Now the time has come to discuss the second grave bodhisattva precept, no-stealing, and its interdependent relationship with upright being, being upright. This is the oneness of no-stealing and then sitting. I want to show how to fully face and harmonize with ourself, and how to fully meet in the intimate with other beings, all other beings, animate and inanimate.

[01:10]

The way to fully face ourself and fully meet another that is offered here is to be upright and practice the precept of no-stealing. The great bodhisattva precept of no-stealing continues and extends the practice of the first grave precept, not killing life. The first precept is ultimately meditation on the dependent co-arising of life and death,

[02:19]

a deep and penetrating vision of the seamless harmony and co-operation between life and death. This is called not killing life. Such a vision is called not killing life. Seeing the beauty and truth of life and death as they dependently co-arise together, we naturally respect and venerate all forms of life and all forms of death. Acting with such a vision and understanding of the preciousness of all life, one actualizes the precept of not killing life. In cooperation with this, the precept of not stealing is realized in clearly observing

[03:41]

the interdependent relationship of self and other, and the dependent co-production of mind and objects. The life of this precept comes forth from the awareness of how our life is born of, and sustained by, the kindness of all animate and inanimate beings, and how all beings are supported and sustained by our life. Aided by such awareness, we witness a full and free-flowing giving and receiving between self and other. At such a time, we understand that everything we see and hear is our self, and thus we forget

[04:52]

our limited independent self. And at the same time, our self is fulfilled and overjoyed. This is what is called in our school the self-fulfilling awareness. Realizing this kind of awareness, and acting from it, one will not steal, and there is no stealing. For Zen monks, the front door to such self-forgetting, and self-emptying, and self-fulfilling awareness

[05:55]

is total devotion to uprightness. It is being upright and gentle in the midst of all mind-object relations. It is clearly observing all these relationships and settling into the true suchness of self and other. In the suchness of these relations, separation and difference between self and other, mind and object, is revealed as insubstantial and ungraspable. This is the intimacy of self and other, mind and object. Within such intimacy, the precept of no stealing is accomplished.

[07:07]

Therefore, for those who wish to practice and realize the great Bodhisattva precept of no stealing, there is an authentic and unsurpassable path offered by the Buddha ancestors of the Zen tradition. It is simply to sit, stand, walk, and even climb with complete gentleness and uprightness in the midst of all other beings. Such is the straightforward gate to the world of no stealing. It is also the way to enter the practice and realization of supreme awakening. No stealing is the same as supreme awakening.

[08:14]

There are, I see, two complementary stories of how to approach this precept as well as all the other precepts. The first approach starts with the ordinary, deluded point of view and then moves towards awakening. Here, there is the mind of stealing, which opens and turns towards the self-fulfilling awareness. That is the awakened mind, that is Buddha's wisdom, that is the mind of no stealing.

[09:36]

The second approach originates within the self-fulfilling awareness and expresses this enlightened mind of no stealing in the ordinary world as no stealing. One approach is using the precept of no stealing to bring the mind of stealing to uprightness and self-fulfilling awareness and no stealing. The other is to use and start with uprightness, enter self-fulfilling awareness, and then

[10:45]

express that awareness and manifest it in the world as no stealing. These two approaches are complementary. Sometimes they seem to appear sequentially and sometimes they're clearly simultaneous and perfectly dovetailed. So let's begin with the deluded perspective of the stealing mind. Here we are without the practice of being upright and have not realized the self-fulfilling awareness. Therefore, for us here, by definition, we have an unfulfilled self-awareness.

[11:56]

That is to say, we believe in our separate self-centered existence. Thus, we have the mind of stealing, we have the basic mental conditions for stealing, and stealing will inevitably arise. However, even if we have such a self-centered stealing mind, it is never too late to receive and practice the precept of no stealing. This precept was created just for such stealing mind. Even if the act of stealing has appeared and has become a well-established habit, one can

[13:07]

still be liberated from this action habit by uprightly observing its dependent co-arising. Being shown the precept of not stealing opens the way to this upright observation and thus freedom from the stealing mind. There was, we are told, a Zen monk named Ryokan, a fine poet. He had very few possessions and lived in a little hut on the mountainside overlooking the Japan Sea. On one full moon night, a thief came to visit.

[14:13]

Ryokan was not at home, so the thief entered and found nothing to steal. Ryokan returned and caught the thief and said, Well, I'm sorry you came all this way and didn't get anything. Here, have my clothes. And he gave the thief his clothes. The thief was rather surprised, but still took the gift and stumbled off into the moonlit night. After he had left, Ryokan, standing naked in the moonlight, cried out, Poor fellow, he didn't get much. I wish I could give him this full moon, too. This is Ryokan showing the precept of no stealing.

[15:30]

Apparently, he got the thief's attention. But it's not clear if the thief could see Ryokan showing, opening the door to the self-fulfilling awareness of the Buddha. But at least Ryokan's expression of his enlightened heart, through the teaching of not stealing, at least he got the thief's attention. Once I had a stealing mind that lived inside the heart of me. And I read the story of Ryokan. And it opened my eyes to Buddha's precepts.

[16:41]

I was a thief. And Ryokan showed me no stealing precept. Not only that, but after my eyes opened, I got a little glimpse of the inconceivable beauty of Ryokan's heart, of the mind of the self-fulfilling awareness. And I said, that's where I want to live. This is the way to be. I didn't know at the time, the story didn't say,

[17:53]

that the gate to Ryokan's heart is sitting upright. Still, gradually, I learned that that was the gate. And through being shown the teaching of no stealing, and getting a glimpse of the mind from which no stealing is born, I was drawn gradually into the practice of Ryokan. Upright sitting. In western literature, there's another story like this.

[19:04]

It's in the novel, Les Miserables. There was a man who stole some bread. And he went to prison. And in prison, he was treated brutally. He was treated to the mind of stealing. He was punished by the mind of stealing. He never saw the mind of no stealing. And his heart got harder and harder. And his mind of stealing became stronger and stronger.

[20:11]

That's all he could see. And he was a powerful person, and escaped from prison. And entered some French city. And started to steal things. By some chance, he came upon a priest. He came upon a disciple of Jesus. And the man offered him food and lodging and friendship. But still he lived in this separate self-existence.

[21:17]

In the stealing mind, he wouldn't come out. Even to the kindness that was shown him. He shrunk back in distrust of the objects of his mind. At night, after the priest had gone to sleep, he stole a silver plate from the church. He was caught by the police. They brought him back to the priest and said, Well, we caught this thief with your silver plate. The priest said, He's not a thief.

[22:24]

I gave him the plate. The police were bewildered, but left anyway. After they left, the thief said, Why did you say I didn't steal these? I did steal them. The priest said, You did not steal them. They were given to you. The thief said, No, they weren't. I stole them.

[23:41]

The priest said, Here, take these silver candlestick holders too. Finally, the thief opened his eyes to the precept of no stealing. He broke down and broke open. He broke open the shell of his belief in his separateness from all beings, even his priest. He saw his self-fulfilling awareness. He saw it being demonstrated to him.

[24:44]

And he awakened to it. And he entered it. Thus, the Buddha's wish was granted. This is all the Buddhas want. For us to open our eyes to the wisdom of not stealing. To see it being demonstrated. To awaken to its meaning. And to enter it. Then the priest said, Now, with these gifts, I have bought your independently co-arisen self. From now on, you belong to God. And you will never again be able to be evil.

[25:51]

And the story goes on to show that this man was from then on incapable of forgetting his precept. His mind of the suchness of self and other, which can never steal. He then spent his life showing what it means to not steal over and over again. He was tempted sometimes. But he was never completely fooled again. After this deep glimpse of Buddha's mind.

[26:59]

In this story, the thief comes from delusion. He is shown not stealing. Opens to the self-fulfilling awareness. And finally realizes steadfast uprightness. And then from there, he in turn shares the self-fulfilling samadhi and the teaching of not stealing in the world. The priest, coming from the self-fulfilling awareness and uprightness, shows the teaching of not stealing. And awakens the thief. Perfectly, simultaneously complete each other. And this too, this complete meeting and intimacy is the precept of not stealing.

[28:17]

Once we have the great good fortune of hearing, seeing, thinking about this precept of not stealing. And have had a chance to have a glimmer, at least, of the wonderful mind of Buddha. And once we've heard that the entrance into this mind is being upright, then we may be ready with these gifts to enter into the practice of Zen. And be upright, enter the self-fulfilling awareness and realize this precept. Realizing this precept in our mind and heart, in our whole body, we can then express it and manifest it in the conventional world as not stealing.

[30:04]

And as all other appropriate ways of responding to animate and inanimate beings. When we practice sitting, standing, walking, and reclining in upright posture, of body and mind, in the midst of all objects and others. If we have not yet fairly well seen the suchness,

[31:22]

of our relationship with other beings, if we have not yet fairly well realized the self-fulfilling awareness, then the uprightness seems to uncover and reveal a little or a lot of pain and anxiety. In uprightness, we don't turn away from the consequences of any incompleteness in our understanding. And if there is even a small amount of belief in our separation, which could manifest as just one living being who you do not accept,

[32:32]

who you do not see as yourself, that's sufficient to create anxiety and pain. So the upright sitting exposes us to that consequence of our not yet complete understanding. Once exposed to this anxiety, to this pain, the way recommended by the ancestors is to continue to be upright. Continue to do the practice which has revealed the pain in the first place. Continue the awareness which dropped your defenses to the anxiety in the first place.

[33:35]

If we can continue to be upright, even in this very difficult manifestation of our relationship with the other, we will start to see the conditions of the pain. We will start to see the conditions of the anxiety. We will start to see and feel and hear the conversation which led to this anxiety. However, if we are not upright in the situation which uprightness has revealed to us, if we move forward into the future, we become afraid. And in that fear, we will steal.

[34:42]

We will steal bread. We will steal gomashi. We will steal many things because we are afraid of what will happen to us. Or if we don't move into the future, if we turn away from the anxiety and try to get something, that also leads to stealing and possessiveness. Or if we run away from the anxiety, distract ourselves from the anxiety, deny the anxiety, then we fall into anger and abuse. Abuse of sex. Abuse of materials, which then become intoxicants.

[35:49]

Abuse of, finally, the triple treasure. Not being upright with what uprightness reveals, thus leads to, not just to stealing, but also to being possessive of whatever. Even possessive of the teaching of Buddha. Being angry, misusing sexuality, abusing intoxicants, abusing the triple treasure, killing, lying, speaking of the faults of others, and praising yourself about putting others down. On the other hand, if we can continue to be upright, even under these circumstances,

[36:55]

we will settle into suchness of mind and objects. And in the suchness of mind and objects, as Dogen Zenji says, the gates of liberation will open up. Being upright with all kinds of situations means to practice the instruction of Bodhidharma. To make your mind upright like a wall. Meeting objects. You don't activate the mind. You just clearly observe. You feel the object that accompanies your anxiety.

[38:06]

You study it. You don't try to figure it out. You just sit with it. You don't cough at it. You don't sigh about it. And whatever the object is, it will take off its mask and tell you its true name. It will whisper to you gently, I am you. You are just like me.

[39:08]

And thus you will open to your whole body. When we have our whole body, we do not steal anymore. When we have our whole body, everything that comes to us is given. But if we don't have our whole body, if there's one thing that hasn't whispered to us, that is us, that one little dent will force us inevitably to try to fill it. And when we try to fill it, we will not understand

[40:14]

that what we fill it with is a gift. We will think, it will seem like we are taking it without the permission of everything. And it will seem and it will appear that we're stealing. In uprightness, you can see that everything is you. This is the self-fulfilling samadhi. This is your whole body. This is the body that everything gives you. And this is the body that supports every other living being.

[41:16]

This body cannot be controlled. This body cannot be grasped. All we can do is be present with it or not. If we give our whole life to being present with this whole body, we will be met completely. And the precept of not stealing will shine in this world for all beings to enjoy. And the thieves will be converted to Buddhism. Daniel?

[42:26]

What is the problem? Pardon? The Robin Hoods manifest the compassionate perspective of not stealing. Sometimes, the whole body of the self-fulfilling awareness will manifest not stealing, the precept of not stealing, as what appears to be stealing in the conventional world in order

[43:28]

and for the sake of compassion. But if the behavior of taking material from the wealthy and giving it to the poor comes from this attitude of self-cleaning, if it comes from the mind of stealing, then it's just stealing, even though it may seem to be for a good reason. So, I don't know the mind, personally, the mind of Robin Hood.

[44:29]

So, each of us has to look into our own mind of Robin Hood and see what is the mind of Robin Hood. Does Robin Hood love the Sheriff of Nottingham as much as Meg Marion? Or does he look at the Sheriff and say, that's not me and Meg is me. If so, that thinking, that way of thinking is the mind of stealing. So, Robin should admit that, honestly. This is the mind of stealing. And he should uprightly observe the causes, the conditions of causes, the conditioning of that mind. And then, he can become liberated from that mind and then he may be able to practice and realize the precept of not stealing as breaking the Sheriff's laws.

[45:39]

And in that story, one way of telling that story is the Sheriff's laws were broken by Robin Hood, but the King's laws were not. When the King returned, the King would have supported the breaking of those laws. So, the self-fulfilling awareness is to move to the highest and greatest and the deepest meaning of the precept. The precept which means the benefit for all beings. And if the benefit for all beings entails the literal breaking of somebody's understanding of a precept, Bodhisattva must break the precept at that literal level in order to realize the greatest benefit for all. And this way of acting

[46:46]

comes from a body that has no... nothing lacking in it. It doesn't need anything because it comes from everything. ... And when you see someone, as in these stories, if you ever see someone and that someone could be you or another who seems to think that they lack something and thus is susceptible to stealing, you need to fill that lack as soon as possible

[47:49]

to overfill it. But not by stealing, by giving. ... The precept of not stealing is not punishment, it is generosity and compassion. ... So there was a Zen monastery in which the monks noticed the eating bowls were missing.

[48:55]

... And then one of the monks discovered that there were a lot of eating bowls in one of the new monks' rooms. He reported this to the teacher and the teacher said, Alright, let's go and find out what's going on. And, in fact, they did find that this monk had lots of people's eating bowls in his room. So the teacher said, Okay, everybody bring your most precious possessions and they all brought them and gave them to the monk. ...

[49:58]

... ... ... To be upright with what's happening

[51:31]

is not necessarily to go looking for what's missing or lacking. It's not necessarily to look at what you've rejected, what you say is not you, what you've abandoned. Actually, it is all those things but not when you select them. When they're presented to you when you just sit upright. Sit upright and have what you've abandoned come and present itself. To have what you say is not you come looking at you in the face. It's not that you say, Okay, come here, I've abandoned you.

[52:34]

Because there's a tendency if we choose to look at what we've abandoned the things we choose by our own will are not what we've abandoned. But if we just are upright what we've really abandoned will come. What we really say is not us, not ours will come. So in some sense I'm tempted to say is there somebody here or some bodies here that you don't really understand are you? Think about them. And I say I was tempted but actually I went further than being tempted and I just said it. So when I say it to you, it's okay. Because you didn't ask me to say that. You didn't come here so I would ask you to look at those people

[53:38]

and pay attention to the ones that you would just assume weren't here. For me to bring those things upon myself would not be upright. For me to bring those things upon myself for me to talk about those things and let yourself feel what that's like and open to the anxiety you feel about being close to and having a life with those beings being cooped up in a small space with the ones who've got problems with you and the ones who you've got problems with

[54:45]

and then again if that's the case to feel that anxiety to feel the torment of that repulsion and that rejection and that wish to abandon and just let it be what it is and realize that it too is a gift. This way of studying is called having a mind like an upright wall. This is the mind that no words no objects can reach no others can reach because

[55:48]

there is no separation anymore between self and others between mind and object no separation of any substance. This mind is is very close but if we indulge in our pain if we stick our head into our pain or if we flinch a tiny bit from our pain if we force ourselves into our pain or reject our pain if we dislike our pain

[56:52]

and try to move away from our pain we separate ourselves from this mind. There is the opportunity to settle the matter of your entire life right now. Meditation on the Prana and the Dhamma is a kind of and practice

[57:50]

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