Buckets of sand
This story is an outcome of my work on Diamond Sutra. My intention was to say it from the other end. Instead of simplifying a complicated world, I tried to complicate a simple one.
The Three Refuges
I take refuge in the Buddha. I take refuge in the Dharma. I take refuge in the Sangha. It is usually not enough to decide to begin a spiritual practice. The path of most people’ is not straight and there are numerous distractions along the way. Therefore, if one is seriously thinking about this practice,…
The Three Pure Precepts
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.…
Precepts: Cherishing Three Treasures
I vow not to speak ill of the Three Treasures, but to cherish and uphold them. The process we want to be in needs a particular environment to happen. Everything depends on the law of cause and conditions. So, if we sit in a bar, watch TV and surround ourselves with people who stimulate our…
Precepts: Anger
I vow not to unleash anger, but to seek its source. Anger seems to be about control. We get angry when objects do not behave according to our expectations, that is, do not fulfill our desires. We feel that we cannot control them. Control is a matter of ego’. I believe that we think of…
Precepts: Giving
I vow not to withhold spiritual or material aid, but to give freely when needed. Here we are back to the question: what does it mean to possess something? The concept of giving presupposes that one possesses something. It also presupposes that an object that can be given exists. So there are many false assumptions…
Precepts: Praising
I vow not to praise myself by criticizing others, but to overcome my own shortcomings. Presenting someone in a less advantageous way is a strategy for being seen as better. Everything is relational, so if we compare ourselves to someone who is not good looking, we may think we are much better. People who use…
Precepts: Gossiping
I vow not to gossip about others’ faults, but to be understanding and sympathetic. In general, we make things grow when we focus our attention on them. So if we decide to focus on mistakes, we will make them grow. For example, if we see that someone is noisy and complain about it, we will…
Precepts: Intoxicants
I vow not to misuse drugs or alcohol, but to keep the mind clear. Intoxicants can be very different. The most obvious are substances like alcohol or drugs. They are perhaps the most difficult to deal with because they can create a physical addiction and the body craves them. But other innocent substances like sugar…
Precepts: Lying
I vow not to lie, but to speak the truth. What does it mean to lie? Technically, everything is a lie, because that’s how language works. Everything we say is a misunderstanding. We can never say exactly what we want to say, and it is always possible to find discrepancies.