webinar register page

Dharma Talks - 01/15 - 04/02 - Overview of Bodhidharma's Precepts Series

Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch of Soto Zen Buddhism, brought the Buddhist teachings from India to China. Among them are the Sixteen Great Bodhisattva Precepts—the Three Refuges, the Three Pure Precepts and the Ten Grave Precepts. Bodhidharma's rendition of the Ten Grave Precepts, the moral and ethical standards by which Soto Zen Buddhists aim to live their lives, are unique in their bold alignment with ultimate truths. Deeply sitting with Bodhidharma's words, one can easily attune to a spacious chasm of reality that underlies the more contemporary version we normally practice. This series, entitled Bodhidharma's Precepts, will first introduce Bodhidharma, the wild, iconoclastic practitioner who sat in a cave facing a wall for nine years. Once we know him, we will compare his expression of these Ten Precepts with our own and find our vision considerably deepened by the emptiness from which he refuses to back down.

First Talk: The Legend of Bodhidharma
Second Talk: Bodhidharma's Ten Grave Bodhisattva Precepts
Third Talk: Bodhidharma's First Precept: No Killing Life
Fourth Talk: Bodhidharma's Second Precept: No Stealing
Fifth Talk: Bodhidharma's Third Precept: No Attaching to Fulfillment
Sixth Talk: Bodhidharma's Fourth Precept: No Illusory Words
Seventh Talk: Bodhidharma's Fifth Precept: No Selling the Wine of Delusion
Eighth Talk: Bodhidharma's Sixth Precept: No Dwelling on Past Mistakes
Ninth Talk: Bodhidharma's Seventh Precept: No Praise or Blame
Tenth Talk: Bodhidharma's Eighth Precept: No Hoarding Materials or Teachings
Eleventh Talk: Bodhidharma's Ninth Precept: No Being Angry
Twelfth Talk: Bodhidharma's Tenth Precept: No Abusing the Triple Treasure—Buddha, Dharma, Sangha