The Buddhist Precepts as the Whole of the Practice

Caitríona Reed

This essay was originally published in For A Future To Be Possible. Parallax Press. 1993

When we seek to attain freedom in our lives we often think about freedom from rather than freedom to. The idea of freedom has been something of a cultural obsession in America. We talk of political freedom, economic freedom, religious freedom, freedom of speech... In trying so hard to attain freedom, however, our focus has usually been on what we imagined was restricting us. We don't really have a vision of what freedom actually looks like. We assume that getting what we want, and getting rid of what we don't want, will make us happy. We contrive to remove whatever we think is standing in our way. That we do this without considering the consequences of our actions is borne out by the reports we see in the news every day. Is there no end to our greed? Is there no end to our appalling capacity to cause suffering to others to get what we want? It's as though we're still in some collective state of adolescent rebellion. We take up arms, kill, commit rape, destroy species, entire forests, an entire world - rather than listen. Meanwhile, from all around come the words, like an invocation, "It's a free county, I can do what I want!"

It's not surprising that when we first come across the Precepts, we see them as limitations. If freedom means doing what we want, then the Precepts are most certainly going to cramp our style.

We have become hyper-sensitive to anything that threatens to restrict our freedom. The Ten Commandments is a gift, we are told, from a wrathful God who will tolerate no argument. The rigidity of hierarchical patterns of thought and institutionalized authoritarianism is the continuing legacy of that gift. The shadow which marches with us is the fulfillment of our longing to be rid of it. In the process of trying to find freedom by doing what we want we are in danger of loosing everything. To paraphrase the Buddha, "If you think that you will find happiness by getting what you want you're crazy. You've been doing that all your life and it has never worked."How then can we find a Middle Way between indulgence and restraint?

For a long time, during retreats, we have discussed the Precepts as a way to make a commitment to cultivate certain positive qualities. Instead of, "Panatipata Veramani Sikkhapadam Samadiyami," "I undertake to abstain from taking life," we can say, "I undertake to cultivate boundless compassion towards all beings. This instantly broadens their application and deepens their meaning. Not only is the Precept now accessible, but no one can sensibly argue with it.

What a continuing delight it is, then, to hear and learn from Thich Nhat Hanh's new version of the Five Precepts. "Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life I vow to cultivate compassion . . . I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill . . .

Instead of, "I undertake the practice to refrain from stealing," Thây says, "I vow to practice generosity." Instead of, "I undertake the practice of refraining from sexual misconduct," he says, "I vow to cultivate responsibility." Instead of, "I undertake the practice of refraining from lying," "I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening." Instead of, "I undertake the practice of refraining from using intoxicants," "I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well-being and joy."

In the large collection of Mahayana writings called the Hua Yen Sutra (the Flower Ornament Sutra) are innumerable expressions of how the entire cosmos interconnects and interpenetrates. One of the ten expressions of interpenetration described there is that all Dharma, all teachings, interpenetrate with all other teachings.

How simple, how obvious, that the Precepts, the guidelines given to us for living a joyful life, are also an expression of, a doorway into, what is perhaps the deepest expression of the Dharma - Mutual Causality, Interbeing, the infinite causal relations between all things.

"Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, greed, social-injustice stealing and oppression, I vow to cultivate loving-kindness and learn to work for the well being of people animals and plants..." Because of this, this is. Because I have awareness of certain realities, I cannot but respond in particular ways.

The Precepts are not just a set of rules. They are an invitation to open up to the promise of who we truly are. The negative, the rule of restraint, takes away from the recognition of our own power to grow. We can heal the wounds of a Puritan tradition. We can undertake the Precepts as practice towards something new and wonderful, rather than as a movement away from something we want to avoid, something we may even empower by our denial of it.

The Precepts are even more than that. They are a way we can define our relationships in the world. We learn to understand responsibility not as duty but as the simple fact of causality. They are an expression of the whole Dharma. Not only is the teaching of Mutual Causality present in the Precepts but also the teaching of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

As we learn to understand the Precepts, we come to see them as having many meanings. They are an expression of the many facets of the Dharma. They are also a way to move beyond negativity toward the fulfillment of our practice. They are also voluntary restraints we can take on for ourselves. The word Precept actually comes from roots which mean a notice of warning. When you see a sign which says, "Danger, don't go here, high voltage," you don't ignore it. You don't say that it is negative. You pay attention. The precepts are also like that. Don't kill, it's not worth it, don't do it, there are consequences... We come full circle, not back to the Precepts as negatives, but to the simplicity of an undertaking to simply practice. When the bell sounds we bow. In the same way, we undertake to cause no harm, to steal nothing.

There is another wonderful aspect to the Precepts. They are impossible to actually keep! To refrain from harming others? What a profound practice! We receive the Five Precepts knowing that by doing so we are opening up to our own failure. We cannot fix the world, we cannot even fix our own life. By accepting failure we express our willingness to begin again, time after time. By recognizing failure we change, renew, adapt, listen and grow. It is only by practicing without expectation of success that we can ever truly open to the world, to suffering and to joy. What extraordinary courage there is in risking losing what you know, for the sake of the unknown; risking what you think you are capable of for the sake of your true capability! What profound freedom - not having to get it right all the time, not having to live for the sake of appearance! By opening to our own failure, we open to the magnificence of the unknown, participating unconditionally, renewing our life.

Truly, the Precepts contain the whole of the Dharma.

Copyright (c) Caitríona Reed.