ZEN VOWS

These precepts are taken during ordination and also at the full moon Bodhisattva ceremony.

The Zen Precepts are vows that establish the intention of beginner's mind practice. It is the sincerity of our practice and intentions guide us in the development of mindful living and everyday life. In Zen practice, vows are not rules to follow or ideals to attain. They are guidelines for cultivating one's inner life and character, and for learning how to bring benefit to everyone. They are also an endless source of reflection. The vows below also include statements made about them during the traditional full moon Bodhisattva ceremony.

Pure Precepts

I vow to refrain from all evil.

(Doshi) It is the abode and the source of all Buddhas, and the law of all Buddhas.

I vow to do all that is good.

It is the teaching of anuttara samyaksambodhi and the path of the one who practices, and that which is practiced.

I vow to live and be lived for the benefit of all beings.

It is transcending profane and holy, taking self and others across.

Prohibitory Precepts

I vow not to kill.

By not killing life, the Buddha seed grows. Transmit the life of Buddha and do not kill.

I vow not to take what is not given.

The self and objects are such, two yet one. The gate of liberation stands open.

I vow not to misuse sexuality.

Let the three wheels of self, objects, and action be pure. With nothing to desire, one goes along together with the Buddhas.

I vow to refrain from false speech.

The Dharma Wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither surplus nor lack. The sweet dew saturates all and harvests the truth.

I vow not to sell the wine of delusion.

Originally pure, don't defile. This is the great awareness.

I vow not to slander.

In the Buddha Dharma, go together, appreciate, realize, and actualize together. Don't permit fault-finding. Don't permit haphazard talk. Do not corrupt the way.

I vow not to praise self at the expense of others.

Buddhas and Ancestors realize the vast sky and the great earth. When they manifest the noble body, there is neither inside nor outside in emptiness. When they manifest the Dharma body, there is not even a bit of earth on the ground.

I vow not to be avaricious.

One phrase, one verse--that is the ten thousand things and one hundred grasses. One dharma, one realization--is all Buddhas and Ancestors. Therefore, from the beginning, there has been no stinginess at all.

I vow not to harbor ill will.

Not negative, not positive, neither real nor unreal. There is an ocean of illuminated clouds and an ocean of ornamented clouds.

I vow not to abuse the three treasures.

To expound the Dharma with this body is foremost. Virtue returns to the ocean of reality. It is unfathomable--we just accept it with respect and gratitude.