If You Break the Precepts, You Break the Precepts
Jody Hojin Kimmel, Sensei
Zen Center of New York City, Brooklyn, Sunday 05/24/2026
From the Hidden Lamp #91: Uppalavana and the Precepts
In a life of practice, we do not wait until we “feel worthy” to begin the Way. How often do we postpone practice because we feel unready? Following the Precepts II retreat at the temple, Hojin highlights the importance of starting where we are and turning toward making awakening possible. We plant beneficial seeds in our lives by practicing how we want to live, even imperfectly, and by accepting what life delivers and facing what we need to face. In doing so, we learn to bear what must be borne in order to make genuine shifts in our lives, free ourselves from suffering, and become a benefit to others.
