12 Vows to cultivate a spirit of Avalokita Buddhishava

After nearly a year, I visited the Kim Son Monastery again today with some dear friends. And I wanted to share with you, dear reader, these beautiful vows we were introduced to, to cultivate a harmonious existence from within and without and to live in mindfulness. The monastery is a Vietnamese Sangha in the Buddhist tradition. (Avalokita Buddhishava or Avolikiteshvara Bodhisattva)

1. I vow to cultivate loving kindness and compassion, and to protect lives, happiness for all living beings.

2. I vow to understand all living beings and their sufferings, in order to offer joy and bring happiness to everyone.

3. I vow to let go of all angers, worries, anxieties, and complaints, so I can live freely and happily with everyone.

4. I vow to live in harmony, peacefully with friends, families, and all beings.

5. I vow to listen with all my attention and open heartedness in order to understand what the other person is saying. I shall listen without any prejudice. I shall sit and listen without judging or reacting. And I shall not say things which are unwholesome and hurtful.

6. I vow to practice mindful breathing to transform my deep habit energy of forgetfulness, I shall learn to breath mindfully every time I hear the sound of the bell, or other wonderful sounds around me. If I practice listen deeply, I will see that all sound carries a message of love and wisdom.

7. May the sick people be healed, the old be well taken care of, and those who has passed away will all be reborn in the Pure Land.

8. May the poor be fed, all wrong doings be repented, all in captivity be free, all disable be healed, all drug addict be awaken from their illusion, and all murderers be free of arms.

9. May all the beings cultivate boundless love. Let no one do harm to anyone. Let no one put the life of anyone in danger, and let no one, out of anger or ill will, wish anyone harm.

10. I vow to protect this planet and keep it beautiful. I vow to do work of transforming garbage into flowers and fruits, protecting life and the environment, and building a Pure Land on earth.

11. May all beings end all afflictions so that wisdom can arise, and the fruit of awakening be fully realized for everyone.

12. May I and all living beings act with the wonderful power of thousand arms and eyes of compassion, to come and go freely in the three worlds. We aspire to practice with a boddhisatva’s vow to be an instrument of the Buddha to help alleviate pain and sufferings in the Ten Directions of the Cosmos.