Today, the precept I would like to discuss, I actually would like to discuss this with you, is about speech and so if the Buddha wants this to happen, this speech about speech, let it happen. If not, I just remember that the ancients passed eons living in the mountains and forests and only then did they unite with the wave and they could use the mountains and rivers for words and the wind and rain for a tongue. Thus they expounded the great emptiness. Shakyamuni Buddha taught mostly but not only by speech. Nagarjuna praised the

[01:16]

Buddha, the teacher of dependent co-arising, as the foremost of all speakers. Today I would like to discuss the precept of not speaking of others' faults. This precept is words about words. It is talk about talk. Receiving and transmitting this precept, the Bodhisattva's attention comes to face an extremely dynamic and potentially very beneficial or very harmful phenomenon. This is the combination of critical discrimination or this is the phenomenal

[02:29]

combination of the critical discriminating capacities of human thought and the mystery and power of speech. Discussing the faults of others can be very harmful to individuals. It can even be a condition for sending nations of people into war with each other. On the other hand, there are public cases in Zen in which a critical comment pointing out someone's fault in public has been an occasion for great awakening and complete liberation. This precept points to the good heart of the Bodhisattva which can work with these capacities of thought and speech in such a way that brings great benefit to all beings and the potential

[03:38]

harm of speech avoided. So what is the phenomenon meant here by the words, discussing the faults of others? First of all, it is speaking of others with the intention to cause disrespect or disharmony between them. This phenomenon could just as well be described by the word slander. Here slander is to intentionally make defamatory statements which are injurious to the well-being or reputation of another person. This is not speaking of another person's faults. This is directly speaking of another person's faults face-to-face with that person. It is

[04:42]

speaking to others about... Oh, I got this wrong. This is not speaking of another person's faults directly face-to-face with that person. It is speaking to others about someone's faults, either in front of the person or behind her back. The conscious or unconscious intention here is that others will disrespect and not appreciate her as a result of what is said. Of course, this harmful intention often goes unrealized because the slanderer may wind up being the one who is less respected and less appreciated by the audience.

[05:44]

When I was a teenager, I had a friend. I thought he was my friend. Whenever I became interested in a girl, if the interest got sufficiently intense and there seemed some possibility that she was interested too, he would make some comment about her. Notice some little something about her that would make me doubt the appropriateness of the relationship. It didn't occur to me at the time that he might have been trying to keep me all to himself.

[06:55]

One time, I met a girl and he didn't have a chance to say anything against her. I finally had a girlfriend. When he finally came on the scene, it was too late. I had already realized she wasn't a goddess and had accepted that. Anyway, a slight negative comment can throw confusion and lack of confidence into a person's heart. There are many stories, and I'd like to hear about them from you if you know others. Not too many come to mind right now of more devastating results from speaking of others' faults, from literature and daily life. For me, one of the most wrenching and painfully tragic stories is the one about Othello, a

[08:10]

truly noble person, a great person, who listened to the comments of his trusted servant, who very cleverly spoke untruthfully about faults in Othello's wife. Gradually, Othello lost his trust in his wife and basically went insane because of someone speaking of the faults of another to him, and in such a way that he never could bring himself to check. So painful to watch

[09:13]

what can happen to a perfectly beautiful human mind when poisoned by such speech. A quite different but related aberration of speech is so-called harsh speech. This refers to consciously or unconsciously speaking out of anger in a rough and unpleasant way. However, in this case, the speech is directed to the individual or group directly, not behind their back or to someone else. Coming from someone who has great power, trust or authority in others' lives, harsh words can be extremely injurious. Just as a parent or teacher has

[10:27]

to be very careful of her yes, that is, her warmth, she must also be perhaps even more careful of her no, that is, her coldness. I previously talked to you about the difficulty of a teacher showing warmth to the student too early and confusing or distracting them. So, there is actually two ways. One way is called the granting way, to show approval

[11:29]

and warmth to the student's practice, to confirm their efforts so that they can relax into their discipline and be more fully engaged. Another way is called the grasping way or withholding way, which is usually applied to the more advanced students who are already quite settled. A coldness to challenge them to go beyond their well-established practice, a disturbing word to break them free from their imperturbable composure. But these harsh words, these no's, this coldness must come at the right time, just as the warmth must come at the right time.

[12:40]

I've heard that Master Ma yelled at Baizhang Waihai and that he was deaf for three days. The great Master Lin Ji enlightened many monks by yelling, slapping and hitting them with sticks. There is a story about when Lin Ji was about to die. After many years of shouting harshly and waking people up,

[13:47]

the old Master was about to depart. In the introductory words to the story, it is said, Devoted entirely to others, one's self is unknown. We must exert the Dharma fully, not bothered by there being no one. It is necessary to have the ruthless ability to snap a wooden pillar in two. Mean treatment like breaking a wooden pillar should be used. I would add, sometimes.

[14:50]

After a lifetime of teaching and destroying people's treasured truths and releasing them, Lin Ji says to his great disciple, Sanchang, After I die, please don't destroy my treasured truth. Sanchang said, How would I dare? How would I dare destroy the teacher's treasury of truth? Lin Ji said, If someone suddenly comes up to you and says, What about this? What will you say? Are you ready? Sanchang shouted.

[16:13]

And Lin Ji said, One final chance. Who would have thought that my treasury of truth would be destroyed by a blind ass? This was the transmission of the Dharma to Sanchang. This was the complete entrustment of Lin Ji's Dharma life. At this time, these harsh words were not to another. This was the infinite love of the Zen tradition. In order for it to happen, there had to be these harsh words at that time. This is the faith, at least of the Lin Ji line, but as a follower of the Dongshan line, I also respect Lin Ji's way and Sanchang's way.

[17:30]

The vital Dharma which transcends the Dharma constantly. The treasury of truth which is always destroyed and always refreshed. This Lin Ji line came to Japan and in the Tokugawa era, there was in this world a Zen master named Hakuin. He was a very fierce Bodhisattva. Now all the Lin Ji, all the Rinzai priests of Japan descend from this one teacher. All the other lines evaporated in his presence.

[18:44]

He enlightened no one knows how many beings. When he was 58, he retired because he couldn't say no anymore. His benevolence rose up from his hara into his chest, up into his neck, into his mouth, all the way to his eyes, and all he could do was chortle love songs to his disciples. So he retired and just did thousands of paintings of little old ladies, making tea cakes and Avalokiteshvara in innumerable forms bestowing the sweetest blessings on the Earth. Before he retired though, from all over Japan, people came, Zen students came from all over

[19:53]

Japan to study with him. Japan was entirely closed to the outside world at that time. If there was a person like that in Japan now, people from all over the world would come to study with him. He would be considered certainly the preeminent Zen teacher in the world. Amazing person, amazing benevolence, amazing skill, but often, not always, on the harsh side. During his lifetime, there was a monk named Chodo who studied with a teacher named Ko Getsu. Chodo had some realization of the state of nothingness. He told his teacher that he wanted to test his realization by visiting Hakuin. He wanted to go to the great master and debate. His teacher said,

[21:01]

I don't think so. It's not time yet. This is just the beginning of your realization. Stay with me longer. But Chodo would not be dissuaded and was determined to go see the great Hakuin. The teacher said, if you insist, please at least take a letter of introduction from me. So Chodo traveled to Ryutake-ji, which is a temple near Suzuki Roshi's temple, with a beautiful view of Mount Fuji. When he arrived, he immediately barged in to Hakuin's quarters. Hakuin was taking a bath at the time. He barged into the bathroom and presented his

[22:03]

understanding. Hakuin, sitting in the bath, said, if things are the way you say, you did not come here in vain. But you've had a long trip, so rest and we'll talk later. Finally, after apparently a leisurely bath, Hakuin emerged and met with Chodo formally. Thereupon Chodo presented the letter of introduction. Hakuin opened the letter and the letter said, this young fellow is not without some insight. However, he is of modest potential. And inferior ability. Please deal with him skillfully.

[23:20]

Hakuin immediately hollered at him and said, you are of small capacity and your potential is inferior. What good is it for you to consider what you have accomplished as the completion of our great work? With fire coming out of his eyeballs. Poor Chodo, having everything that he cared about, snatched away, went immediately insane and he never recovered. He went back to his hometown and built himself a little meditation temple. At the time of year when we have our retreats to celebrate the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha,

[24:34]

he would go around the countryside and gather child monks and cats and force them to come and sit with him. If the cats ran away, he would chase after them and beat them for breaking the rules. At the end of his life, Hakuin said, I taught many people. I hope I did some good. But I made two mistakes. Chodo and one other. One time he spoke harshly to the wrong person and destroyed him.

[25:43]

Harsh speech is powerful coming from a teacher. Teachers must be careful. Harsh speech is powerful coming from an authority figure, a director, a treasurer, you know, a parent. Both these ways of speaking, both speaking about his faults to undermine their good name and respect others hold for them and speaking harshly to people go directly against the bodhisattva practice of kind speech. Kind speech is nothing other than, is not only praising others in a wholesome way and with a pleasant voice. Kind speech can bring benefit to the person spoken of and encourage the others who hear it too.

[26:48]

Kind speech can transform the nation. It may be difficult to say, oh excuse me, it may be sufficient to say that practicing this precept from the start involves admitting and addressing these perversities of speech in ourself and acknowledging the immense ills that can result from these abuses of speech. As long as these unwholesome tendencies are endemic or epidemic in us, the precept naturally suggests various antidotes. First, there is the practice of thorough confession of our own faults

[27:55]

and in this one might give special emphasis to contemplating the ugliness and negative results of speaking in unwholesome ways. Second, is the practice of praising and rejoicing in the virtues of others and also rejoicing in the merit and beauty of rejoicing itself. Third, is to practice kind speech even while still subject to these unwholesome impulses. That isn't the end of the list of antidotes, but just three. Did you hear them? They're actually possible to practice.

[29:07]

I wouldn't say they're exactly fun. The confessing one's own faults isn't exactly pleasant, but it's effective. However, rejoicing in the merits of others is rejoicing. Praising them is actually really great when you get into it. During Session we don't talk and stuff, so you can just do it to yourself and then after Session tell people what you thought. In terms of how great they are. Oh, you were such a great server on Thursday. Total inspiration. Anyway, there it is. There's those problems and those ways to address them. There's also a fortune cookie I recently got.

[30:23]

Confucius says, when I see virtue in another, I vow to emulate it. When I say evil in another, I look at myself. A violinist told a story about a recital he gave for the great cellist, Pablo Casals.

[31:31]

He played for the great master, but partly because he was so nervous to be in the presence of Casals, he didn't do very well. And was quite embarrassed. Afterwards, Mr. Casals broke into an exuberant and extravagant expression of praise. Very excitedly pointing out all the excellent things that the violinist did. Afterwards, the violinist was somewhat angry that Casals had teased him, ironically, about his performance,

[32:36]

which had been so mediocre. Talking as though he had done really well. Sometime later, some years later, he met Pablo Casals again and he said, I'd like to bring up something that happened some time ago. Actually, I think I got it wrong. I think he performed another recital, and this time, being more mature and less flustered by the presence of the master, he did really well. And again, Pablo exuberantly praised his performance. Then he said, I'd like to bring something up with you, sir. Some years ago, I performed for you and did rather poorly. And yet you praised me highly. I didn't understand what you were doing.

[33:37]

Casals said, exuberantly, didn't you do such and such a thing well? Didn't you do such and such another thing skillfully? Didn't you do this, didn't you do that well? And the violinist said, yes. That's what I praised. I praised your skill and you had it. As for the mistakes you made, and the things you didn't do well, I leave that to idiots to criticize. My job is to praise. I think it was a little harsh. At the end of a day during which I have not spoken ill of others,

[34:43]

the path to peace and freedom is at least a little bit clearer. However, this precept is not just concerned about whether one should or should not criticize others. Beyond practicing these wonderful antidotes, this precept is ultimately intended to graciously and thoroughly uproot all obsessive impulses from which perverted speech arises. And then to go straight forward on the path and fully and compassionately liberate the great potential of human speech. This precept is about how all sentient beings together with the great earth,

[35:50]

the mountains, rivers, grasses, trees, wind and rain can realize the Buddha way at the same time. An ancient Buddha, an ancient priest in our lineage named Kyogo, called this precept the wholesome heart of the Mahayana. It expresses the great good-heartedness of the Bodhisattva. The wholesome-hearted Bodhisattvas use speech to bring benefit to all beings. In speaking of the wholesome heart of the Mahayana, the use of the word Mahayana means

[36:54]

that great wisdom and compassion are united in the Bodhisattva's heart. This means great devotion to the welfare of all suffering sentient beings united with deep insight into the emptiness of all phenomena. The Bodhisattva's heart contains immense warmth and vast space, vast warm space. That's what this precept is about. With a heart like this, a Bodhisattva is able to embrace and sustain all beings. And in particular, a Bodhisattva is able to embrace and sustain all beings

[38:01]

who are selfishly caught up in nasty ways of talking about others, who are caught up in nasty ways of talking to others. With such a heart, a Bodhisattva can embrace and sustain those beings, not embrace and sustain the perversities of speech, but the beings who are caught in these perversities. Of course, the Bodhisattva starts by embracing these tendencies in himself, by admitting and acknowledging these tendencies to perverse speech in himself. By such admission and by compassionately accepting these unhealthy, unwholesome patterns of speech

[39:13]

in themselves, Bodhisattvas lay the foundation for the study of the dependent co-arising of these obsessions. When one carefully, kindly and thoroughly inhabits one's body of afflictions and willingly accepts one's mass of confusion and non-virtuous patterns of speech, and then sits upright in the middle of all that suffering, the dependently co-arisen nature of all this reveals itself to this courageous Bodhisattva. The afflictions unveil themselves and tell us their secret.

[40:20]

So, This is a gift, not the result of willful analysis. It's not prying the obsession open or kicking it out. Rather, this revelation of the dependently co-arisen nature of the obsession comes through a friendly conversation between the bodhisattva and the obsession. Kind speech practiced towards the perversity.

[41:36]

Good morning darling, how are you? Ah, got a little impulse to trash somebody, huh? Well that's something, I'll come, aren't you feeling well? As a result of this friendly conversation, these habits of speech drop away. As a result of this friendly conversation with these habits of speech, the bodhisattva realizes their dependently co-arisen nature and their emptiness, and it's liberated from it. Seeing the dependently co-arisen nature of these obsessions, of these impulses to speak of others' faults, is to see the dharma in the obsession, to see the dharma in the impulse

[42:54]

to perversity. This is the light of this precept. There is a light in all things, it is their dependently co-arisen nature, and it is revealed through friendly conversation with the thing, be it animate or inanimate, be it in your own heart or head, be it outside. Seeing the dependently co-arisen nature and seeing dharma, one sees Buddha. The Lotus Sutra says, if one practices all virtues, is gentle and upright, one will

[44:09]

see the Buddha teaching now. Dogen Zenji says, practicing all virtues means getting dirty in order to embrace beings who are mired in mud. Practicing all virtues means getting wet, saving all beings who are drowning in ocean. Getting wet and dirty means omitting our own tendencies, it means settling with our own obsessions. This is practicing all virtues, and then to be gentle with all that, to be friendly with

[45:15]

all that, and sit upright, we will see the Buddha. Through this friendly, liberating conversation with our internal nasty talk and our external nasty talk, we are then able, the Bodhisattva is then able to have thoroughly enjoyable and beneficial conversations with everything, with sentient beings and with the precepts themselves. Through such dependently co-arisen, conventional and empty conversations with everything, we

[46:32]

realize this precept. As Dogen Zenji says, we then see that within the Buddhadharma, all practitioners are the same path, the same dharma, the same realization, the same practice, thus the faults of others will not be discussed and confusing speech will not occur. Through the friendly conversation with all things, we realize that there is no other to criticize. We are liberated from self and other, and we realize that all of us are always on the

[47:37]

same path, that all of us always are the same path, the same practice, the same realization. Thank you. Some Bodhisattvas, I won't say all Bodhisattvas, have conversations with the precepts.

[48:49]

As a result of these conversations with the precepts, the precepts gradually start talking back. If the Bodhisattva for many years says to the precept, I'm here for you, I'm dedicating my life to you, I receive and protect you, I want to transmit you, I'm nothing but working for you, just tell me what I can do for you, I'll do it, finally the precepts say the same thing back. They say, I'm here for you babe, any way I'm useful, use me, use me however you want, you're here for me, I'm here for you, what do you need, how can I be for you, to help you with your work?

[49:54]

You say you want to help all people, can I help you? You've certainly been taking good care of me, I'll help you do the same with everything. The precept comes up and tells you it's secret over and over, because you took good care of it. There is a total two-way transfusion of life between the Bodhisattva and the precepts. It's not Bodhisattva and precept, two different things, it's not Bodhisattva making the precepts alive, it's not the precepts making the Bodhisattva alive, they both enliven each other. They're one thing, they are the same path, they are the same practice, they are the same

[50:59]

realization. The precept says, I'm a little teapot, short and stout, this is my handle, this is my spout, when I get all steamed up, then I'll shout, just tip me over and pour me out. In being devoted entirely to the welfare of others, there must be the ruthless ability to snap pillars in two. This is not a personal ability, there must be the ruthless ability for teapots to become

[52:00]

empty, for precepts to be empty. If the precepts are full of something, they're useless, they're dead, and then the Bodhisattva is dead, because precepts and Bodhisattva are the same practice. Do you empty the precepts, or do they empty themselves? Neither way, it is through this conversation, this dependent co-arising of Bodhisattva and precept. Empty precept, empty Bodhisattva. Empty conversation, then the precept can be whatever you need. Rephrasing Nagarjuna's teaching, when self-nature, If the precepts have self-nature, cultivation of the precepts is not appropriate, and if

[53:27]

the precepts are cultivated, then no self-nature associated with it would be evident. Bodhisattvas are not necessarily Buddhists. Yesterday I saw a Buddhist, a beautiful Buddhist, a beautiful priest Buddhist. It was a person who looked like a priest, and they were a Buddhist, and I thought, how beautiful, and maybe that person is a Bodhisattva. But not all Bodhisattvas are beautiful Zen priests.

[54:32]

There was a Bodhisattva who lived in Arizona, and he went to the Arizona State Mental Institution, and they had a guy there who thought he was Jesus. The other people there didn't think he was Jesus. He wouldn't talk to anybody if they wouldn't recognize that he was Jesus. So this Bodhisattva went to the hospital and talked to this man. He said to the man, I understand you're a carpenter. The man said, that's right. He said, would you please build me some bookshelves? The man said, fine.

[55:35]

He built the bookshelves and was shortly thereafter released. It takes, as Gregory Bateson said, it takes two to make one. It takes two to make a schizophrenic, at least. Sometimes it takes a person plus a staff of psychiatrists to make a schizophrenic. A schizophrenic is something that codependently arises. If somebody says Jesus and somebody else says, no, you're not. Somebody says, yes, I am. And somebody says, if you persist in this, we'll lock you up. We'll call you a schizophrenic. He says, fine. I prefer this world to yours.

[56:39]

The Bodhisattva comes. The Bodhisattva is on the same path as this guy. Same practice. Where is the same practice between you and a man who says he's Jesus? Where is it? When you see it, you can have a conversation. You can say, look at him, maybe he's a carpenter. Ask him. If you meet somebody in a mental hospital and they say they're Buddha, you can say, I understand you eat lunch. They'd say, that's right. Before noon, vegetarian style.

[57:44]

Say, well, you want to go out for lunch? Fine, let's go. No more schizophrenic. Just two people having lunch and conversation. When you realize the dependently co-arisen nature of a psychotic, you tip the psychotic over and poured her out. And now you've got an empty psychotic. But empty psychotic is not a psychotic anymore. Empty psychotic is just a friend. Who you don't know. So you talk, and talk, and talk, until you both forget about going home.

[58:46]

And you talk lovingly and respectfully to this dependently co-arisen ball of light. You love this light. This vast empty light manifesting as a person. You can even yell at this person sometimes, if it's helpful. If they're ready. But there's no question that this is somebody else. You don't know if it's somebody else, because you don't know who they are. Because you dependently co-arise with them. You don't talk to anybody anymore. You just have a conversation. And it saves everyone from suffering.

[59:57]

When I first looked at this precept, I thought, uh-oh. Does this mean that if this precept becomes state policy, there will be no more critics? No more movie critics, or literary critics, or ballet critics, or music critics? I don't like that. I love critics. Some more than others. I love them. I love their work. It's art. Often. When I read the New Yorker, I go right to the critics. I don't have time to read those books. Some of those critics take me right to the heart. Boom! I can just drink the nectar of the genius

[61:08]

through their kind service. They make the giants available. They're so kind and so helpful. Sometimes, maybe, they speak of the faults of the writers, the producers, the directors, the actors, the dancers. Maybe they do. But sometimes the way they speak of the faults is beautiful and helpful to me and to the artists. Sometimes it's very helpful to everyone. If they are trying to make me respect this person less, then we have a problem. And as a bodhisattva, I vow to have a conversation with them about what their intention is. But in this world

[62:09]

of dependent co-arising, in this world of conversation with all beings with a vast, warm heart, nobody gets kicked out. The critics are not banished. We don't have a society that's low-bottomized. The beautiful, critical capacity of the human mind can be used to the fullest for the benefit of all beings. And if it veers off into an unbeneficial way, the bodhisattva rushes over and embraces the person and asks them, What's happening, babe? What's the matter? What's the matter? Are you a carpenter? The precept lets you do whatever is appropriate. Master Ma

[63:27]

was a critic all the time. He had these little competitions for his disciples. Little Dharma tournaments. And then he would judge them afterwards. If they were ready. And he was a person who had a lot of people that were ready. He had a hundred and thirty-nine people who were ready for anything. And he checked them out. One day, he was out looking at the moon with the three great ones. Nanchuan, Baijiang, and Shitan. Baijiang, Waihai.

[64:28]

Waihai means ocean in the bosom. Shitan means treasury of wisdom. Nanchuan means, actually, Nanchuan which is Fugan, South Spring, universal vow. So he was out with universal vow wisdom treasury and ocean in the bosom. And he said, on a full moon night like this, what did you say? Say something. What did you say? Now, what's it good for? And

[65:33]

wisdom treasury says, right now, it's good for making offerings. Ocean in the bosom said, right now, it's good for upright sitting. And universal vow said, nothing. Shook out his sleeves and split. The judge, Master Ma, said, the scriptures go in the treasury. Meditation practice goes in the sea. Only the vow has gone entirely beyond all things. This is criticism of others. But not criticism of others.

[66:45]

This is conversation with yourself in the form of everything. So the critics are safe. The bodhisattvas will help them. They won't put them out of a job. They'll help them stay on the true course of benefit for all beings. They'll help the Zen masters in their critical work. They'll help the literary critics, the painting critics,

[67:51]

the music critics, the dance critics, the movie critics. Use wind and rain for your tongue. We are intention free.

[68:47]

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