Since the time of the Buddha, ethical conduct has been a primary practice and study. In Mahayana Buddhism, Sila Paramita, “the perfection of conduct,” is one of the Six Perfections, along with generosity, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom. In the Soto Zen tradition, Eihei Dogen conveyed precepts in the form we know today as the Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts.
‼️2026 Precepts Class beginning April 13
Mondays 7 pm – 8:15
Recommended Readings on Zen Precepts
Kyogen Carlson Roshi, “Precepts as Path“
Josho Phelan Roshi Precepts Series: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Zenju Earthlyn Manual, “Sage Wisdom of the Ancients: Zen Guidance and Precepts for Living in Contemporary Times“
Becoming Yourself, Shunryu Suzuki, chapters in the section, “The Spirit of Zen Ethics,” and in the Appendix, “The Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts”
Being Upright, Tenshin Reb Anderson
The Vow-Powered Life, Jan Chozen Bays
A Mind of Clover, Robert Aitken
Further Readings
Books
Living by Vow, (Chapters 1-4), Shohaku Okumura
Taking Our Places, Norman Fischer
What is Zen?, Norman Fischer and Susan Moon
Being Upright, Reb Anderson
Returning to Silence, Dainin Katagiri
The Vow-Powered Life, Jan Chozen Bays
The Six Perfections, Dale Wright
The World Could Be Otherwise, Norman Fischer
Ethics, a short introduction, Simon Blackburn
Buddhist Ethics, a short introduction, Damien Keown
“Zen as a Social Ethics of Responsiveness,” Thomas Kasaulis
“Ungraspable Mind, Deep Time, and the Bodhisattva Precepts,” by Taigen Leighton Roshi
“Avoiding Unintended Harm to the Environment and the Buddhist Ethic of Intention,” Peter Harvey
“Only a Buddha together with a Buddha can fathom the reality of all existence.” —from The Lotus Sutra