“The Evolution of the Precepts” Study Material for The 2008 National Conference of The Soto Zen Buddhist Association 1 Contents I. The Evolution of the Precepts Page #s: A) India: 1. From the Suttavibhang: On Establishing the Pratimoksha 4 2. The Story of the First Vinaya Rule from the Suttavibhanga 5 3. On the Extremes 6 4. The Life of the Order (Bodiford) 6 5. On the Vinaya (Thanissaro) 6 6. Precepts (Getz) 7 7. The Vinaya Discipline of Buddhist Monasticism (Thurman) 9 8. The First and Second Buddhist Councils (Phelan) 11 9. From The Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines 11 10. The Definitive Vinaya 13 B) China: 1. Emergence of the Chinese Buddhist Order (Bodiford) 16 2. The Origins of Buddhist Monastic Codes in China (Yifa) 17 3. Brahmajala Sutra 18 4. Platform Sutra 19 5. Vinaya Developments in China (Chu) 19 6. Chanyuan Qinggui 21 7. Chinese Vinaya Tradition to Chan Regulations (Yifa) 23 C) Japan: 1. Mahayana Precepts in Japan (Groner) 26 2. Saicho 26 3. Early Tendai Understandings of the Precepts (Bodiford) 28 4. Eihei Dogen on Precepts 29 5. Dogen and the Precepts (Heine) 30 6. Bodhidharma’s Precepts in Japan (Bodiford) 33 7. Precepts and Ordinations in Soto Zen (Bodiford) 39 8. Dogen’s Standards to Train a Pure Heart (Leighton) 44 9. Tokugawa Developments in Establishing the 16 Bodhisattva Precepts (Riggs) 45 10. Precepts as Koans 49 II. The 16 Bodhisattva Precepts - Histroical Background and Character Study A) The Three Refuges 1. Historical Background a) Vinaya Account of the First Going for Refuge 50 b) The Treasures Sutta 50 c) Mahanama Sutta 50 d) Verses of Chattamanavaka 51 e) Platform Sutra 51 f) Shobogenzo Kiesambo 51 g) Meanings of Refuge 52 h) The Refuges as Precepts 52 2. Character Study and Translation Comparison a) Basic refuge formula, 53 b) Pali refuge formula, 55 c) Sankiemon – Three Refuges Verse (Ordination refuge formula) 55 d) Sankiraimon – Three Refuges Prayer (Ryaku-fustasu refuge formula) 57 B) The Three Pure Precepts 1. Historical Background a) Asangha’s Exposition of the Three Pure Precepts 60 b) Gyōnen Kokushi’s Exposition of the Three Pure Precepts 62 c) The Three Pure Precepts and the Teaching of All Buddhas 65 d) The Three Pure Precepts and the Three Bodies of Buddha 65 2 2. Character Study and Translation Comparison 66 C) The Ten Grave Precepts 1. Historical Background a) Shramanera Ten Precepts 70 b) The Development of the Ten Good Ways of Action (Dayal) 70 c) Brahmajala Sutta (Pali Canon) 71 d) Avatamsaka Sutra 72 e) Sources of the Ten Grave Precepts 73 f) Brahmajala Sutra (Mahayana) 74 2. Character Study and Translation Comparison 77 III. Precept Commentary A) Bodhidharma’s One Mind Precepts 89 B) Dogen’s Kyojukaimon 93 IV. Repentance and the Precepts A) Repentance and Confession (Chappell) 99 B) Platform Sutra 101 C) Repentance Verse Character Study and Translation Comparison 101 D) Eihei Koso Hotsuganmon 106 E) Ryaku Fusatsu: 1. Uposatha (Walters) 107 2. Rayku Fusatsu Character Study 107 3. Ryaku Fusatsu in the Keizan Shingi 107 4. Ryaku Fusatsu in the Gyoji Kihan: 109 5. Ryaku Fusatsu and Dai Fusatsu 109 F) The Role of Repentance – Or Lack of it – in Zen Monasticism (Heine) 110 V. Receiving the Precepts A) Development of the Ordination Ceremony (Thurman, McRae): 111 B) On the Importance of Receiving the Precepts 112 C) The Essence of the Precepts: 1. Receiving the Essence of the Precepts (Bodiford) 113 2. The Avijnaptirupa of Ordaining (Lamotte) 113 3. Generating the Essence of the Precepts (Groner) 114 D) Platform Sutra: 1. Outline of the Platform Sutra Ordination 115 2. Daoxuan and the Intimate Presence of Buddha (McRae) 115 3. The Platform Sutra as Talisman (Barrett) 116 E) Kechimyaku 117 F) The Verse of Purity While Abiding in the World 120 VI. Bibliography 121 Disclaimer: Please excuse me for leaving out essential items. Also, to keep this study booklet from becoming too large, I have excerpted material from Sutras, articles and other writings. I have done this with the intention of presenting the essential materials of interest, but please note that the excerpts can be deceptive, leave out essential aspects of the context, and disrupt the logic of the original works. To help bring attention to the editing that has occurred, the normal “…” used for ellipsis is here expanded to “…***…” as the excerpts may leave out entire sentences, paragraphs and sections. References within articles to other scholarly works can mostly be tracked down in the final Bibliography, with the exception of foreign-language works. I would have liked to included a lot of other materials – especially contemporary writing – but time and space did not allow. Acknowledgements: Luminous Owl Henkel, Tanto at Tassajara, was a tremendous help. This study incur- porates a great deal of his research and work and also benefited from his suggestions. Kosho McCall at SFZC shared the work he had already done on a character study and translation comparison of the precepts. David Riggs kindly allowed the inclusion of excerpts from an unpublished draft (see I.C.8.), and Eric Greene helped with a few tricky things. Additonally of course, there is the wonderful work of the many translators, scholars & dharma teachers included in this study. I am sorry for any mistakes. with palms joined, Charlie Korin Pokorny. 3 I. The Evolution of the Precepts, A) India 1. From the Suttavibhanga: On Establishing the Pratimoksha Adapted from “The Book of the Discipline”, translated by I.B. Horner, M.A. (Pali Text Society): “Sariputta, while Vipassin was a Blessed One, while Sikhin was a Blessed One, and while Vessabhu was a Blessed One the holy life did not last long. Sariputta, while Kakusandha was a Blessed One, while Konagamana was a Blessed One, and while Kassapa was a Blessed One the holy life lasted long…***… “Sariputta, the Blessed One Vipassin, the Blessed One Sikhin, and the Blessed One Vessabhu were idle in preaching Dhamma in detail to the disciples; they had little of the Suttas (scriptures and vinaya), Geyyas (scriptures with verses), Veyyakaranas (abhidhamma), Gathas (verses), Udanas (inspired utterances), Itivuttakas (sayings), Jatakas (past life stories), Abbhutadhammas (wonderful event stories), Vedallas (miscellaneous teachings); the course of training for the disciples was not made known, the Patimokkha was not established. After the disappearance of these Enlightened Ones, these Blessed Ones, after the disappearance of the disciples enlightened under those Enlightened Ones, those last disciples of various names, of various clans, of various castes, who had gone forth from various families, caused this holy life to rapidly disappear. It is as if, Sariputta, various flowers, loose on a tray, not tied together by a thread, are scattered about, whirled about, and destroyed by the wind. What is the cause? Inasmuch as they are not held together by a thread, even so, Sariputta, at the disappearance of these Enlightened Ones, these Blessed Ones, at the disappearance of the disciples enlightened under these Enlightened Ones, those last disciples of various names, of various clans, of various castes, who had gone forth from various families, caused this holy life to rapidly disappear. But these Blessed Ones were untiring in exhorting the disciples, for they read their minds with their own. “Formerly, Sariputta, the Blessed One Vessabhu, perfected, fully Enlightened One, in a certain awe- inspiring jungle-thicket exhorted and admonished a congregation of a thousand monks, reading their minds with his own, and saying: Apply the mind thus, do not apply the mind thus; pay attention thus, do not pay attention thus; forsake this; having attained this, abide in it. Then, Sariputta, when these thousand monks had been exhorted and admonished by Vessabhu, the Blessed One, perfected, fully Enlightened One, their minds were freed from outflows without grasping. Moreover, Sariputta, whoever not devoid of passion, is in terror of the awe-inspiring jungle-thicket, and enters the jungle- thicket, as a rule his hair stands on end. This, Sariputta, is the cause, this is the reason why, when Vipassin was a Blessed One, when Sikhin was a Blessed One, and when Vessabhu was a Blessed One, the holy life did not last long…***… “Sariputta, the Blessed One Kakusandha, the Blessed One Konagamana, and the Blessed One Kassapa were diligent in preaching Dhamma in detail to the disciples; they had much of the Suttas, Geyyas, Veyyakaranas, Gathas, Udanas, Itivuttakas, Jatakas, Abbhutadhammas, Vedallas; the course of training for the disciples was made known, the Patimokkha was established. After the disappearance of these Enlightened Ones, these Blessed Ones, at the disappearance of the disciples who were enlightened under these Enlightened Ones, those last disciples of various names, of various clans, of various castes, who had gone forth from various families, established the holy life for a very long time. It is as if, Sariputta, various flowers, loose on a tray, well tied together by a thread, are not scattered about, whirled about, or destroyed by the wind. What is the reason for this? They are well tied together by the thread. Even so, Sariputta, at the disappearance of these Enlightened Ones, these Blessed Ones, at the disappearance of the disciples who were enlightened under these Enlightened Ones, those last disciples of various names, of various clans, of various castes, who had gone forth from various families, established the holy life for a very long time. This, Sariputta, is the cause, this is the reason why when Kakusandha was a Blessed One, when Konagamana was a Blessed One, and when Kassapa was a Blessed One, the holy life lasted long.” Then the Venerable Sariputta, having risen from his seat, having arranged his outer robe over one shoulder, held out his joined palms in salutation to the Blessed One and said to the Blessed One: “It is the right time, Lord, it is the right time Sugata (well-farer), for the Blessed One to make known the course of training for the disciples and to establish the Patimokkha, so that this holy life may persist and last long.” “Wait, Sariputta, wait, Sariputta.