Zazen, awareness meditation, is opening to experiencing this moment’s culmination of a lifetime of conditioning. It displays the body, breath and mind of what we are. As we attend to this expression of Now, the teachings of the Path are evident.

The teachings of Right Speech, described in the last class, offer us a tangible way to discover how to refrain from harmful speech and a way to speak both internally and interpersonally that promotes the virtues of practice. They challenge us to not succumb to the engrained habits that frequently prompt unskillful speech and show us that adhering to their admonitions can promote wholesome states of being.

Right Action

The step of Right Action initially emphasizes the admonitions of non-harming which are:

• Abstaining from taking life

• Abstaining from taking what’s not offered

• Abstaining from sexual misconduct

Each of these abstinences has both a timeless principle and a contextual application.

Abstaining from taking life helps us to realize the interconnectedness of all forms of life. By non-harming in the multitude of situations that arise throughout our day we enact the benevolence of cherishing all beings.

Abstaining from taking what’s not offered, we affirm that the gifts of life are revealed by gratitude. By not being driven by acquisitiveness we free ourselves of the fear of scarcity.

Abstaining from sexual misconduct, we discover the nurturance of the many forms of intimacy. By not succumbing to sexual desire, we can discover that giving over to love can be an act of caring and generosity.

Together these three forms of abstaining enhance our capacity to fulfill the requests of practice.

Right Livelihood

The Pali term, Ajiva, usually translated as ‘livelihood’, can also be translated as ‘way of life.’

Our ‘way of life’ has many aspects to it, and each of them challenges us to get in touch with a wide range of considerations and values as we respond appropriately.

How do we relate to the commercial agendas of a material society and the social malaise that it creates?

How do we relate to a society that has structural norms that mistreat its citizens?

How do we balance the needs of ourselves and our families with the needs of others in our country and throughout the world?

The response of early Buddhism is that we cultivate the capacity to refrain from harming and to behave in a way that nurtures the virtues of liberation. Right View, Intention, Speech and Action all offer us tangible guidance in enacting those ideals.

The Bodhisattva vows to practice for the benefit of all beings, acknowledging that this is an endless undertaking beyond the agency of any single individual to resolve. Yet through our collective commitment, the teachings of the Buddha Way will present themselves in the midst of the challenges and will facilitate Awakening in the midst of the challenges.