32 vows and commitments - amitabha buddhist centre · the bodhisattva vows 17 vows and commitments...
TRANSCRIPT
1
Commitmentsof the Bodhisattvas
32 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
Foundatio
n fo
r the P
reservatio
n o
f the M
ahaya
na T
raditio
n
Educatio
n S
erv
ices
2 Vows and C
ommitm
ents31
O
bu
dd
has, b
od
hisa
ttvas, a
nd
gu
rus, p
lease listen
to
wh
at I sa
y n
ow
from
the d
epth
s of m
y h
eart:
Ju
st as a
ll the b
ud
dh
as o
f the p
ast h
ave d
evelo
ped
the
tho
ugh
t of en
ligh
tenm
ent, tru
e bo
dh
ichitta
,
Th
en p
racticed
its stages o
f gra
ded
dev
elop
men
t
follo
win
g th
e train
ings o
f all b
ud
dh
as’ so
ns,
So
may I to
o, fo
r the sa
ke o
f all b
eings,
dev
elop
bo
dh
ichitta
an
d fo
llow
the tra
inin
gs,
exactly
as a
ll bo
dh
isattv
as h
ave d
on
e.
Colophon:
First p
ub
lished
by N
ep
ale
se M
ah
ayan
a C
en
tre G
om
pa.
Seco
nd
pu
blish
ed
ed
ition
ed
ited
by G
elo
ng T
hu
bte
n G
yatso
an
d p
ub
lished
by In
stitut
Vajrayo
gini, S
eptem
ber 1
98
1.
Th
ird re
vised
ed
ition
ed
ited
by V
en
. Co
nsta
nce
Mille
r, FP
MT
Ed
uca
tion
Dep
artm
en
t,fo
r inclu
sion
in th
e F
PM
T P
rayer B
oo
k, Ja
nu
ary 1
99
9. R
evise
d O
ctob
er 20
00
.0
70
30
1A
4.5
bk
lt
3
Contents
Tak
ing R
efuge in
the T
hree Jew
els5
Th
e Bo
dh
isattva Vo
ws
17
Vows and C
ommitm
ents30 V
ows and Com
mitm
ents
44.
No
t praisin
g tho
se deservin
g praise, o
r not rejo
icing in
oth
ers wh
opraise learn
ed an
d realized
bein
gs.
45.
No
t preven
ting th
ose d
oin
g harm
ful actio
ns fro
m co
ntin
uin
g their
action
s by w
hatever m
eans is n
ecessary accord
ing to
the circu
m-
stances. T
he b
oastfu
l may n
eed to
be lo
oked
dow
n u
po
n; th
evio
lent p
un
ished
ph
ysically; tho
se harm
ful to
society b
anish
ed. O
ut
of lazin
ess or attach
men
ts to th
ose p
eop
le, you
do
not act w
hen
you
have th
e auth
ority to
do
so. A
bb
ots an
d d
isciplin
arians sh
ou
ldp
un
ish o
r reprim
and
tho
se wh
o are m
isbeh
aving. T
ransgressio
nco
nsists o
f havin
g the p
ow
er to d
o so
meth
ing an
d n
ot d
oin
g itb
ecause yo
u d
o n
ot care ab
ou
t the h
armfu
l perso
n h
imself o
r abo
ut
tho
se he is h
armin
g, or b
ecause yo
u are lazy.
46.
If you
po
ssess psych
ic pow
ers, not u
sing th
em in
a time o
f need
,su
ch as to
frighten
som
eon
e wh
o is ab
ou
t to d
o a n
on
-virtuo
us
action
so th
at he w
ill stop
, to en
han
ce oth
ers’ faith, o
r to su
bd
ue
them
.
4 Vows and C
ommitm
ents29
37.N
ot w
ork
ing to
alleviate sufferin
g bu
t instead
avoid
ing to
help
elimin
ate it thro
ugh
anger, lazin
ess, or n
egligence. T
his refers to
peo
ple su
ch as th
e blin
d, d
eaf, paralyzed
, tho
se with
missin
g limb
s,th
ose w
ith d
ifficulty in
breath
ing, travelers o
n a d
ifficult jo
urn
ey,p
eop
le havin
g the five o
bstacles (see n
o. 2
5), th
ose in
men
tald
istress, tho
se wh
o are p
arano
id, w
ho
have lo
st their au
tho
rity or
po
sition
, or h
ave been
abu
sed b
y oth
ers.
38.
Th
rou
gh an
ger or lazin
ess not exh
ortin
g, correctin
g, or activatin
g alazy p
erson
or a p
erson
wh
o d
oes n
ot k
no
w virtu
ou
s from
no
n-
virtuo
us actio
ns. If yo
u see a p
erson
engagin
g in frivo
lou
s activities,yo
u sh
ou
ld give tim
ely advice in
app
rop
riate situatio
ns an
d u
nd
erpro
per circu
mstan
ces so th
at perso
n can
avoid
tho
se action
s and
engage in
virtue.
39.
Th
rou
gh an
ger or lazin
ess not rep
aying th
e kin
dn
ess of so
meo
ne
wh
o h
as help
ed yo
u m
aterially or m
orally.
40.
Th
rou
gh h
armfu
l inten
t or lazin
ess not co
nso
ling th
ose w
ho
aregrievin
g becau
se of sep
aration
from
their d
ear on
es or p
ossessio
ns.
41.
Th
rou
gh h
armfu
l inten
t or lazin
ess no
t giving fo
od
, cloth
es, or
oth
er necessities to
the p
oo
r and
need
y if you
are asked
and
if you
have en
ou
gh to
spare.
42.
Th
rou
gh h
atred o
r laziness n
ot w
ork
ing fo
r the w
elfare of yo
ur
discip
les and
attend
ants, o
r no
t giving teach
ings an
d/o
r materials.
43.
Bein
g self-assertive and
not actin
g in acco
rdan
ce with
the w
ishes o
rfeelin
gs of o
thers. T
hro
ugh
lack o
f con
sideratio
n, yo
u d
o n
ot act
accord
ing to
the level o
f their m
ind
wh
en yo
u are cap
able o
f do
ing
so. T
he actio
ns th
at practitio
ners can
do
differ acco
rdin
g to th
eirlevel o
f min
d. If yo
u h
ave actualized
bo
dh
ichitta, it is d
ifficult n
ot
to tran
sform
negative actio
ns o
f bo
dy an
d sp
eech in
to virtu
e. Bu
t ifyo
ur m
ind
is no
t capab
le, you
cann
ot d
o th
ese action
s even if o
thers
requ
est you
to d
o th
em. H
ow
ever, you
can act in
small w
ays to h
elpoth
ers accord
ing to
the level o
f their m
ind
s. By b
eing w
ell man
-n
ered, yo
u p
lease them
and
enco
urage th
em in
the D
harm
a.T
ransgressio
ns o
f this vo
w o
ccur if yo
u are w
ith a D
harm
a practi-
tion
er and
you
lie dow
n in
com
fort w
itho
ut b
eing co
ncern
ed ab
ou
toth
ers. Or yo
u m
ay be w
ith w
orld
ly peo
ple an
d u
se bad
man
ners,
wh
ich cau
se them
to b
ecom
e angry o
r lose th
eir devo
tion
.
The Bodhisattva V
ows
5
Taking Refuge in the
Three Jewels
Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
28 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
29.
Mak
ing an
un
necessary stu
dy o
f no
n-B
ud
dh
ist scriptu
res, thu
sn
eglecting to
stud
y the B
ud
dh
a’s teachin
gs. Alth
ou
gh su
ch stu
dy is
perm
itted an
d is ad
vantageo
us fo
r un
derstan
din
g and
help
ing
oth
ers, you
sho
uld
not u
se excessive time an
d en
ergy in stu
dyin
gn
on
-Bu
dd
hist ten
ets.
30.
Favo
ring, b
ecom
ing attach
ed to
, or cu
ltivating in
terest in n
on
-B
ud
dh
ist teachin
gs wh
en yo
u h
ave to stu
dy th
em. Y
ou
are allow
edto
stud
y no
n-B
ud
dh
ist texts so th
at you
can refu
te wro
ng view
s; bu
tin
stead o
f do
ing th
is, you
beco
me fo
nd
of th
ese scriptu
res.
31.
Castin
g aspersio
ns o
n th
e Mah
ayana teach
ings, th
e guru
, or th
esu
bject, su
ch as sayin
g a scriptu
re is po
or in
sub
ject matter, co
mp
osi-
tion
, or p
ow
er to h
elp sen
tient b
eings, o
r that th
e sub
ject is bo
ring.
32.
Praisin
g you
rself or b
elittling o
thers o
ut o
f anger o
r arrogan
ce.
33.
No
t attend
ing d
iscou
rses, deb
ates, discu
ssion
s, pu
jas, or cerem
on
iesb
ecause o
f arrogan
ce, laziness, o
r anger.
34.
No
t respectin
g bu
t abu
sing th
e guru
wh
o gives teach
ings an
d sh
ow
sth
e path
, seekin
g on
ly his w
ord
s with
ou
t con
temp
lation
of th
eirm
eanin
g.
(Vow
s 35
-46
are in
connection
with
the p
erfection of th
e mora
lity of help
ing oth
ers)
35.
No
t help
ing th
ose in
need
of h
elp w
hen
you
have th
e capacity to
do
so. E
ight typ
es of sen
tient b
eings in
need
of h
elp are sp
ecified:
1)
Not h
elpin
g som
eon
e do
ing p
urp
osefu
l work
wh
o ask
s for h
elp.
Yo
u m
ake excu
ses or are lazy.
2)
Not h
elpin
g som
eon
e on
a jou
rney, w
ho
need
s help
carrying
thin
gs or n
eeds p
rotectio
n, d
ue to
laziness.
3)
Not teach
ing lan
guage an
d D
harm
a if asked
.4
)N
ot d
oin
g work
wh
ich m
ay not b
e Dh
arma, b
ut w
hich
con
cerns
Dh
arma, if ask
ed.
5)
Not h
elpin
g pro
tect ano
ther p
erson
’s po
ssession
s if you
have
the tim
e and
ability, if ask
ed.
6)
Not u
nifyin
g a cou
ple, if ask
ed.
7)
Not go
ing to
a meal, if yo
u h
ave the tim
e and
ability, if ask
ed.
8)
Not go
ing, if in
vited, to
create merits, su
ch as to
a pu
ja if you
have th
e time an
d ab
ility.
36.
No
t help
ing sick
perso
ns w
ith m
aterials or service b
ecause o
f hatred
or lazin
ess.
6 Vows and C
ommitm
ents27
20.
Fo
llow
ing yo
ur an
ger and
not tryin
g to ab
and
on
it; feedin
g you
ran
ger by th
inkin
g that yo
u acted
rightly. In
stead, yo
u sh
ou
ldco
ntem
plate th
e disad
vantages o
f anger.
(Vow
s 21-2
3 a
re in con
nection
with
the p
erfection of p
erseverance)
21.
Givin
g teachin
gs, havin
g discip
les, bu
ildin
g mo
nasteries, o
r gather-
ing p
eop
le for th
e pu
rpo
se of receivin
g repu
tation
, pro
fit, or
remu
neratio
n. Y
ou
sho
uld
have D
harm
a gatherin
gs with
the
inten
tion
to b
enefit o
thers an
d m
ake th
em receive en
lighten
men
t.
22.
Not elim
inatin
g laziness, p
rocrastin
ation
, delu
sion
s of in
capab
ility,an
d sleep
, wh
ich are d
etrimen
tal to yo
ur p
ractice, and
wastin
g time
and
energy o
n th
e trivial matters o
f samsara. Y
ou
sho
uld
avoid
sleepin
g late or irregu
larly.
23.
Passin
g time b
y frivolo
usly talk
ing ab
ou
t ob
jects of attach
men
t.
(Vow
s 24
-26
are in
connection
with
the p
erfection of con
centra
tion)
24.
Not m
akin
g an effo
rt to stu
dy th
e mean
s of attain
ing sam
adh
ith
rou
gh req
uestin
g the gu
ru fo
r teachin
gs. If you
desire to
med
itate,yo
u m
ust ap
pro
ach yo
ur gu
ru fo
r instru
ction
. Th
e transgressio
n is
to n
ot d
o th
is becau
se of lazin
ess, evil inten
t, arrogan
ce, or
med
itating o
n sam
adh
i with
ou
t teachin
gs.
25.
Not tryin
g to elim
inate th
e ob
stacles that h
ind
er you
r attainm
ent o
fsam
adh
i. Th
e five ob
stacles in p
articular are: attach
men
t to th
ed
esire realm an
d th
e five sense o
bjects; h
armfu
l inten
t; sleep an
dfo
ggy-min
ded
ness; regret an
d agitatio
n; d
ou
bt.
26.
Attach
men
t to th
e bliss o
f remain
ing in
samad
hi w
itho
ut d
oin
g any
oth
er virtuo
us activities, o
r delib
erately con
centratin
g for th
e sake
of th
is bliss. T
hin
kin
g that sam
adh
i is a special k
ind
of k
now
ledge,
and
thu
s not h
aving th
e stron
g wish
to p
rogress fu
rther.
(Vow
s 27
-34
are in
connection
with
the p
erfection of w
isdom
)
27.
Lo
okin
g do
wn
on
Hin
ayana scrip
tures an
d sayin
g the stu
dy o
f them
is not n
ecessary for M
ahayan
ists.
28.
Learn
ing H
inayan
a disco
urses an
d p
ractices if you
have th
e time
and
ability to
learn th
e Mah
ayana an
d are alread
y engaged
in th
ose
of th
e Mah
ayana.
The Bodhisattva V
ows
7
Taking Refuge in the Three JewelsA
short daily practice of taking refuge
How
to take refu
ge in B
uddha, D
harm
a, a
nd S
angh
a in
order to be
completely libera
ted from su
ffering a
nd its ca
uses
Taking Refuge and G
enerating Bodhichitta
I go fo
r refuge u
ntil I am
enligh
tened
To
the B
ud
dh
a, the D
harm
a, and
the su
prem
e assemb
ly.B
y the virtu
ou
s merit th
at I createB
y practicin
g giving an
d o
ther p
erfection
s,M
ay I attain th
e state of a b
ud
dh
a in o
rder to
ben
efit all sentien
tb
eings. (3
x)
Prayer of the Four Immeasurables
How
won
derfu
l it wou
ld b
e if all sentien
t bein
gs were to
abid
e in eq
uan
im-
ity, free of attach
men
t and
hatred
, no
t ho
ldin
g som
e close an
doth
ers distan
t.M
ay they ab
ide so
. May I cau
se them
to ab
ide so
.P
lease, Gu
ru-B
ud
dh
a, bless m
e to b
e able to
do
this.
Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
26 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
invo
lving o
thers in
frivolo
us talk
. All o
f these cau
se you
r min
d to
wan
der, an
d yo
u w
aste time th
at cou
ld b
e used
to p
ractice Dh
arma.
14.
Wro
ngly th
inkin
g that as b
od
hisattvas rem
ain in
samsara fo
r three
cou
ntless great eo
ns an
d are n
ot afraid
of d
elusio
ns, it is n
ot
necessary to
try to ab
and
on
delu
sion
s and
achieve n
irvana. T
his is
inco
rrect thin
kin
g. Bo
dh
isattvas com
e to th
is wo
rld to
ben
efitsen
tient b
eings, b
ut th
ey have an
even greater ren
un
ciation
of
samsara an
d w
ish fo
r nirvan
a than
Hin
ayana p
ractition
ers. Bu
tth
rou
gh th
eir great com
passio
n, th
ey will h
app
ily take b
irth in
the
narak
s if this w
ou
ld b
enefit ju
st on
e sentien
t bein
g. So
it is mis-
taken
to n
ot cu
ltivate the o
pp
on
ents to
the d
elusio
ns an
d to
try toach
ieve nirvan
a or d
issuad
e oth
ers from
trying to
attain en
lighten
-m
ent b
ecause o
f the ab
ove w
ron
g view.
15.
No
t trying to
avoid
a bad
repu
tation
or n
ot ab
and
on
ing th
e bad
hab
its of b
od
y and
speech
that are th
e cause o
f you
r bad
repu
tation
.In
ord
er to b
e mo
re effective at help
ing o
thers, yo
u n
eed to
aban
-d
on
no
toriety. Y
ou
mu
st try to sto
p a b
ad rep
utatio
n, w
heth
er it isd
eserved o
r not, so
that yo
u can
ben
efit oth
ers. An
y oth
er motiva-
tion
is part o
f the eigh
t wo
rldly d
harm
as.
16.
No
t correctin
g the d
elud
ed actio
ns o
f oth
ers wh
en yo
u are cap
able
of d
oin
g so, th
at is, not p
oin
ting o
ut so
meb
od
y’s negative h
abits o
fb
od
y or sp
eech. W
hen
wrath
fuln
ess wo
uld
be b
eneficial, n
ot
pu
nish
ing a n
on
-virtuo
us p
erson
to co
rrect him
becau
se you
thin
kit w
ou
ld h
urt h
is feelings o
r becau
se of fear o
f his an
ger.
(Vow
s 17-2
0 a
re in con
nection
with
the p
erfection of p
atien
ce)
17.B
ecom
ing an
gry and
retaliating w
ith yo
ur b
od
y, speech
, or m
ind
wh
en yo
u are in
sulted
or b
lamed
, beaten
, the o
bject o
f som
ebo
dy’s
anger, o
r wh
en yo
ur sh
ortco
min
gs are expo
sed to
oth
ers.
18.
Rejectin
g som
eon
e wh
o is an
gry with
you
. Th
rou
gh h
armfu
l inten
t,an
ger, or ju
st laziness, ign
orin
g the an
gry perso
n an
d n
ot tryin
g torelieve th
e situatio
n th
at mad
e him
angry b
y explain
ing w
hy yo
uacted
, pacifyin
g him
, or ap
olo
gizing to
him
.
19.
Refu
sing to
accept th
e sincere ap
olo
gies of o
thers o
ut o
f anger o
rlazin
ess. Th
is differs fro
m th
e roo
t vow
becau
se the fo
ur co
nd
ition
sare n
ot n
eeded
to tran
sgress it.
8 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
How
wo
nd
erful it w
ou
ld b
e if all sentien
t bein
gs had
hap
pin
ess and
the
causes o
f hap
pin
ess.M
ay they h
ave these. M
ay I cause th
em to
have th
ese.P
lease, Gu
ru-B
ud
dh
a, bless m
e to b
e able to
do
this.
How
wo
nd
erful it w
ou
ld b
e if all sentien
t bein
gs were free fro
m su
ffer-in
g and
the cau
ses of su
ffering.
May th
ey be free. M
ay I cause th
em to
be free.
Please, G
uru
-Bu
dd
ha, b
less me to
be ab
le to d
o th
is.
How
wo
nd
erful it w
ou
ld b
e if all sentien
t bein
gs were n
ever separated
from
high
er rebirth
s and
liberatio
n’s excellen
t bliss.
May th
ey never b
e separated
. May I cau
se them
never to
be sep
arated.
Please, G
uru
-Bu
dd
ha, b
less me to
be ab
le to d
o th
is.
Motivation for Life
Th
e pu
rpo
se of m
y life is to free all sen
tient b
eings fro
m every su
ffering
and
to lead
them
to h
app
iness, esp
ecially the su
blim
e peerless h
app
iness
of fu
ll enligh
tenm
ent.
Sin
ce the en
joym
ents in
my everyd
ay life – every p
ast, presen
t, and
futu
re hap
pin
ess, inclu
din
g enligh
tenm
ent –
are dep
end
ent o
n o
ther sen
-tien
t bein
gs, the h
app
iness o
f these n
um
berless sen
tient b
eings d
epen
ds
on
me.
If I generate lo
ving k
ind
ness to
ward
sentien
t bein
gs, then
all sentien
tb
eings w
ill receive no
harm
from
me an
d in
stead w
ill have p
eace and
success. T
herefo
re, I am resp
on
sible fo
r all sentien
t bein
gs’ hap
pin
ess and
peace.
I am a servan
t here to
serve every sentien
t bein
g with
ou
t discrim
inat-
ing b
etween
tho
se wh
o h
arm an
d th
ose w
ho
help
, wh
atever they d
o.
Fo
r the su
ccess of th
is, I mu
st achieve fu
ll enligh
tenm
ent. T
herefo
re, Iam
goin
g to p
ut all th
e action
s of m
y bo
dy, sp
eech, an
d m
ind
in virtu
e soth
at I can b
e of th
e greatest ben
efit to all sen
tient b
eings, w
hich
mean
s toach
ieve enligh
tenm
ent as q
uick
ly as po
ssible. M
ay all these actio
ns n
ot
cause th
e slightest h
arm b
ut b
ring o
nly b
enefit to
all sentien
t bein
gs inth
e best w
ay so th
at they to
o m
ay as qu
ickly as p
ossib
le achieve en
lighten
-m
ent.
25
crimes o
r break
ing a ro
ot b
od
hisattva vo
w. In
stead o
f bein
g hatefu
lan
d d
isdain
ful, yo
u sh
ou
ld gen
erate com
passio
n.
9.
Not in
stilling faith
in th
ose w
ho
follo
w a p
ath th
at is no
t you
r ow
npractice o
r you
r main
interest. F
or exam
ple, if a fo
llow
er of th
eH
inayan
a desires th
at kin
d o
f teachin
g, it sho
uld
be given
so th
at he
develo
ps faith
in th
at path
. If you
refuse to
give a requ
ested teach
ing
that yo
u are q
ualified
to teach
, it is a transgressio
n.
10.
Not co
mm
itting o
ne o
f the seven
no
n-virtu
ou
s action
s of th
e bo
dy
and
speech
with
a bo
dh
ichitta m
otivatio
n if circu
mstan
ces deem
itn
ecessary, by sayin
g that to
do
so is again
st vinaya. B
y preo
ccup
ying
you
rself with
small activities, yo
u m
ay miss an
op
po
rtun
ity to h
elpsen
tient b
eings. F
or exam
ple, in
the vin
aya it states that saffro
nro
bes m
ust b
e blessed
. Th
is is imp
ortan
t for th
e Hin
ayana, b
ut o
ne
wh
o is o
n th
e bo
dh
isattva path
may u
se his tim
e for greater p
ur-
po
ses. If you
have an
op
po
rtun
ity to im
macu
lately ben
efit oth
ers,yo
u tran
sgress this vo
w b
y rigidly ad
herin
g to th
e vinaya an
d th
eseven
virtues o
f bo
dy an
d sp
eech, th
us h
ind
ering yo
ur o
pp
ortu
nity
to h
elp.
11.
Not co
mm
itting o
ne o
f the seven
no
n-virtu
es of b
od
y and
speech
tob
enefit o
thers o
ut o
f com
passio
n. If circu
mstan
ces deem
it neces-
sary, a bo
dh
isattva is allow
ed to
com
mit o
ne o
f these n
on
-virtues
and
mu
st do
so. H
ow
ever, you
mu
st be very carefu
l. With
ou
t havin
gactu
alized b
od
hich
itta, it is difficu
lt to tran
sform
into
virtue th
eseven
no
n-virtu
es of b
od
y and
speech
.
12.
Accep
ting m
aterial that h
as been
gained
by yo
urself o
r oth
ersth
rou
gh o
ne o
f the five w
ron
g liveliho
od
s:a)
flattery: praisin
g oth
ers to gain
som
ethin
g for yo
urself
b)
hin
ting: su
ch as sayin
g, “Th
e gift that yo
u gave b
efore w
as so n
ice,”th
ereby im
plyin
g that yo
u w
ant m
ore
c)b
ribery: givin
g a small th
ing to
receive a larger on
ed
)exto
rtion
or b
lackm
ail: pressu
ring so
meb
od
y so th
at he h
as no
choice
e)h
ypo
crisy: chan
ging yo
ur u
sual actio
ns to
mak
e a goo
d im
pressio
nso
that o
thers w
ill give you
som
ethin
g
13.
Havin
g you
r main
interest in
idle go
ssip an
d frivo
lou
s activities,su
ch as d
ancin
g, playin
g spo
rts, listenin
g to th
e radio
, drin
kin
g, or
The Bodhisattva V
ows
9
Dedication
It is best, if p
ossible, to a
lways d
edica
te the m
erit of any virtu
ous a
ction righ
t after d
oing
it. If not, a
t least d
edica
te the m
erit of each
day before goin
g to bed
. Ded
icate you
r own
past, p
resent, a
nd fu
ture m
erit and a
lso that of th
e buddhas a
nd b
odhisa
ttvas:
Du
e to th
is merit, m
ay I soo
nA
ttain th
e enligh
tened
state of G
uru
-Bu
dd
ha,
Th
at I may b
e able to
liberate
All sen
tient b
eings fro
m th
eir sufferin
gs.
May th
e precio
us b
od
hi m
ind
No
t yet bo
rn arise an
d gro
w.
May th
at bo
rn h
ave no
declin
eB
ut in
crease forever m
ore.
May sen
tient b
eings w
ho
have all b
een m
y mo
ther an
d fath
er be co
m-
pletely h
app
y, and
may th
e low
er realms b
e forever em
pty.
May all th
e prayers o
f the b
od
hisattvas, in
wh
atever places th
ey live, be
imm
ediately fu
lfilled.
Wh
atever wh
ite virtues I h
ave created, I d
edicate as cau
sesE
nab
ling m
e to u
ph
old
the h
oly D
harm
a of scrip
tures an
d in
sights
An
d to
fulfill w
itho
ut excep
tion
the p
rayers and
deed
sO
f all the b
ud
dh
as and
bo
dh
isattvas of th
e three tim
es.
By th
e force o
f this m
erit may I n
ever be p
artedIn
all my lives fro
m th
e fou
r wh
eels of th
e Mah
ayana veh
icle,A
nd
may I reach
the en
d o
f the jo
urn
ey alon
g the p
aths
Of ren
un
ciation
, bo
dh
ichitta, th
e pu
re view, an
d th
e two
stages of
tantric p
ractice.
Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
24 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
2.The forty-six branch vows
You
are to a
bandon
the follow
ing a
ctions:
(Vow
s 1-7
are in
connection
with
the p
erfection of gen
erosity)
1.
No
t mak
ing o
fferings everyd
ay to th
e three jew
els with
you
r bo
dy,
speech
, and
min
d, b
y mak
ing p
rostratio
ns, o
ffering p
raises, and
med
itating o
n th
eir qu
alities.
2.
With
ou
t trying to
op
po
se you
r greed o
r dissatisfactio
n w
ith w
hat
you
have, fo
llow
ing th
e min
d th
at strives to accu
mu
late more.
3.
No
t sho
win
g respect fo
r tho
se wh
o are o
lder o
r have tak
en th
esevo
ws b
efore yo
u. Y
ou
sho
uld
not th
ink th
at you
are equ
al or
com
pete w
ith th
em. It is b
etter to m
ake o
fferings to
them
. If you
respect m
asters, it increases yo
ur k
now
ledge an
d b
rings p
rosp
erity toth
e place.
4.
Th
rou
gh h
atred o
r laziness, n
ot an
swerin
g or givin
g wro
ng o
rd
istorted
answ
ers to sin
cerely asked
qu
estion
s that yo
u are cap
able
of an
swerin
g.
5.
No
t acceptin
g invitatio
ns o
r offerin
g of fo
od
or clo
thes fro
m o
thers
becau
se of eith
er anger –
wan
ting to
hu
rt the o
ther p
erson
’sfeelin
gs; prid
e – co
nsid
ering yo
urself o
f too
high
a rank to
be seen
with
hu
mb
le peo
ple; o
r jealou
sy – th
inkin
g that o
thers o
f a high
erran
k th
an yo
urself w
ill loo
k u
po
n yo
u w
ith sco
rn if yo
u are w
ithh
um
ble p
eop
le.
6.
No
t acceptin
g gifts of m
on
ey, gold
, and
so fo
rth fro
m o
thers, su
chas a sp
on
sor, b
ecause o
f anger, p
ride, jealo
usy, lazin
ess, or h
arbo
ring
a grud
ge. Not accep
ting b
ecause o
f com
passio
n, seein
g that th
ep
erson
will b
e sho
rt of th
at item, is n
ot a tran
sgression
of th
is vow
.
7.O
ut o
f hatred
, laziness, jealo
usy, m
iserliness, a gru
dge, o
r negli-
gence, n
ot givin
g teachin
gs to so
meo
ne w
ho
is interested
and
sincerely ap
pro
aches yo
u fo
r Dh
arma. Y
ou
sho
uld
no
t thin
k o
f you
ro
wn
hard
ship
in givin
g teachin
gs.
(Vow
s 8-1
6 a
re in con
nection
with
the p
erfection of m
orality)
8.
Igno
ring, b
elittling, n
ot fo
rgiving, an
d n
ot h
elpin
g tho
se wh
o h
ave
bro
ken
their m
oral d
isciplin
e by cu
ltivating th
e ten im
mo
ralities,d
efiling th
eir pratim
oksh
a vow
s, com
mittin
g the five u
nin
terrup
ted
10 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
The commitments of taking refuge
What Is To B
e Avoided
1.
Havin
g taken
refuge in
the B
uddha
, on
e sho
uld
not tak
e refuge
from
the d
epth
s of o
ne’s h
eart in w
orld
ly god
s, such
as Brah
ma an
dso
on
, and
on
e sho
uld
no
t pro
strate to su
ch o
bjects. O
ne sh
ou
ldn
ot en
trust o
neself fro
m th
e dep
ths o
f on
e’s heart to
no
n-virtu
ou
sfrien
ds o
r teachers o
f no
n-B
ud
dh
ist teachin
gs that h
ave no
sup
po
rt-in
g levels.
2.
Havin
g taken
refuge in
the D
harm
a, o
ne sh
ou
ld avo
id h
armin
g any
bein
g, either d
irectly by o
neself, o
r ind
irectly by m
akin
g oth
ers do
it.
3.
Havin
g taken
refuge in
the S
angh
a, o
ne sh
ou
ld avo
id en
trustin
go
neself to
and
keep
ing co
mp
any w
ith n
egative friend
s and
follo
wers
of h
edo
nism
.
What Is To B
e Practiced1.
Havin
g taken
refuge in
the B
uddha
, with
a min
d o
f respect to
ward
tho
se gon
e to b
liss (the b
ud
dh
as), on
e sho
uld
regard even
statues as
bein
g actual b
ud
dh
as and
sho
uld
pro
strate and
pay resp
ect to th
em.
On
e sho
uld
avoid
sho
win
g disresp
ect to th
em b
y, for exam
ple,
placin
g them
on
the b
are grou
nd
, jud
ging th
em acco
rdin
g to th
eirm
aterial value, o
r discrim
inatin
g betw
een th
em, sayin
g that so
me
are goo
d an
d o
thers b
ad.
2.
Havin
g taken
refuge in
the D
harm
a, o
ne sh
ou
ld p
ay ho
mage an
dresp
ect by gen
erating th
e recogn
ition
of all scrip
tural texts, o
r evenju
st on
e syllable o
f the teach
ings, as b
eing th
e actual rare su
blim
eD
harm
a.
23
16.
Accep
ting as gifts m
aterial you
kn
ow
has b
een sto
len o
r emb
ezzledfro
m th
e three jew
els or fro
m a b
hik
shu
.
17.T
akin
g material fro
m so
meo
ne w
ho
is med
itating o
n calm
abid
ing
and
giving it to
som
eon
e wh
o m
erely recites texts. Su
ch an
action
may cau
se the m
editato
r to ab
and
on
his o
r her p
ractice.
18.
Ab
and
on
ing b
od
hich
itta by th
inkin
g, “I cann
ot h
elp sen
tient
bein
gs,” or “I d
o n
ot w
ant to
help
this p
articular sen
tient b
eing.”
The Four Conditions
Except for vow
s 9 a
nd 18
, four con
ditions a
re required
to completely tra
nsgress th
e major
vows.
A.
Yo
u k
no
w th
at you
are break
ing a vo
w, b
ut yo
u d
o n
ot care. B
ecause
you
lack faith
in k
arma yo
u th
ink th
at do
ing a n
egative action
do
esn
ot m
atter. Du
e to ign
oran
ce you
may n
ot th
ink th
at the actio
n is
negative an
d yo
u w
ill act con
trary to th
e vow
. Reco
gnizin
g that th
eactio
n is n
egative mak
es the tran
sgression
inco
mp
lete.
B.
Not ab
and
on
ing th
e tho
ugh
t to d
o th
e action
again. If yo
u d
o n
ot
regret the actio
n an
d gen
erate the w
ish to
avoid
it in th
e futu
re, or
even if yo
u h
ave the w
ish to
do
the actio
n again
, then
this co
ntrib
-u
tes to a co
mp
lete transgressio
n. If yo
u w
ish to
never co
mm
it such
an actio
n ever again
, then
the tran
sgression
is inco
mp
lete.
C.
Rejo
icing o
r adm
iring yo
urself fo
r havin
g do
ne th
e action
. Fo
rex
amp
le, if you
break
the first vo
w an
d th
en th
ink
, “How
goo
d it
was th
at I cou
ld sh
ow
off m
y goo
d q
ualities.” If yo
u feel u
pset o
rregret th
e action
, the tran
sgression
is inco
mp
lete.
D.
Havin
g no
sham
e or co
nsid
eration
for o
thers. Y
ou
do
not care
abo
ut th
e con
sequ
ences o
f the actio
n fo
r you
rself or fo
r oth
ers. Yo
uare careless in
karm
a, you
do
no
t feel that th
e action
has an
ythin
gto
do
with
you
r karm
a.
The Bodhisattva V
ows
11
On
e sho
uld
avoid
placin
g texts on
the b
are grou
nd
, regardin
g them
as material o
bjects, u
sing th
em as secu
rity for a lo
an, o
r carrying
them
togeth
er with
on
e’s sho
es.
3.
Havin
g taken
refuge in
the S
angh
a, o
ne sh
ou
ld regard
even o
ne
mem
ber o
f the S
angh
a as bein
g the actu
al San
gha.
On
e sho
uld
avoid
discrim
inatin
g with
in th
e San
gha co
mm
un
ityb
ut sh
ou
ld h
ave equ
al respect fo
r all.
On
e sho
uld
train w
ell in all th
e advice co
ncern
ing w
hat is to
be
practiced
, such
as no
t even step
pin
g over p
ieces of m
on
astic rob
e or
thro
win
g them
in d
irty places, b
ut in
stead p
lacing th
em in
cleanp
laces.
General A
dviceIn
general, th
ere are fou
r po
ints to
the p
ractice of D
harm
a.
1.
On
e sho
uld
rely up
on
ho
ly bein
gs, listen to
the h
oly D
harm
a, and
after correctly co
mp
rehen
din
g, follo
w th
e Dh
arma an
d p
ractice it.
2.
On
e sho
uld
not let o
ne’s sen
ses beco
me excited
(that is, o
ne sh
ou
ldco
ntro
l the sen
ses wh
en in
dan
ger of creatin
g negative k
arma), an
dtak
e as man
y vow
s as on
e is capab
le of k
eepin
g.
3.
On
e sho
uld
have a co
mp
assion
ate attitud
e tow
ards sen
tient b
eings.
4.
Wh
en eatin
g or d
rinkin
g, on
e sho
uld
mak
e effort to
offer to
the
rare sub
lime o
nes (th
e Trip
le Gem
); on
e sho
uld
train w
ell in th
erefu
ge precep
ts, inclu
din
g exerting o
neself to
mak
e offerin
gs to th
eT
riple G
em.
Also
, every mo
rnin
g and
evenin
g, on
e sho
uld
mak
e three p
rostratio
ns to
the T
riple G
em.
Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
22 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
9.
Cu
ltivating an
d h
old
ing w
ron
g views su
ch as sectarian
ism, d
enyin
gth
e existence o
f the th
ree jewels, o
r den
ying th
e existence o
f the law
of cau
se and
effect.
10.
Destro
ying an
y tow
n o
r cou
ntry, su
ch as b
y fire, bo
mb
s, po
llutio
n,
black
magic, an
d so
forth
.
11.
Teach
ing vo
idn
ess to th
ose w
ho
are un
trained
or n
ot read
y tou
nd
erstand
it. Th
is cou
ld b
e harm
ful d
ue to
causin
g fear and
causin
g on
e to ab
and
on
bo
dh
ichitta, th
us, fallin
g to th
e level of
Hin
ayana.
12.
Tu
rnin
g som
eon
e away fro
m w
ork
ing to
attain en
lighten
men
t and
enco
uragin
g him
to w
ork
merely fo
r his o
wn
liberatio
n. F
or exam
-p
le, if som
eon
e is trainin
g in b
od
hich
itta, saying to
that p
erson
, “Ifyo
u p
ractice this, yo
u w
ill never attain
enligh
tenm
ent. W
ou
ld it n
ot
be b
etter to train
in H
inayan
a? At least yo
u w
ill be free fro
msam
sara.”
13.
En
cou
raging o
thers to
aban
do
n th
eir pratim
oksh
a vow
s. For
examp
le, if som
eon
e is abid
ing b
y his vo
ws, sayin
g, “Wh
at is the u
seof th
at? Wou
ld it n
ot b
e better to
train in
bod
hich
itta wh
ereby yo
ur
non
-virtues o
f bod
y, speech
, and
min
d w
ill auto
matically su
bsid
e?” Ifth
at perso
n ab
and
on
s his o
r her p
ratimo
ksh
a vow
s, you
have
created a tran
sgression
. Sayin
g that th
e pratim
oksh
a vow
s are not
necessary fo
r Mah
ayana p
ractice is wro
ng. T
hey are th
e best w
ork
ing
basis fo
r tantra.
14.
Cau
sing o
thers to
ho
ld th
e inco
rrect views th
at you
migh
t ho
ldregard
ing th
e Hin
ayana teach
ings, su
ch as sayin
g that b
y practicin
gth
e Hin
ayana, o
ne can
never give u
p attach
men
t, or b
e releasedfro
m su
ffering an
d d
elusio
ns. If th
e oth
er perso
n b
elieves you
, it is atran
sgression
.
15.
Pro
claimin
g false realization
s of vo
idn
ess. Alth
ou
gh yo
u h
ave not
un
dersto
od
emp
tiness, teach
ing o
thers, “If yo
u m
editate o
n th
is,yo
u w
ill be lik
e me an
d yo
u w
ill un
derstan
d em
ptin
ess directly.”
Th
is cheats o
thers th
ou
gh p
retensio
n. If th
e oth
er perso
n b
elievesyo
u h
ave realized em
ptin
ess, it is a transgressio
n.
12 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
The Lay Vows
Th
e five bran
ch vo
ws to
be k
ept b
y a full u
pasik
a (Tib
. ge-nyen
, “nearin
gvirtu
e”) are to avo
id:
1.
killin
g2.
takin
g wh
at has n
ot b
een given
3.
sexual m
iscon
du
ct4.
telling lies
5.
drin
kin
g alcoh
ol
Losing the Vow from
the Root
On
e loses th
e vow
from
the ro
ot, an
d so
sho
uld
take it again
, if on
e trans-
gresses these vo
ws b
y:
1.
killin
g a hu
man
bein
g;2.
stealing an
ob
ject that is valu
able to
ano
ther p
erson
;3.
engagin
g in sexu
al misco
nd
uct, th
at is, engagin
g in sexu
al activitiesw
ith an
oth
er’s partn
er, or u
sing th
e mo
uth
or an
us o
f on
e’s ow
np
artner;
4.
telling a su
prem
e lie, that is, p
retend
ing o
ne h
as attained
realization
s of th
e grou
nd
s and
path
s even th
ou
gh o
ne h
as no
t.
21
1.The eighteen root vows
You
must a
bandon
:
1.
Praisin
g you
rself or b
elittling o
thers o
ut o
f attachm
ent to
receiving
offerin
gs or ad
miratio
n.
2.
Even
tho
ugh
you
are able, n
ot givin
g material aid
to o
thers th
rou
ghm
iserliness; o
r not teach
ing D
harm
a to th
ose w
ho
are sufferin
g and
with
ou
t a pro
tector b
ecause yo
u w
ant to
amass k
now
ledge ju
st for
you
rself.
3.
Not fo
rgiving o
thers b
ut h
arbo
ring a gru
dge an
d h
old
ing it even
wh
en th
ey apo
logize.
4.
Ab
and
on
ing th
e Mah
ayana teach
ings b
y saying th
at som
e bask
ets of
the teach
ings (p
itaka) are n
ot teach
ings o
f the B
ud
dh
a and
pro
po
un
din
g you
r ow
n fab
ricated o
r perverted
do
ctrine.
5.
Tak
ing b
ack o
fferings to
the B
ud
dh
a, Dh
arma, an
d S
angh
a or
takin
g them
by ro
bb
ery or d
eviou
s schem
es; usin
g for yo
ur o
wn
pu
rpo
se material d
edicated
to th
e San
gha.
6.
Ab
and
on
ing o
r desp
ising th
e ho
ly Dh
arma b
y criticizing th
escrip
tures o
r practices o
f any o
f the th
ree vehicles o
f the sh
ravakas,
the p
ratyekab
ud
dh
as, or th
e bo
dh
isattvas; if you
have an
inclin
ation
for tan
tra, criticizing th
e Param
itayana; if yo
u are in
clined
tow
ards
the M
ahayan
a, criticizing th
e Hin
ayana an
d vice versa. Y
ou
sho
uld
not criticize th
e differen
ce in vario
us teach
ings b
ecause B
ud
dh
atau
ght w
ith sk
illful m
eans, in
variou
s ways, to
guid
e discip
les with
differen
t disp
ositio
ns. T
his criticism
is heavier th
an d
estroyin
g allth
e stup
as on
earth.
7.H
armin
g an o
rdain
ed p
erson
, inflictin
g violen
ce on
them
, stealing
their ro
bes, o
r causin
g them
to lo
se their vo
ws.
8.
Co
mm
itting an
y of th
e five hein
ou
s action
s (to k
ill you
r mo
ther,
you
r father, o
r an arh
at; to cau
se disu
nity am
on
gst the S
angh
a; tow
ou
nd
a bu
dd
ha).
The Bodhisattva V
ows
13
Receiving a D
ownfallO
therw
ise, on
e do
es not lo
se the vo
w fro
m th
e root b
ut receives a d
ow
n-
fall, wh
ich m
ust b
e con
fessed, if o
ne tran
sgresses the vo
ws b
y:
1.
killin
g a no
n-h
um
an, su
ch as an
anim
al;2.
stealing an
ob
ject of n
o valu
e;3.
engagin
g in sexu
al con
du
ct at a ho
ly place; at a sp
ecial time (fo
rexam
ple, o
n fu
ll moon
day, o
n th
e eighth
day o
f the lu
nar calen
dar,
on
Bu
dd
ha’s sp
ecial ho
ly days, etc.); o
r engagin
g in sexu
al activityw
hilst livin
g in th
e on
e-day eigh
t precep
ts (nyen
-ne, “n
ear abid
ing”);
4.
telling o
rdin
ary lies;5.
drin
kin
g alcoh
ol.
So
, on
e sho
uld
con
fess and
abstain
precisely, w
hich
is the m
etho
d o
f pu
-rificatio
n.
On
e sho
uld
pro
tect well an
d tigh
tly with
the m
ind
the six rem
ainin
gn
on
-virtuo
us actio
ns, w
hich
are similar in
part to
the p
reviou
s negative
karm
as (that is, clo
se to th
ose h
eavy negative k
armas), b
y avoid
ing slan
-d
er, harsh
word
s, gossip
, coveto
usn
ess, harm
ful in
tentio
n, an
d w
ron
g views.
Benefits of Protecting the V
owsT
he b
enefits o
f pro
tecting th
e vow
s in th
is way are:
•yo
u w
ill not fall to
the su
ffering lo
wer realm
s (hells, an
imals, o
rh
un
gry gho
sts)•
temp
orarily, yo
u w
ill con
tinu
ou
sly achieve th
e bo
dy o
f a deva o
rh
um
an•
ultim
ately, you
will ach
ieve the state o
f liberatio
n
Fu
rtherm
ore, th
e virtue o
f pro
tecting th
ese five vow
s increases co
nstan
tly,even
wh
ile on
e is asleep o
r un
con
sciou
s, into
xicated an
d so
forth
.
Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
20 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
3.
Ab
usin
g a bo
dh
isattva ou
t of an
ger. Even
if a bo
dh
isattva is at fault,
if you
r abu
sive word
s are heard
by o
thers, yo
u create th
is negative
dh
arma.
4.
Pu
tting o
n an
air of h
aving selfless th
ou
ght, b
ut h
aving u
lterior
motives o
ther th
an th
e pu
re wish
to attain
enligh
tenm
ent fo
r the
ben
efit of all sen
tient b
eings, su
ch as p
retend
ing to
be a sch
olar o
rco
ncealin
g you
r sho
rtcom
ings.
B.Practice the four positive dharmas that oppose the four negative ones:
1.
Ab
and
on
delib
erately lying to
any sen
tient b
eing, w
heth
er for th
esak
e of h
um
or o
r even at th
e cost o
f you
r life.
2.
Do
not d
iscrimin
ate amo
ngst sen
tient b
eings. (T
his o
pp
oses th
efo
urth
negative d
harm
a.)
3.
Ab
and
on
criticizing b
od
hisattvas. S
ince yo
u d
o n
ot k
now
wh
o is a
bo
dh
isattva and
wh
o is n
ot, it is b
est to treat all sen
tient b
eings as
bo
dh
isattvas and
bu
dd
has.
4.
Tak
e up
on
you
rself the resp
on
sibility to
establish
all sentien
t bein
gsin
the M
ahayan
a path
by:
a)en
cou
raging th
eir enth
usiasm
for th
e Mah
ayana p
ath. E
ven if yo
uare n
ot su
ccessful, yo
u m
ust alw
ays try to d
o th
is.b
)rejo
icing in
the virtu
es of o
thers in
stead o
f bein
g jealou
s of th
eirw
ish to
attain en
lighten
men
t.c)
cultivatin
g love an
d co
mp
assion
in all yo
ur actio
ns.
Th
e result o
f practicin
g these w
ho
lesom
e dh
armas an
d avo
idin
g the n
ega-tive d
harm
as is never to
be sep
arated fro
m b
od
hich
itta. If any o
f the ro
ot
vow
s are bro
ken
, you
lose all o
f them
, and
you
sho
uld
retake th
em as
soo
n as p
ossib
le. Yo
u can
retake th
em b
y you
rself, in fro
nt o
f an im
ageo
f the B
ud
dh
a, visualizin
g the im
age as you
r guru
and
repeatin
g the
bo
dh
ichitta p
rayer.
ENGAGING B
ODHICHITTA
Th
e com
mitm
ents o
f havin
g taken
the vo
ws to
develo
p en
gaging
bo
dh
ichitta are d
ivided
into
two
section
s:1.
eighteen
root vo
ws
2.
forty-six b
ranch
vow
s
14 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
Also
, in ad
ditio
n to
these, th
e Fo
un
der (G
uru
Sh
akyam
un
i Bu
dd
ha) w
illalw
ays thin
k o
f you
; the go
ds (p
rotecto
rs beyo
nd
sorro
w, w
orld
ly pro
-tecto
rs, devas) w
ill praise an
d p
rotect yo
u; n
on
-hu
man
s cann
ot h
armyo
u; yo
ur q
ualities w
ill increase lim
itlessly; and
at the tim
e of d
eath yo
uw
ill die w
itho
ut regret.
By avo
idin
g killin
g, you
will h
ave a lon
g life in all fu
ture lifetim
es.
By avo
idin
g takin
g wh
at has n
ot b
een given
, in fu
ture lives yo
u w
ill have
great wealth
.
By avo
idin
g telling o
rdin
ary lies, in th
e futu
re oth
ers will n
ot ch
eat and
blam
e you
.
By avo
idin
g sexual m
iscon
du
ct, in fu
ture lives yo
u w
ill meet w
ith go
od
friend
s and
a perfect w
ife or h
usb
and
wh
o are h
armo
nio
us exactly acco
rd-
ing to
you
r wish
es.
By avo
idin
g alcoh
ol, yo
u w
ill have a sh
arp an
d clear m
ind
.
It is said in
the su
tra The L
am
p of th
e Moon
:If, w
ith a m
ind
of d
evotio
n, o
ne m
akes o
fferings o
f um
brellas,
fan-flags, ro
ws o
f lights, fo
od
, and
drin
k to
as man
y billio
ns o
fb
ud
dh
as as there are grain
s of san
d in
the R
iver Gan
ges for ten
so
f millio
ns o
f eon
s, the m
erit of th
is can in
no
way co
mp
are with
that o
f a perso
n w
ho
keep
s just o
ne p
recept even
for ju
st on
e day
at the tim
e wh
en th
e ho
ly Dh
arma, th
e teachin
g of th
e On
eG
on
e to B
liss, is perish
ing.
19
all sentien
t bein
gs to en
lighten
men
t; it is heavy n
egative karm
a tobreak
you
r pro
mise an
d to
aban
do
n b
od
hich
itta. Yo
u sh
ou
ld n
everb
e dish
eartened
even if it seem
s that it w
ill take su
ch a lo
ng tim
e toreceive en
lighten
men
t. Instead
of b
ecom
ing d
ismayed
, com
plete th
eb
enefits an
d ad
vantages an
d revive yo
ur vo
ws b
y saying th
e prayer o
fw
ishin
g bo
dh
ichitta:
O b
ud
dh
as, bo
dh
isattvas, and
guru
s, please listen
to w
hat I n
ow
have to
say from
the d
epth
s of m
y heart: Ju
st as all the b
ud
dh
as of
the p
ast have d
evelop
ed th
e tho
ugh
t of en
lighten
men
t, true
bo
dh
ichitta, th
en p
racticed its stages o
f graded
develo
pm
ent b
yfo
llow
ing th
e trainin
gs for all b
ud
dh
as’ son
s, so m
ay I too
, for th
esak
e of all b
eings, d
evelop
bo
dh
ichitta an
d fo
llow
the train
ings
exactly as all bo
dh
isattvas have d
on
e.
C.
Do
not give u
p b
od
hich
itta becau
se of th
e misch
ievou
s deed
s of
sentien
t bein
gs. Th
is hap
pen
s wh
en yo
u th
ink th
at you
will n
ot
work
for th
e welfare o
f a particu
lar sentien
t bein
g wh
o h
as harm
edyo
u.
D.
Work
to accu
mu
late the tw
o co
llection
s of m
erit. In th
e begin
nin
g,yo
u can
acqu
ire extensive p
hysical m
erit by m
akin
g offerin
gs to th
ep
oo
r and
to th
e three jew
els; and
men
tal merit b
y con
temp
lating
emp
tiness an
d b
od
hich
itta.
2.How to m
aintain and enhance your practice in future lives
A.A
bandon the four negative dharmas:
1.
Kn
ow
ingly co
nfu
sing o
ne’s ab
bo
t, guru
, or o
ther h
oly b
eings w
ithlies, su
ch as ch
angin
g the su
bject w
hen
you
r guru
asks yo
u to
do
som
ethin
g, or n
ot tellin
g you
r guru
of yo
ur n
egative action
s becau
seyo
u are afraid
of h
is scold
ing yo
u.
2.
Disco
uragin
g oth
ers from
practicin
g virtuo
us actio
ns, o
r causin
gth
em to
regret virtue th
at they h
ave created, su
ch as sayin
g, “It isgo
od
bu
t it will b
e difficu
lt for yo
u to
main
tain th
at practice,” w
hen
som
eon
e is practicin
g renu
nciatio
n. Y
ou
cause th
em to
do
ub
t their
virtuo
us p
ractice. Even
if they d
o n
ot regret th
eir virtuo
us actio
n,
you
r enco
uragem
ent to
do
so is a n
egative dh
arma.
The Bodhisattva V
ows
15
The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
with
addition
s from L
am
a Z
opa R
inpoch
e in [ ]
Lord
[Bu
dd
ha], m
ake m
e an in
strum
ent o
f you
r peace.
Wh
ere there is h
atred, let m
e sow
love.
Wh
ere there is in
jury, p
ardo
n.
Wh
ere there is d
iscord
, un
ity.W
here th
ere is do
ub
t, faith.
Wh
ere there is erro
r, truth
.W
here th
ere is desp
air, ho
pe.
Wh
ere there is sad
ness, jo
y.W
here th
ere is dark
ness, ligh
t.
O d
ivine m
aster,G
rant th
at I may n
ot so
mu
ch seek
to b
e con
soled
[hap
pin
ess for th
eego
] as to co
nso
le;T
o b
e un
dersto
od
as to u
nd
erstand
;T
o b
e loved
as to lo
ve.
Fo
r it is in givin
g that w
e receive;It is in
pard
on
ing th
at we are p
ardo
ned
;It is in
dyin
g [havin
g practiced
] that w
e are bo
rn to
eternal life [fro
mh
app
iness to
hap
pin
ess up
to fu
ll enligh
tenm
ent].
May all beings effortlessly attain the transcendent blissful
state of omniscient buddhahood.
Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels
18 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
The Bodhisattva Vows
WISH
ING B
OD
HIC
HIT
TA
Th
e com
mitm
ents o
f havin
g taken
the vo
ws to
develo
p w
ishin
g bod
hich
ittaare d
ivided
into
two
section
s:
1. H
ow
to gu
ard th
e vow
s from
degen
erating in
this life
2. H
ow
to m
aintain
and
enh
ance yo
ur p
ractice in fu
ture lives
1.How to guard the vows from
degenerating in this life
AT
o d
evelop
insp
iration
, con
temp
late the ad
vantages o
f bo
dh
ichitta:
1.
It is the o
nly d
oo
r to th
e Mah
ayana p
ath
2.
Yo
u w
ill be called
a son
of th
e bu
dd
has
3.
Yo
u w
ill surp
ass in b
rilliance even
the H
inayan
a arhats
4.
Yo
u w
ill beco
me an
ob
ject of h
ighest resp
ect and
offerin
g
5.
Yo
u w
ill easily com
plete th
e extensive co
llection
s of m
erit
6.
Th
e ob
structio
ns o
f you
r negative k
armic im
pressio
ns w
ill qu
ickly
be p
urified
7.Yo
u w
ill be su
ccessful in
wh
atever you
attemp
t and
you
will b
ew
itho
ut n
eed
8.
Yo
u w
ill not b
e overco
me b
y either h
arm o
r interferen
ce
9.
Yo
u w
ill be an
inexh
austib
le sou
rce of co
mfo
rt and
hap
pin
ess for
sentien
t bein
gs
10.
Yo
u w
ill qu
ickly attain
all the realizatio
ns o
f the p
ath to
enligh
tenm
ent
B.
To
strength
en o
ne’s b
od
hich
itta, con
temp
late it and
recite the
prayer th
ree times a d
ay and
three tim
es at nigh
t. It is very heavy
negative k
arma to
give up
bo
dh
ichitta b
ecause yo
u p
rom
ised to
lead
16 Vows and C
ommitm
ents
© L
ama Z
op
a Rin
po
che 2
00
0
Colophon:
Th
is refuge b
oo
klet w
as origin
ally com
piled
and
translated
in S
ingap
ore b
y the stu
den
ts of
Am
itabh
a Bu
dd
hist C
enter o
n th
e advice o
f Lam
a Th
ub
ten Z
op
a Rin
po
che, w
ith so
me
add
ition
al clarification
on
the b
asis of th
e great enligh
tened
Pab
on
gka’s ad
vice.It w
as lightly ed
ited fo
r inclu
sion
in th
e pro
totyp
e FP
MT
Prayer B
oo
k in
Janu
ary 19
99
and
has b
een fu
rther revised
for p
ub
lication
by V
en. C
on
stance M
iller, FP
MT
Ed
ucatio
nS
ervices, July 2
00
0 w
ith so
me ad
ditio
ns fro
m L
ama Z
op
a Rin
po
che.
With
sincere th
ank
s to M
eng Y
on
g and
the stu
den
ts of A
mitab
ha B
ud
dh
ist Cen
tre,S
ingap
ore w
ho
have sp
on
sored
the p
rintin
g of th
is revised b
oo
klet fo
r the F
PM
T.
08
09
00
bk
ltA4
.5
Credits:
Co
ver line d
rawin
g of S
hak
yamu
ni B
ud
dh
a by L
ama Z
op
a Rin
po
che.
Lin
e draw
ing o
n p
. 13
by K
atie Co
le. Fro
m T
each
ings a
t Tush
ita, New
Delh
i: Mah
ayana
Pu
blicatio
ns, 1
98
1.
Co
lor fro
ntisp
iece of S
hak
yamu
ni B
ud
dh
a togeth
er with
Sh
aripu
tra and
Mau
dgalyayan
a,co
urtesy o
f Ven
. Co
nstan
ce Miller.
17
The Bodhisattva
Vows
The Bodhisattva V
ows