Not To Kill

“Do not kill” means to extend our life activity. When you are lazy, or when you are not sincere enough in your practice you are killing Buddha [laughs]. Buddha will not manifest itself. That is actually to kill Buddha or to kill something. “Not to kill” means to do something with sincerity. That is the fundamental way of observing precepts. So, precepts observation is to do something with your utmost effort. That is how you observe those ten prohibitory precepts.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Universal Truths

Those ten prohibitory precepts are not supposed to be manmade precepts like social rules, or customs, or rules of some particular countries. They are something more than that. They are not manmade rules, but are based on the universal truths of the universe.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Within Big Mind

When we have enlightenment, many things happen within enlightenment, within big mind. In this case, we call our activity “precepts observation.”

Photo by Betty Warren - sent by Barbara Wenger

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

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Article by Alan Block • Image from: cuke.com (from Facebook)

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Mind Includes Everything

According to our understanding, everything is within our mind. Our mind includes everything, and in our mind many things will take place. So, when we have this mind, whatever happens to us, that is precepts observation. When we are caught by a dualistic idea or some objective existence and worship it, that is heretical understanding. So, the spirit of a mountain or a ghost—to worship heretical shrines—is not our way of observing precepts.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Sincere Effort

If you say, “A recorded voice is precepts,” that is wrong understanding. What I am saying, what I am doing, whatever it is [laughs], that is precepts. So as a Buddhist, it is quite natural for us to take refuge in Buddha and dharma and sangha. In this way, precepts should be observed. In other words, it is sincere effort to make your life meaningful. This is precepts observation in its true sense.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

How Our Life Goes

Zen practice is a practice which happens within your big mind. Precepts observation is how our life goes in its true sense. Precepts—your life goes in that way automatically. That is precepts observation. If you think the precepts are some particular rules which were set by Buddha, that is wrong understanding.

Photo by Robert S. Boni

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

What Mind?

“With what mind do you [laughs] observe those precepts?” This is a kind of tricky question. With what mind? If you say, “With this kind of mind we observe precepts,” then it means your mind is separated from observing the precepts. Precepts are there, and your mind is here. That is dualistic understanding. The same thing will happen if you practice zazen with your mind. The same misunderstanding will happen to you.

Drawing by Stan White

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Full Understanding of Precepts

Precepts are not 16 or 250 or 500 rules. There must be an innumerable number of precepts. So, it is necessary for us to have full understanding of precepts and to make effort to observe precepts. Whenever a great Zen master or religious hero appears, precepts observation is emphasized by them. And even before any great teachers like Dogen appeared, there were several famous masters who emphasized precepts.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.

Physically and Mentally

Observation of the precepts is very important for Zen practice. If we eat too much, we cannot sit. If we do not have enough sleep, we cannot sit. So physically and mentally, you have to adjust your life so that you can sit. This is a very important point. Zen or Buddhism is actually a way of life, and the way of life is the precepts.

—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 66-01-21-A as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. These posts are also on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram. We are continually working on improving the quality of transcriptions of Suzuki's lectures. After a new "verbatim transcript" is made, we create a minimally edited version which is more readable. See the most recently completed transcripts at shunryusuzuki.com/n.