Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘Shakyamuni Buddha said that vow is the spine of practice. Without a vow, it collapses. Our bodhisattva vow comes from Bodhidharma, who said: ‘Vast is the suffering of beings, I vow to end it all. Though beings are numberless, I vow to save them all.’

In the Bloodstream Teaching, Bodhidharma said: ‘People who seek the way without a clear vow are like a house without a foundation.’ There is no sentimentality with Bodhidharma. That’s one of the reasons I love him. He is not letting us off the hook, saying, ‘Oh, well, never mind, it’s hard.’ Rather, he is saying, ‘Yes, it’s hard.’ And, ‘What is your life built on? What is at the true center?’ It’s not about me, or you. And it is also not about this particular time. We can vow to actually serve this world in the past, present, and future.

Dogen Zenji says in the Eihei Koroku that vows are the heart of practice. Without vow, there is no practice and no realization. If we’re not living our vow in every thought, word, and action, there is no practice and no real realization.

It is not so important what I say my vow is. Vow is not a promise to the world. It is the active shape we allow our life to have. Will it become clear to everyone around us? Vow is not what we think in our heads. It is what we do with our bodies, in our lives. And it is not about being perfect.’ (from Slow Down. Help Out. Wake Up.)