as yourself. You, yourself, and all beings are the Tathataka. So this practice of a lifetime, this practice, realization, continues endlessly, joyfully.

[30:59]

It's a deep, deep joy in fully engaging, fully exerting oneself. in this path. Dogen says, all Buddha ancestors... Oh, I'm sorry, I missed a piece. So then the student receives the lineage papers. So this shows all the Buddhas and ancestors from Shakyamuni down to the student. the whole lineage with a bright red line going all the way through, tracing it through, from Shakyamuni to Bodhidharma, Dogen, Suzuki Roshi, the student's teacher, and then the student's name is at the bottom, and then the line comes back up around to Shakyamuni Buddha and makes a complete circle, an unbroken line.

[32:07]

So the student becomes part of the lineage of the Buddhist ancestors and joins that life vein on the outside of the envelope that says blood vein, this red line, this family lineage. So Dogen says, all Buddha ancestors receive and maintain the Buddha precepts. This is receiving the life vein. There is nothing apart from this.

[33:09]

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