Zen Buddhism in a Nutshell

The Three Pure Precepts
    Embrace and sustain right conduct.
    Embrace and sustain every good.
    Embrace and sustain all beings.
    Do no harm,
    Cultivate what is good and wholesome,
    Understand your heart and mind.

Four Noble Truths (paraphrased)

Life is suffering (dissatisfaction in the face of ongoing change)
Suffering's cause is craving or desire (attachment, greed, grasping)
That can be ended
Through the
Eight-fold Path

Three Doors of Liberation

Emptiness/interbeing (egolessness, no self)
Signlessness/notionlessness (everything changes, impermanence )
Wishlessness/non-craving (ending dissatisfaction, desire and aversion)

Three schools, or styles, of Buddhism

Hinayana: Self-development through monastic, intensive, or rulebound practice
Mahayana: Expanding to include wider communities, and embracing all beings
Vajrayana: Embracing life itself as enlightenment

Virtues (Paramitas)

Giving/generosity (danaparamita)
Morality/precepts (silaparamita)
Patience/equinanimity (ksantiparamita)
Devotion/energy (viryaparamita)
Meditation (dhyanaparamita)
Wisdom (prajnaparamita)

Triple Treasures (Mahayana; Bodhisattva Refuges)

Buddha (self nature; I take refuge in the Buddha),
Sangha (community; I take refuge in the Sangha),
Dharma (teachings/laws/truth/wisdom; I take refuge in the Dharma)

Precepts, in terms of Truth

Everlasting Truth: not raising the view of extinction is called "not killing."
Ungraspable Truth: not arousing the thought of gain is called "not stealing."
Free Truth: not raising the view of attachment is called "not being greedy."
Inexplicable Truth: not expounding a word is called "not lying.
Pure Truth: not arousing ignorance is called "not being intoxicated."
Faultless Truth: not talking about sins and mistakes is called "not talking about others' faults and errors."
Truth of Equality: not talking about self and others is called "not elevating oneself and putting down others."
Pervading Truth: not clinging to a single thing is called "not being stingy."
Truth of No-self: not contriving a reality of self is called "not being angry."
Truth of Oneness: not raising a distinction between Buddhas and beings is called "not slandering the Three Treasures."

A Mahayana Vow


Beings are numberless; I vow to save them.
Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them.
Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to enter them.
Buddha's Way is unsurpassable; I vow to become it.

Another Form of this Vow, from Kobun

An Avowal

All my ancient wrong actions
arising from beginningless greed, anger and ignorance,
based on mind, speech and body,
I fully avow.

Acknowledgements, Sources, and Web Resources
Mind and Meditation