The Buddhist tradition emphasizes Sunyata, or radiant and infinite openness/emptiness. The Bodhisattva (awakened/ing being) epitomizes the union of wisdom and compassion with an unselfish attitude manifesting as actions in the world. The attitude is embodied in the Bodhisattva Vows. Similar to the moral precepts of Buddhist practice (non harming, honestly, truthfulness and refraining from using sex or intoxicants in a way that clouds the mind and causes harm to oneself or others), taking the Bodhisattva vows sets into motion a momentum (a cause/ intention) that leads to an effect in the world.
Shantideva, an 8th century Indian teacher (his names translates “peaceful angel”) describes the Bodhisattva’s practice:
May I be a guard for all those who are protector-less,
A guide for those who journey on the road,
For those who wish to go across the water,
May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.
For all those ailing in the world,
Until their every sickness has been healed,
May I myself become for them
The doctor, nurse, the medicine itself.
The Bodhisattva Vows
#1. Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them. (Beings are numberless I vow to awaken with them.)
We start wherever we are. And this begins with our intention to wake up, to live a life out of a place of clarity, compassion and wisdom. We also help others on this journey. We all have unique ways we can help others. It doesn’t have to be something grand. It could be as simple as opening our hearts and time to others without pulling back with judgment. When we meet others as ourselves we support the practice of oneness of all beings (nonduality). When we don’t turn our backs on others we also foster not turning our backs on our pain as well. Our practice involves opening to all beings whether we “like” them or not. In fact liking them often means “they are nice to us, or at the very least are relatively harmless. Can we open to those beings who don’t meet those requirements?
#2. Compulsions/delusions/desires are inexhaustible I vow to extinguish them. (I vow to penetrate/see through them.)
Compulsions/desires and delusions covers a lot of territory. But it really does include everything from the grandest of delusions/desires to the most mundane confusion. Did you ever notice that when things are going really well there still is the capacity of the mind to imagine a situation where it could be even better? This wanting keeps us in a very covert state of dissatisfaction. Buddha called this “dukkha”. The root of this Sanskrit word comes from the sound of a cart wheel that doesn’t fit correctly and the wheel doesn’t turn smoothly. The words “to penetrate /see through them; to see where I’m stuck; to see their emptiness and mind made nature” can be substituted for extinguish. That is the intention here. To see through the desires and delusions as things created by the self referencing mind (ego) that causes us and others to suffer. They dissolve on their own when we see them with wisdom.
#3. Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to enter them.)
Dharma gates refers to the methods of practice that lead to awakening to truth, clarity and nonduality Dharma gates also mean the teachings that lead to this awakening as well as truth as it manifests in the way things are. Our Dharma gate is unique to each of us. In truth, there are 6 billion Dharma gates and each practice leads us to our own gate. Often it is our problems that while painful, lead us to this gate. Our problems, delusions, unpleasant situations and our path to our dharma gate go hand in hand. We find our gate, we enter it and make it our own.
#4. The Buddha’s way (awakening to the truth) is unsurpassable I vow to attain it.
Here we vow to awaken to the truth and clarity that each moment brings. We take this vow to set in motion the momentum of intention that is the cause for an effect (a result) in the world. Each thought, word and action is our practice. Nothing is excluded. Every thought , word and action make a difference. We could substitute I vow to “explore it; cultivate it; align my life with it instead of “attain”. There is nothing to attain.
How are we to practice these Bodhisattva Vows? Ask yourself some questions. How can I save all beings while planting my garden? How can I awaken all beings while taking a coffee break? How can I see through desires and delusion while shopping? The answers may be as simple as holding a door open for someone, or allowing time to listen to a work colleague that is having problems at home. It may be taking a moment to realize every purchase we make is really a transaction with the earth and all its inhabitants. Or it may be just sitting quietly in stillness in the meditation hall. We find our own way or, as the Buddha said in his last words before his death “Be a lamp unto yourself”. Seven billion lamps will produce a great deal of light!
May you be well, happy and peaceful. Floyd
