Thanks for the talk. On the topic of intoxicants, has Buddhism had any contact with psychedelics? There are many people who say these substances can help facilitate greater understanding and perhaps even enlightenment. Just wondering if any influential Buddhist teachers have addressed this.
Hi L&L, you might want to contact a Zen friend and priest Kokyo Henkel - maps.org/2012/10/21/buddhism-and-psychedelics/. He's been doing some work in this area. It's a good question to explore. Thanks for raising it.
Thank you for sharing your views. From a contemporary perspective, in particular the precept about not riding on carts has a deeper implication and might refer to refraining from using technology or mechanical processes that may be disengaging from the core function of that particular action. For example not to use a dishwasher, which can separate us from the experience of washing dishes. And as we know daily life is meditation so in other words using technology to bring comfort can be counter intuitive.
Totally agree with you Anton. We separate ourselves from direct contact the more we engage with technology. To some degree this is unavoidable in our modern world. I could not communicate with you this way without technology, for example. Thanks for bringing this point up!
Great question. While I can't give the source, I understand that the Buddha did tell this to Ananda. It calls into question the need for the 250 precepts for Bhikkus and far more than that for Bhikkunis. Precepts definitely need to be relevant for modern times, but keeping with the spirit of the ancients. That said, I totally respect those modern day Bhikkus and Bhikkunis who can practice the precepts as they were laid down during the lifetime of Shakyamuni Buddha.
I'm new to Zen Buddhism, I currently live in the south where Baptist and more conservative Christians are the majority. How can I further study and pursue Buddhism?
I live in North Carolina, I feel your struggle. Reddit and other online forums can offer community online but there's nothing like the real thing. Look for Buddhist temples near you.
Great question. I can recommend Great Tree Women's Monastery which is located in Alexander, North Carolina, as well as Chapel Hill Zen Center. There are some other Zen centers down south, too. You can check out www.szba.org for a list of teachers and where they teach.
Really think eating meat is a big no-go. It impacts the spirit and emotions more than you realize (when sentient species meet a violent end their flesh becomes infused with adrenaline). People get addicted to meat and rationalize eating it, it is also woefully unsustainable (like the amount of grain required to feed a cow for a handful of steaks is truly egregious). There are more nutrients and protein in lentils and lentils weren't brutally murdered just to provide you sustenance. Yeah, I'm gonna be judgey because I'm researching Buddhism before I commit to it and for me the main appeal is the no-kill precept.
Thank you Melammu. I appreciate you offering your thoughts on meat eating. I totally support your decision not to eat meat. I think it can go a long way if many people decide not to eat meat. It's a huge part of our problem in America. In Iowa, where I reside, pig farming for pork is seriously problematic - runoff from the farms enters our water making it undrinkable without very expensive filters downstream, not to mention the crowded conditions in which the pigs live. I encourage people to at the very least reduce their meat consumption as much as they are able, and to see that when meat is consumed, many animals suffer, as do we. Personally, I strive to eat vegan as much as possible. However, I know that people just beginning to study the precepts (and even some who have been practicing for a long time) might not be in a situation where they can easily change overnight to eating a vegan diet. Then the precepts becomes unrealistic for them, and they may see them as black and white commandments of "Thou Shall Not..." If the precepts are seen in an authoritarian way, this is not the spirit of the precepts. There needs to be non-coersion with regards to the practice of the precepts. Otherwise, you break the precepts in forcing them on others. In "Not taking life" we also have to look at the bigger context in which we live, and see how our actions support the wellbeing of the whole of life (as opposed to one life in particular). Sometimes in taking life we are keeping the precepts. Every time we breathe, we take the life of the tiny microorganisms we breathe in. When we eat a carrot, if you can't hear the scream of the carrot, then you're not practicing deeply enough. There's no way any of us can be alive today without the sacrifice of life somewhere down the road. Life and death are happening in every moment. They are unavoidable. The spirit of "not taking life" is to become aware of the ways we cause avoidable suffering, and to stop that. I'd respectfully suggest to anyone that they practice the precepts for themselves as best they can and let others figure out for themselves how to navigate them, without being too black and white about it. Thanks for bringing up this very important topic, Melammu.
@@zenfields7563 thanks for your thoughtful response. I have a hard time sometimes dealing with certain norms in our society revolving around meat consumption. I started off not eating meat because of diet but over the years it opened my eyes to the suffering and softened my heart. I don't know where the line is drawn between regarding harm to microorganisms and such, but in my garden I prefer to eat what the plant provides rather than the plant itself, I really love my plants 😅
@@melammutumultus4654 I totally hear you. I think you are right in having a hard time in dealing with the norm of excessive meat eating. It's become so normalized that people don't see it. Veganism is a way to call attention to this issue.
This is a really interesting topic, thank you for explaining it so well :)
You are welcome! Thanks for leaving a comment.
I am preparing for jukai and have found this teaching to be very helpful. Many thanks.
You are welcome!
Thank you excellent for understanding.
You are welcome.
Good talk, my friend.
Thank you.
Thanks for the talk. On the topic of intoxicants, has Buddhism had any contact with psychedelics? There are many people who say these substances can help facilitate greater understanding and perhaps even enlightenment. Just wondering if any influential Buddhist teachers have addressed this.
Hi L&L, you might want to contact a Zen friend and priest Kokyo Henkel - maps.org/2012/10/21/buddhism-and-psychedelics/. He's been doing some work in this area. It's a good question to explore. Thanks for raising it.
Thank you for sharing your views. From a contemporary perspective, in particular the precept about not riding on carts has a deeper implication and might refer to refraining from using technology or mechanical processes that may be disengaging from the core function of that particular action. For example not to use a dishwasher, which can separate us from the experience of washing dishes. And as we know daily life is meditation so in other words using technology to bring comfort can be counter intuitive.
Totally agree with you Anton. We separate ourselves from direct contact the more we engage with technology. To some degree this is unavoidable in our modern world. I could not communicate with you this way without technology, for example. Thanks for bringing this point up!
Thank you. I have attended Jax Zen Sangha which is Rinzai.
You are welcome! Thanks for commenting.
Is medicine for legitimate injury included in the precepts?
Absolutely. I've written a little bit about "Zazen as medicine" here: zenfields.org/zazen_as_medicine/
Thank you
was it the Pali Canon's Mahaparinibbana Sutta in which Shakyamuni tells Ananda that it is not necessary to maintain all of the minor precepts?
Great question. While I can't give the source, I understand that the Buddha did tell this to Ananda. It calls into question the need for the 250 precepts for Bhikkus and far more than that for Bhikkunis. Precepts definitely need to be relevant for modern times, but keeping with the spirit of the ancients. That said, I totally respect those modern day Bhikkus and Bhikkunis who can practice the precepts as they were laid down during the lifetime of Shakyamuni Buddha.
I'm new to Zen Buddhism, I currently live in the south where Baptist and more conservative Christians are the majority. How can I further study and pursue Buddhism?
Search for a true Zen master.
I live in North Carolina, I feel your struggle. Reddit and other online forums can offer community online but there's nothing like the real thing. Look for Buddhist temples near you.
@@riverezell2254 thank you!
Some monasteries offer zoom sessions for sitting zazen and lectures/discussion.
Great question. I can recommend Great Tree Women's Monastery which is located in Alexander, North Carolina, as well as Chapel Hill Zen Center. There are some other Zen centers down south, too. You can check out www.szba.org for a list of teachers and where they teach.
Really think eating meat is a big no-go. It impacts the spirit and emotions more than you realize (when sentient species meet a violent end their flesh becomes infused with adrenaline). People get addicted to meat and rationalize eating it, it is also woefully unsustainable (like the amount of grain required to feed a cow for a handful of steaks is truly egregious). There are more nutrients and protein in lentils and lentils weren't brutally murdered just to provide you sustenance. Yeah, I'm gonna be judgey because I'm researching Buddhism before I commit to it and for me the main appeal is the no-kill precept.
Thank you Melammu. I appreciate you offering your thoughts on meat eating. I totally support your decision not to eat meat. I think it can go a long way if many people decide not to eat meat. It's a huge part of our problem in America. In Iowa, where I reside, pig farming for pork is seriously problematic - runoff from the farms enters our water making it undrinkable without very expensive filters downstream, not to mention the crowded conditions in which the pigs live. I encourage people to at the very least reduce their meat consumption as much as they are able, and to see that when meat is consumed, many animals suffer, as do we.
Personally, I strive to eat vegan as much as possible. However, I know that people just beginning to study the precepts (and even some who have been practicing for a long time) might not be in a situation where they can easily change overnight to eating a vegan diet. Then the precepts becomes unrealistic for them, and they may see them as black and white commandments of "Thou Shall Not..." If the precepts are seen in an authoritarian way, this is not the spirit of the precepts. There needs to be non-coersion with regards to the practice of the precepts. Otherwise, you break the precepts in forcing them on others.
In "Not taking life" we also have to look at the bigger context in which we live, and see how our actions support the wellbeing of the whole of life (as opposed to one life in particular). Sometimes in taking life we are keeping the precepts. Every time we breathe, we take the life of the tiny microorganisms we breathe in. When we eat a carrot, if you can't hear the scream of the carrot, then you're not practicing deeply enough. There's no way any of us can be alive today without the sacrifice of life somewhere down the road. Life and death are happening in every moment. They are unavoidable. The spirit of "not taking life" is to become aware of the ways we cause avoidable suffering, and to stop that.
I'd respectfully suggest to anyone that they practice the precepts for themselves as best they can and let others figure out for themselves how to navigate them, without being too black and white about it.
Thanks for bringing up this very important topic, Melammu.
@@zenfields7563 thanks for your thoughtful response. I have a hard time sometimes dealing with certain norms in our society revolving around meat consumption. I started off not eating meat because of diet but over the years it opened my eyes to the suffering and softened my heart. I don't know where the line is drawn between regarding harm to microorganisms and such, but in my garden I prefer to eat what the plant provides rather than the plant itself, I really love my plants 😅
@@melammutumultus4654 I totally hear you. I think you are right in having a hard time in dealing with the norm of excessive meat eating. It's become so normalized that people don't see it. Veganism is a way to call attention to this issue.
Gassho
precept 1 ; don't just do something , sit there !