Thursday, April 23, 2009

Thoughts on Bodhisattva Vows

via the Earth Sangha newsletter, written by Lisa Bright:

Some of our friends initially wondered about taking the Vows of which
are guaranteed to be broken. For instance, how on earth we could
take the vows to save all the sentient beings?

Would you feel better, if I readily agree that such Vows to save all
beings and to attain the Enlightenment are ridiculous, like all Vows
are? As ridiculous as it sounds, taking such vows helps us to see
how we approach life. This act of taking and renewing the Vows lets
us pause and watch ourselves, inside and out. It would allow us to
become keenly aware of our own emotions as they arise, our thoughts
as they arise, our actions as motivated by our emotions and thoughts,
the consequences of our actions on others both intentional and
unintentional, and how we are relating to other living beings through
our actions, and ultimately bringing happiness (or unhappiness) to us
all.

We come into being without any grand schemes. The question,
therefore, isn't about why we live. There's no reason; we are
already here to live! The right question is, then, how to live.

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