Twelfth: Do not kill. Do not let others kill. FInd whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war. Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh Well that’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Simple. Clear. Directive. Note that there’s no “but if … then it’s okay” clause. If you haven’t seen The Onion’s take on this precept, it’s available here: God Angrily Clarifies ‘Don’t Kill’ Rule. (Just because we’re talking about something important, doesn’t mean we can’t be funny.)
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Fourteen Precepts in Fifteen Days Eleventh: Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to life. Select a vocation which helps realize your goal of compassion. Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh I love the idea of vocation. Of course, growing up Catholic, the word always had a certain sotto voce cachet (especially in my materialistic, wealthy suburb) he thinks he might have a vocation. And for me it carried directly over into the idea of writing, of being a writer. My first literary…
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Fourteen Precepts in Fifteen Days Tenth: Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community should, however, take a clear stand against oppression and injustice, and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts. Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh I don’t have a whole lot to say about this one since I’m not really a member of a Buddhist community. However, I do think the admonition to strive to change a situation without engaging in partisan conflicts is particualry apt, and particularly difficult.…
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Forsythia and chickens It was sort of a crappy day here in Montana … weather looming, dogs digging up the weed-barrier-cloth I laid around the soon-to-be-raised-beds and shredding it all over the yard, and I was just off all day. So I did what all good Americans do when feeling out of sorts, I got in the car, drove to Bozeman, and went shopping. But what I love about living here is that shopping includes stops like the Big R Ranch & Home Supply where you can buy everything from clothes to dog food to garden supplies to Bantam Chickens.…
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Fourteen Precepts in Fifteen Days Ninth: Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things that you are not sure of. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety. Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh LivingSmall would like to use this precept as a chance to thank Sean-Paul Kelly over at…
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Fourteen Precepts in Fifteen Days Eighth: Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small. Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh A few weeks ago, my brother went down to Gardiner, which is one of the northern entrances to Yellowstone National Park, with our friend Bill to check out a demonstration. The protesters were there to register their disagreement with the current policy of slaughtering buffalo who cross the park boundary into Montana every winter, usually in search of forage. Because Montana is certified…
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Fourteen Precepts in Fifteen Days Seventh: Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Learn to practice breathing in order to regain compuosure of body and mind, to practice mindfulness, and to develop concentration and understanding. Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh My friend Wendy, sent me an email yesterday asking if the next precept was about not intoxicating oneself and others, and lo and behold, yes, I think you could read this one that way. Friday night was great fun, and there’s something to be said for the Dionysian impulse, particularly when one small, winterbound town seems…
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Fourteen Precepts in Fifteen Days LivingSmall lived a little large last night — between drinking with the “emerald dealer” from Columbia (by way of Fargo), and the guy who dragged me out of the party at midnight and pulled his mother’s old shotgun out of the back of his pickup truck in order to show me how nice and small and light it was (we’d been discussing bird dogs), well, LivingSmall has a bit of a head on her, and will resume pure, zen-like thoughts tomorrow, once she’s cleansed the toxins from her body.
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Fourteen Precepts in Fourteen Days: Day Five Do-Over Fifth: Do not accumulate weath while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh Some days a girl just wakes up groggy and out of sorts, particularly after a night dreaming that she’s being chased through Baghdad by threatening Baath Party officials, dreams that she couldn’t shake even after the world’s best puppy climbed in bed for a snuggle at three…
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Fourteen Precepts in Fourteen Days: Day Six Sixth: Do not maintain anger or hatred. As soon as anger and hatred arise, practice the meditation on compassion in order to deeply understand the persons who have caused anger and hatred. Learn to look at other beings with the eyes of compassion. Being Peace, by Thich Nhat Hanh A little note about this precept project. I worry that I’m coming off like someone who knows something about all of this, which is really not the case at all. The purpose of this project was to keep me from the brink of despair.…