AUGUST: How We Discern

Hello dear friends,​

As August arrives, we continue our exploration of the Three Pure Precepts by turning our attention toward the second: Doing Good. At first glance, it seems wonderfully straightforward. Of course we should aspire to do good. Yet, as it tends to be in Zen, what appears simple often reveals surprising depth.

Last month we explored the first Pure Precept through the invitation to cease from harm. We discovered that harm often arises not because we are unkind or lacking good intentions, but because we have become separated from the intimacy of our own lives. Our practice was simply to return to presence, to the heart of the matter. As we become more available to this moment, harmful actions naturally begin to lessen, not through force, but through seeing more clearly the consequences of our choices. It is from this ground that the second Pure Precept naturally emerges.

Doing good is not another task to accomplish or another measure by which to evaluate ourselves. It is not about fixing anyone or collecting evidence that we are "good people." In fact, the moment goodness becomes part of our identity, it can sneak its way into becoming another way of placing ourselves at the center. Instead of asking: How can I help everyone?, this precept turns us toward a different question: What is actually being asked of me here and now? To answer this, we must pause long enough to discern, with both wisdom and compassion, how to skillfully respond.

The Bodhisattva vow can easily be misunderstood as a commitment to carry the world on our shoulders, believing it is our responsibility to relieve every form of suffering we encounter. While sincere, this impulse often leaves us depleted, resentful and believing that others cannot find their own way without us. As someone who is deeply habituated to fixing, comforting, and stepping in, I continue to wrestle with a simple truth: doing good is not the same thing as doing everything. Sometimes the most compassionate response is to act, to listen, or to offer support. Sometimes right action is found in stepping back, in trusting another person's unfolding and their innate capacity, even as we long to ease their discomfort.

One of the most beloved mantras in the Buddhist tradition is Om Mani Padme Hum. We explored this in our review of the in-born perfections (paramitas) as the individual syllables (bija) provide a seed sound that captures the essence for each of the six qualities: OM, MA, NI, PAD, ME, HUM. Another common interpretation is "the jewel in the lotus." While the mantra itself carries many more layers of meaning beyond any single translation, this image has long served as a beautiful teacher.

Let's consider the lotus. It does not wait for the waters of its life to become clear before it begins to grow. Its roots reach deeply into the mud, drawing nourishment from the very conditions we might imagine would prevent its flourishing. Slowly it rises, eventually opening into a blossom that remains unsullied by the murky waters from which it emerged. The "jewel" points toward the wisdom (bodhi) that is already present within each of us; the unspoken knowing that requires nothing more than remembering. Like the lotus, we possess the same innate capacity to meet life's conditions without becoming defined by them.

Imagine now holding a finely cut jewel in your hand. Every facet catches the same light, yet each reflects it from a different angle. No single plane is responsible for revealing the jewel's entire brilliance. Together, however, they allow its beauty to be fully expressed. In our interdependence we are much the same. Each of us reflects the same innate wisdom, though no two lives express it in quite the same way. My path cannot be walked for you, nor yours for me. And yet, neither path exists in isolation. We belong to one another precisely because we each reveal something unique about the whole.

This is why discernment matters so deeply. Doing good does not ask us to become every facet of the jewel. It asks us to faithfully polish the one we have been given. In doing so, we contribute to something infinitely larger than ourselves.

Let's look at this study as an opportunity to look at doing good differently. It is no longer driven by urgency or the belief that we alone can make things right. Instead, it becomes the practice of listening deeply enough to recognize what this moment is (and isn't) asking of us. For example, there are moments when love calls us to step in and others to step back in order to witness another's unfolding without rushing to change it. Both responses require trust. Trust might just be the pith of the second Pure Precept. We extend trust that the wisdom we are uncovering through our own practice belongs equally to all of us. Doing good, then, is less about carrying the world than it is about faithfully participating in it.

In readiness and purest practice intention, may we each continue to cultivate the discernment to know when to act, when to listen, when to step back, and when simply to remain wholeheartedly present. May we trust the wisdom that is awakening within us and equally reflected all around. May we seize each opportunity to skillfully and compassionately create the conditions in which basic wisdom may dawn.

With gratitude,

Meg Lucks 

Getsu Endō | "Brilliant Moon, Circle of the Way"

Lay-Ordained Dharma Companion

Founder of The Heart Revival Center for Belonging

PS: As of June 1st, The Heart Revival Center continues its legacy as The Heart Center for Yoga! Note that the The Heart Revival continues to grow and evolve through me by way of an increased opportunity to practice, study, retreat, and deepen. My newsletter will continue on - along with easily accessible links to stay attuned to the center, the sangha teachings and our lovely space holders.

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*What is a bodhisattva (bo·dhi·satt·va) exactly? This ancient Sanskrit word points to someone who is actively aspiring and dedicated to shaking off the cobwebs of complacency so that they can live in their integrity, to the benefit of all that lives. Said simply, those doing their best to be good humans, to the benefit of all. In more traditional descriptions we hear things like "living awake", "heart-motivated" or "living in appropriate response". The traditions offer examples of these beings, portrayed diversely: as the archetypal ideal, the divine and even the earthly ordinary. Furthermore, they cross cultural bounds, names, genders and forms. This wide representation of possibilities is intended to inspire us and ultimately point us back to our great universal opportunity and responsibility of being human.