| Precepts
Precepts VIII : To Refrain from Discussing The Faults of Others
This time around, we turn a critical eye on being critical. Our Precept for this week is that of refraining from discussing the errors and faults of others.
Our study material for this week is brief and only includes a commentary by Nishijima Roshi and an essay by Roshi Nancy Mujo Baker. As always, please remember that each of the commentators approach the Precepts from their own perspective.
Jundo Roshi comments here: “I feel that, with this Precept, there is a difference between constructive and necessary information being passed on and learned for a helpful reason, versus gossip, schadenfreude and the like. For example, I might talk with mutual friends or criticize another friend’s drinking habit … not to criticize another and boost up myself … but because I worry about my suffering friend.“
Please go through the assigned material and then discuss if you’re so inspired
ASSIGNED READINGS:
Nishijima Roshi, says of this precept:
Sekishin: And the next precept ….. ‘Do not criticize the errors and faults of monks and lay Buddhists’……
Gudo: This is a precept pointing out that we should not be too critical or self-righteous when our Buddhist brothers and sisters, struggling as best they can to engage in Buddhist practice through the activities of their daily lives, stumble or fall off the path. In its wider meaning, it means to seek to avoid speaking of the faults of anyone in a way not helpful to that person, or in a way meant simply to praise oneself by comparison.
The wording for our Jukai ceremony is:
VI. To seek as you can, in this body and life, to refrain from unconstructively criticizing the errors and faults of others