The Bodhisattva Precepts

THE PURE PRECEPTS

I vow to refrain from all evil.

It is the abode of the law of all Buddhas; it is the source of the law of all Buddhas.

I vow to make every effort to live in enlightenment.       

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 and taking self and others across.

THE GRAVE PRECEPTS

I vow not to kill.

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

I vow not to take what is not given.

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

I vow not to misuse sexuality.

Let the three wheels of self, object, and action be pure. With nothing to desire, one goes along 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 to refrain from intoxicants.

Originally pure, do not defile. This is the great awareness.

I vow not to slander.

In the Buddhadharma, go together, appreciate together, realize together 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 bright clouds.

I vow not to disparage the Three Treasures.

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