In the last one month or so, I have been beautifully introduced to the three pure precepts (no harm, compassion, save all sentient beings).
The first two came during weekly teacher talks. The teacher said "no indifference" or caring (for our work, for others) should be the 11th precept. This really applied to me as my attitude towards work has exactly been indifference (just do bare minimum to keep the job). I read about all the precepts and decided to follow them. I always thought sitting is more important and precepts are not needed to "make progress". But somehow this time I was naturally drawn to them.
Then in the next teacher talk, he talked about compassion and how we should forgive others mistakes as something done in ignorance and still be compassionate towards others. I realized I have a bunch of prank and unkind thoughts that keep popping up in my mind (I never act on them though). I cut some unkind jokes sometimes and feel they are just jokes. I decided to put an end to these prank thoughts and jokes. After doing this I realized how much of my mind is filled with these. I have almost nothing to think now :-). I became very silent with my wife as earlier most of what I said to her was these unkind jokes.
The third precept came to me after a retreat. I sat in a dokusan with teacher and started complaining about pain during sitting and how I have to move. I even adjusted posture three times during that dokusan. The I told him about how I did other practices for 8 years and then did zazen earlier for 3 years and then stopped and began 4 months back but made no progress after all this. He asked me why I want progress or enlightenment for. I told him I initially started this out of not being able to deal with tough people at work and in general always had the desire to "grow" and a natural interest in meditation and wanting to get enlightened. He pointed to me (in a scolding but compassionate tone) on how it is always about my enlightenment, my growth, my pain, pushing away at pain (I was complaining about pain during retreat) and explained how this practice is about others and selfless.
I realized I never thought about helping others or doing practice for others (even though I chant at the end of the morning group meditation saying "saving all beings"). It is always about my progress and what I can get. I never thought about bearing pain and acting for greater good.
Gassho,
Sam
st
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Originally Posted by shikantazen
