The tenth precept: not ignorantly slandering the Three Treasures
from Hoko
There's more going on here than simply saying unkind or unwholesome things about Buddha, dharma and sangha. That was the original idea; if we're Buddha's students, then of course we shouldn't go about trying to turn people against practice, or creating disruptions and disharmony in the sangha by spreading misinformation, However, Bodhidharma's comment on this precept is: Within the dharma which is the undivided reality, not arousing a dualistic view of sentient beings and buddha is called the precept of not slandering the Three Treasures.
In order to investigate this precept, we have to understand what ignorance is and what the Three Treasures really are. One kind of ignorance is that we forget that in the absolute sense, Buddha, dharma and sangha are the same thing: the true reality of all beings. As Okumura Roshi says, "This entire universe is dharma-kaya and Buddha Treasure, the way all beings in the universe are is the Dharma Treasure, and all beings in the network of interconnection are Sangha Treasure." We can't really pull the three treasures apart. They're deeply interconnected and we're not really separate from them.
It's when we forget that and start treating them as objects of our senses or our thinking that we violate the precept. We can create a separation between ourselves and the three treasures and then want something back from them. We can certainly bow in front of a Buddha image or take up a dharma book and read it, or enjoy being with the sangha, but we do these things without a selfish motive, and in that way these three treasures are all beings and the functioning of the universe as a whole. Thus this precept isn't just about our interactions with Buddhism. It's about how we're living together with all beings within the universe. If we're not paying attention to that, and we're seeing ourselves as separate from the three treasures, we're breaking this precept
There are three kinds of three treasures, or three ways to understand each one.
Buddha
Dharma
Sangha
The clear mind version of this precept says: respecting the Buddha, unfolding the Dharma and nourishing the Sangha. In order to respect the Buddha, we have to really understand what that is. Otherwise, we’re just paying lip service or acting obsequious for our own reasons of ego. If we respect the Buddha, we aspire to be like him and to practice in Buddha’s Way. That means somehow we understand that this practice is a wholesome thing to do and manifesting awakening is a good thing. We might not know why; maybe we’ve seen something in our teachers or dharma friends that encourages us to practice. We don’t have to be worshipful about it; we’re not worshipping something separate from ourselves. We simply honor Shakyamuni for his practice and teaching, we take some care with the images on our altars and our chant books, and we have some faith that awakening is already here.
Unfolding the dharma goes hand in hand with not begrudging the dharma, helping to make it available to those who want it and also by quietly manifesting the dharma in the way we move through the world. We’re not keeping the dharma to or for ourselves, but we’re not being pushy about it either. We're just living in accordance with the reality that Buddha taught.
We nourish the sangha with our presence, attention and practice, even if we're not practicing with a sitting group. We take care with relationships, encourage others, and don’t obstruct practice for our own ends.
There's more going on here than simply saying unkind or unwholesome things about Buddha, dharma and sangha. That was the original idea; if we're Buddha's students, then of course we shouldn't go about trying to turn people against practice, or creating disruptions and disharmony in the sangha by spreading misinformation, However, Bodhidharma's comment on this precept is: Within the dharma which is the undivided reality, not arousing a dualistic view of sentient beings and buddha is called the precept of not slandering the Three Treasures.
In order to investigate this precept, we have to understand what ignorance is and what the Three Treasures really are. One kind of ignorance is that we forget that in the absolute sense, Buddha, dharma and sangha are the same thing: the true reality of all beings. As Okumura Roshi says, "This entire universe is dharma-kaya and Buddha Treasure, the way all beings in the universe are is the Dharma Treasure, and all beings in the network of interconnection are Sangha Treasure." We can't really pull the three treasures apart. They're deeply interconnected and we're not really separate from them.
It's when we forget that and start treating them as objects of our senses or our thinking that we violate the precept. We can create a separation between ourselves and the three treasures and then want something back from them. We can certainly bow in front of a Buddha image or take up a dharma book and read it, or enjoy being with the sangha, but we do these things without a selfish motive, and in that way these three treasures are all beings and the functioning of the universe as a whole. Thus this precept isn't just about our interactions with Buddhism. It's about how we're living together with all beings within the universe. If we're not paying attention to that, and we're seeing ourselves as separate from the three treasures, we're breaking this precept
There are three kinds of three treasures, or three ways to understand each one.
Buddha
- Manifesting Three Treasures: Buddha as Shakyamuni
- Maintaining Three Treasures: Buddha as relics and images
- Absolute Three Treasures: the Buddha that can’t separated from anything else, which is unsurpassable awakening. Unsurpassable here meaning there is nothing outside of it. You can’t get beyond it; it has no boundary.
Dharma
- Manifesting Three Treasures: dharma as Shakyamuni’s teachings
- Maintaining Three Treasures: dharma as written sutras
- Absolute Three Treasures: the dharma that can’t separated from anything else, which is the true reality of all beings
Sangha
- Manifesting Three Treasures: sangha as the original group of people who practiced and studied with Shakyamuni
- Maintaining Three Treasures: us today
- Absolute Three Treasures: all beings
The clear mind version of this precept says: respecting the Buddha, unfolding the Dharma and nourishing the Sangha. In order to respect the Buddha, we have to really understand what that is. Otherwise, we’re just paying lip service or acting obsequious for our own reasons of ego. If we respect the Buddha, we aspire to be like him and to practice in Buddha’s Way. That means somehow we understand that this practice is a wholesome thing to do and manifesting awakening is a good thing. We might not know why; maybe we’ve seen something in our teachers or dharma friends that encourages us to practice. We don’t have to be worshipful about it; we’re not worshipping something separate from ourselves. We simply honor Shakyamuni for his practice and teaching, we take some care with the images on our altars and our chant books, and we have some faith that awakening is already here.
Unfolding the dharma goes hand in hand with not begrudging the dharma, helping to make it available to those who want it and also by quietly manifesting the dharma in the way we move through the world. We’re not keeping the dharma to or for ourselves, but we’re not being pushy about it either. We're just living in accordance with the reality that Buddha taught.
We nourish the sangha with our presence, attention and practice, even if we're not practicing with a sitting group. We take care with relationships, encourage others, and don’t obstruct practice for our own ends.
