Matthew Kozan Palevsky: Repentance and the Three Views

Hoshi Matthew Kozan Palevsky explores the nature of atonement in our practice.  Taking cues from Shohaku Okumura’s Living by Vow, he discusses zazen as one part vow, one part atonement.  These two aspects arise together as one, like Dogen’s expression of practice-realization.  Kozan then turns to the three perspectives of atonement before applying these perspectives to the 16 Precepts. The three views are the literal, compassionate and intrinsic perspectives.  He teases out the nature of these distinct and interrelated views by applying them to the precept of non-lying.  He looks at Lotus Sutra’s parable for compassionate speech in which the father lies to his three children in order to save them from dying in a burning house.  He then pivots to a modern example, introducing us to the “Birds Aren’t Real” semi-satirical conspiracy theory as an example of compassionate right speech practice today right in the middle of the burning house of our political discourse.