FSZS Fifteenth Anniversary 2010-2015
Resources
Ms. Amos was my high school Civics teacher in 1959. Her job was to teach us how to intertwine social and personal responsibility. Now this is what I think now at 80 not what I thought then at 14. Heck, I didn’t understand interrelateness at all, a fact that is also true today.
While I didn’t and don’t know much, my pattern recognizing (my) mind seems to function, in that I keep feeling and experiencing stuff with some clarity, certainly compared to the various earlier epochs of my life. Cause and effect gets the blame.
The ethical framework of Buddhist śīla and the secular concept of civics share a common foundation in promoting harmony, responsibility, and the well-being of a community.
Sila, often translated as "moral discipline" or "virtue," is a key component of the Buddhist path, emphasizing ethical conduct as a means to reduce suffering and cultivate wisdom. Civics, on the other hand, pertains to the rights and responsibilities of individuals in a society, aiming to foster cooperative and just governance. Despite arising from different traditions—one religious and the other secular—these concepts overlap in their emphasis on ethical behavior, social responsibility, and the cultivation of an environment conducive to the collective good.
Sila in Buddhism is most commonly expressed through the Thirteen:
Three Pure Precepts
I vow to refrain from all evil.
I vow to make every effort to live in enlightenment.
I vow to live and be lived for the benefit of all beings.
Ten Grave Precepts
I vow not to kill.
I vow not to take what is not given.
I vow not to misuse sexuality.
I vow to refrain from false speech.
I vow to refrain from intoxicants.
I vow not to slander.
I vow not to praise self at the expense of others.
I vow not to be avaricious.I vow not to harbor ill will.
I vow not to disparage the Three Treasures.
Civics is knowledge and action based on the US Constitution and our legal system.This is an inside out job in that Sila prepares and Civics offer guidelines. The two. If you flip this two sided coin, either side helps the other. The question is what guides our personal actions when noone is looking?
However, both acknowledge the interdependence of individuals within a society and stress that ethical conduct leads to a more harmonious and functional community. In essence, while Sila aims for inner transformation leading to harmony, civics emphasizes external responsibilities that shape a just and cooperative society. By integrating the moral wisdom of Sila with the civic duties of a responsible citizen, individuals can contribute to both personal and collective well-being.
Yet any distinction is arbitrary, as personal and collective needs are deeply intertwined. How can these elements be mutually reinforced to create a more cohesive and ethical society?
In many ways the "Beloved Community” of Dr. King was such an intertwining. This also occurred with the advent of the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, generally speaking community organizing is attempts to interconnect these two processes as well.
Please join us Tuesday March 11, 2025 as we explore these ideas. In person we are at the the First Congregational Church of Falmouth, and online at https://zoom.us/j/7096899032?status=success#success password FSZS
We start at 7:00PM/ET
Palms together,
Sangaku
Unshin Sangaku Dan Joslyn-sensei
Founder and Guiding Teacher Falmouth Soto Zen Sangha
404-702-7646
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