LIVING by VOW: Author's Preface & Introduction - PP IX to 11

[pthwaites]

Reading this first section of the book, the main feeling I encountered was a familiar kind of tension. I feel this way any time I read about taking a certain approach to life (I also felt this way when attempting, and ultimately failing, to compete Jukai). It's a sense of being limited, constrained, taught that I need to approach life differently - less selfishly. I suppose I react this way to things that I perceive as a threat to my independence.

This is not a complaint about the book, just something that I will have to sit with as I read. As others have pointed out above - especially in the quote shared by Shoka - there’s an interesting play between my sense that these teachings are constraining, and their own goal of being liberating.

Peter

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[Hoseki]

Reading this first section of the book, the main feeling I encountered was a familiar kind of tension. I feel this way any time I read about taking a certain approach to life (I also felt this way when attempting, and ultimately failing, to compete Jukai). It's a sense of being limited, constrained, taught that I need to approach life differently - less selfishly. I suppose I react this way to things that I perceive as a threat to my independence.

This is not a complaint about the book, just something that I will have to sit with as I read. As others have pointed out above - especially in the quote shared by Shoka - there’s an interesting play between my sense that these teachings are constraining, and their own goal of being liberating.

Peter

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Hi Peter,

I'm not sure if this will help but perhaps you can think of the way of the Bodhisattva as neither selfish or altruistic but more like an exercise program. A program that you've decided (vowed) to undertake for your health something that's ultimately your decision and about a concern for your own well being. That feeling of strain you experience when you want to do something that conflicts with your vow are like the stresses and strains of exercise. Exercise can be uncomfortable at times but it is good for you.

Another way to look at is like compulsive behavior. I overeat when I'm anxious, and sadly I'm anxious often, as a result I have more body fat than I would like. So when I'm not feeling well I feel compelled to eat something. I want to eat and the act of eating is pleasurable. But I would also like to be slimmer (and presumably healthier.) So even though I want to eat I also want to not eat. If I set aside the urge to eat or simply sit with it I would be free from that compulsion.


Another way, is to look at the Bodhisattva path as the type of person you want to become. If you want to be like a Bodhisattva then you have to act like one. So you take steps to become one. In our suggested reading list there is a book called Faces of Compassion by Taigen Dan Leighton. This book provides some examples of Bodhisattva from the Sutra's well as real people who exemplified certain characteristics.

In each case we can skip the selfish/altruistic dichotomy because we are bringing care for the self and for others together. I help other because they need help but also because I want to.

These were the things I thought about when I read your post.

Gassho
Sattoday
Hoseki

[Jakuden]

Hi Peter,

I'm not sure if this will help but perhaps you can think of the way of the Bodhisattva as neither selfish or altruistic but more like an exercise program. A program that you've decided (vowed) to undertake for your health something that's ultimately your decision and about a concern for your own well being. That feeling of strain you experience when you want to do something that conflicts with your vow are like the stresses and strains of exercise. Exercise can be uncomfortable at times but it is good for you.

Another way to look at is like compulsive behavior. I overeat when I'm anxious, and sadly I'm anxious often, as a result I have more body fat than I would like. So when I'm not feeling well I feel compelled to eat something. I want to eat and the act of eating is pleasurable. But I would also like to be slimmer (and presumably healthier.) So even though I want to eat I also want to not eat. If I set aside the urge to eat or simply sit with it I would be free from that compulsion.


Another way, is to look at the Bodhisattva path as the type of person you want to become. If you want to be like a Bodhisattva then you have to act like one. So you take steps to become one. In our suggested reading list there is a book called Faces of Compassion by Taigen Dan Leighton. This book provides some examples of Bodhisattva from the Sutra's well as real people who exemplified certain characteristics.

In each case we can skip the selfish/altruistic dichotomy because we are bringing care for the self and for others together. I help other because they need help but also because I want to.

These were the things I thought about when I read your post.

Gassho
Sattoday
Hoseki

This is so right on. I often want to post and ask, "does the mental resistance ever go away!?" Probably not, any more than the resistance to exercise or turning down ice cream and pizza goes away [emoji15] Am I wrong?

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday


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[Kaishin]

I've written a few things, but I keep deleting them

For now I will just say that I am reading along. My wife will be reading along with me as well, and I'm grateful for that!

-satToday

[Hoko]

This section of the book and this thread brought up a lot of great talking points.
I'll try to be brief.

The idea of laying one's self out in the mud to benefit others touches the crossroad between selfless service and (literally) being a doormat.
We have to be VERY clear on the difference here because it's easy to conflate the two.
When we encounter suffering in our daily lives and we drop our clinging to how we prefer things to be does that mean that we are training to become masochists?
Is "radical acceptance" really just "learned helplessness" in disguise?
(For those who are unfamiliar with this term there was a study done where dogs were given electric shocks through a mat on the floor and when they were locked in a cage with nowhere to go and the mat was beneath them giving them shocks the dogs eventually just lay there and took it. Researchers coined the term "learned helplessness" to describe this phenomenon)

I think that this notion of the Bodhisattva vow is one that's very easy to misinterpret as are some other Buddhist concepts.
In describing Zen Buddhism to an old friend he commented that it sounded like "the religion of low expectations".
Maybe I just bungled the explanation but in his defense, I could see his point.
"Life is suffering so I'll just sit here and take it" is not the goal of Buddhist practice but sometimes it's not so obvious to the uninitiated.

To address Jundo's questions at the beginning of the thread there is a deep connection between the Bodhisattva vow, repentance and practice-enlightenment.
Zen practice is the ruthless attention to one's own internal BS. We vow to address it (transform all delusions though delusions inexhaustible) but it's a never ending process.
There is no "last word" in Zen (Case 55 of the Book of Equanimity). Reflection upon our incompleteness motivates us to re-commit.
This in turn mirrors what Uchiyama Roshi says about Vow and Repentance being two sides of a (non-sided) coin.
The coin flips and spins eternally.
It is also very much related to what Dogen says about practice itself being enlightenment.

So VOW ties it all together nicely because a vow is a statement of intention. Intention begets action. And Nishijima Roshi says Zen is a religion of action.

So we vow to save all sentient beings, though beings numberless (the Bodhisattva vow)
We vow to transform all delusions (through the never ending process of rigorous self study viz. zazen)
We vow to perceive reality though reality is boundless (not to "see" what we believe but to "see seeing" for what it is i.e Dongshan's "Just this is it")
We vow to attain the enlightened way, a way non attainable.

Even though we know that it is not something to be "had" or "acquired" this does not absolve us nor dissuade us from making the effort.
And it is in making this effort that we actualize the entire universe and the entire universe actualizes us.

Understanding our intention very, very clearly helps us perceive situations correctly and act accordingly.
This sounds complex but it's not.
If I am clear that my job as a parent is to love my children first and foremost then I am better able to handle things like discipline.
(I use this example because it's very close to my heart.)
If I VOW to love my kids and REPENT that I am not a perfect parent then I am more committed to watching my internal barometer during my interactions with my kids.
When they inevitably misbehave, instead of attaching to the idea that they should be this or that way I can accept the misbehavior for what it is, remember that I love them and be clear about why I am disciplining them. (These are my expectations, you failed to meet them, these are the consequences; I know you don't like it but such as it is...)
This is MUCH better than becoming outraged over the misbehavior or self-recrimination over my "lousy parenting skills".
You can take the same scenario and replace "my kids" with "my thoughts" and it still works.

So am I a Bodhisattva? Well, yes and no. When I am committed to my vows and cognizant of my imperfections then I am.
When I fail to exert devotion (viriya) and allow myself to be pulled about by my karma then I am not.

So far there is a lot to like about this book!

Gassho,
Hoko
#SatToday

[Kaishin]

In describing Zen Buddhism to an old friend he commented that it sounded like "the religion of low expectations".

You must have forgotten to mention the whole "save all sentient beings" part ☺

[Joyo]

My month-long training for my new job is done as of tomorrow. I will be very happy to join in with the book club then, as well as, being part of my Treeleaf home.

Gassho
Joyo
sat today

[Jishin]

IMG_0101.JPGIMG_0103.JPGIMG_0102.JPG

Books should taste good, have good pictures and burn well.

I am not sure we are using this book the way it was meant to be used.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Meitou]

I'm very excited to be reading this book; part of my journey here from Tibetan Buddhism was down to watching a rather lovely talk by Susan Moon about precepts and vows - I hadn't heard of her before and she piqued my already growing interest in Zen.
These are some of the highlights for me so far ...
'I feel that the essence of bodhisattva practice and the common ground of various styles of practice is living by vow' Am I a bodhisattva? I don't know, but I do know that I aspire to be, that it's my intention and I must try.
I felt a slight resistance to the idea of repentance and atonement, I could sense that idea of atoning for one's sins which didn't sit well, however this...
'Because our vow is endless, our practice is never complete. This awareness of incompleteness is repentance'
really clarified the issue for me, showing me a way to look at it in a different light. By coincidence ( are there any?) this quote also arrived in my inbox a couple of days ago..

'To repent is not to feel remorse, but to face one’s faults, realizing they are faults,
and try one’s best not to make the same mistake again.
If one does that, one is already making amends.'
Master Shen-Yeng 'How to be faultless'

I found this very interesting..
'Each bodhisattva makes specific vows unique to his or her personality and capabilities' He's talking here about the general vows and then particular vows. I have never heard of this before, I wonder could someone explain a bit more about this to me or direct me to further info?

I'm also intrigued about being led by karma - again I haven't come across this before and I'm not sure what to make of it., perhaps because I'm coming from the Tibetan tradition where so much emphasis is put on karma, purification and rebirth. I have to say that I've had misgivings many times about attitudes toward 'karma' and merit, almost as if we can carry a Karma Kard and get reward points, something that really annoys me - I once had some Buddhist friends offer to help me move furniture around in my flat; when I declined saying I was fine with it, they pointed out that they would like to help me because they would earn merit - ugh, thanks for that! So yes, I'm looking at the meaning around not being led by karma with curiosity. I love how this is opening up new ideas for me.
I have highlighted a lot of passages but won't go into them all here - but I did just want to post this quote from Dogen Zenji's very beautiful passage on continuous practice..

' The virtue of this continuous practice sustains ourselves and others. The essential point is that, in the entire earth and throughout heaven in the ten directions, all beings receive the merit of our continuous practice. Although neither others nor ourselves know it, that is the way it is' And there it is, that's why I practice

Gassho
Sat with you all today.

[Hoseki]

I found this very interesting..
'Each bodhisattva makes specific vows unique to his or her personality and capabilities' He's talking here about the general vows and then particular vows. I have never heard of this before, I wonder could someone explain a bit more about this to me or direct me to further info?

I'm also intrigued about being led by karma - again I haven't come across this before and I'm not sure what to make of it., perhaps because I'm coming from the Tibetan tradition where so much emphasis is put on karma, purification and rebirth. I have to say that I've had misgivings many times about attitudes toward 'karma' and merit, almost as if we can carry a Karma Kard and get reward points, something that really annoys me - I once had some Buddhist friends offer to help me move furniture around in my flat; when I declined saying I was fine with it, they pointed out that they would like to help me because they would earn merit - ugh, thanks for that! So yes, I'm looking at the meaning around not being led by karma with curiosity. I love how this is opening up new ideas for me.
I have highlighted a lot of passages but won't go into them all here - but I did just want to post this quote from Dogen Zenji's very beautiful passage on continuous practice..

' The virtue of this continuous practice sustains ourselves and others. The essential point is that, in the entire earth and throughout heaven in the ten directions, all beings receive the merit of our continuous practice. Although neither others nor ourselves know it, that is the way it is' And there it is, that's why I practice

Gassho
Sat with you all today.

Hi Frankie,

I can't speak for anyone else's reading but here are my thoughts on those points you mentioned. Our vows maybe unique to us because we are unique and so are our circumstances. For example, if I have a tendency towards cowardice (or actions rooted in fear) then I might be as Hoko mentioned a bit of a door mat (this is true of me incidentally.) So for me to walk the path I may have to be firmer with people in an attempt to care for myself and others. But if someone else was a little brash or bullish they may have to try and hold back a bit when dealing with others lest they hurt others needlessly as well as cause themselves grief and regret. In both case we are trying to look after the well being of ourselves and others but it takes different forms because of our different dispositions and attitudes (things that have been honed in us over time) which we might call Karmic seeds.

The vows maybe the same but actual practice will differ. We are the many hands of Avalokitêśvara responding to the different needs of those around us.


At least that's what came to mind when I read your post.


Gassho
Sattoday
Hoseki

[Michael Joseph]

Hello everyone,

So much to say and yet not a word. Perhaps I'll just listen to y'all this week. Thank you for your insights.

Gassho,

Michael

Sat today

[Kotei]

Hello,

thank you for sharing your thoughts.
They made me pull out the book for a second read.
This time, enriched with your perspectives and with a different perspective inside myself, too.

Gassho,
Kotei sat and lah today.

[Kyonin]

Hello all!

This book was a gift from a wonderful friend so I'm reading it with a warm heart and an often silly smile.

Do you believe that the attitude of the Bodhisattva is vital to Zen Practice, and must be focused on helping others before (or together with) ourself? Do you feel like a Bodhisattva yourself according to the definitions given?

Yes, I think this attitude is vital for our practice. I often think and say to people who ask that Buddhism is never for the self, it's a way to make ourselves useful to life. If we act always thinking on the benefit of other sentient beings, life becomes a really nice place to live. Even by sitting zazen we are helping life because we are in silent and still, thus we minimize consumption and keep ourselves from impacting life in any way... at least for the time we sit.

Me? No, I don't feel like a Bodhisattva at all. I'm just that crazy guy who does stuff for others and smiles to people in the street.


The Introduction briefly introduces all the many Chants that Okumura will be looking at more closely later in the book, and seeks to make the point that "Vow" is at the center of all of them. Do you get that?

Yes, I think he makes it very clear that this practice is a vow. And I love that. I am very in tune with the fact that the more we practice compassion and generosity, we are creating ripples of compassion. Zen practice gives us a solid framework to live by our vow.


What do you think about his comment, "Such a reflection and realization of one's own incompleteness is repentance" ?
I think it's a statement that reminds us to see our practice with humility and perspective. It's very easy to fall into self delusion and feel superior when doing things for other beings. But if we think about it, the Bodhisattva work is never done, so we must just be quiet and keep on our service.


Toward the end of the Introduction, there is a long passage from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo-Gyoji about "continuous practice" (which is also known as "Practice-Enlightenment"). Is his meaning clear to you, and any impressions?
I have always liked Gyoji because allows me to understand that this practice never ends, that our acts always create consequences and that regardless of goals we must keep on.

Gassho,

Kyonin
SatToday/LAH

[Mp]

Do you believe that the attitude of the Bodhisattva is vital to Zen Practice, and must be focused on helping others before (or together with) ourself? Do you feel like a Bodhisattva yourself according to the definitions given?

Yes, I think this attitude is vital for our practice. I often think and say to people who ask that Buddhism is never for the self, it's a way to make ourselves useful to life. If we act always thinking on the benefit of other sentient beings, life becomes a really nice place to live. Even by sitting zazen we are helping life because we are in silent and still, thus we minimize consumption and keep ourselves from impacting life in any way... at least for the time we sit.

Well said and so true Kyonin. =)

Me? No, I don't feel like a Bodhisattva at all. I'm just that crazy guy who does stuff for others and smiles to people in the street.

You too eh ... *wehhh* I am not alone!

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[Kaishin]

Do you believe that the attitude of the Bodhisattva is vital to Zen Practice, and must be focused on helping others before (or together with) ourself?

No -- but hear me out. I do not think that attitude is at all required to start on this path or to begin this practice. I certainly did not have such an attitude when I began--I was in a painful mess and was looking only to help myself.

What's amazing is that--even without trying--the longer you follow this path, the more your thoughts, words, and deeds do start to resemble what are described as those of a bodhisattva.

So, no, I do not think it is required -- but you will find yourself becoming a bodhisattva (even if in small ways compared to others) whether you like it or not!!!!

This passage from the Editor's Preface sums this up nicely:

... awareness of emptiness leads naturally to a more peaceful, stable life in our modern world. Impermanence and interdependence are not merely philosophical abstractions. They are fundamental aspects of our daily existence. Ongoing recognition of this reality leads naturally to generosity, egolessness, and inner calm. The appreciation and application of this concept is a very practical antidote to the pervasive angst of our modern consumer society.

Okumura, Shohaku. Living by Vow: A Practical Introduction to Eight Essential Zen Chants and Texts (Kindle Locations 83-87). Wisdom Publications. Kindle Edition.