Taking the Precepts as Ancestors’ Teaching

Taking the Precepts as Ancestors’ Teaching
Apr /15/ 2023 – Apr / 16/ 2023

Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Dharma Rain Meditation Center.

As we all know, there are four parts of the tripitaka sutra Dharmakara, collection of sutras, Viyana Pitaka，Abhidhamma Pitaka and secret Dharma. After Buddha’s Nirvana, Kasyapa held the first Buddhist council in the Saptaparni Cave with five hundred Arhats. Buddha never wrote down his teachings. Ananda recited an oral tradition of Buddha’s teaching from his memory, prefacing it with “Thus have I heard on one occasion”, which is a collection of sutras. Upali was 90 years old, he reciting the Vinaya or precepts. After being confirmed and approved by the Arhats, it became the first Viyana Pitaka. This is the way that Buddhist Viyana Pitaka is formed and disseminated. The precepts are the “life of Buddhism”. After hundreds of years of development, the Chinese Zen master Taoxuan from Tang Dynasty taught Buddhism in the Zhongnan Mountains, his teaching emphasized the studying of precepts; thus， people called his teaching as Vinaya school.

The word “vinaya” means the ambush, extermination of afflictions and good behaviors and so on. “vinaya” is to stipulate the life of the Sangha group in terms of discipline, rules, and methods. There are two explanations: One is teaching theory; the other is practicing. There is a figurative metaphor: the theory is the functions of medicine and practicing is medicine itself. In general, precepts are some general principles, and the law of precepts is a provision that can be put into practice, they are impartible. Buddha’s precepts were used to cope with the afflictions of individual and keep harmony in the sangha. Although we follow the Buddha’s teachings, we can still make mistakes because of our desire, anger and ignorance. If there is no way to deal with it, we cannot correct ourselves and keep ourselves in pure cultivation. All the practitioner has to keep precepts. This is the only way to free themselves from the disturbance of five desires and make all living beings confident in Buddha’s Dharma.

The teachings of the vinaya school were divided into four categories: precept rules, precept body, precept behavior and precept phases. Precept rules are the precepts drafted by the Buddha; precept behaviors are the practice; precept phases are the signs of precepts, such as Five Precepts, the Ten Precepts and the Two hundred and fifty Precepts. The main doctrine of the vinaya school is the theory of precept body. The precept body is the Dharma body that the monks received from their own nature when they are tinitiated into monkhood, which is considered a function of preventing evil. This is the core theory of vinaya school. The precept body, the old translation of “doing nothing”, the new translation is called “no form.”

Vinaya school divided Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings into two types: education and restrictions. Education part teaches the Buddhist the sutra collections, how to attain samadhi, how to become wisdom, such as the four Agama sutra and Jnanaprasthana. The restrictions teach people not to do something, such as “Dharmagupta-vinaya” and “Sarvastivada-vinaya”. The above is a brief description of the origin of the Vinaya school and the characteristics of the teachings. Today, our topic is taking the precepts as ancestors’ teaching; it did not mean the Vinaya school is better than others. The point of taking the precepts as ancestors’ teaching is the inheritance, is return to Buddha’s teaching by keeping the precepts strictly, is the following of Buddha’s teachings is to realize that Buddha is the founder and ancestor of Buddhism.

When you hear the name of “precepts”, most people feel like abound, which means I can not do this, I should avoid that, such different rules. This cannot be done. However, if you are trying to read Viyana Pitaka, you will find that in the first half of the Viyana Pitaka is about saying “Bichuk … do not, “The second part says “Bichuk … listen”. In ancient times, people referred to the former as “observing the precepts of stopping evil activity” or “practices of stifling evil”; the latter is referred to as “active keeping of the commandments active law in contrast with” or “doing good”. Buddha Sakyamuni told us ten important benefits of precepts when he created it, for maintaining the harmony and clean of the Sangha. In modern times, the significance of the Buddha’s precepts is mainly in two aspects: First, to help individuals’ cultivation and eventually attain the enlightenment; Secondly, to help Dharma last for a long time. These two are the “big ideals” for the Buddha. Therefore, when the Buddha was living, he had repeatedly told his disciples that if we want to maintain the Dharma forever in this world and there is nothing important than observing and practising the precepts, this is the unique way of transmitting lights and continuing flames of Buddhism. The precept is Buddhism’s life, is the determinant of how long that Triratna could survive, is the real Dharma immortal. Therefore, no matter what time or which country, if they have precepts, they could long-lasting the Saccadhamma. The Buddha once said:

“The Viyana Pitaka lived, and the Dharma also lived.
if Viyana Pitaka was destroyed and the Dharma was destroyed.”

Buddhism take the precepts as priceless treasures for the cultivators; we had to keep them properly. If there are no precepts, we will not be able to attain the reality of cultivation. If there is a monk who shaves his head and puts on his head and says that he is a cultivator, he does not even understand or keep the precepts. Will you rise up the faith of Dharma by his behaviours? Therefore, we keep saying that Buddhism’s cultivation must be traced back to the source and ancestors, is to follow Buddha’s teaching. We should not compromise on keeping the precepts, no matter whether you are a monk or a layperson, we should strictly keep the precepts both, taking the precepts as ancestors’ teaching.

Taking the precepts as ancestors’ teaching is the best way to return Buddha’s teaching. Obeying the precepts and keeping the precepts is following the teachings of the Buddha. We have to say here that there are so many misunderstandings of the precepts in modern society. For example, some people think precepts are setting for the monks, not laypeople; some monks also teach people that if a layperson eats meat and drinks wine, we have to be agreeable. Eating meat will kill animals; however, if you transfer your virtues to them, you will save them. Sounds ridicule ， right? I do not want to waste any time to judge; I would like to remind everyone here that we Buddhist and following the teachings of the Buddha, not the teaching from some monks. The Buddha has created different kinds of precepts, some for monks some for nuns. Some of them are for laymen and laywomen. Buddha never said that laymen and laywomen could eat meat because they are living at home. Different people have different precepts, but we are equality before the precepts. No exceptions. We often say that we should be brave and dauntless, we should have a lion-heart, do not find any excuse to break the precepts. Taking the precepts as ancestors’ teaching and follow Buddha’s teaching, your heart knows.

 thank you for the listening!