The seventh precept: not praising self or slandering others
from Hoko
We can read this precept as being about ourselves as individuals engaged in our daily interactions with others. It seems to say, Don’t spread lies about others in order to make yourself look good. Our first response is probably, “I’d never do that!” It's likely that indeed we intend no harm, but what about when we’re involved in any kind of persuasion toward people who need to make a choice between what we represent and what others represent? When resources are limited and competition is necessary, what happens in our hearts and minds?
This includes product sales and marketing, elections on all levels, writing grant requests, lawsuits, application for college or employment, and other similar undertakings, so this is really relevant in a big way. All of these activities are legitimate and can be Right Livelihood and can be wholesome, and they can also go off the rails.
The absolute aspect of this precept is about non-separation. We don’t discriminate between beings because at the most basic level we are all empty. We are all five skandhas, impermanent, with no fixed self-nature that persists through time, so there’s no distinction or discrimination to be made between ourselves and anyone else. When we clearly see the reality of this, the urge to praise self and slander others doesn’t arise,
Yet until we all manifest Buddhahood, we have to live in the world and be careful, even when we talk about practice and the dharma. For instance, directors on the board are doing their jobs when they’re creating strategic messages about Sanshin; part of strategic planning is knowing your strengths. What’s special about our practice and why would practitioners would want to come here or give money? However, if we say that our temple or practice is better than those of others, that can generate bad feeling. Really, it’s all one dharma, but this is how sectarianism begins.
Our intentions are good. We want to offer the dharma to everyone who wants it, and in order to do that we need people to donate resources, but we have to be careful about how we position the differences in practice styles. Okumura Roshi has always wanted to avoid conflicts between Sanshin and practitioners' home sanghas, so we offer no membership or exclusive affiliation.
When we take precepts and start wearing rakusu, we and others can think that our practice has become special. Sangha members can believe that those who've taken precepts and wear rakusu are more important or powerful than other laypeople who haven't and don’t. Those who've received the precepts can start to believe it too. Yet zazen is zazen and we’re all doing the same zazen as the Buddha and the same as the first-time visitor. The person serving as shuso, or head novice, during an ango is assigned to clean the bathrooms and manage the trash as an exercise in humility. Novices and teachers all take turns washing dishes, cleaning up the yard, or otherwise participating in the daily work of the place. No one’s practice is more valuable or more meaningful than anyone else’s. Someone may have a few more pieces of information than someone else, but if so, then as a bodhisattva his/her/their obligation is to use that to skillfully help others. On one hand, that doesn’t mean evangelizing or doing a lot of direction and correction in an unskillful way. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean disregarding newbies or leaving them out. We all have something to offer
When it comes to making the case for something in the day to day world, we also have the opportunity to watch what we’re doing. Is what we’re saying about the other side actually true, or are we exaggerating or even lying? That product is no good, that candidate is a crook or incompetent, the witness in this case was drunk and unreliable. Is what we’re saying about our own side actually true? Our product is the best value in town, this grant project will serve multitudes of people, we have years of job experience, our grades were all As. What story are we telling in order to get what we want, and at what expense to others?
The clear mind verson of this precept is: Maintaining modesty and extolling others. This is bodhisattva work that is not after fame and gain. This is the anonymous donation, or taking the initiative to help without expectation of reward, even the reward of being a "good person." This is picking up the store item that’s fallen on the floor, organizing the shopping carts in the corral when you drop yours off, doing something extra at home or in your dharma center because it needs doing, not because someone will see you and be impressed.
Then there’s the interesting practice of extolling others instead of ourselves, not so they’ll like us but so that others including themselves may recognize their skills and abilities. How about extolling the virtues of someone you don’t particularly like when that’s warranted?
Maintaining modesty is about not putting ourselves out there for our own gain. It doesn’t mean we can’t take a stand, make some noise, or be recognized for what we do. It also doesn’t mean denying our accomplishments or refusing to accept a compliment. If others notice our good qualities, that's fine. It's an opportunity for them to extoll others. We can make space for that practice; we just need to be careful about attaching to how that happens.
We can read this precept as being about ourselves as individuals engaged in our daily interactions with others. It seems to say, Don’t spread lies about others in order to make yourself look good. Our first response is probably, “I’d never do that!” It's likely that indeed we intend no harm, but what about when we’re involved in any kind of persuasion toward people who need to make a choice between what we represent and what others represent? When resources are limited and competition is necessary, what happens in our hearts and minds?
This includes product sales and marketing, elections on all levels, writing grant requests, lawsuits, application for college or employment, and other similar undertakings, so this is really relevant in a big way. All of these activities are legitimate and can be Right Livelihood and can be wholesome, and they can also go off the rails.
The absolute aspect of this precept is about non-separation. We don’t discriminate between beings because at the most basic level we are all empty. We are all five skandhas, impermanent, with no fixed self-nature that persists through time, so there’s no distinction or discrimination to be made between ourselves and anyone else. When we clearly see the reality of this, the urge to praise self and slander others doesn’t arise,
Yet until we all manifest Buddhahood, we have to live in the world and be careful, even when we talk about practice and the dharma. For instance, directors on the board are doing their jobs when they’re creating strategic messages about Sanshin; part of strategic planning is knowing your strengths. What’s special about our practice and why would practitioners would want to come here or give money? However, if we say that our temple or practice is better than those of others, that can generate bad feeling. Really, it’s all one dharma, but this is how sectarianism begins.
Our intentions are good. We want to offer the dharma to everyone who wants it, and in order to do that we need people to donate resources, but we have to be careful about how we position the differences in practice styles. Okumura Roshi has always wanted to avoid conflicts between Sanshin and practitioners' home sanghas, so we offer no membership or exclusive affiliation.
When we take precepts and start wearing rakusu, we and others can think that our practice has become special. Sangha members can believe that those who've taken precepts and wear rakusu are more important or powerful than other laypeople who haven't and don’t. Those who've received the precepts can start to believe it too. Yet zazen is zazen and we’re all doing the same zazen as the Buddha and the same as the first-time visitor. The person serving as shuso, or head novice, during an ango is assigned to clean the bathrooms and manage the trash as an exercise in humility. Novices and teachers all take turns washing dishes, cleaning up the yard, or otherwise participating in the daily work of the place. No one’s practice is more valuable or more meaningful than anyone else’s. Someone may have a few more pieces of information than someone else, but if so, then as a bodhisattva his/her/their obligation is to use that to skillfully help others. On one hand, that doesn’t mean evangelizing or doing a lot of direction and correction in an unskillful way. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean disregarding newbies or leaving them out. We all have something to offer
When it comes to making the case for something in the day to day world, we also have the opportunity to watch what we’re doing. Is what we’re saying about the other side actually true, or are we exaggerating or even lying? That product is no good, that candidate is a crook or incompetent, the witness in this case was drunk and unreliable. Is what we’re saying about our own side actually true? Our product is the best value in town, this grant project will serve multitudes of people, we have years of job experience, our grades were all As. What story are we telling in order to get what we want, and at what expense to others?
The clear mind verson of this precept is: Maintaining modesty and extolling others. This is bodhisattva work that is not after fame and gain. This is the anonymous donation, or taking the initiative to help without expectation of reward, even the reward of being a "good person." This is picking up the store item that’s fallen on the floor, organizing the shopping carts in the corral when you drop yours off, doing something extra at home or in your dharma center because it needs doing, not because someone will see you and be impressed.
Then there’s the interesting practice of extolling others instead of ourselves, not so they’ll like us but so that others including themselves may recognize their skills and abilities. How about extolling the virtues of someone you don’t particularly like when that’s warranted?
Maintaining modesty is about not putting ourselves out there for our own gain. It doesn’t mean we can’t take a stand, make some noise, or be recognized for what we do. It also doesn’t mean denying our accomplishments or refusing to accept a compliment. If others notice our good qualities, that's fine. It's an opportunity for them to extoll others. We can make space for that practice; we just need to be careful about attaching to how that happens.
