I vow not to commit evil.
I vow to cultivate goodness.
I vow to help others.
These three precepts seem obvious and straightforward. They are so simple that even a child can understand them. It is probably a good idea to have some precepts that are more general, because different practitioners may have different understandings. However, there is a problem with general precepts. It is more difficult to apply them to a specific life situation.
What does evil mean? In the Buddhist tradition, there are the Three Poisons: greed, anger, and ignorance. If we let them control us, it leads to suffering.
We can choose what we want to give to life. Of course, this is not easy. Desires have the ability to create delusions, which are dream-like phenomena. When we dream them, we are not aware that they are dreams. We mistakenly perceive them as reality and get stuck in them.
However, there are ways to free ourselves. I call them entry and exit points. In the moments when a desire seduces us, we still have a choice. We must give the dream permission to come true. This is the entry point.
In dreaming, it is more difficult because our world is limited and our understanding is shaped by wishful reality. However, sometimes we get glimpses that this is not the whole experience. Usually this is an opportunity to distance ourselves from the current activity, and this is a moment when we have the opportunity to wake up. I call them exit points.
It is a practice to place many exit points around the space in order to stumble upon them as often as possible. It could be a sign on a wall. It could be the habit of pausing for a moment when you hear a bell. It could also be the habit of taking a few deep breaths when you feel a certain tension in your body.
Now let us move on to goodness. I associate it with compassion, love and prajna (i.e. wisdom). When we are in tune with the nature of all beings, it is obvious what needs to be done. In a way, precepts are not needed. They can even be distracting and divert us into rigid and harmful solutions.
Goodness is also associated with the third precept to help others. However, I do not like this wording. The word “others” suggests separation and duality. When we think that there is me helping others, the problem begins to arise. Although, for some practitioners who are not ready to go beyond the concept of duality, it might be a good start.
Instead, I prefer to think of this precept as “I vow to benefit the whole world.” It involves being one with everything and supporting all beings. I myself am only a small part of it. However, I’ am still responsible to take care of myself as well, but the opposition of “me – others” disappears.
There is another duality here as well: “good – evil”. It seems that in general it is good to support life and evil to harm it. But very often it is hard to tell what is good and evil. It’ is very difficult to predict the consequences. We can consider whether something is skillful or not. But the appropriate response is not always easy.
Hogen Roshi usually says that it depends on the intention. There is something in it. Good energy attracts more good energy.
