Learning to Behave Oneself vs Studying Buddhism

Rinpoche first discoursed on 26^th July, 1992
Rinpoche repeated it in the Vajrayana Association (France) in June, 1993
It was repeated again in July, 2000
Uploaded to the Website on 11^th November, 2014 (after about twenty-two years)

Introduction
Sutra Librarian (A Person who is in charge of storing Sutras in a monastery. A library is the place where this person works.) ‘Zi-qing’ and Grand Master ‘Xiu’ went together to consult and study under Zen Master Yuan-tong. Yuan-tong accepted Grand Master ‘Xiu’. When ‘Xiu’ conveyed ‘Zi-qing’’s name, Yuan-tong said, “Tell him to put up at another place and wait until there’s a vacant here before he can be received.” Then ‘Zi-qing’ went to stay in another temple nearby. One day, ‘Zi-qing’ fell sick, ‘Xiu’ wanted to visit him but he could not take a leave. As a result, he sneaked out to express his sympathy and solicitude for ‘Zi-qing’. However, ‘Zi-qing’ wrote to tell Yuan-tong, “Xiu violated the unauthorized access rule of the temple.” Having received his letter, Yuan-tong scolded Zi-qing severely for his behaviour during the evening class that night, “This person is such a villain. Xiu risked being driven out of the temple to go and see you since you were sick whereas you snitched to him on me.” Hearing this information on his sickbed, ‘Zi-qing’ died. Soon afterwards, it was said among the Buddhist circle that ‘Zi-qing’ was cursed to death by Yuan-tong. (Note: There is no cultivation. People have to change and put down persistence.)
Zen Master Daolin ‘Lin’ had put up at Zen Master Yuan-tong’s place for a short stay. Yuan-tong ordered to prepare a welcome tea party for him. Zen Master ‘Xun’ was in charge of this job so he went in person to invite ‘Lin’. It just happened that ‘Lin’ was not in his room and his roommate offered, “I’ll help you pass the message on to him.” However, ‘Lin’’s roommate forgot about the matter after ‘Xun’ had gone. At the tea party, ‘Lin’ did not show up. Yuan-tong sent someone to take him there and blamed him in public, “To express our courtesy, the temple has arranged a tea party for you. Why do you put on air and fail to come on time?” ‘Lin’ answered, “When I heard the drumbeats for a gathering just now, I suddenly felt the need of going to the washroom which made me unable to come on time.” Yuan-tong scolded him, “My drum isn’t a purgative, is it?  How comes that the drumbeats would make you go to the washroom?” ‘Xun’ immediately came out to explain, “It’s me who has forgotten to invite him. I should be sent out of the temple.” ‘Lin’’s roommate said, “There’s nothing to do with them (Xun and Lin). It’s me who have promised to help with the invitation but have forgotten to pass on the message. I should be the one to be cast out of the temple instead of them.” Appreciating their deeds and courage to admit their faults (the brave ones and those who are virtuous and bold are free from fear), Zen Master Yuan-tong forgave the three of them.
Orthodoxy
1.	From this, it is realized that Buddha Dharma (the law preached by the Buddha) also enables Man to know the way of behaving themselves. This is the so-called Buddha Dharma and world method are inseparably linked. Buddhism is the elixir/esscence for sentient beings.
2.	It is bad to speak ill of fellow disciples behind their back. Nevertheless, it is different if one talks about this to Rinpoche (but it all depends on the Rinpoche whom one is talking to, otherwise it is still regarded as backbiting). Practitioners have to cultivate virtuous/wholesome speech which is one of the Ten Good Deeds (giving-up slandering). Telling an enlightened Rinpoche about the behaviour of fellow disciples whose words and deeds are both illegal and precept-violating is considered as something good because your intention is to help them so that they can make progress in their cultivation. You just focus on the issues (concern about words and deeds of fellow disciples) instead of persons/individuals. If you find it inconvenient (difficult) to approach the concerned fellow disciple or have once tried to induce him/her but in vain, you can tell Rinpoche about this as there is no better alternative. After analyzing whether the fellow disciple is right or wrong, Rinpoche will point out his/her mistakes (if he/she wrong) and teach him/her by means of ‘skillful techniques’ so as to make him/her awake from his/her mistakes and learn. Having put down the wrong persistence, the concept of ‘right’ can be absorbed all over again.
3.	It is pretty natural for the fellow disciple who is being reported to feel unhappy when he realizes that Rinpoche has learnt about his business. He will say that you have gossiped about him and you are not a friend. One should know that it is not ‘speak ill of somebody’ but ‘talk about Right Views’. We are Buddhists rather than (members of) criminal syndicate, so of course, we do not speak of whether there is loyalty in friendship or not. We ‘talk about if one has violated the Precepts or not’!
Conclusion
(1)	Being a Buddhist, if one sees that one’s fellow disciple/fellow practitioner has done something violating the Precepts (unintentionally) but one fails to tip him/her off nor report his/her guilt or even makes the failure of reporting on purpose to conceal the matter deliberately, (such behaviour) is regarded as:
	●	Violating the Bodhisattva Precepts of hiding others’ sin. According to the 5th of the 48 minor Precepts in《The Bodhisattva Precepts 》of【The Brahmajala Sutra / The Brahma’s Net Sutra梵網經】, it mentions, “If a disciple of the Buddha sees sentient beings violating the Five Precepts, the Eight Precepts, the Ten Precepts and other prohibitions, committing any of the Seven Cardinal Sins or making offences that result in any of the Eight Adversities, whichever the violation of the Precepts is, he/she should enjoin the offenders to repent (and reform). If a Bodhisattva fails to do so, the offenders will be allowed to remain in the Sangha and enjoy the same benefits as do others as well as participating in the same Uposatha (布薩The recitation of the Precepts). Staying in the same group to recite the Precepts, the one who has neither enjoined the offenders to repent (and reform) nor exposed their sins has committed a minor offence.”
		To avoid someone who has accumulated a ‘heart of hatred’ using pseudo-roots (not verified but one thinks that they are really view, hearsay and doubt in one’s own conceit) to disturb the others in the future,one should have cognitions of the following before one reports:
		‘Enjoin repentance’ –  Reporting base on the three roots namely view, hearsay and doubt so as to make one correct one’s mistakes and cultivate good deeds. Hence, one can abandon evil doings and revert to good deeds. In other words, one has to suspect, hear as well as seeing someone violating the Precepts, that is, having view, hearsay and doubt these three roots before one can do the report; the intention is to hope that he/she can be helped. As he/she is enjoined to reform his/her previous faults and cultivate good roots in the future, he/she has abandoned his/her mistakes and is heading towards good paths.
		‘Fulfillment of conditions’ – It is a kind of hidden karma. If four kinds of conditions are possessed, it becomes an offence.
			1.	(one is) guilty
			2.	The thought of guiltiness: knowing that the other party is guilty, having such a thought.
			3.	No intention to enjoin one.
			4.	Living together in silence.
		If one has not enjoined offenders, one commits an offence. If one eats and drinks together (live together and share the offerings of the laity together) with offenders, one commits another offence. If one tastes the flavour of Dharma (practise the Uposatha) together with offenders, one is said to have committed another offence again. The number of offences committed are counted in accordance with the issues one does with offenders.
	●	Violating《50 Stanzas on Devotion to the Guru》. If one is also a disciple of Vajrayana, one should admonish one’s fellow disciple/fellow practitioner when one finds that his/her behaviour is against any of the rules and ceremonies. As written in the 45th stanza of《50 Stanzas on Devotion to the Guru》, “Be diligent in cultivating right actions, (alert and) mindful never to forget (Guru’s words). If fellow-disciples transgress (what is proper) in their behaviour, correct each other in a friendly manner.” Those who fail to comply with it are regarded as violators.
(2)	Being a disciple of Rinpoche, if one has heard of some incidents that are going to have impacts on the safety, the propagation of Buddhism and the operation of Rinpoche and the Shrine or Centre but one does not report these facts to Rinpoche, one conceals what one knows of a case. One deliberately conceals and deceives Rinpoche. The disciple is said to
	●	have offended ‘Never be hypocritical nor deceive your Guru’ of《50 Stanzas on Devotion to the Guru》because he/she has the intention to deceive Rinpoche in his/her consciousness.
	●	have violated the 1st major Precept of《The Fourteen Root Downfalls of Vajrayana》, “Disrespectful to the Guru in terms of body, speech and mind.” (It belongs to the branching Precept of ‘intention’)
(3)	There is ‘The Fundamental Sin of the Bodhisattva Precepts’ in Tibetan Buddhist Text:
	The Bodhisattva Precepts belong to Mahayana Precepts which act as the regulation and cultivation indicators for Mahayana practitioners.
	In【Bao Yun jing/The Sutra of Jewel Cloud 寶雲經】, it says, “Bodhisattva upholds Precepts in all Sutras which are drawn up and established by the Buddha whole-heartedly.”
	In the sutra division of The Chinese Buddhist Canon/Tibetan Tripitaka (大藏經), a series concerning the forms of Bodhisattva Precepts is listed, including ‘The Bodhisattva Precepts (The Fundamental Precepts)’, ‘The Bodhisattva Rules (and Ceremonies)’,  ‘Bodhisattva Consensus ad Idem’, ‘The Pure  Bodhisattva Precepts’, ‘The Bodhisattva Siksapada/A Bodhisattva's Learning (the codes of conduct that monks and nuns should learn)’, etc.
	●	Bodhisattva who has violated one of the Siksapada is said to have committed ‘The Fundamental Sin of The Bodhisattva Precepts’.
	●	Practitioners who have received and upheld The Bodhisattva Precepts but emerge heterodox views and abandon the mind of Bodhi commit two fundamental sins at once.
	●	‘The Fundamental Sin of The Bodhisattva Precepts’ takes its source at 【Akasagarbha Bodhisattva Dharaṇi Sutra虛空藏菩薩神咒經】. It is quoted in《Shikshamuccaya, the Collected Precepts學處要集》written by Grand Master Santideva/Shantideva (寂天大師). In《The Theory on Rules and Ceremonies of Bodhisattva Precepts菩薩戒律儀論》, it expounds that if Bodhisattva does not practise good Dharma, boredom and fear arise, etc. which are joys of the Five Desires in performing the various affairs to benefit all sentient beings or finds it difficult to carry out the altruistic behaviour etc., he/she will cause the continuity (especially of cause and effect) of his/her own mind and give up engaging Boddhicitta (Bodhi Heart) as a result. Thus, he/she has committed the fundamental sin of The Bodhisattva Precepts. According to【Ratnakuta Sutra寶積經】, it also says that, “Abandoning the practice of Boddhicitta and failure to carry out good Dharma both lead to the violation of fundamental sin.”