The Ten Essential Precepts are inseparable from both Buddha
Nature and our relations with each other. They are the strands
of Indra's Net. 1. A disciple of Buddha does not kill but rather
cultivates and encourages life. Thus, physical violence and
abusive behavior (which includes physical threats, extreme
displays of anger and maliciousness) are a kind of "killing." In
cultivating life we encourage open inquiry into and discussion
of the Dharma and into the sources of religious and
institutional authority at Zen Center. In keeping with the
aspiration of harmlessness, all firearms and other weapons
designed principally for taking life have no place within Zen
Center practice places. We also acknowledge our role, either
directly or in complicity with others, in the killing of other
forms of life. As a sangha, when institutional questions of
killing animals, plants and insects arise, we must carefully
consider our real needs and our bodhisattva-inspired
responsibilities to work for the benefit of all beings. 2.