I Get Questions

Are Buddhists celibate?
Do they meditate every day?

These questions are difficult to answer because they are so broad. First of all, there is such a vast range of practices that fit under the umbrella of "Buddhism," that one answer cannot for all. I've often told folks that the range of "Buddhist" practices across the world, from Tibetan to Zen to Pure Land to Theravadan (just to name a few) are far more diverse than all the various forms of Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, etc.). In fact, the variety of forms of Buddhism is probably more diverse than all of the so-called "desert religions" (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) combined. That is, the differences between the faith of a Shiite Muslim and a Southern Baptist are probably not as great as those of Tantric and Nichiren Buddhists (although it is hard not to gloat that the latter get along far better than the former).

The one thing that all the forms of Buddhism have in common, however, is the Noble Eight-Fold Path. This Path was taught by the Buddha to his first disciples, and has been handed down from generation to generation. The Noble Eight-Fold Path is the Buddha Way, the way that leads to the cessation of suffering, consisting of:

Right Understanding,
Right Thought,
Right Speech,
Right Action,
Right Livelihood,
Right Effort,
Right Mindfulness, and
Right Concentration.

An important point if I may: the term "right" isn't as opposed to "wrong." There isn't, say, "wrong understanding," "wrong thought," and so on to "wrong concentration." Think of "right" as in "righting a boat" - a course correction, if you will.

Another important point is that these are not eight seperate paths. One person does not practice, say, right thought, while another might be practicing right effort. Nor does a person progress from one of the eight-fold aspects on to another. One practices all eight simultaneously, correcting ("righting") one's activity when it is apparent that a change of course is necessary to stay on the Eight-Fold Path.

But this is also where the different forms of Buddhism begin to separate. In some parts of the world, greater emphasis is put on one or two of the eight-fold aspects than the others, although none will ignore the other aspects completely. So what you have is some schools that emphasize right speech and right action, but not so much right mindfulness and right concentration, and other schools, such as Zen, that put great emphasis of mindfulness and concentration, but arguably not as much on understanding and thought.

Over the years, it became evident that certain rules were necessary in order to help people maintain the Noble Eight-Fold Path. These rules, called "precepts," are not in themselves the Buddha Way or the path leading to the cessation of suffering, but are instead just guidance on how to live the Eight-Fold Path. There are many versions of the precepts, and many different sets of precepts, but in Zen, the 10 "grave" precepts are:

Do not kill.
Do not steal.
Do not engage in sexual misconduct.
Do not lie.
Do not cloud the mind with intoxicants.
Do not speak of the faults of others.
Do not praise the self at the expense of others.
Do not withhold the dharma assets.
Do not indulge in anger.
Do not defile the Three Treasures.

There are many other versions and sets of precepts depending on the particular school of Buddhism and the practioners path - monks, for example, might have over 100 precepts to observe, while laypersons have less.

Now, to those in the Western world and the Judeo-Christian tradition, the precepts have the appearance of and a resemblance to "commandments." But the precepts are not laws handed down from a divine being that one must follow at the risk of damnation, but instead general guidelines to allow one to recognize when one is off of the Eight-Fold Path. If you find yourself in violation of a precept, a course correction, a "righting" of the way, is probably in order.

In fact, the precepts are often stated in positive terms, not as a list of activities to refrain from but as a list of ways to behave. This positive list sounds less like the "thou shalt nots" of the commandments, and emphasizes life on the Eight-Fold Path:

Affirm life (do not kill).
Be giving (do not steal).
Honor the body (do not engage in sexual misconduct).
Manifest truth (do not lie).
Proceed clearly (do not cloud the mind with intoxicants).
See the perfection (do not speak of the faults of others).
Realize self and other as one (do not praise the self at the expense of others).
Give generously (do not withhold the dharma assets).
Actualize harmony (do not indulge in anger).
Experience the intimacy of things (do not defile the Three Treasures).

I recognize that I'm taking the long way around the block to answer the questions, but I want to make sure the underlying concepts are understood. As far as celibacy is concerned, the easiest way to avoid sexual misconduct is to not engage in sexual activity at all. And in much of the Buddhist world, monastic practioners, both male and female, observe complete celibacy, and avoid making distinctions between right sexual conduct and sexual misconduct.

However, other schools of Buddhism argue that honoring the body is not to deny our fundamental sexual nature, and that celibacy is an unnatural practice that goes against the natural order of things. Is exercising and even celebrating our sexuality really a violation of the precepts, as long as one is not engaging those who have made vows to others, or children, or with those who are unwilling?

In Zen, priest are allowed to marry, and some monasteries even allow married couples and do not disapprove of consentual sexual relations among unmarried, committed monastics. The great Zen poet Ryokan ("The wind is fresh, the moon bright. Let us spend the evening dancing as a farewell to old age.") used to associate with the prostitutes of his village (his poems are unclear as to whether his association included partaking of their services, but he clearly did not disapprove of them). The Zen Master Ikkyu (1394-1481) taught "if you are thirsty, you dream of water; if you are cold, you dream of a warm coat; as for me, I dream of the pleasures of the boudoir - that's my nature." It was said he couldn't walk past a brothel without stopping in and sampling their offerings.

In modern Zen, sexuality is a matter of individual choice. The celibate life of a monastic, the domestic tranquility of married laypersons, or the exuberant sexuality of an Ikkyu are all accepted. As for me, my sexual practices aren't anyone else's business unless they happen to be sitting in my lap.

It is similar with meditation. As part of the Eight-Fold Path ("Right Concentration"), some level or another of meditation is practiced by virtually all Buddhists, but in Zen it is the primary practice. After all, when sitting in meditation, one is not killing, stealing, lying or engaging in sexual misconduct - what precept is not being observed? Similarly, it is easy to see that all the other aspects of the Eight-Fold Path (e.g., mindfulness, effort, action) are also being followed. And it was in meditation that the Buddha realized his great enlightenment, and even after his enlightenment, he continued the practice. So in Zen, meditation is greatly encouraged, typically on at least a daily basis, if not more. But in other schools, it's not emphasized as much. In some other schools, meditation is only performed by monks, and even then, for only short and infrequent periods. The "right concentration" is taken off of the meditation cushion and instead focused on one's daily activities.

One school is not right and the other wrong ("do not praise the self at the expense of others"). There are different ways of following the Eight-Fold Path. In America, we are lucky because many different schools of Buddhism are currently active here, and one can discover the one that best suits him or her. In other parts of the world and at other times, one might have had to travel, say, from Japan to Tibet, or from Sri Lanka to China, to experience different teachings. Here, it's all present right before us.

Sorry that this post is so long, but tomorrow I'm speaking about Zen at a liberal Christian Church as part of their ecumenical outreach, and I have been thinking about the fundamental teachings of the Buddha. I like to speak improvisationally and unscripted, but this writing exercise is probably a form of preparation for tomorrow's talk.