The Rinzai Zen Precepts
Posted: December 9, 2008 | Author: Doug | Filed under: Buddhism, Religion, Zen | 9 Comments »Similar to my recent, reference post, on Soto Zen Precepts, here’s a post on the moral precepts as practiced and observed in the Rinza branch of Zen. These are somewhat different, but also rooted in Buddhist practice:
Lay People
Lay people in Rinzai Zen take the Five Precepts, just as all lay Buddhists do.
Priests
Rinzai priests take two sets of precepts: the Ten Shramanera Precepts, and the Ten Bodhisattva Precepts. The Shramanera Precepts are:
- To abstain from destroying life.
- To abstain from what’s not given.
- To abstain from any sexual activity.
- To abstain from false speech.
- To abstain from intoxicants.
- To abstain from eating after noontime.
- To abstain from dancing, singing, music or any kind of entertainment.
- To abstain from perfumes, jewelry or adornments.
- To abstain from luxurious seats.
- To abstain from accepting and holding money.
Like much of the East Asian Buddhist monastic community, Rinzai priests take the basic precepts for moral discipline and overlay this with observance of the 10 major precepts of the Brahma Net Sutra, which are referred elsewhere as the Bodhisattva Precepts:
- To abstain from destroying life.
- To abstain from taking what’s not given.
- To abstain from any sexual activity.
- To abstain from false speech.
- To abstain from consumption or distribution of intoxicants.
- To abstain from broadcasting the faults of the assembly.
- To abstain from praising one’s self and/or disparaging others.
- To abstain from greed and stinginess.
- To abstain from anger and hatred.
- To abstain from slandering the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha.
This is also not to get confused with the 10 precepts found in the Shingon sect which are similar in nature.
Namuamidabu
P.S. BIG thanks to Matylda on E-sangha for providing this information. 
P.P.S. More on the history of the precepts in Japanese Buddhism in a later post.
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the 
Do you abstain from liquor? I came late to alcoholic beverages and recently became fond of fine beers. I used to be very critical of anyone who drank until I learned that it is possible to do so without becoming dependent or stupid.
That said, a couple times this year I confess to choosing alcohol when I wished to escape an unpleasant day. A bad habit to get into, for sure.
Yup. That’s one precept I take pretty seriously, but that’s just me. In another post I explain the right attitude for following the moral precepts, and guilt isn’t one of them.
So, don’t do it because I do it. You have to find positive reasons to abstain from alcohol, and if you do, you’ll carry along more easily, and feel a lot better about yourself in time. 
Such has been my experience.
warriortwo: I rarely drink, but I admit that when I recently went to Germany, I tried some of the beer. There were some really good tasting beer there. Normally, I may only have a couple of beers a year. You must be careful not to become addicted. It can have some serious effects on those around you. For me, it’s just easier to avoid it. But honestly, if I went to Germany again, I might try a few other brands.
I have to admit I drink. Cincinnati is a German Catholic city. Alcohol is, in my town, a fundamental fabric of a person social life. Drinking, going to bars is an important part of business. Drinking is part of the bonding process at family functions. People go to bars for entertainment. Their is literally one on every corner, sometimes several, where I live. It would be hard not to drink, as it is such a part of daily life. And so I do. Weakness, not wanting to rock boats, something.
Well, guilt’s never been a big motivator of mine. I was lucky I didn’t grow up Jewish or Catholic, and I’ve never bought into the idea that I should feel guilty for consuming something I shouldn’t have. But I have been more health-conscious recently (meaning, I’m thinking about what’s healthy for me, not necessarily acting on it!) and I can honestly say I can’t think of any good reasons for me to drink. It’s not that exciting. It’s not something I would even mind giving up. Maybe it’s good that I loosened my grip on having to feel one way or the other about it, because I used to judge others harshly for drinking. So all in all, it’s been a worthwhile experience.
I think it’s cute that all of you are confessing your “sins” on my blog.
Just kidding of course. I noticed that whenever I mention the Five Precepts, usually someone admits they drink, and then feels guilty over it.
The Five Precepts, as Master Yin-Shun writes, should be a measure of how you treat others, not how good or bad a person you are. So, by not drinking, you avoid saying something to someone you might regret later (or something that hurts their feelings, but you never are made aware of it). It just avoids heedlessness, which can happen even when just tipsy, and reduces the risk of making a faux pas.
But with that said, you have to choose to follow the Five Precepts for the right reasons. Doing it because you feel guilty, or want to build up merit is not the right approach, as Master Yin-Shun wrote.
For the record, I do try to follow it as well as I can. I think I have one or two sips of beer a year, and always to be polite. In time, I intend to cut it out completely. Being in Ireland, this is harder because going to the pub with you mates is very, very common here, and drunkenness is pretty much tolerated here, despite all the brawls, vomiting and such I’ve seen in only 5 months. Still, my friends all know I don’t drink, and when they ask, I just tell them truth: I am a Buddhist, and choose to abstain.
I don’t htink they always get it, but they don’t ask further. I even get teased (in a good-hearted way) about my lemonades or cokes, but you’ve got to learn to be tolerant and patient when others tease you, as it’s the Buddhist way.
I agree that we can’t follow the precepts by feeling guilty when we fail. I would be a very depressed person if I held on to guilt every time I failed to follow a precept. I use the precepts as more of a guideline. As far as drinking is concerned, I don’t drink just because of the effects. What I might say or do and know about. “Even the good person attains birth in the Pure Land, how much more so the evil person.” This is difficult to understand at first and I’m not very good at explaining it, but I tend to apply what Shinran says in Tannisho III(see link below) to the precepts. Basically, when we entrust ourselves to Other Power and forget our guilt and thoughts about being a good or bad person, we seem to be able to follow the precepts with little effort.
http://shinyo-gassho.blogspot.com/2008/12/tannisho-iii.html
It’s not that drinking in and of itself is so much forbidden as -attachment- to drinking is.
I) Attaching drink to other states of mind or II) drinking “to excess” (your mindfullness is gone) is what Buddha is referring to (in my opinion)
The 5 Precepts are a way to stop making karma in this lifetime. If u follow those 5 ‘suggestions’ then you’ll no longer do ‘wrong’ things to disturb personal relations (no one’s out there looking for you to ‘get even’ for cheating/stealing/lying/sleeping with his wife) and with all the other creatures of the Universe.
Drinking until u can no longer make good decisions will hurt yourself or someone else (make ‘bad karma’). Attaching states of mind to drinking (drinking to relax, to be sociable, etc) are all fallacies. you can attain and maintain these states of mind via your will.
Many people drink to relax, to blend in, to be sociable…etc. These have roots in not accepting one’s self…which is a Wrong View. So, unless u drink because u enjoy the flavor, or part of yoru culture ( a glass of wine w/dinner ), then maybe u should be rethinking what the habit of drink gets u … and what it costs as well.
Saatu,
Mike
Hi mike and welcome to the JLR! I’ve heard this modern interpretation of the 5th precept before and must respctfully disagree with it. Sounds like that line from Pirates of the Caribbean: “They’re more like guidelines than actual rules.”
if one is unable or unwilling to observe a certain precept that’s one thing. No one is perfect and the precept are undertaken voluntarily anyway. But to interpret the precepts to justify one’s lifestyle is another matter, and should be avoided. If religion is tailored to suit our life then there’s no challenge or growth from it. Instead it’s more fruitful
to accept teachings at face value, explore the implications and carry them out as best as one can. When you make a mistake, just acknowledge and move on.
But you don’t have to take my word for it, study the words
of the Buddha and such. I believe you will not find one passage where he suggests that it’s ok to drink ad long as your mindful. Instead he stats one wjocqn abstain from drink is a noble disciple. Again his words not
mine.
You might be thnking that it’s possible to cling to the teachings and rules too much, and yes that’s quite true, but I’d wager that for most people it is the least of their worries. Self reflection even on those aspects of ourselves we prefer to ignore is the first step in growth.
Thanks and take care!