Right conduct of the actions of the body is a gate of Dharma illumination; for [with it] the three forms of behavior are pure. 身行正行是法明門、三業淨故. It would be easy to think that Zen practice is mainly about what goes on in our heads. We put so much emphasis on zazen and opening the hand of thought that we can forget that our existence in the human realm includes a human body. What we do with this body isn’t an afterthought, or a poor cousin to what we do with our brains. It’s a crucial element of our practice. First we need to understand what we mean by the body in Buddhism. It’s said that this thing we call “I” is made up of five skandhas, or aggregates: form, feeling, perception, formation and consciousness. The first four are elements of the body (Skt. rupa), while the fifth is an element of the mind (Skt. nama). We can see that within this namarupa, body and mind are not really separate, though we can provisionally talk about them individually. However, body and self are not the same; the self is created when somehow the five skandhas begin clinging to themselves and writing a story about a “me” that is independent and permanent, even though the five skandhas, like all conditioned things, are impermanent and constantly changing. Early Buddhists rejected the body as the source of distraction and defilement. Human beings tend to cling to or avoid what comes in through the senses, and that desire is the basis for suffering. Being free from the body meant being free from the ongoing transmigration through the realms of samsara, leaping off of the wheel of birth and death and arriving in Nirvana. Soto Zen, on the other hand, sees the body as the ground of our practice and not as something to be rejected. We still need to deal with what comes in through the senses, but not by detaching from them. Instead, we make effort to see clearly what’s arising, without judgement or attachment, and make good decisions about the actions we take based on what we feel and perceive. Carrying out bodily activities without defilement is one of the ten kinds of karmic activity described in the Avatamsaka Sutra. (1) This sutra provides extensive guidance to the conduct of the bodhisattva and also includes a lovely section called the Vows of Good Conduct (Bhadracaripraṇidhāna). These are the preaching of Samantabhadra (sometimes known as Bodhisattva Universal Worthy), who is the bodhisattva of practice activity and an important figure in Zen; you may recognize him from the names of buddhas and bodhisattvas we chant at the beginning of ryaku fusatsu or during formal meals. Samantabhadra’s ten vows of good conduct are:
All of these are actions of the body that are done without defilement. In other words, when carried out sincerely and based on wisdom and compassion rather than on greed, anger and ignorance, these vows are completely fulfilled. However, humans being what we are, we will make mistakes despite our best intentions. That’s why repentence partners with vow as an important part of our practice. In fact, our repentance verse also comes from Samantabhadra’s teachings in this sutra: For all the evil deeds I have done in the past Created by my body, mouth, and mind, From beginningless greed, anger, and delusion, I now know shame and repent of them all. (2) That brings us to the second part of this week’s gate statement, the three forms of behavior. These are the actions of body, speech and thought, or sangō 三業, the three things we use to create karma. (The next two gates take up actions of the mouth and actions of the mind.) A lot of our sticky, knotted-up karma comes from stuff we do without paying attention. It’s our habituated thinking, speaking and action. Nonetheless, we have to take responsibility for it and try to do something different and more wholesome in the next moment. Ultimately, right conduct of the actions of the body means that all three—body, speech and mind—are wholesome and without defilement. That’s because, when we create karma, that process starts with thought. We have some deluded thought that arises because of our ignorance about the true nature of reality, We think we need to get something, or get away from something, because we don’t understand the real nature of the self. Based on that deluded thought, we may engage in some kind of harmful speech; we get angry and we say something unkind or not quite true, or designed to get something for ourselves at the expense of someone else. That harmful speech can also lead to unskillful action. Conflict can escalate from just words to physical violence. I tell a lie, and then I have to take more and more steps to cover it up. The whole thing starts to spiral, and suffering leads to more suffering and the creation of more harmful karma for myself and others. At the root of this whole process is intention or volition. The Sanskrit word is cetana. Intention is what bridges the gap between craving or aversion and actually carrying out the actions of getting that thing we want or escaping from that thing we don’t want. I see you have a piece of cherry pie. I think I want it. Based on that craving, I intend on some level to do something about getting the pie. I tell you that your teacher wants to see you in his study, and when you’re out of the room, I help myself to your pie. Some argument probably happens when you find out what I did. After that, who knows? This small internal personal craving has passed through mind and speech to become a harmful action of the body with consequences and suffering for others. Along with the wisdom and compassion that arise from the pure mind, we’re guided away from carrying out harmful actions of body, speech and mind by Buddhism’s system of ethics or moral codes. The elements of the Eightfold Path form three groupings: wisdom (prajna), ethics (sila) and concentration (samadhi). Under ethics or morality, we find Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. In the early teachings, Right Action was mainly about not killing, not stealing and not engaging in sexual misconduct. Likewise, Right Speech and Right Livelihood are related to the way we use the body to carry out activity in the world. All of these are about not using the body to break precepts. Of course not harming others with our own delusion-based conduct is a good thing, but we’re also saving ourselves from harm. One potential outcome of our unwholesome action for ourselves is that we’re setting up a karmic pattern in which we may be predisposed to repeat the action. We can build harmful habits that make unskillful action the default. If I steal once, it’s easier to steal again. If I cheat on my partner once, it’s easier to do it again. It’s harder to break a longstanding chain of improper conduct, even when we see the process and what’s arising. Better by far to keep new bad habits from forming. The body is the ground of our practice and our life. There’s nowhere else we can practice and nowhere else we can live. Our practice is not about ignoring or subjugating the body in order to reach a purified state; as we’ve seen at previous gates, there is nothing inherently pure or impure about any conditioned thing we encounter. The issue is our response to it. It’s important to strike a balance between taking care of the body in a healthy way and becoming attached to it as a way to satisfy the cravings of the small self. We can either make wholesome choices with the body that lead to awakening and to a lessening of suffering in the world, or we can make unwholesome choices that lead to more delusion and suffering. What we do with the body is our last chance to head off the chain of unskillfulness that begins with thought. Deluded thoughts arise, but if we don’t turn them into harmful speech or harmful action and spill them onto others, they remain our own delusion. Right conduct of the body at least can serve as a firewall, keeping our delusion from leaking out into the world quite so much. In that way, actions of body, speech and mind don’t result in so much additional suffering and unfortunate karma. One of the patterns that we notice in our practice is that there are often teachings about what not to do, but refraining from these unwholesome things isn’t enough; we also have to actively cultivate their opposites, as Samantabhadra vows to do. Because the body is the ground of practice, it can play a positive role in making awakening possible and alleviating suffering for ourselves and others. Keeping the precepts means we’re no threat to anyone else’s life, property or well-being and builds trust, respect and security. Buddhist ethics are about heading off negative karma by restraining ourselves and creating positive conditions that bring harmony to everyone to avoid violence and harm. And, it’s not enough just to do good ourselves; we are to encourage others toward right conduct as well. Buddha said that it’s not enough just for us not to kill or steal; we’re to encourage others not to kill or steal. It’s also not enough to encourage others toward right conduct and then not practice it ourselves. As the sutra says, that would be like a blind person painting a picture for others that he can’t see for himself. All of our actions become practice and are embodiments of our Buddha nature. That’s right conduct of the body in its purest form, where body speech and mind are free from defilement. Right conduct isn’t only a manifestation of Buddha nature; it can also help prepare the ground for our expression of that True Self. When we keep precepts, we create a settled, safe and stable atmosphere for ourselves and others. Once we can settle down and open the hand of thought, we can start to see through our delusions. When we begin to loosen the grip of craving, aversion and small self, we’re much better able to act skillfully in the world. That skillful action perpetuates trust and stability and enables further practice. Questions for reflection and discussion
Further reading The Avatamsaka Sutra. Another translation of selected sections is here. More on Samantabhadra. Notes
(1) The other nine are carrying out activities of speech and mind without defilement, being reborn as one intends, knowing the many different desires, understandings, boundaries and karmic activities of sentient beings, knowing the formation and disintegration of the world, and mastery of oneʼs own spiritual footing so that what is practiced is unobstructed. These are from Chapter 15, section 5.8 of the Avatamsaka Sutra. (2) Chapter 40 of the Avatamsaka (or Flower Garland) Sutra. Comments are closed.
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About the text The Ippyakuhachi Homyomon, or 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination, appears as the 11th fascicle of the 12 fascicle version of Dogen Zenji’s Shobogenzo. Dogen didn't compile the list himself; it's mostly a long quote from another text called the Sutra of Collected Past Deeds of the Buddha. Dogen wrote a final paragraph recommending that we investigate these gates thoroughly. Hoko has been talking about the gates one by one since 2016. She provides material here that can be used by weekly dharma discussion groups as well as for individual study. The 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination
[1] Right belief [2] Pure mind [3] Delight [4] Love and cheerfulness The three forms of behavior [5] Right conduct of the actions of the body [6] Pure conduct of the actions of the mouth [7] Pure conduct of the actions of the mind The six kinds of mindfulness [8] Mindfulness of Buddha [9] Mindfulness of Dharma [10] Mindfulness of Sangha [11] Mindfulness of generosity [12] Mindfulness of precepts [13] Mindfulness of the heavens The four Brahmaviharas [14] Benevolence [15] Compassion [16] Joy [17] Abandonment The four dharma seals [18] Reflection on inconstancy [19] Reflection on suffering [20] Reflection on there being no self [21] Reflection on stillness [22] Repentance [23] Humility [24] Veracity [25] Truth [26] Dharma conduct [27] The Three Devotions [28] Recognition of kindness [29] Repayment of kindness [30] No self-deception [31] To work for living beings [32] To work for the Dharma [33] Awareness of time [34] Inhibition of self-conceit [35] The nonarising of ill-will [36] Being without hindrances [37] Belief and understanding [38] Reflection on impurity [39] Not to quarrel [40] Not being foolish [41] Enjoyment of the meaning of the Dharma [42] Love of Dharma illumination [43] Pursuit of abundant knowledge [44] Right means [45] Knowledge of names and forms [46] The view to expiate causes [47] The mind without enmity and intimacy [48] Hidden expedient means [49] Equality of all elements [50] The sense organs [51] Realization of nonappearance The elements of bodhi: The four abodes of mindfulness [52] The body as an abode of mindfulness [53] Feeling as an abode of mindfulness [54] Mind as an abode of mindfulness [55] The Dharma as an abode of mindfulness [56] The four right exertions [57] The four bases of mystical power The five faculties [58] The faculty of belief [59] The faculty of effort [60] The faculty of mindfulness [61] The faculty of balance [62] The faculty of wisdom The five powers [63] The power of belief [64] The power of effort [65] The power of mindfulness [66] The power of balance [67] The power of wisdom [68] Mindfulness, as a part of the state of truth [69] Examination of Dharma, as a part of the state of truth [70] Effort, as a part of the state of truth [71] Enjoyment, as a part of the state of truth [72] Entrustment as a part of the state of truth [73] The balanced state, as a part of the state of truth [74] Abandonment, as a part of the state of truth The Eightfold Path [75] Right view [76] Right discrimination [77] Right speech [78] Right action [79] Right livelihood [80] Right practice [81] Right mindfulness [82] Right balanced state [83] The bodhi-mind [84] Reliance [85] Right belief [86] Development The six paramitas [87] The dāna pāramitā [88] The precepts pāramitā [89] The forbearance pāramitā. [90] The diligence pāramitā [91] The dhyāna pāramitā [92] The wisdom pāramitā [93] Expedient means [94] The four elements of sociability [95] To teach and guide living beings [96] Acceptance of the right Dharma [97] Accretion of happiness [98] The practice of the balanced state of dhyāna [99] Stillness [100] The wisdom view [101] Entry into the state of unrestricted speech [102] Entry into all conduct [103] Accomplishment of the state of dhāraṇī [104] Attainment of the state of unrestricted speech [105] Endurance of obedient following [106] Attainment of realization of the Dharma of nonappearance [107] The state beyond regressing and straying [108] The wisdom that leads us from one state to another state and, somehow, one more: [109] The state in which water is sprinkled on the head Archives
February 2025
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