Appamada's 2024 Precepts Program

We invite you to join Appamada’s 2024 Precepts Program. All are welcome, but registration is required.

Dogen Zenji wrote: “To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study to self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.”

Hui Neng, the sixth Zen ancestor, said “It is precisely Buddhist conduct that is the Buddha.”

Buddhist teachings in the Zen tradition consistently point to what Thich Nhat Hanh has called “interbeing.”

We don’t really exist as individuals, but as ever-changing embodiments of relationality.

This means, as author Peter Hershock notes, that the real Buddhist is seen “in terms of conduct—that is, his or her lived relations with others— and not according to any individually possessed marks or states of consciousness.”

What we do with each other is critical to awakening.

For this reason, Buddhism rests on a deeply ethical foundation. The Buddha taught the principles of ethical living throughout his 45 years of teaching, to every kind of audience, from farmers to disciples to kings. Although this ethical foundation parallels the ethical teachings of every major world religion in some ways, Buddhism is unique in the way the precepts are presented. Rather than reflecting moral judgments or declarations of “what is good” and “what is bad or evil,” the Buddha taught an active process of inquiry into that which is wholesome and that which is unwholesome.

This program follows the Appamada principle of experiential work, grounded in practice, rather than following a classroom or academic model. We incorporate into each meeting some time for sitting, some writing, small experiments or exercises, some inquiry work, and discussion. The real heart of this course, however, is utterly simple: it is in the everyday work, lives, and relationships of the participants, the ground of true practice.

At the end of the year, we offer an ceremony for those who would like to commit themselves to the path of the precepts in their own lives. This step is entirely voluntary. The ceremony is a public acknowledgment of a personal commitment and dedication to the practice path.

You do not need to be experienced in Zen practice to begin the Appamada precepts program; you may just be curious about the subject. We will ask you to maintain a daily sitting practice (even a very short period of sitting each day) and commit to attending the monthly meetings to the extent that you are able to, throughout the course of the program.

Online Participation:

These classes will be offered via Zoom. All are welcome. If it is possible to staff in-person gatherings at the Appamada zendo (913 East 38th St., Austin, TX 78705 ) we will offer it in a hybrid format.

Teacher(s):

The Precepts Program is organized and will be led by Entrusted Teacher Joel Barna, with help from other teachers and Appamada's Zen Mentors.

Texts:

Diane Rizzetto, Waking Up to What You Do: A Zen Practice for Meeting Every Situation With Intelligence and Compassion.

In addition we will draw on the following sources: Reb Anderson, Being Upright: Zen Meditation and the Bodhisattva Precepts; Cedar Barstow, Right Use of Power: The Heart of Ethics; Robert Aitken, The Mind of Clover; and other material from David Loy's Money Sex War Karma and writings from Thich Nhat Hanh, Gil Fronsdal, Joan Southerland, and others.

Schedule:

Here are the dates and a tentative outline of the subjects for each meeting. We plan 10 monthly meetings (followed by a completion ceremony).

  • March 10: (Meeting 1)—Introduction: What are Precepts in Zen? and deciding how to track what you learn

  • April 14 :(Meeting 2)—Practicing with the Precepts; Guided Experiments in Mindfulness; (Hakomi); Speaking Truthfully

  • May 12: (Meeting 3)—Emotion, Thought, and Action; The language of Internal Family Systems; Speaking of others with openness and possibility

  • June 9: (Meeting 4)—Meeting others on equal ground; Power relationships and responsibility

  • July 7: (Meeting 5)—Cultivating a Clear Mind Learning record midterm

  • August 11: (Meeting 6)—Taking Only What is Freely Given

  • September 8: (Meeting 7)—Engaging in Sexual Intimacy with Respect

  • October 6: (Meeting 8)—Letting go of anger; The right use of power

  • November 3: (Meeting 9)—Supporting Life

  • December 15: (Meeting 10)—Creating and Sustaining the Sangha: Not disparaging the Three Treasures and reviewing the experience of Precepts study

  • January 12, 2025—Precepts Completion Ceremony

Cost:

At Appamada, space and time to gather are freely offered so that anyone may come and be nourished by the teachings, by the connections with the teachers and sangha, and by the practice. And at the same time, this place, these programs, and this sangha are maintained by and depend on the generosity of its supporters. In making donations in support of the Precepts Program, we ask that you consider “paying forward,” with a view to what your support can mean for others.

The Precepts Program is open to anyone who is interested in the ethical dimensions of Buddhism. A full description of the program can be found here. For further information, contact Joel Barna.

Register here: https://forms.gle/X4xxPpLvo6nfaxBX9