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Great Sangha 3 - Northern Transmission No. 7
Daily practice is not just about speaking of liberation and peace, but about directly tasting them in the present moment. Freedom, or sovereignty (liberty, ease), is the very foundation of liberation and peace; without freedom, there can be no happiness. The self in Buddhism is not a fixed atman, but a freedom unburdened by attachments. Nirvana is defined by four characteristics—permanence, bliss, self, and purity—in the sense of freedom and liberation, not in the conventional sense. For example, when practicing walking meditation with relaxed steps, dwelling in the present moment, not being dominated by the past or the future, we come into contact with that freedom—that is the self and that is peace.
Mindfulness and precepts are the two tools that help us reclaim our lost freedom. Mindfulness is the mother of the precepts; it helps us to understand for ourselves that killing, drinking alcohol, and sexual misconduct cause suffering, so we naturally refrain from them. The precepts are not imposed, but are the fruit of mindfulness, protecting our freedom more fully. Contemplating our food and our body—recognizing their impermanent and impure nature—nourishes a calm mind, undisturbed by external circumstances. Bodhi is neither increasing nor decreasing, neither growing nor shrinking through practice; it transcends all speculation and concepts. According to Vimalakirti, the true practice center is the direct mind—a straight mind, not deceitful—and all the qualities such as generating aspiration, deep mind, generosity, precepts, patience, diligence, concentration, wisdom, loving kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity, the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, the Four Noble Truths, and dependent origination are all places of practice and dwelling to attain enlightenment.