Hi Mike, > My own feeling about the precepts is that they in fact describe the life > lived after awakening.rather than before.
There are times when I really wish this forum has that 'Like' button to click like what they have in facebook. This is one of those times :-) Siska -----Original Message----- From: mike brown <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:43:31 To: <[email protected]> Reply-To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Zen] An Opinion of Thich Nhat Hanh Steve, I think there are a couple of ways at looking at the precepts and how they apply to our practice. First of all, they were developed for the followers of Buddha and his immediate sangha i.e monks. Anyone on a retreat or sesshin can attest to the fact that the precepts are easier to follow in such a setting. Of course, they weren't posited because they are easy to follow, but because any course of intensive meditation requires a mind not stirred up by the things the precepts 'prohibits'. For example, killing a mosquito or gossiping about someone on a sesshin causes so much mental energy that prolonged, intensive meditation is difficult (mental dissonance). A second point is that following the precepts (whether by monks or laypeople) can create such a psychological (some would say spiritual) ambience that an awakening is much more possible. My own feeling about the precepts is that they in fact describe the life lived after awakening.rather than before. Mike ________________________________ From: SteveW <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, 30 March, 2011 3:03:44 Subject: [Zen] An Opinion of Thich Nhat Hanh "If we don't practice the precepts, we aren't practicing mindfulness. I know some Zen students who think that they can practice meditation without practicing precepts, but that is not correct. The heart of Buddhist meditation is the practice of the precepts. You cannot meditate without practicing the precepts." -from The Heart of The Buddha's Teaching, page 82 Any comments? Steve
