Waking up to what you do By Diane Eshin Rizzetto
ISBN: 978-1-59030-342-9
Publisher: Shambhala Boston & London
The precepts are also a riddle of sorts, an unsettling question that denies us easy answers. Is it always wrong to lie? How do we live our lives without killing? What happens when the rules fail and the answer isn’t clear? There is an old Zen riddle that goes something like this:
You’re sitting in the forest when you see a rabbit run by. A moment later, a hunter comes up to you and asks if you’ve seen a rabbit. If you answer ‘yes,’ you will indirectly contribute to the death of rabbit. If you say ‘no’, you break the precept not to lie. What can you do? Most of us figure it would be better to save the rabbit and break the precept about lying. But, what if you see three hungry children following the hunter? Then what would you do?
How do we solve this riddle? How do we solve the question of whose responsibility it is to wash the dishes in the kitchen sink? This riddle is not trick question challenging us to come up with an enigmatic answer. Rather, it intentionally stumps us as a way of challenging our usually prescribed answers about when it’s right to do this or that. It places the responsibility for action directly where it belongs – in our ability to see and respond to events and situations with clarity and intelligence.
