Taking the Precepts as Our Guiding Principle

Taking the Precepts as Our Guiding Principle
Apr /22/ 2023– Apr / 23/ 2023

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

What is the guiding principle? We often concentrate on the main points; guiding principle is the main point or key point highlighted by its representative, normative, and lead characters.

Some people disagree that taking the precepts as our guiding principle, they said that focusing on Zen, Pure Land or reciting the Buddha’s name is our program and the most important part of cultivation. This is a very common opinion. Many Buddhist ask me: Which Dharma gate should I learn? Should I recite Buddha’s name or recite a mantra? Should I meditate? Struggling with so many choices, we do not know how to learn, do not know how to cultivate, we do not feel happy. Why?

Because we did not follow the Buddha’s teachings, we did not get the guiding principle; the so-called methodology blinded us. Zen, pure land and secret Dharma are different spiritual cultivation methods, not the principle and program. For example，we want to go somewhere, a place, we have to confirm the coordinates of this place on the map and draw a path from our relative position. This is the program, the guiding principle. Taking a boat, a bus, a flight or just walk, this is the way we go to there. If we are concerned with the difference in methods and ignore the directions, we might be lost and never arrive at our destination.

Buddha cleared the guiding principle; in the Shurangama Sutra, it says: Controlling your heart as the precepts, reaching the samadhi due to the precepts and getting the wisdom because of samadhi. We call it Three Non-Outflow studies. Precepts, samadhi and wisdom, are the program and the guiding principle, the direction of our cultivation. Reaching the samadhi due to the precepts and getting the wisdom because of samadhi is how we cultivate.

As long as we follow this program to practice, there will attain achievements and get benefits. No matter you want to bless in your life or want to reborn to the Pure Land, or you want to attain the enlightenment, there is no problem, you can get it. If we do not practice by following this principle, you may get nothing.

I often hear the practitioners talk about cultivation; they set their goals on the mindfulness or reborn to some pure land or a stroke of good luck. But when I ask them what is precepts or did they keep the precepts? They said: “well I do not know…” They do everything they want to do and say anything they want to talk, I can tell you that their cultivation is inefficient. Why? The blessing is of good virtue. If we did not cultivate good behaviour, how can we get the blessing, how can we achieve our wishes? Mindfulness is one kind of samadhi, how can we attain the samadhi? Reaching the samadhi due to the precepts and getting the wisdom because of samadhi. If we keep doing the Threefold Karma, not keep the pure precepts, milk the bull if you still want to attain the mindfulness. In the Ten Cakras of Kṣitigarbha, Mahāyāna Great Collection Sutra said: If you do not seek for the Buddha fruits by acting the ten positive actions when you go to the end of life and claim that I am the real cultivator and believer that are looking for the real enlightenment, you have to know, Tecatera, it is a big slang and lie, how can you do not feel shame when you tell a lie in front of Buddhas from ten directions? Such stupid men follow these words without deep thinking and fall into the Three Evil Paths of Transmigration on the body’s dissolution after death.

Let’s think: how did we start our cultivation? Did we drink tea with the Zen Masters and talk about poetry on the first day? Or did we attain samadhi and observe the world on the first day? No, we all started with five precepts. We refrain from destroying living creatures, refrain from taking that which is not given, refrain from sexual activity, refrain from incorrect speech, and refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs, leading to carelessness. We even started from one precept, refrained from destroying living creatures, do not eat any meat or fish from today, and then start our cultivation from today. This is why we emphasize that we should take the precepts as the guiding principle. Because we have a physical body, we need some visible physical behaviour to regulate and restrain ourselves, supplemented by appropriate cultivation methods, our samadhi and wisdom increases. The standard is invisible, but we can measure it by our heart, other people can also measure us easily, it is also easy to that one person is keeping precepts.

The Sutra on the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings said: “Indeed, you ought to fear indulgence of the mind’s (desires) more than poisonous snakes, savage beasts, dangerous robbers or fierce conflagrations. No simile is strong enough to illustrate (this danger). But think of a man carrying a jar of honey who, as he goes, heeds only the honey and is unaware of a deep pit. (in his path!)Or think of a mad elephant unrestrained by shackles! Again, consider a monkey who cannot, except with difficulty, be controlled after climbing a tree! These would be difficult to check: therefore hasten to control your desires and not let them go unrestrained! Indulge the mind (with its desires), and you lose the benefit of being born a man; check it completely, and there is nothing you will be unable to accomplish. That is the reason, O Bhikkhus, why you should strive hard to subdue your minds.” It can be seen how terrible our hearts are if we do not control them. Where is the effect of Buddhism cultivation? In fact, it is in the “check it completely. There is nothing you will be unable to accomplish”.  Without this foundation, we cannot have any samma-ditthi, do not mention enlightenment from Dharma. Even you can understand something; it does not work in real life, you won’t feel the true benefits of Dharma cultivation. This is how we modern people cultivate, have seen quite a lot classic sutras, visited too many famous monks and masters, also been known some truth, year after year, their heart still feel anxious, still suspicious. Why? Same reason, they cannot take the precepts as our guiding principle, following the principle that “Controlling your heart as the precepts, reaching the samadhi due to the precepts and getting the wisdom because of samadhi”. They want to take shortcuts. As a result, some too many people take short cuts. Everyone is holding the sidelines, deceiving themselves, standing still, and the practitioners on the right path that keeping the precepts will not have these problems. Because they got the key point, take precepts as guiding principle, they found the right direction, they made every step steadfast, they feel happy, vivid and lively.

Buddhism cultivation should be sunny, positive, healthy, vivid, lively, happy, harmonious, blissful, full of Dharma joy, wise, peaceful, compassionate, equal and perfect.

To do all this, we must take precepts as a guiding principle.  As long as we keep the precepts, we on the right way to the Dharma cultivation.

Thank you for the listening!