Rev. Clairissa continues to contemplate the teaching of the Bodhisattva Vows, this time referring to the third of the four Bodhisattva Vows. She considers the various meanings of the term “Dharma” which is so central to Buddhism, and the importance of our willingness to continue opening to the teaching as it unfolds throughout a lifetime of spiritual practice.

The Bodhisattva Vows express our true heart’s intention to help beings, especially through the offering of our inner spiritual work. In our tradition of Sōtō Zen, these fundamental vows are recited three times in succession during our regular Renewal of Vows ceremony:   

However innumerable beings may be, I vow to save them all,
However inexhaustible the passions may be, I vow to transform them all,
However limitless the Dharma may be, I vow to comprehend it completely,
However infinite the Buddha’s Truth is, I vow to realize it.