14 precepts (day 1 of several)

This is the chapter where he talks about the 14 precepts of interbeing. I’m probably going to do this over a few days because it’s a lot of material.

He starts with the translation of the name of the movement, Tiep Hien, where tiep means to be in touch, which he glosses as to be in touch with oneself, and to be in touch with the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas in a long-lasting way; and then hien means the present time. “We have to be in the present time, because only the present is real, only in the present moment can we be alive. We do not practice for the sake of the future, to be reborn in a paradise, to, but to be peace, to be compassion, to be joy right now. Hien also means “to make real, to manifest, realization. “

So interbeing is a new word they invented to try to express those concepts. And people who join the order of Interbeing take 14 vows and want to practice 60 days of retreat annually, which would include generally every Sunday and then eight additional days. At least once every two weeks, members come together and recite the 14 precepts. They begin with three refugees and the two promises for children. The first promises “I vow to develop my compassion in order to love and protect the life of people, animals, and plants. The second promise is “I about to develop understanding in order to be able to love and to live in harmony with people, animals and plants.“ After reciting those to the children go out to play, but the adults then recite the 14 precepts

So the first precept is the one that has always been most interesting to me. It is “do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thoughts are guiding means; they are not absolute truth." And then to this he says in commentary “this precept is the roar of the lion. Its spirit is characteristic of Buddhism. It is And then to this he says in commentary “this precept is the roar of the lion. Its spirit is characteristic of Buddhism. It is often said that the Buddhist teaching is only a raft to help you cross a river, a finger pointing to the moon, do not mistake the finger for the moon. The raft is not the shore. If we cling to the raft, if we cling to the finger, we miss everything. We cannot, in the name of the finger of the raft, kill each other. Human life is more precious than any ideology, any doctrinea". And then he points out that this order was born in the aftermath of the war, which was a conflict of ideologies.

The second and third precepts are very similar. Second: “do not think that the knowledge you possess presently is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice non-attachment from views in order to be open to receive others view points. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times. “And the third is “do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.“