“Bodhisattva vow,” unfortunately, is an unfamiliar term to most of us, off-putting in both its length and strangeness.
But it’s not a strange concept. It simply means living to help others. And virtually everyone in the English-speaking world, whether Christian, Buddhist, atheist or other has heard at least one version of it.
Allow me to jog your memory:
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
the peace that was meant to be!
With God as our Father,
brothers all are we.
Let us walk with each other
in perfect harmony.Let there be peace on earth
let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
let this be my solemn vow:
To take each moment
and live each moment
in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.
Elsewhere I’ve written about the bodhisattva vow I made in May of 2000. And though twenty-four years have gone by, it has become ever more important to me, the highest goal of my life. I try to renew it daily. Why? Daily we are brainwashed away from the mind of Christ.
We are immersed with the teaching, but become accustomed to ignoring it, as we know so few people who take it seriously. When children sing this song, we think “How cute! They’re singing about peace!” and within moments shrug off any hint of challenge it might stir, with a inner dismissal of idealism.
It’s worth listening to again.
To take each moment
and live each moment
in peace eternally.
This is not only a recipe for the most meaningful life one can possibly aspire to, but a dedication to renew the world in love. Let’s do it!