The Teaching
of the Shingon-Shu
Chapter 2: The Ten
Precepts
Precepts are guidelines for practitioners. They are different from a law. We make a pledge not to commit these ten negative actions in life.
We will not harm life.
All forms of life are equally precious, and we should respect each of them. Followers ring a bell while walking, as a way to offer caution to animals and bugs. However, the theory of natural evolution that the strongest survives over the weak seems to be the belief of this time. Predators hunt other animals for sustaining their lives. Human beings kill flies, mosquitoes, fish, and animals, and so on for food or to make their life comfortable. It is almost impossible to live without killing. However, we should not take things for granted. We should express our gratitude to them for their sacrifices for our welfare. The Ten precepts are a reminder for us on how we should live, and to realize how our lives are supported by other lives. We should pay attention to not harm human life, because we are all brothers and sisters. Therefore, killing human life is a very grave fault. It is fortunate to be born into a human life, and this precious moment never comes back again. From that perspective, all lives are important, and we should not take away any life purposely.
We will not steal.
Stealing from others is another fault. Everyone makes an effort to live happily, but thieves do not make any effort and just steal things from others. In the ancient days, stealing or conflicts occurred due to shortage of food; however, we see more thieves in this society even though we have enough food. The famous thief, Goemon said, “Even if you try to capture all thieves, it is impossible because the numbers of thieves are like the sands of the seas.” We should control our desires, and should experience the joy of giving and sharing.
We will not commit adultery.
Misconduct from sexual desire has been a major problem throughout human history. If you read a book of ancient poems, the majority of the poems are on love affairs. Many novelists became famous by writing about love affairs. Shogun Ienari Tokugawa had 30 mistresses and 40 children. Rulers often became famous for their sexual behavior and were envied by many men. Sexual desire comes from deep inside, and is hard to control. By abusing sexual conduct, conflicts between husband and wife never cease. Because of this problem, we sometimes see people loosing their trust and even their jobs. Sexual misconduct is against morality and the Buddhist teachings.
These three precepts are guidelines to follow in regards to our conduct of body:
We will not tell a lie.
Human beings have been using language to communicate with one another, and developed marvelous cultures; however, the fact is that people tell lies to one another. Because of this, we have lost many legacies in history. Telling a lie is a most vulgar behavior. There are no lies in the Buddhist teachings. Not telling a lie is the fastest way to come close to the Buddha. Therefore, our school is called Shingon, true word lineage.
We will not exaggerate.
Exaggeration creates another problem because it is far away from truth. Soon or later, people find out that it was not true. The world of truth cannot be explained by using a few decorative words. Rather, we should speak from the bottom of our hearts.
We will not speak abusively.
Speaking abusively leads people to misery. When a person becomes emotional or tries to put another person down by speaking badly, his reputation never improves, rather people will not believe in him any longer, and will abandon him. The abusive words will come back to the person who spoke them and the result will be nothing but misery. When Shakyamuni Buddha was alive, an angry man came and spoke to him very abusively. Shakyamuni listened to him and replied, “If a person did not accept your gift, what are you going to do with it?” He answered, “I may have to take it home with me.” Shakyamuni said, “You spoke to me very abusively, and I do not accept that, please take them with you.” If you spit up to the sky, it will come back down on you. In the same manner, we should not speak abusively even though other people speak badly of you. A Buddhist sutra says, “Even though people speak to you hysterically, you should not respond to them abusively. Rather you should practice patience and live positively.”
We will not equivocate.
Hypocrisy is a fault because it deceives people by saying two different facts. It brings disharmony in our relationships with others. There are some people that enjoy putting others in difficult conditions with their deceptive speech. Throughout human history, we have learned much about the destructiveness of deceptive speech. We should stay away from equivocation.
We will not be greedy.
Greediness has two sides. One is not to give or share while another is to hoard things. Desires are natural feelings coming from our body and mind to help to sustain our lives; however, greed is not natural and is endless. Our lives are often influenced by greed. If you want to live peacefully you need to control your greed. This totally depends upon how you transform your greed into more positive energy.
We will not be hateful.
Anger and hatred are poisons that bring the greatest suffering into our lives. It is a well-known fact in the medical field that one’s physical condition diminishes when you become angry. There are no benefits to be gained by getting angry; however, we have a tendency to act this way. Therefore, Shakyamuni Buddha said in the Sutra of His Admonitions, “Anger and hatred weaken our virtues and good reputation. People from this day forward, should not practice them. A raging mind is hotter than fire. You should protect yourself and not let these conditions into yourself.” The Avatamasaka Sutra says, “Even a good practitioner loses all virtues and merit when he turns the light of anger on.” Buddhism teaches us not to become angry. There are wrathful deities however; and this may seem like a contradiction, but this is one method that is used to teach naughty people who do not listen to anyone. These wrathful deities represent the great compassion and wisdom of Buddha.
We will not lose sight of the
Truth.
Losing sight of the Truth means to not understand the law of cause and effect. It does not look important however, if one misunderstands the Truth, whatever action one takes will become a wrong action. Therefore, understanding the law of cause and effect is the basis of all activities. This is called the wisdom of Buddha, and by practicing this in our daily life, our actions of body, speech and mind will become ideal.
Observing all the Precepts may not always be easy. One example is the precept of not speaking abusively. By continually practicing these precepts in our daily lives, they will help us to become perfect.
The textbook of “The Teaching of
Shingon-Shu” was published by the Propagation Division of the Koyasan
Headquarters on March 21, 2001. Reverend Seicho Asahi of the