Ethical Discipline as the Unsurpassable Foundation of Bodhi and the Cultivation of All Virtuous Roots

The path followed by Buddhists is grounded in the teachings given to us by an awakened teacher—the Buddha—and calls upon us to observe, experience, and put these teachings into practice directly. From the cultivation of the three higher trainings of Buddhism—ethical disciplines, meditative concentration, and wisdom, to the practice of the bodhisattva path in everyday life, Buddhism consistently emphasizes reflection and practical application. It is in this sense that Buddhist faith may be understood as a rational form of faith. Such faith is rational because it is grounded in one’s own analysis and validation. Eventually, it leads us to recognize the illusory and insubstantial nature of all phenomena, let go of attachment, and live a simple and free life. This is what Buddhism understands as ultimate liberation.

The purpose of observing the ethical discipline is to gather and discipline the mind, thereby eliminating habitual tendencies toward attachment and ignorance. If we aspire to attain buddhahood, we must begin by observing the ethical discipline by the precepts and gradually engender the unsurpassable bodhicitta. Through the ethical discipline, we can lead a life that is at ease and pure. The unsurpassable bodhicitta begins with the single principle of kindness, and all goodness begins with the practice of the precepts. Receiving the precepts is like acquiring a field of merit in which the seedlings of bodhi can be cultivated. Those who uphold the precepts maintain purity of mind, and a pure mind is accompanied by less afflictions. Ethical discipline restrains nonvirtuous conduct and cultivate what is virtuous: they prevent conditions conducive to harmful actions from arising and allow conditions conducive to virtue to develop. They enable virtuous and pure qualities to arise while eliminating defiled qualities, protect the mind from distraction, and sow the virtuous seeds of buddhahood.

Why are all the Buddhas of the ten directions adorned with the manifold qualities, endowed with the three thousand deportments, eighty thousand subtle forms of conduct, and eighty minor marks? The reason is that the path begins with upholding ethical discipline. Proper observance of the precepts is the most fundamental basis for a disciplined life; to attain buddhahood, one must cultivate an even greater number of subtle forms of conduct with caution and humility. Ethical discipline encompasses the entirety of one’s life: one’s lifestyle, pattern of thinking, speech, actions, and deportment are all governed by discipline. Every detail of daily life becomes an activity undertaken for the benefit of sentient beings. Whether walking, dressing, or engaging in any other activity, one remains mindful through the recitation of mantras. When we continually keep sentient beings in mind, many self-centered thoughts can gradually be transformed into bodhicitta.

For a practitioner, the most precious qualities are awakening and the discipline of the mind, enabling one’s faculty of awareness to remain continually grounded in simplicity and stability. Receiving the precepts establishes the foundation for virtuous conditions that benefit both oneself and others. They enable the mind to abide in the Buddha and in freedom, resting upon a single thought without dwelling upon notions of existence or nonexistence, gain or loss. Without the discipline of the precepts, we do not know where the body and mind should abide; with the precepts, body and mind can abide peacefully. Thus, the fundamental principle of life is to uphold the precepts.

For the sake of liberation, we learn from the Buddha and cultivate awakening; for the sake of happiness, we practice compassion, generosity, and aspire to dedicate ourselves to others. The meaning of “live to serve, dedicate life to lives” lies in giving others the pure kindness like the lotus, the liberation of awakening, and the seeds of compassion. What manifests within us should resemble the purity of the lotus, the seeds of compassion, and the fruits of wisdom. By adhering to the principles that govern our lives and then dedicating ourselves to serving and giving, we can bring the Dharma to others.

Ethical discipline provides an experiential foundation through which we can awaken to the nature of life, and they also constitute a discipline of conduct. We speak of “emptiness” all the time, yet fail to put it in practice; therefore, we must bring the precepts, as a discipline of conduct, into explicit and systematic practice. The precepts constitute a process of transforming the mind into bodhicitta, and this is the point from which we should guide others in their practice. When the precepts help you gather and discipline the mind, meditative concentration can be attained; when meditative concentration is attained, wisdom can arise.