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From: Harvey Hilbert
With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,
This morning let's address the second grave precept: I vow not to
steal.
Accepting what is not ours to accept or deliberatly taking what is not ours
is so important that it is placed second on the list of ten precepts, only
behind killing. Think about that. Why?
In our day we tend to do a lot of deconstructing. We believe we are
getting at the essential "meaning" of things in the process. And perhaps we
are. But, what can also happen in this proces is "spin." The ability
and willingness to turn an act to our advantage and justify it on the basis of
our "spin" on the core meaning of the thing.
Zen, it seems to me, is about cutting through the spin. Its about
seeing directly what is there, using our buddhanature to direct us, as we moment
to moment are in refuge.
We "know" when we are accepting what is not ours. There is a sense of
getting something for nothing. There is a sense of ego inflation, for
example, when accepting a compliment for something we either did not do or that
was not really very difficult to accomplish. Things such as this are rampent in
our society today, populated as it is by praise addicts.
So stealing is not just about taking something that is not ours, it is also
about accepting even a feeling or a quality that does not truly belong to us.
Why is this so important? For one thing it speaks directly to
authenticity as a human being and a buddha. Without it, we are not living as our
true selves in the world. For another thing, to take something that belongs to
another diminishes the other. It takes away from him or her...sometimes it
takes away their life or something essential to their life. When we behave this
way, we are demonstrating a deep lack of understanding of the way we are all
deeply interconnected. To steal from one, really is to steal from ourselves. It
is a very hollow achievement.
Be well, Rev. Harvey Sodaiho Hilbert, Ph.D. On the web at: http://www.daihoji.org Opt out of military recruiter's getting your children's personal information: http://www.militaryfreezone.org/ (This email powered by clean, renewable, solar energy.) Current Book Discussion: Appreciate Your Life by Taizan Maezumi Roshi YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
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