John Fahey • Dance of Death

Hanmaum’s first precept;

The Precept of Not Killing.

Knowing that all other lives are part of my life,

I vow to treat all other bodies as I would my own.

Zen Master Daehaeng explains, “Instead of “Do not kill,” I teach that you should treat every life the same as your life, and regard their pain as your own pain. If you are truly aware of this, you cannot treat other beings cruely.”

Easier said than experienced! But even though I’m not truly aware of this, I do my best to stay mindful of it, even if only on a conceptual level. What I do understand, very well, is the feeling of not wanting to be harmed, not wanting to de destroyed, myself, so I can understand this same emotion is present in all other living creates.