FEATURE

ACROSS THE SEA OF SUFFERING 
IN A BOAT OF VOWS

     Upasika Kuo Tsong Bach made the first four of these vows several years ago. The remaining vows were made before the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions and the four-fold assembly at Gold Mountain on January 23rd, 1974, the anniversary of Maitreya Bodhisattva’s birth and the Chinese Lunar New Year.

1. I vow to be filial to my teacher.

2. I vow to cut off anger.

3. I vow to be respectful toward my husband.

4. I vow that my child will be filial to the Master.

5. I vow to always protect the Buddhadharma.

6. I vow that if my child leaves home I will build a Great Vehicle Way Palace.

7. I vow to bestow the blessings I am destined to receive upon all living beings.

8. I vow to cut off jealousy and not allow thoughts of others to enter my mind.

9. I vow not to attain Buddhahood until all beings with craving become irreversible from the Buddha’s path.

10. I vow to give my life rather than harm another living being.

11. I vow that in every life I will follow the Master.

12. I vow to always manifest during the Dharma-ending age to cause living beings to break through their covering of darkness.

13. I vow to give up my life rather than fail to cultivate the Proper Dharma, and to make this vow in every life.

14. I vow to always establish places of offerings to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Patriarchs.

15. I vow to perfect the patience of kindness and compassion toward all living beings.

16. I vow to leave home in every life at an early age.

17. I vow to always speak only those words, which accord with the Buddha’s teaching.

ACROSS THE SEA OF SUFFERING IN A BOAT OF VOWS will be continued in the next issue of VBS with the vows of Sramanerika Heng Chen.