Six Principles of the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

1) no contention; 2) no greed; 3) no seeking; 4) not being selfish; 5) no seeking personal advantage; 6) no lying.

"If each of you can stop all contention, and curb your greed; if you can stop seeking, stop being selfish and wanting selfÄ benefit, and cease being dishonest, then the Proper Dharma will remain long in the world. Why? Because these Six Guiding Principles of the City of The thousand Buddhas are the Proper Dharma. They are simply the Buddha's precepts.

"For example, the first principle, no contention, is the precept against taking life. Why would somebody take another's life? Because of a thought of contention. A verse says:

Contention breeds an attitude of victory and defeat,

Contrary to the teaching of the Way.

With a mind full of self and others, and

Beings who pass away, what hope do you have

Of accomplishing samadhi.

"If you must be a winner, then someone else must lose. As soon as you contend, you chase away your proper concentrationÄ power.

"The second principle, no greed, is the precept against theft. No greed means subduing all thoughts of craving possessions or experiences that do not rightly belong to you. Instead of craving things, people should think, 'If it is not mine, I do not want it.'

"The third principle, no seeking, can counteract promiscuous behavior. The reason why people lose control and want to break the rules is simply because they are seeking something. This impulse to seek and possess is the underlying cause of reckless behavior between men and women.

"The fourth principle is not being selfish. An unselfish individual is incapable of lying. Unselfish people do not even think of cheating others. Why would someone deceive society? Because he wants to siphon off benefits that ought to go to others. This is selfishness in a nutshell: stealing advantages from others.

"Wanting personal advantage seems almost identical with selfishness, but there is a difference: selfishness is an inner disposition, whereas personal advantage is expressed outside. Personal advantage is visible; selfishness is invisible.

"And so the fourth principle, no selfishness, is the precept against telling lies, and the fifth, not wanting personal advantage, is the precept against using intoxicants. Refraining from intoxicants includes not smoking tobacco and not using illegal drugs, as well as not gambling. In general, doing things that exclusively benefit oneself, regardless of their impact on others, is called self-benefit.

"Our job as Buddhist disciples is to look after the interests of all living beings, and to keep the entire world in our purview. Instead of thinking only of our own narrow, tiny sphere we should reach out to benefit all mankind. Thus, not wanting personal advantage is simply the precept against intoxicants.

"How did the sixth principle come about? For a long time we propagated Five Principles, until we convened the first Board of Directors meeting at Gold Buddha Monastery in Canada. One of the directors exclusively cheated people, and habitually told lies. His tactic was to intimidate people, much the same way a terrorist acts. He would approach people and say, 'How did you catch that ghost!' Or, 'I see you have got a lot of spirits following you!' Or, 'I see you are about to run into some bad trouble.' If asked, he denied accepting or soliciting money. 'I am not interested in making money,' he'd assert. But, all the same, for him to read 'the wind and water' of someone's house or land cost at least $500 for the first look. To cure illnesses cost even more. Thus, the sixth principle, no lying came about.

"I announced at that meeting, 'Anyone who tells lies or cheats people and is discovered by others will be thrown out and never be allowed back in.'

"He spoke right up, 'Oh, I'm afraid I'll be the first one out the door.' I answered, 'Now that you know the rules, following them is all that is necessary. After this, stop being dishonest and there's no problem.' And that's how the sixth principle came about.

"If you do not fight and contend, then you will not harm your compassionate nature. When you learn to curb your greed, your righteous and noble qualities shine forth. If you can rest content and not need to seek outside, then you will not violate propriety. By refraining from sexual misconduct, you preserve your very life. Lust harms your life. Being unselfish increases and protects your samadhi. If you are selfish, your concentration-power will scatter and fail. If you have no thought of scheming for self-benefit, you will be replete with wisdom. Wanting personal advantages harms your wisdom. And, if you tell lies, you will undermine your very foundation as a person. Dishonesty will leave you bankrupt--you'll have nothing at all.'

"By casting out these six black clouds that cover over your nature, the inherent and bright virtues of your true nature shine forth. The Six Principles of the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are just the Five Moral Precepts in another guise. They are also the heart of the Proper Dharma." (BTTS ms.)

(Source: Epstein, 2003: p. 183 - 185)

----------

1) Chinese Mandarin: lyou da dzung jr , 4) Alternate Translations: I. no strife, non-contention; II. no greed/craving/desire, generosity; III. no grasping/actions based on greed, contentment; IV. unselfishness; V. incorruptibility, no pursuit of personal advantage; VI. truthfulness, no deceitful speech, no dishonesty, honesty.

See also: Five Moral Precepts, moral precepts, Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Buddhist Text Translation Society (http://www.BTTSonline.org) References: Hsuan Hua Shang-ren Kai-shr Lu, v. 5, 94-98; "Chan Talks #1, VBS, #205, June, 1987, p. 15, 19; "Chan Talks #IX", VBS #211, Dec 1987, pp. 13-14.
 

(NOTE: Numerous corrections and enhancements have been made under Shastra tradition and "Fair Use" by an Anonymous Buddhist Monk Redactor (Compiler) of this Online Buddhist Encyclopedia Compilation)