Bodhisattva's Vow

When I,
A student of the Way,
Look at the real form of the universe,
All is the never-failing manifestation,
Of the mysterious truth of the Awakened Life.
In any event,
In any moment,
And in any place,
None can be other than the marvelous revelation,
Of its glorious light.
This realization made our ancestors and teachers,
Extend tender care,
With respectful hearts,
Even to such beings as birds and beasts.
This realization teaches us,
That our daily food, drink, clothes,
And protections of life,
Are the warm flesh and blood,
The merciful incarnation of the Awakened Life.
Who can be ungrateful or not respectful,
Even to senseless things,
Not to speak of humans.
Even though he may be a fool,
Be warm and compassionate toward him.
If by any chance she should turn against us,
Become a sworn enemy and abuse and persecute us,
We should sincerely bow down with humble language,
In the reverent understanding,
That she is the merciful manifestation of the Awakened Life,
Which uses devices to emancipate us from blind tendencies,
Produced and accumulated upon ourselves,
By our own egoistic delusion and attachment,
Through countless cycles of space and time.
Then on each moment's flash of our thought,
There will grow a lotus flower,
And on each lotus flower will be revealed Perfection,
Unceasingly manifest as our life,
Just as it is,
Right here and right now.
May we extend this mind to all beings,
So that we and the world together,
May attain maturity in the wisdom of the Awakened Life.

Torei Enji 1721-1792 C.E.
Translated by Katsuki Sekida
Modified by Charlotte Joko Beck and Elihu Genmyo Smith