A Bodhisattva who sacrifices himself or herself, sincerely entering society and bringing blessings for the benefit of all people, corresponds with the purpose of the Buddha. Therefore, I would like to urge all of you to follow carefully the procedures for and the steps of practice.

a) The First Step: Establishing Faith

To establish faith is the first step in learning the Buddhadharma. To learn and to practice the Buddhadharma, we must have faith, and then we can manifest the practice of the Buddhadharma in action. This sequence is what not only Buddhists have to follow but also followers of all other religions, philosophies and other beliefs have to follow: That is, establish faith first and then move to practice; otherwise, there will be no interest in doing anything. Even average people who wish to do something need faith. A person without faith is deficient and will have difficulty accomplishing anything whatsoever. Thus, a common saying asserts, "One who is without faith cannot establish anything." Another proverb says, "The Buddhadharma is like an ocean, and only one who has faith can enter." The Avatamsaka Sutra says, "Faith is the source of the Tao and the mother of merit, which produce all kinds of good roots." If one believes in the Buddhadharma and participates in the larger society and if people come to know he or she is a Buddhist, then the position and personality of that person will be different; and this difference is due to faith. Since this is the case, to show one's faith in Buddhism there should be some kind of ceremony, or ritual, to prove it -- that is, an indication that one has become a real disciple of the Three Precious Ones. In the Buddhist world, this ceremony is called taking the Three Refuges. After taking the Three Refuges, a person becomes a real disciple of Buddha.

The taking of the Three Refuges can be divided into two stages:

1) The ceremony for the taking of the Three Refuges is the first step; that is, one learns the basic, introductory Buddhadharma at the beginning and wishes to approach the profound Dharma. To learn thusly and then to take the Three Refuges from a Dharma master in a formal ceremony enables one to become a real disciple of the Three Precious Ones. Contained in these causes and conditions are two meanings: the first is to raise faith, and the second is to put that faith into practice. Taking refuge means to return to or to rely upon one's final settling place, like a son or a daughter depends on parents or like a student depends on a teacher. That a disciple relies upon the master means that his or her life depends on the final settling place. There, and only there, will one's spirit be settled down and comforted. After taking refuge, we must raise our faith and allow our minds to be quiet, sincere and settled in the faith with no doubt whatsoever. This is just like a child who comes down with a serious illness and needs and depends on his parents to take care of him. Without parents, the child cannot be helped or saved.

After one takes refuge, one will think about how the Three Precious Ones can help and save him or her. What, then, are the Three Refuges? They are as follows:

i) For all this life, I take refuge in the Buddha; 
ii) For all this life, I take refuge in the Dharma; 
iii) For all this life, I take refuge in the Sangha.

The purpose of declaring "For all this life" is to take the Three Refuges for one's whole life and, at the same time, never to take refuge in the heterodox. Everyone must have sincere faith, and take and keep these vows to the very end of his or her life.
The first vow is to take refuge in the Buddha. The Buddha, also called Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, is an enlightened person with perfect wisdom, who understands all things in the universe. The Buddha uses his great compassion to save all sentient beings and to convert them equally. All religions in the world also talk about kindness and fraternity, but they do not come near the great compassion of Buddha, because the compassion of the Buddha is not only for human beings but also for all the other kinds of living beings. Furthermore, all people and all other sentient beings have the same Buddha Nature, compassion and wisdom; that is the reason why all sentient beings can, ultimately, become Buddhas. All people's minds are deluded by many different kinds of desires; but if they can purify their own minds, then they can become Buddhas. Therefore, we can say that taking refuge in the Buddha is just like taking refuge in one's own Buddha Nature. This is different from deistic religions, in which one takes refuge in God but cannot become God, or takes refuge in Brahma but cannot become Brahma. These religions, then, are totally different from Buddhism.

The second vow is to take refuge in the Dharma. The Dharma means The Teachings. All the sutras, vinayas and sastras of The Tripitaka constitute the Dharma. Since these writings reflect wisdom and represent the thought of the Buddha, as well as manifesting the truth of the universe, they are called the Dharma. Another meaning of the Dharma could be stated as The Method. The Tripitaka teaches people how to establish and manage themselves, how to get along in the world, and how to separate suffering from daily life and attain happiness. If one can understand this meaning, then he or she understands the meaning of all parts of The Tripitaka. Such a lively awareness can be used to understand human life in our society at present.

The third vow is to take refuge in the Sangha. The Sangha means a community, or an order, of monks or nuns. They uphold the six principles of harmony and respect, and they live in monasteries, observing the lifestyles of monks. Every Buddhist following the Three Refuges takes refuge in the community of the Sangha, in which, there must be at least three or four monks living together. This does not mean to take refuge in a single monk. Many Buddhists hold some kind of wrong view, thinking that one takes the Three Refuges in one master only or only that master is one's own master or that any other monk is not one's master. This view is not correct! Since our minds have too much discrimination, they do not correspond to the doctrine of equality of Buddhism. All lay Buddhists should respect equally all members of the Sangha.

There are many Buddhist countries in the world today, which still observe the traditional rules and where believers live like those in the Buddha's lifetime. They take the Three Refuges differently than those in other countries. In places such as Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, etc., any monk can give the Three Refuges to any lay Buddhist. The ceremony of taking the Three Refuges is very simple and takes only a few minutes. Furthermore, if one wishes to attend another ceremony by another monk, he or she can take refuge again. Therefore, any monk can be a master for any person. In short, taking refuge from any monk, is taking refuge from and in the community of the Sangha. I wish all Buddhists would learn the Buddhadharma and take the Three Refuges in this manner in order to get rid of the wrong idea of having one's own master. Thus, to take the Three Refuges is just taking refuge from and in the community of the Sangha and understanding that all monks will be one's teachers.

The Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha are called the treasures of the Three Precious Ones. Because treasures are valuable and very rare things in the world, we use the word treasures to represent the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Just think about the Buddha, who has a surpassing personality, perfect wisdom, and who is complete in both compassion and blessings. Isn't he, then, most highly respected by people?  The purpose of the Dharma is to teach us about the truth of human life in the universe and to open a bright path for humanity that leads to the kindest and highest culture. Isn't this, then, most valuable? The Sangha is a community of purified people who live by the Vinaya, and such persons represent the Buddhadharma equally as instructors and models of morality. Isn't this most highly honorable? For these reasons, they are called the Three Precious Ones. To take the Three Refuges we need a Dharma Master to officiate. Then, we have to go through a kind of ceremony in order to receive the real and pure merit of the Three Precious Ones and, thereafter, to become real and sincere disciples of the Buddha. After taking the Three Refuges, during the reciting of the sutra or the reciting of the name of Amita Buddha, we again have to recite the Three Refuges. This means that we will never forget the Three Precious Ones.

2) After taking the Three Refuges and the arising of faith, we should practice the doctrine of the Buddhadharma. Only from practice and action can we manifest the Buddhadharma in the world. This is the very work a real and honest disciple of the Three Precious Ones has to do. The Buddhadharma is not only inseparable from the world but also is a part of the world. If one wants to learn the Buddhadharma, he or she does not necessarily have to leave home. The teachings of the Buddha for human beings and the function of the Buddhadharma are established here with us in the world. Therefore, if one wants to learn the Buddhadharma, no matter what background he or she has -- scholar, farmer, worker, merchant, etc. -- one should not change his or her status.  Thus, if you are a teacher, you can still teach after learning the Buddhadharma. If you are a merchant, you can still do business after learning the Buddhadharma. There is no obstacle to work after learning the Buddhadharma. However, after one has learned the Buddhadharma, one will surely change the viewpoint of his or her own individual life as well as of his or her social life. Furthermore, even though you were a teacher or a merchant before, you may well change your attitude toward making a living after you learn the Buddhadharma. For example, a merchant makes money to benefit himself; but after he takes the Three Refuges and learns the Buddhadharma, he most likely will change his attitude of benefiting only himself to that of benefiting others or even the whole society. If you are going to teach, you should be responsible and do your best, using your job to benefit both your country and the broader worldwide society. You have to consider your own living to be secondary. If you are a merchant, you must have a standard of morality to benefit others: You should never cheat people. After learning the Buddhadharma, you have to change your viewpoint for the benefit of the whole society. All of us should understand that we are born into this world; and it does not matter where we go to live -- to the mountains, to the forest, to the city -- nothing can separate us completely from our society. Because we depend upon society to supply all the things of our daily life -- clothes, food and all kinds of other necessities -- it is difficult to find peace for ourselves if our society is not calm. Therefore, from now on, we should understand that no one can live completely separated from society. For this reason, we should make some effort for all the other people. After learning the Buddhadharma, we should make much more effort for others. Then, and only then, can we manifest in action the true spirit of having learned the Buddhadharma.

There are two kinds of conduct for action especially recommended for one who seeks to practice the Bodhisattva Dharma: First, one must be willing to do good and help the poor. There really is no fixed definition of the word good.  For example, even while parents are teaching their children, they punish them. Such an action may seem cruel and evil, but the purpose is good. Also, the act of killing people in a revolution is very evil, but the idea that it is done to save the country and liberate people is good. In this light, it is difficult and, perhaps, even incorrect to declare an absolute standard for the words good and evil.

Let us now talk about the good from both sides: One side is negative -- that is, to do good for oneself and never to obstruct others. The other side is positive -- that is, not only never to obstruct others but also to create benefit for people and to sacrifice oneself to help others. This, then, is the real meaning of good. How can we realize and perform this kind of good? We can actualize it by making charitable contributions to the poor -- that is, by giving to others with no thought of recompense. It does not matter what one gives: clothes, food, shelter or anything else that people need to live better. In this sense, then, one has to devote one's full energy to support others. This is called real contribution. Another meaning of genuine contribution is to give up things to and for those who depend on us for a living. In addition, to use knowledge as a gift for one who needs it is called Dharma-giving. If, in the giving of either material goods or knowledge, the purpose is to benefit people, that is real contribution.

Second, one must be willing to reduce calamity and create benefit and blessings: In this context, reducing calamity and creating benefit and blessing mean to pray. As far as we know, all religions utilize various methods and ceremonies to reduce or reverse suffering: services for pacifying ghosts in Taoism, the mass in Catholicism, prayer in all Christian sects; and, to reduce or end calamity, an assembly for worship and chanting is held in Buddhism. Since people of all religions fear that something that has not yet happened may happen, they pray to the founders of their religions for help. Calamity comes about due to natural disasters or because of man-made problems. Take war for instance: A few ambitious people start it, even using atomic bombs to destroy other countries. If we want them to understand that war is cruel and evil, then we must appeal to their reason to change their minds. Then, and only then, can calamity be ended. Thus, we can understand that natural disasters and man-made calamities can be avoided by man's power, which is not controlled by any gods or ghosts. People can be saved and obtain blessings by themselves through their own efforts. Such benefits are the effect and retribution that come from the cause of real contribution. Thus, Confucius said, "The household that accumulates enough good deeds will have more than enough blessings." The Grand Master T'ai Hsu, also, said, "To obtain the goodness and the blessings of both human and heavenly beings is to prepare perfect action for the One-Vehicle Bodhisattva." Such is the meaning of obtaining blessings. To end calamity and to obtain blessings are benefits both for oneself as well as benefits for others. These two kinds of practice, then, are the first step in Bodhisattva practice.

After taking the Three Refuges, we should embrace right faith -- that is, a rational faith, not a superstitious or a heterodox faith. At this point, I am going to speak about the topic of faith in two parts the more easily to explain it. First, one should advance his or her faith. One may already have taken the Three Refuges, but his or her faith is not yet fixed. At that time one has to take action to form right faith for the Three Refuges. However, to establish one's faith is not easy, so we must learn the Buddhadharma first, and then come to understand the doctrine, recognize its truth and comprehend the real and pure merit of the Three Precious Ones. Next, we must come to understand the truth of faith clearly -- that is, that this is a reasonable and right faith. After we have established our faith, we will never again regress. If we have followed the right faith in our practice, we will enjoy the reality of the Buddhadharma; and we should not change our faith under any circumstances whatsoever. If one does not have a secure faith, he or she will be easily shaken by circumstances; and one may well change his or her belief day after day. There may be the case of someone who once only half believed in Buddhism because he was affected by some adverse conditions such as a disease or other defilement or saw some Buddhist engage in some incorrect action. Thus, he may hold some antipathy and, thus, reject his faith; or he may lose his Buddhist faith and change his belief to another religion. The reason is that he has never really understood the Doctrine deeply and, also, does not understand that his original conversion was due to his own karma. Thus, he took refuge too easily and so regressed too quickly. However, if you ever see some monk or nun do something wrong, just do what the Buddha taught you to do: "Depend only on the Dharma; do not depend on a person." If you understand that he or she is still a worldling, then you need not let any antipathy arise. If one understands this, then even if some reason to convert to another religion or some evil condition appears to him, his faith will not be shaken. Also, to re-affirm his faith he can take the great vow, as follows:

To the end of time, I take refuge in the Buddha; 
To the end of time, I take refuge in the Dharma; 
To the end of time, I take refuge in the Sangha.

To the end of time is different from to the end of life, which merely means to take refuge in the Three Precious Ones to the end of this life. On the other hand to the end of time means not only to the end of this life but also to the end of many lives in the future -- that is, one vows to take refuge always in the Three Precious Ones. This is possible and reasonable because the Buddhist believes that life continues forever, life after life, without termination. This is the opposite of the belief of ordinary people, who think that life after a person dies is totally and finally ended. For them, there is nothing whatsoever that continues. This is because they do not understand the theory of the six paths of life. Thus, we should understand that the life cycle of birth-and-death in the Three Realms continues ceaselessly. Even though we escape from the Three Realms after attaining Buddhahood, the Dharmakaya (Dharma Body) and wisdom will still not be terminated. Therefore, we say, "To the end of time, we take refuge in the Three Precious Ones."
Speaking of the Three Precious Ones previously, we saw that the Buddha is the Enlightened One, that the Dharma is the Tripitaka, and that the Sangha is the assembly of monks in a monastery -- all of which you can see because of their appearances. However, now I am talking to you about taking the refuge of Right Faith, which means to take one more step ahead, to take refuge in the Three Precious Ones for the sake of the fundamental principles of one's own nature. The absolute nature of everybody is inherent; therefore, to take refuge in the Buddha means to take refuge in one's own nature -- that is, to believe that one's own nature is the Buddha. To take refuge in the Fundamental Principle is to take refuge in the nature and equality of the Dharma. To take refuge in the Sangha is just to take the refuge in the six principles of harmony of the Sangha and to understand oneself to be a part of the Sangha. If one wants to live alone, he or she must be separate from the Sangha. However, if one lives in the Sangha, then he or she should follow the rules laid down in the Vinaya, taking the vow to uphold the fundamental principles of living together in harmony.

The second condition is to establish right understanding and right view. This means that we must have reasonable, or right, thought; otherwise, we have only heterodox views and wrong thoughts. Therefore, the condition of right view should tally with the fundamental principles and correspond with right action. In other words, to tally with the fundamental principles is to accord with Buddhist philosophy; and to correspond with right action is to accord with science. Then, and only then, can we say that our understanding is logical and not against the Buddhist philosophy. Also, when what we think and hold tallies with logic, that is right view. In the Buddhist world, then, such is the nature of what are called right understanding and right view.

There are four different conditions that lead to right understanding and right view. The first condition is to break away from and end delusion and to destroy unreasonable superstitions in order to get rid of all kinds of wrong views. Let me give you a few examples of wrong views: believing in the Buddha but thinking of him as a god; believing in gods or believing in ghosts; believing in ghosts and seeking divine guidance by drawing lots; and seeking guidance from divination. All of these are wrong views. Also, if one is sick, he or she should go to the doctor or take some medicine. However, if he or she goes to seek out some demon, ox-head ghost or serpent spirit, that is not what we should do in modern society; and this is not right thought. No Buddhist with right understanding and right view would ever hold this kind of thought.

The second condition is to establish faith. We should have correct and right faith to realize truth and to correspond to the reality of modern society. This only is right thought; otherwise what we have is superstition. Only after eliminating superstition can we produce right faith. The yardstick by which we measure correct thought versus superstition is whether the thought under consideration depends on the Dharma or on an individual person. The Dharma is the Absolute Principle. If one uses this measurement for his thought and action, no matter whether he is a monk or not, he is right and tallies with the Principle. We should respect such a person; but if he doesn't tally with the Principle, we cannot believe him.

The third condition is to respect the Right Doctrine and honor all the principles of the Buddhadharma. Any doctrine that goes against the right Principle and right action is heterodox. There are very many different organizations that have stolen Buddhist terms to publicize their own ideas, which give people the wrong impression. That, however, is not real Buddhadharma! We should recognize this clearly and not be fooled into going the wrong way.

The fourth condition is to remove delusion and to get rid of all kinds of unreasonable thought about the Buddhadharma. All Buddhist disciples who understand the Right Dharma should think about a method to eliminate wrong views or try, at least, to correct them. There are many people who have misunderstood the Buddhadharma. Novels, or even textbooks, have often given incorrect explanations about the Buddhadharma. Even some well-educated news reporters have published their reports with worldly views of the Buddhadharma. Again, the standard for removing delusion is "to rely only on the Dharma, or truth, and not to rely on the false interpretation of people." Simply and directly, the truth means Right Doctrine, while the false means incorrect doctrine. Let's root out all incorrect doctrine now, and respect the correct Right Doctrine always!

b) The Second Step: Performing the Right Action of the Bodhisattva

The Bodhisattva is an enlightened person who carefully employs correct thought and action at all times, as I have mentioned heretofore. Thus, if one has already learned the Buddhadharma, one should compare his or her standard of thought and action to that of the Bodhisattva and make corrections, as necessary, in one's own thought and action. If we want to be good people, we must fulfill some fundamental conditions. If one does not fulfill such fundamental conditions of humanity, then how can he or she become a teacher for other people or a Bodhisattva or a Buddha? One ancient sage has said, "A man should become a perfect man." Thus, if one who wants to learn Buddhism, he must have fundamental morality. Average people have many common faults because many of them do not understand the Buddhadharma deeply. After having learned the Dharma, they aim high but care nothing about the fundamentals. They admire themselves, but they have not started strongly from fundamental morality. They just want to be Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. Finally, however, not only can they not learn to be Buddhas or Bodhisattvas but they also even lose what little fundamental morality they might have had. If such people want to learn Buddhism, they cannot derive any benefit from it. Therefore, the Grand Master advised that if we wish to learn the Buddhadharma, we should start learning to be good people by focusing on the moral problems of our time. The doctrine of Confucius focused on the principles of human relationships, kindness and morality. Christianity and Islam also teach people to become good. All religions and saints had and have the very same idea -- to teach their followers to be good. The Grand Master said, "The perfection of a man is the perfection of the Buddha." This means that if one has a perfect personality and morality, then he is a perfect Buddha because the Buddha is a perfect and complete personality; and he is a fully enlightened one. Therefore, if a person has a personality complete with wisdom and morality, then he is a Buddha.

In Buddhism, there are five fundamental commandments of morality as follows: Do not kill; Do not steal; Do not commit adultery; Do not lie; Do not consume any intoxicants.

The first moral commandment forbids killing. This simply and directly means that you should not kill any life whatsoever, including people, animals, insects, etc. One Chinese proverb says, "The great morality of heaven is life." Another proverb says, "Do not do to others what you don't want to be done to you." Confucius said, "Do not harm the law of heaven"; and Buddhism says, "Do no harm. Be compassionate." Thus, the first and most fundamental commandment of morality requires us to observe the discipline of not killing any living being.

The second moral commandment forbids stealing. This simply and directly means that anything which does not belong to you, you cannot take without permission.

The third moral commandment forbids adultery. This simply and directly means that only a married couple should engage in sexual intercourse. This commandment also forbids having sexual relations with another's wife or daughters.

The fourth moral commandment forbids lying. This simply and directly means that you are not allowed to lie or to engage in reckless talk. Those who speak falsely or utter untruths knowingly are lying. Sometimes, however, certain Buddhists are allowed to use expedient words to benefit both themselves and others. Otherwise, lying or gossiping to benefit oneself or to have a hidden purpose in what is said goes against morality.

The fifth moral commandment is to refrain from consuming all intoxicants. Most people wonder why, since wine is made from rice, it is not allowed to be drunk. The answer is simply that because wine is an intoxicant, it confuses people and causes them to lose their natural self-control, thus destroying their good roots. If you have done many good deeds and gained much merit in the past but now become intoxicated by wine, then you will, most likely, do something evil and destroy all your merit. For this reason, you should refrain from consuming any intoxicants whatsoever.

These five precepts, or fundamental moral commandments, forbidding the first four actions -- killing, stealing, adultery and lying -- are called the natural moral law, and any violations of it are very serious and grave. If you violate any of these precepts at any time or in any place, you will be committing a sin. These acts are prohibited not only in the Buddhist religion but also in all other religions throughout the world. The fifth moral commandment -- forbidding the consumption of intoxicants -- is a secondary prohibition. Because intoxicants can cause people to do evil things, we should, therefore, prohibit them. For the prohibition of drinking wine, we have a text in the Vinaya, but there is no text in the Vinaya prohibiting the smoking of cigarettes. Then should we stop smoking or not? I am talking about the drinking of wine as a secondary prohibition, but the purest Buddhist discipline should not indulge in any sort of intoxicant, even though many worldly Buddhists have always done so. However, using intoxicants creates no benefit for oneself and also causes people to slander or defame others in society. For this reason, the Buddha instituted many different secondary disciplines, which caution that all things or habits that are not good for the body and mind should be discontinued. According to this idea, for example, we know that if smoking is no good for one's own body and mind, it might also cause people to slander and degrade society. For this reason alone, everybody should stop smoking. Because it is a secondary disciplinary rule, the Buddha allowed the Sangha to set up such a regulation at any time and in any place. Smoking, as such, is not really such a big problem. However, if anyone consumes opium or other addictive drugs, it must be absolutely prohibited because such practice harms not only oneself but also degrades society. Thus, a secondary disciplinary rule can be set up at any time and in any place. Moreover, all kinds of bad habits should be stopped.

I have said previously that the primary and fundamental condition required to be a human being is to give emphasis to and live by the rules of morality. Now, however, I am going to talk about the secondary fundamental conditions -- that is, place some emphasis on action and, also, on the rules of mentality. There are ten good karmic actions, as follows: 1) not killing; 2) not stealing; 3) not committing adultery; 4) not lying; 5) not using double-tongue, or equivocation; 6) not speaking with an evil mouth; 7) not engaging in sexual talk leading to unethical actions; 8) not desiring; 9) not being angry; 10) not being ignorant or stupid. These good karmic actions create good thoughts for correct mentality. The commandments against killing, stealing, adultery and lying are the primary moral disciplines, which we have already talked about. The fifth good karmic action, not using double-tongue, or equivocation, means not talking strategically, but deceptively, from two sides -- that is telling A, that B is bad and telling B that A is no good. This is the so-called two-headed snake. It is not morally right! The sixth good karmic action is not speaking with an evil mouth, or an abusive tongue, by swearing at others. The seventh good karmic action is not engaging in sexual talk -- that is, not uttering bad or dirty words, not using ironic and ambiguous statements and avoiding nonsensical prattle. All such practice should stop! The eighth good karmic action is not having desire -- that is, to get rid of all kinds of desire by changing selfish thoughts and acts into benefit for others. The ninth good karmic action, not being angry, means trying to stop angry thought. Ancient wisdom says, "Once the fire of anger arises, one burns one's own heart; and before one hurts others, one hurts first oneself." Then, how can we not care? The tenth good karmic action is not to be ignorant. Ignorance is the other side of wisdom, and without wisdom there is merely stupidity. Thus, if one does not want to remain stupid and ignorant, one must cultivate and maintain wisdom. You should always understand these good karmic precepts and actions clearly. Also, if one can hold and follow these ten kinds of discipline, he or she creates a good foundation for morality. However, one cannot ever practice the ten good virtues if one insists on embracing the actions of the ten evils. And why not? Just because he will lose fundamental morality. Then he will become a bad person with no virtue and no respectability.

c) The Third Step: Embracing the Eight Prohibitory Precepts

We have just talked about and explained the five fundamental precepts and ten good karmic virtues. All of them together constitute the fundamental conditions of personality. Having understood this, then we can say we have learned some Buddhism and, also, about Bodhisattva practice. Now, let me talk about the eight prohibitory precepts for lay Buddhists, which they can practice at home just like those who have left home practice them in monasteries and temples. With the eight prohibitory precepts, devoted Buddhists can live a calm and pure life without leaving home. That is to say that even though the body remains at home, both the body and mind have already left home. The practice of the eight prohibitory precepts means to close the door to all evil ways and to allow only good thoughts to arise as quickly as possible. The eight precepts are also known as being near the Buddha, which means that if one takes these precepts, he or she is very near the monk's position. And just what are the eight prohibitory precepts? The first five are the same as the five fundamental moral precepts. However, the second prohibitory precept, regarding adultery, is a little different than the no-adultery prohibition in the five fundamental precepts, which states that a man cannot commit adultery with another's wife or daughter and that a woman cannot commit adultery with another's husband, but permits the normal sexual relations between a husband and a wife. However, when they practice the eight prohibitory precepts, the married couple cannot even live together. They have to practice sexual abstinence, or purity. The sixth prohibitory precept forbids indulgence in cosmetics, personal adornment, dancing, and music. The purpose of this precept is to reduce one's desires in order to allow the mind to become concentrated, not letting it drift aimlessly along with no fixed abode. The seventh prohibitory precept does not allow sleeping on fine and luxurious beds and bedding but only the use of a mat on the floor. Finally, the eighth prohibitory precept does not allow one to eat outside of the regular hour -- namely, the hours after noon. If a practiser eats after the noon hour, or midday, it is known as eating outside of regular hours. There are a few good reasons to have this prohibition. First, the Buddha and the devas eat at noonday, and the hungry ghosts eat in the afternoon. When the hungry ghosts see food, they feel starvation, like fire, gripping and burning their throats. Therefore, if a Buddhist eats in the afternoon, he or she is not only not observing compassion but is also, indeed, violating it. Second, India is a tropical country, so if anyone takes too much food in the afternoon, that is not good for one's health. Third, if too much food is taken in the afternoon, it is not good for meditation. Fourth, it is better for bhiksus to collect food in the morning hours. Begging for food during the afternoon hours most likely will give people more bother and inconvenience. For these reasons, then, one practicing the eight prohibitory precepts also cannot eat during the afternoon hours. If one practices these eight prohibitory precepts, he or she should do so during the six monthly posadha, or fast, days -- namely, the 8th, 14th, 15th, 23rd, 29th and 30th of every month. The important things should be taken care of. It doesn't matter whether we practice for one or two days, we should hold to the precepts for at least one day and one night, exactly as they are stated. Only if we absolutely hold to these precepts can we be called pure and clean.

d) The Fourth Step: The Bodhisattva Takes Action for the Benefit of All Others

The fundamentals of morality for all people, which we have talked about previously, involve practicing the five fundamental precepts and learning the ten good karma-producing virtues to benefit oneself. These involve one's own method of self-cultivation that allows one to become a good person and a perfect man or woman. The fourth step, then, in Bodhisattva practice is that the Bodhisattva takes action for the benefit all of other sentient beings. After you learn to become a good man or woman, then you can take even more steps and learn to become a Bodhisattva. The zealous man or woman can move even faster and further ahead to become a Bodhisattva to benefit all other sentient beings. If this is the case, then one simultaneously benefits oneself by benefiting all others.

First, however, he must generate the correct mind; that is, he must generate the Bodhisattva Mind and the spirit of Mahayana for the benefit of the whole world. In other words, this is to take the Great Vow, which includes great wisdom, supreme Bodhi and universal compassion to save all sentient beings. To seek the Bodhi upward means that one can complete the journey to Buddhahood, which, in turn, benefits and converts the society downward. We have to take the Great Vow, which reaches far and broadly: " If the world is in disorder, I shall make a vow to improve it; if all human beings are suffering deprivation and hardship, I shall take a vow to save all of them. My vow is fixed and inexhaustible. If I cannot finish my work in this life, I will continue it in my next life." If one can do this, then he is really and truly generating the Bodhisattva Mind.

Second, he must generate action. After generating the Bodhi Mind, the next step is to generate Bodhisattva action. Even if we have vowed but have never taken action, the vow is false. Therefore, if we want to complete the vow, we must begin to perform the action. Bodhisattva action can be divided into two kinds. One is fundamental action, and the other is great, broad action. What is fundamental action? It involves the following: 1) Do not do anything to hurt sentient beings; 2) Do not praise yourself and slander others, and do not boast about yourself and, thus, get trouble from others; 3) Don't be stingy with your property or the Dharma -- that is, give up your belongings to benefit others. Also, If you understand the Buddhadharma by yourself, you should teach others to benefit from your knowledge; 4) Never establish a similar, or alternate, Buddhadharma that is seemingly correct but really is incorrect like the doctrine of the White Lotus Society, an outlawed, quasi-religious secret society in China (circa 14th-17th Centuries). Also, do not be like those who use the Buddhist sutras to spread belief in gods, to read palms, to tell fortunes, etc. None of them are Buddhists! These four kinds of action, then, are the primary disciplines of the Bodhisattva. A real Buddhist must hold to them strictly! Finally, if one is committed to merely a part of them, then the Bodhisattva action will remain incomplete.

Great and broad action is the great work of Bodhisattvas which benefits all sentient beings. On the other hand, even the tiniest thing which does not benefit all sentient beings the Bodhisattva does not give one iota of attention to. We should understand right from the start that the vows and actions of Bodhisattvas are great and boundless.

There are six paramitas and four all-embracing virtues that characterize Bodhisattva action. If one learns the Bodhisattva action and practices the six paramitas, he can cross the ocean of birth and death and reach the other shore of holiness. Otherwise, he will remain floundering in the ocean of birth and death forever. What are the six paramitas?

The first paramita regards alms giving, which means to give goods, Doctrine or fearlessness to others. To give property to others is called a contribution. To use one's own knowledge in the world to teach others, even using the Buddhadharma to convert all people, is called giving the Dharma; and if someone's life or freedom is threatened by others, the Bodhisattva should think of how to help, how to remove his intimidation and how to save his life. This is called giving fearlessness. Actually, both giving property to others and sacrificing one's own self for the benefit of others could be called contribution.

The second paramita regards holding the discipline. Discipline, here, means to cease to do evil and to do only good. Thus, one must not only cease to do evil but also make every effort to do good. There are three kinds of discipline, which are called the three cumulative disciplines: the first is the most formal of all the disciplines and must be strictly upheld, according with the Vinaya; the second is to do whatever works for goodness; the third is to do whatever works for the welfare or salvation of all living, sentient beings.

The third paramita regards patience, especially to bear insult and distress without resentment, to generate the Bodhi Mind and to practice Bodhisattva action. Patience, here, means to hold on to one's determination and to put into practice the doing of good. Whenever adverse circumstances strike, one can bear them and will never regress no matter what the problem is. Therefore, if one can really practice and hold patience, that in itself is strong wisdom. Great patience depends on the understanding of all things, which are produced by causation and which have no self-nature. If we make use of great compassion, then the Great Vow can be accomplished.

The fourth paramita regards progress, which means devoting oneself to improvement and never to regress. Thus, both the little effort involved in raising a hand and the great effort involved in the big responsibility of governing a country should be put forth without even the tiniest hint of selfishness. Thus, one must always dedicate oneself to progress, ridding himself of every kind of evil thing. In the same manner, one must practice the other five paramitas and never stop, unflinchingly forging ahead despite repeated setbacks. This, then, is the action of the Bodhisattva.

The fifth paramita regards dhyana, which means meditation or concentration; and it could involve reaching to that ultimate state beyond emotion or thinking. One who learns the way of the Bodhisattva should concentrate on his or her own mind and stop disordered thought. This is the meaning of the saying "Concentration on one's own mind brings success." With this goal in mind, one should practice Ting, which means not only to sit crosslegged with closed eyes in a quiet place but also to cultivate and purify one's own mind. The result of the practice of Ch'an Ting is wisdom. Ch'an Ting and wisdom are both concentrated in one area, which can produce great power and great functions. Thus, the power of Ch'an Ting can destroy all the defilements of birth and death, which is the key point of the practice.

The sixth paramita regards prajna, or the acme of wisdom. However, all worldly learning and knowledge are also called wisdom. From the Buddhist point of view, most worldly wisdom is related to knowledge, and from this knowledge the theories that are called the truth arise. This is a generally accepted argument. At this point in history, the knowledge of western science and philosophy is highly developed, and their theories of truth are promoted by them, no matter whether they promote idealism or materialism; also, all of them change quite often. Earlier theories of truth are stultified by later ones, and they are, in turn, stultified by what comes later. Thus, they seem to be clarifying the truth of the universe and human life without a definite standard. However, the wisdom of the Buddhadharma is not like that worldly wisdom, because its wisdom is produced by Ch'an Ting (meditation or concentration on one-mind), which produces thorough and complete understanding. The truth of the universe and human life is permanent. It never changes, applies thoroughly and completely to all things in the world, and is the essence of all action, enterprise, and creativity in the world. Moreover, it is never wrong nor does it ever move erroneously. To understand this and to practice Ch'an Ting enable one to gain right wisdom, or moral wisdom. In Buddhism, there are three ways of attaining moral wisdom: the first one is by reading and hearing instructions; the second one is through reflection; and the third one is from the practice of meditation. The first step is to seek knowledge, learn the Dharma, and then, after thinking carefully and clearly, to practice.

There are three kinds of wisdom: that gained from hearing, that gained from reflection and that gained from practice. Among these three, reflective wisdom is the reward of Ch'an Ting meditation. Thus, Ch'an Ting should not be likened to a withered old tree or to the cold ashes of a dead fire. To seek without thought means to concentrate on one area and to let that area and wisdom merge, becoming one. Then, at that moment, absolute wisdom, which is also called original wisdom, appears. That wisdom which focuses on things like the conversion and salvation of all sentient beings is called differentiating wisdom as well as specific wisdom. However, original wisdom is the recognition that all things and all sentient beings are produced by casual conditions and are without self-nature. Also, it is the awareness that all things in the universe only change their forms but never change their nature.

On the other hand, discriminating knowledge, after recognizing the original Doctrine, produces the wisdom that can distinguish among people with all kinds of roots with their desires and different potentialities. According to their diseases, one then administers to them the appropriate medicine of the Dharma. Original wisdom is also called wisdom as Suchness, wherein the theory attained is the truth; in effect, they are one. Discriminating knowledge is also called wisdom as ability, which attains the truth but does not ignore the functions. If one can understand and arrive at this state, then we can say that the effort to seek wisdom and truth has been completely and successfully accomplished.

What are the four all-embracing virtues? The first all-embracing virtue is giving others what they like. If they come to seek property, give property to them.  If they come to seek knowledge, give the Buddhadharma to them. Thus, if a Bodhisattva is intimate with sentient beings, it is easy to convert them. The second all-embracing virtue is loving speech. According to the different characters of sentient beings, if you use kind and comforting words, it is easier to let them be happy and, thence, guide them to learn the Buddhadharma enthusiastically. The third all-embracing virtue is drawing all beings to Buddhism by blessing them in both word and deed. Thus, the words and will, the body and mind of the Bodhisattva should serve no other purpose than to benefit others. Then, such action can be used to produce the strong effort required to encourage people to come to the Buddhadharma Way naturally. The fourth all-embracing virtue is working together with others. If a Bodhisattva converts sentient beings, he should go into society and deal with all classes of people and establish harmony with them. In summary, then, these four all-embracing virtues are the expedient Dharma by which the Bodhisattva can convert all sentient beings.

In other words, the six paramitas and the four all-embracing virtues contain the blessings and wisdom for Bodhisattva practice. However, you must be careful during the practice of each paramita and each all-embracing virtue, for you should neither discriminate nor grasp. For example, to practice giving, you should not use the discriminating mind; and you should not grasp, but give to all equally. The Diamond Sutra says: "Give alms without attachment." The meaning of this is "to develop a mind which does not abide in anything." Because the mind of giving does not abide and is without attachment, then the blessings and wisdom of the giver are unlimited. Otherwise, it is just like one has to do a good thing and grasps his merit. If he always thinks about what is gone or lost, then, even if he has some merit, it is really very little. On the other hand, if one has great tolerance, his blessings are also great; and if one has a great capacity for giving, his blessings are, likewise, also great.

Regarding such capacity for giving, however, all Buddhists must be careful! Once, in India in ancient times, King Prasenajit, was making a great offering to the Buddha and Sangha, thinking that he was gaining great merit for himself. However, the Buddha said that his merit was no better than that of a poor beggar woman who used a small sum of money to buy a little oil to light a lamp as an offering to the Buddha. Also, Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty in China (464 - 549 C. E.), who built many temples for and made many great offerings to numerous Sanghas, thought that he had gained great merit. However, Patriarch Bodhidharma (d.532 C.E.) said, "There is no merit whatsoever!" Just understand that merit comes from nature, not from form. Thus, if one thinks that he has completely attained pure wisdom but has, in reality, merely used his limited mind to conceive and grasp his own merit, such merit will be just like his thinking -- that is, the merit of form, not the merit of nature, which, alone, is great and immeasurable merit. He is, in effect, one who can never attain unlimited merit, even in his wildest dreams.