Jan 7 2023 - Precepts are Magic

Today there was a Dharma talk on the precepts, and three bright souls became Bodhisattvas in a Jukai ceremony. It felt intoxicating.

What makes the precepts and carrying out moral activity joyful?

The precepts are a refuge from the storm of fallen activity that is our world. With them we can build this community, a basket woven from the fibers of enlightened actions, actions in harmony with the precepts. This basket holds us, forms a place that is safe enough to let go and relax completely into what we already are, self-perfected Buddha nature. From here maybe we can open up to the paradise that this world can be, and what starts as refuge from the storm could turn into a tidal wave.

What I want is to ride that wave with my friends into a changed world, and I’m intoxicated by the idea that we can actually make one. How? Any act done with great intent impacts everyone around you, it has to, that’s just how the world works. It’s nothing less than magic. So how? Everyday, just choose magic.