Please Contribute a 'Bodhisattva Vow' ...

[Jundo]

Dear All,

As you know, we Zen folks regularly recite the Four Bodhisattva Vows. At Treeleaf, our wording is:

To save all sentient beings, though beings numberless
To transform all delusions, though delusions inexhaustible
To perceive Reality, though Reality is boundless
To attain the Enlightened Way, a Way non-attainable

Our Treeleaf Priests hold a monthly tea meeting to catch up with each other, and about everyone always has some struggle or hard personal story to relate from their own recent lives, or about their friends and family. It confirms that Zen priests do not escape life. During the week, Sangha members write me almost daily about things they are facing too. Often, these are problems that cannot be easily solved, or are simply unsolvable. These are my friends and people I care deeply about, or nice people I have just met, and it always breaks my heart, each time, that they are facing such things. There is often so little that I can say to bring even a touch of comfort, although I so wish I could. Some stories are beyond anything that could ever be said ...

We Zen folks cannot solve all life's pains and problems. Far from it. We will always grow sick, older, lose love ones, suffer threats and fears to our well-being, business and job worries, see our family members struggle although we wish they knew peace. I know folks gravely ill, folks who do not know where their next meal is coming from, folks in war zones. Zen Practice allows us to see through these sufferings, to a realm where there is no suffering, where all is light and whole, where nobody grows sick, nobody dies, nothing can be lost ...

... and yet, alas, so long as we are alive in this world, the hardships, illnesses, loss and times of grief will remain. That is just to be human and alive in this world.

Our Teachings let us know freedom from all such things, yet all such things remain ... like two sides of a no sided coin.

We also know that, even a small effort, a single hand offered in friendship, a shoulder to rest on, is overflowing in its power, even if it can only give a little extra strength and comfort to others.

So, I thought to expand the Bodhisattva Vows a bit, to express our wishes that we could all help our friends and loved ones in their times of pain, although we also know that it is often impossible to help as much as we would desire. We can include ourselves too. We keep on hoping and making the effort, sending Metta and a Helping Hand, working for things to be a little better, even when the mountain of troubles seems insurmountable.

Would you do me a favor? Would you think up, and post below, some additional verses like these, to reflect your own difficulties or the battles of friends and loved ones in your life that you wish you could somehow improve, though it seems so hard right now?

I will somehow organize the verses into something that we will recite at our Sangha's weekly Zazenkai next Friday (I may not be able to recite all, and may combine some, but I will recite as many as I can.) It may not cure anything, but the wishes and mutual feelings which we will share, as a group, will certainly help each other. It will help cure our feeling alone in all this. None of us is alone in this.

To cure all cancers, though cancers ever cancering ...

To keep all workers, though workers unemployable ...

To lose no loved one, though loved ones sometimes losing ...

To keep our relatives sober, though relatives just keep drinking ...


* * *

To strain no back, though backs we're often straining ...

To heal all broken marriages, though marriages are sometimes breaking ...

To keep all cats healthy, though the vet is always busy ...

To solve all kid's problem, though parent's new grey hairs are endless ...

Those are just some about a whole bunch of folks I know. Please add more. It can be about you or those you know.

And it's okay to be serious, but also okay to put a little humor into your verses too if you want: Sometimes a little wry humor is the best medicine for something not so funny really.

Gassho, J

stlah

[ZenKen]

What a wonderful idea. I would like to contribute the following:

To uplift the depressed, though the black clouds ever looming
To restore loving kindness, though family rifts are deepening

Gassho
ZenKen (Anna)
satlah

[Jundo]

What a wonderful idea. I would like to contribute the following:

To uplift the depressed, though the black clouds ever looming
To restore loving kindness, though family rifts are deepening

Gassho
ZenKen (Anna)
satlah

Lovely.

[Bion]

To deeply love others, though they do not love themselves
To unreservedly show kindness, though kindness is not given in return
To forgive abundantly, though not asked to


Sat today

[Jundo]

By the way, if nobody objects to my quoting them, I may quote some folks' verses in an article for Tricycle.

Gassho, J

stlah

[Seiko]

To be a friend to the lonely.
To be a map for the lost.
To seek healing for the undiagnosed as well as the diagnosed.
To react to other's pain, as if it were mine.

Gasshō
Sriko
stlah

[Naiko]

To connect with the lonely, though we are all both all alone and together.
To console the inconsolable, though grief is without end.
To speak for the Earth, though her roar is deafening.

st

[Jundo]

To be a friend to the lonely.
To be a map for the lost.
To seek healing for the undiagnosed as well as the diagnosed.
To react to other's pain, as if it were mine.

Gasshō
Sriko
stlah

These are lovely. But the Bodhisattva Vows typically emphasize our doing the non-doable. Might you rewrite them a bit?

Gassho, Jundo

stlah

[Meian]

My little attempt:

To heal all broken hearts, though hearts are not broken.

To create peace in conflicts, though conflicts are endless.

To fill hungry stomachs, though food is not always the answer.

To relieve poverty throughout the world, though money is a paper tiger.

To house all the homeless, though none are homeless.

Gassho2 meian stlh

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[Veronica]

To help others during panic attacks although panic attacks will arise.

To encourage calm in our children although we cannot always keep them safe.

Veronica
Stlah

[Seiko]

These are lovely. But the Bodhisattva Vows typically emphasize our doing the non-doable. Might you rewrite them a bit?

Gassho, Jundo

stlah

I'll try - second draft...

To end loneliness, though being alone is inescapable.

To give healing to all, though some are undiagnosed.

To end other's pain, though pain is inevitable.

Gasshō
Seiko
stlah

[Risho]

To calm all crying babies , though tantrums are boundless
To relieve all doggys’ pain, though illness is inevitable
To keep an open heart, though differing opinions are inescapable
To exterminate all software defects, though bugs are endless

gassho

risho
-stlah

[Zenkon]

Would you think up, and post below, some additional verses like these, to reflect your own difficulties or the battles of friends and loved ones in your life that you wish you could somehow improve, though it seems so hard right now

This question makes me think of the Parable of the Two Arrows: "Any time we suffer misfortune, two arrows fly our way. Being struck by an arrow is painful. Being struck by a second arrow is even more painful." The first arrow is misfortune and the send arrow is our reaction to the misfortune. Disease, disability, war, famine, climate change are all part of life. We can rail against the inequities, lobby our governments for change, provide aid generously, but basically there is little we can do to prevent the first arrows of misfortune. Perhaps, greedily wanting things to be different than they are, whether it is a cure for cancer, full employment or an end to depression, is a base cause of our suffering.

What we can do is change our reaction to the misfortune. To quote Helen Keller - "I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet". With our understanding of impermanence and emptiness, we can blunt this second arrow.

Therefore, I might propose the following verse:

To engage life with Radical Acceptance, while yet working for positive change.

Gassho

Zenkon
sat/lah

[Will001]

To always try, though nothing ever seems to change.

[paulashby]

Let me offer two that reflect ongoing struggles:
To extend compassion to all people, through racism seems endless.

To celebrate the gift of our life-giving earth, even as pollution causes greater suffering.
Gassho, peace, Paul Ashby sat lah

[Shinshi]

To work for kindness though anger is always burning.

To make the world laugh though misery is always arising.

To offer joy though disappointment is a constant companion.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Nengei]

This is hard for me, I'd have to say. I find the Bodhisattva Vows to be so on-point, to cover all conditions so well, and to be so deeply meaningful for me that I'm not sure I would add or change anything to these honored vows. I will make an effort.

To feed all who hunger, though hunger is unrelenting.
To transform fear, though fear is felt by all.
To see an end to all violence, though violence is ever-present.
To relieve the approach of death, though death is inevitable.

Gassho,
Nengei

Please excuse any indication that I am trying to teach anything. I am a priest in training with no qualifications or credentials for teaching Zen practice or the Dharma.

[Tai Do]

To keep hope alive, though our future is hopeless.
To live in peace, though conflict is unavoidable

Gassho,
Tai Do
Satlah

[Ankai]

To save all addicts,
Though addictions are countless.

ST

[Onkai]

To restore lost memories though memories fade
To let go of the past though the past shapes us

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat lah

[Jundo]

I find the Bodhisattva Vows to be so on-point, to cover all conditions so well, and to be so deeply meaningful for me that I'm not sure I would add or change anything to these honored vows.

Oh, we are not changing the "official" version, so fear not. This is just a little artful exercise.

But there is one common point to all the Vows, new and old:

We vow to do the seemingly impossible, and the Vow is an expression of determination to do something though the odds are not in our favor.

However, that is far from the end of it ...

For in the Peace and Wholeness of emptiness ... the sickness, the addictions, the hunger, the struggling children and adults, the wars ... somehow are all made Whole. The Sentient Beings are already safe from the start even though, sadly, they may not realize so, may not act so, and thus struggle so.

And though all are safe from the start, nonetheless, the sickness, addictions, hunger, struggles and war remain ... so we must keep working on.

This lesson is present in all the Bodhisattva Vows, new and old.

Gassho, J

stlah

[Kaiku]

To cure all sick children, though some sicknesses incurable

To help keep co workers healthy, though the workplace unhealthy.

To show employers understanding, though some employers cannot understand.

To do our best at work, though work may not show us their best.

Gassho
Kaiku
SatTodayLAH


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[Rocio]

To celebrate the gift of our life-giving earth, even as pollution causes greater suffering.

Thank you Paul. It helps me a lot with my rhinitis allergica.
Gassho
Rocío
Sat today LAH

[Zenkon]

two more

1) To study the self, though the self non-existent

2) To examine my afflictions, to discover their source, though painful it may be

Gassho

Zenkon
sat/lah

[Daiman]

To shine light on depression, though depression steeped in darkness
To understand confusion, though confusion forever puzzling
To offer encouragement, though doubting endless
To see things clearly, though things eternally ambiguous

Gassho,
Daiman
St/lah

[Hōzan]

Way out of my comfort zone, but here goes:

To find balance in life, though balance lasts but a second.

To strive to reenergize, though striving takes away energy.

To patch old relationship wounds, though no wound is forgotten.

, Michael
Sat lah

[Onki]

To mend all the broken hearted, though heartbreak is human.

To hold onto precious memories, though memories fade away.

To love unconditionally those we find difficult , though relationships are fleeting.

Gasshō,

On

Sat today

[Risho]

There are some really good ones here

To always be grateful, though complaints never stop

gassho

risho
-stlah

[Tokan]

Hey all - great work!

From my end of things, as a mental health nurse, this is what I came up with (seems like Daiman had similar inspiration!)...

To probe the depths of the mind, though the mind is unfathomable.
To stay in touch with reality, though reality is untouchable.
To restore the mind and spirit, though there is nothing in need of restoring.
To heal all trauma, though the scars will never fade.


Gassho, Tokan

satlah

[Shōnin Risa Bear]

wow

gassho
ds sat today

[Koriki]

Wonderful contributions. I suppose mine reflect current concerns.

To prevent all deaths, though death is inevitable
To face death without fear, though loss of life is terrifying
To accept all losses, though each loss is immeasureable
To be content with what is, though much is unacceptable

Gassho,

Kō
s@

[Kaisho]

To find callings though callings are unattainable
To seek health though health is failing
To perform tasks though tasks innumerable

Gassho
Kaisho
St lah

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[michaelw]

One for the gardeners:
To keep clearing leaves though leaves keep falling
To keep weeding the garden though weeds keep growing
To keep to the planting plan though the head gardener does not have a plan.
(Oops did I say that last one out loud).

Gassho
MichaelW

sat

[Heiso]

To save our shared environment, though its exploitation may seem endless.

To protect all brassicas, though cabbage whites are relentless.



Gassho,

Heiso

StLah

[Heisoku]

To cherish all moments
Though moments are all now

To beam through all gloom
Though gloom be all pervasive

Gassho
Heisoku
ST

[DGF]

'To keep calm and still, when the hurrican is passing'

Diana
Gassho
Sat

[Rousei]

To always return to open awareness, though each moment produces internally pulling thoughts.
To never surrender to conditions, though our senses make us believe change is not the universal constant.
To always remember each being experiences the same sensory conditions as us, though our minds make us believe each being is wholly separate.

Rousei
Gassho
ST

[Ankai]

To keep things clean, though life is messy.

ST

[aprapti]

number of books about zen being inexhaustible, i vow to read them all


aprapti


sat

[Tokan]

number of books about zen being inexhaustible, i vow to read them all


aprapti


sat

Good luck!

Gassho, Tokan (satlah)

[Jundo]

number of books about zen being inexhaustible, i vow to read them all


aprapti


sat

You can use this method, also traditional in Soto Zen for those particularly long Sutras ...

(the above is at Nanzenji, a Rinzai temple)

I think that it can be adapted to western paperbacks.

Gassho, J

stlah

[aprapti]

You can use this method, also traditional in Soto Zen for those particularly long Sutras ...

(the above is at Nanzenji, a Rinzai temple)

I think that it can be adapted to western paperbacks.

Gassho, J

stlah

gonna try..


aprapti


sat