In Buddhist thought, good conduct means the moment-by-moment unfolding of the “perfected motivations of non-attachment, friendliness and wisdom” (R. Gethin, The Foundations of Buddhism). Religious Buddhism derives from these initial conditions.
For Buddhists, these three are as basic as breathing. These three foundational elements of practice are meditation skills. Zen is much more important for its meditation style than its sectarian aspects.
Non-attachment is the antidote to suffering, and that includes attachment to form and rules. The very word “zen” means meditation.
Zen meditation attempts to cultivate a state of mind called the “receptive samadhi.” Samadhi is a Sanskrit generic term denoting a technical approach to the internal configuration of awareness. There are many samadhis mentioned in meditation manuals; most of them involve focusing strongly on some particular thing. The receptive samadhi is different in that it is the exact opposite; it is idealized as a presence and awareness that leaves nothing out.
This is friendliness. In formal Buddhist parlance, the cultivation of friendliness is not simply a matter of personality, but also a deep acceptance that openness and kindness and receptivity are the marks of good conduct. Zen meditation, more than any other of which I know, is tethered to this aspect of friendliness.
Wisdom as a perfected motivation means to find the ideal mixture of non-attachment and friendliness.
The Buddhist perspective on modern life sensitizes us to the nascent cultivation of attachment/craving as the basis of social position, livelihood and even the economy; where the whole ideal of friendliness is seen as some kind of sucker play, and wisdom is what you get for your consulting fees.
Good conduct in the midst of so much greed and ill will comprises much of what all organized religion is about these days. As an exercise in inclusive awareness, Zen meditation engages directly with these three aspects.
It is necessary to engage thus because constant craving, isolation and cynicism are enervating factors. They dissipate happiness. They nurture dysfunctional states of mind. They encourage bad conduct. Religious rules and beliefs can help alleviate much of the harm of secular excess; but many (and in increasing numbers) people are rejecting organized religion.
The receptive samadhi of proper Zen meditation does not require any particular religious affiliation. It works rather well with lineage Zen, of course, but it will also work well with a Jewish worldview or a Muslim devotion or the generous spirit of the Baha’i. Zen Buddhism professes doctrinally that the Buddha’s teaching is for all being. The Zen meditation of receptive samadhi is the very embodiment of that radical inclusiveness. More and more people are discovering that when they cultivate this receptive samadhi, they react to life’s stressors differently.
Zen monastic practice arose to accommodate the energies of religious professionals. Very little of Zen priest craft is appropriate to lay practice in a modern, urban setting. The trappings of monastic practice have nothing to do with a fidelity to non-attachment, friendliness and wisdom. These are core faith values of a meditation culture, and that is what our culture needs.
Wayne Codling is a former Zen monastic and a lineage holder in the Soto Zen tradition. He teaches Zen-style meditation in various venues around Victoria.
