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. Is that signed okay? A little bit too loud? Okay. How is it now? Okay. So this is the first talk of the fall practice period here in Hoshinji, the Japanese name of Beginner's Mind Temple. Usually we would start off

[01:02]

by reading together the Shingi, the guidelines for practicing together in a monastic setting or in a temple setting. But I thought I would like to try to talk about how the Shingi has its place in the process of practice, how it comes into being. And I was thinking about the Eightfold Noble Path, and the first two, the first one is appropriate perspective, and then the second one is appropriate intention. And it has struck me, you know, over the years, how there's a ceremony we do that we call Jukkai.

[02:06]

But actually, the pivot point of the ceremony is taking refuge. And in most of the Asian Buddhist world, taking refuge is indeed the pivot point of practice. But we call it the ceremony, we call it Njukkai, which means precepts, referencing in particular the ten grave precepts. So one of the things I would like to do this evening is talk about the three refuges and how they... how they have this place of initiating our practice. Taking refuge in Buddha, taking refuge in Dharma, taking refuge in Sangha.

[03:20]

And then while I was at it, I thought I would talk a little bit about how the... the guidelines for practice have evolved from India to China to Japan to the United States. The Shingi we have, some aspects of it are quite particular to this temple. once a week, we have open kitchen. And the other day, the work leader was saying, as is part of the shingi, part of the guidelines, when you cook yourself something during open kitchen, make sure you remember to clean up the pots and pans and put them away.

[04:22]

Don't leave them for somebody else to take care of. And we make that announcement periodically because, guess what? Not everybody always remembers to put away their pots and pans. And part of how we relate to Shingi, part of how we relate to precepts, part of how we relate to the intentionality of practice, is attending to the interplay between what we intend to do and what we do. Traditionally, taking refuge has a role in fostering the right perspective and the right intention

[05:35]

with which we engage. It's generally considered when Shakyamuni had his realization and he returned to his cohorts, there'd been five of them who'd been practicing together, and just his disposition, before he said anything, They all thought there's something radically different about him now. And they all wanted to be part of the world as it appeared to be for him. This is taking refuge.

[06:39]

And as they asked him if he would let them practice with him, he said yes. And then over time, a number of people asked Shakyamuni, if they could practice with him. And he said, yes. And there were no guidelines. They had no Shingi. They had no guidelines. They had no precepts. They just practiced. And then things would happen, which Shakyamuni considered unhelpful to the spirit of practice. either your personal practice or the collective practice. And he would say, well, we need a guideline in relationship to that.

[07:46]

The one that somehow always pops into my mind is they went through a long drought and there was no water for them to bathe. And then they had the monsoon rains came. And so all the monks took off all their clothes and bathed in the rain. And the villagers nearby were somewhat put out by that. And Shakyamuni made a guideline saying, it's fine to bathe in the rain, but not naked. And you keep your sarong on and so your decorum is appropriate. Eventually, they ended up, I don't know if this was beyond Shakyamuni's lifetime, I suspect it was, was 227 rules.

[08:51]

And within the 227 rules, there were seven categories of rule. One category was so grave, like if you murdered someone in the sangha or someone at all, you would immediately be expelled. The next level of gravity was you would be on probation if you did that, if you stole money from the sangha or something like that. or stole someone else's possessions. You'd be on probation for six days. And during that six days, you would go to everyone in the sangha and apologize to them for what you've done.

[09:55]

And then the whole sangha would come together on the seventh day, and decide. What do they think? Should this person still be one of us? To me, it's intriguing to think of that story, how Shakyamuni didn't set himself up as, well, I'm the enlightened one, so of course I'm going to decide. It was like this happens in the context of sangha. And within that context, we shall decide how to address the situation and the person. And then for a lesser offense, like say maybe...

[11:03]

Someone did something and you got annoyed. And maybe you didn't even express your annoyance. So before the full moon, before you renewed your vows of practice, you would have an opportunity to go to the person or persons and tell them, you know, last week I was annoyed at what you did. And I just want to own that and let you know that was something that came up for me and to ask your acceptance, some more like your forgiveness than you accept some kind of blame. And we represent that when we do our full moon ceremony.

[12:12]

We offer flower petals, and then you hold your robe, your rakasu, your okesa, or just whatever you're wearing, and you purify it in the scent of the flower petals. It's a follow-through from that accountability. And sometimes we would have meetings before we would do the ceremony. And in the small groups before the ceremony, we would tell each other about how our practice works. with these guidelines has been over the last month, taking refuge in sangha.

[13:13]

And the perspective of our practice is non-dual. It's not like something bad, something wrong happened, and now I have to fix it and do the right thing. It's more like this. Because of the nature of our human condition, because of the simple and powerful way we want what we want, And we want to avoid what we don't want. And sometimes we're anxious and distressed by the whole process. And taking refuge in Buddha Dharma Sangha is to see that within ourselves and within everyone else.

[14:31]

And that when we are under the burden of that distress, that disease, that dissatisfaction, our mind and our heart, and often even our physical being, are lacking harmony. lacking a contentment, lacking an ease, lacking a satisfaction. And we can see that there is a wise and compassionate way where we can take refuge in the practice, refuge in the Dharma. that in a very straightforward and helpful way, tics supports us as we endeavor to relate to the human condition.

[15:46]

And as we engage in accordance with taking refuge, we start to become more attuned to the Shingi. And so what evolved from the Indian formulation of 227 rules and guidelines for the monks And then the nuns had an extra hundred, which I think it's fair to say was just a reflection of patriarchy. As this moved, this way of practicing, the Buddhist way of practicing, moved from India to China,

[17:06]

and then Japan. In Japan, there was a radical shift from adopting these 227 rules for men and 327 for women to the 16 bodhisattva precepts. And for each temple, each monastery, to have its own version of rules and regulations, its own shingi that's appropriate to that temple or monastery. And the first three of the 16 bodhisattva precepts are the three refuges. In a way, telling us, the first thing before we start to get caught up in the details of Shingi, before we get caught up in thinking, well, if someone doesn't wash their pots and pans after they've made themselves something to eat,

[18:34]

they've done something wrong, and they're a bad person. From the non-Devo perspective, we see, oh, this person isn't working with the human condition that they happen to be. Maybe they were agitated, Maybe they were so eager to eat what they'd cooked. Maybe they were so caught up in talking to their friends, the sangha members they were with, that they simply forgot. So in a way, refuge invites us reminds us of the skill from this of the compassion of the wisdom of acknowledging the human condition acknowledging that we're all part of it

[19:58]

before we start to jump to judgment about others, about ourselves, we recognize that the human condition is so utterly complex that there's always something to learn about just ourself, let alone others. So there's a way when we take refuge in Buddha, we're taking refuge in how the process of waking up and having the clarity and mindfulness to attend to what's going on, contained within that kind of refuge is the yogic practice of mindfulness, of awareness, that enables awakening.

[21:12]

As we bring awareness to the body, as we bring awareness to the breath, as we bring awareness to the mental dispositions, the emotions, the states of mind, the assumptions and conclusions mind arrives at, we learn an extraordinary yogic process of how to sustain awareness and attentiveness and a kind of zest for life within our own imperfections. Especially when we live in sangha, we can go around being annoyed by others' so-called failings.

[22:19]

Or we can become ashamed of our own failings. And in the yoga of awakening, getting stuck in this way can... agitate the mind, it can dissipate and distract us from attentiveness. So the non-dual approach is that we see these limitations within ourselves and within others and still we take refuge in sangha. And we practice with the limitations within ourselves and within others. And in the process of practicing with it, we discover the dharma of supporting human life.

[23:29]

And hopefully, we see the dharma of supporting the planet and all the beings upon it who live on it and in it. So one version of taking refuge is inspired and enabled and organized around the process of awakening. Each noon we read a part of one of Dogen's fascicles. And in that fascicle it says, before chanting, before incense offering, before bowing, wholehearted dedication to awareness. So when we take refuge in Buddha, this is...

[24:41]

the gift we give ourselves. This wisdom, compassion, patience, understanding of the human condition, and finding within it how to practice And then another expression of taking refuge is that we take refuge in the teachings that have developed over the centuries. And as we take refuge in it, the teachings of all the Buddhas and

[25:42]

marvelous teachers that have gone before. We can also see that they too practiced with the human condition. That that's where the teachings arise. Shakyamuni said, be a lamp unto yourself. Pay attention to what goes on for you. and let it be your teacher. Don't take something I said as an act of faith. Pay attention and discover it, how it manifests in your own being. So in some ways, these notions are extraordinarily straightforward and simple.

[26:43]

when we can bring the heart and mind of our being into conjunction and say, yes, I will. In Zen, we have a variety of ceremonies that we do. And in many of them, the key phrase is, yes, I will. heartfelt, the wise, the compassionate intention that arises when we take refuge, that arises when we see appropriately the human condition. And then the third way we can take refuge that the admonition of taking refuge, the admonition of Shingi is not simply, well, don't do this or avoid doing that, but it's also foster the goodness.

[28:09]

Bring in allow in your being the generosity and gratefulness of what's being presented. Of having this opportunity to practice. Of having this meal to eat. Of having this environment in which we can feel safe and trusting. In a way, we could say, as we take on the path of practice, as we take on the path of awakening, part of it is initiating healing. our distress, our dis-ease, our dissatisfaction, our discontent, they ripple through us.

[29:27]

They have become ingrained in our habitual emotions. They have facilitated within us a certain kind of contraction. And so we take refuge holding that distress in a way that we're enabling a healing. for those of you in the practice period, we will send you a digital copy of Ishingi. And written copies will also be available if you wish. But hopefully, as you read them, you know, you can not find yourself, hopefully you can, if you find yourself

[30:44]

turning it into a should-do and a should-not-do. Can you remind yourself that really there's something extraordinarily compassionate and generous about practice, something extraordinarily appreciative of how it is to be human. In a way, what we're doing in taking refuge like that is we're making the request of practice attractive. When we simply make the request of practice a list of should and should not, something diligent within us, dedicated,

[31:49]

will very well might say, yes, I will do all the things I should do and I will avoid all the things I should not do. But just imagine each period of zazen that you said. If turned it into an example of should and should not. My mind should not wander. My mind should stay present on my physical and experience and my mental experience. And you were to impose that upon yourself in some determined, righteous way.

[32:56]

How, in a way, the very attitude of it can become a source of distress. That when we take refuge we remind ourselves that this is a gift. But taking up the practice and initiating the practice spirit, it's a gift we're giving ourselves. And as we travel on the journey of the path, we will meet our own reactiveness, our own tensions, and we'll meet others.

[34:05]

Often there's a tendency to alleviate our own distress by focusing on somebody else's shortcomings, or more particularly our judgment of their shortcomings. The more we can collectively take refuge, the less of that, the more we can hold each other and support each other in a way that allows each one of us to go through whatever it is we need to go through. We can create a benign environment. And so I would encourage you, when you read the Shingi, the rules and regulations for this temple,

[35:16]

try to hold it with that kind of generosity, that kind of capacity to be compassionate towards the human condition. When we can call forth that, then whatever kind of... ways in which we might become determined to get it right, or even hesitant because of our own sense of inadequacy, or even maybe judging what the Shingi says. As you read it, can you let your body breathe?

[36:22]

As you read it, can you let something in you stay soft and open? Can you stimulate a kind of curiosity and creativity? And I would say to you, those of you who don't live in the temple, you might read it, and think, hmm, okay, how could that be manifest in my life, in my apartment or my home? Long ago, someone said to me, here's what I've learned from Soji. Each morning after we do chanting, we have a silent cleaning time. And he said, here's what I've learned. I dedicate time on Saturday mornings. I don't answer the phone.

[37:26]

I don't listen to the radio or look at the computer or anything. I just focus on cleaning my apartment. It's an extended soji. And I take it on as a precious practice. So maybe as you read this Shinge, you'll think, oh, you know, given my circumstances, I could do this. Not because I should, because I want to win the prize of enlightenment, or I want to compete with someone else. It's more... Can you take it on with a kind of creativity that heals you, that draws forth your enthusiasm for your life?

[38:40]

It's so easy to say. when we hear it, we think, yeah, that sounds like a good proposition. But then, in the midst of the details of our life, can we preserve that kind of attitude? In the midst of the trials and challenges of our life, can we preserve that attitude and offer it to others? In the bodhisattva vow, it's all-inclusive. In fact, we awaken together. And so, as we become the sangha of this practice period, let us all take refuge in a way that's inclusive.

[40:03]

that each of us can feel safe, that each of us can feel, okay, I can trust this environment, this place, this group of people. Not because they're perfect, but because they're bringing to it integrity and patience. Thank you. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma talks are offered free of charge and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, please visit sfzc.org and click giving.

[41:09]

May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[41:12]

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