A Special Day

Good morning! Today I take my Boddhisattva vow with Acharya (means senior teacher) Arawana Hyashi who is visiting us from New York to give us teachings all weekend. This is my second Buddhist vow, having taken the Refuge Vow in 2004.

A Boddhisattva is one who puts service and compassion for others ahead of themselves. Seems like a simple enough thing but in actuality if one believes in reincarnation, a Boddhisattva is, in essence setting aside his or her time for enlightenment, agreeing to be reborn into the cycle of life with its joys and sufferings, over and over until ALL sentient beings are enlightened. (Wow! That makes me nervous just thinking about it.) But this path feels right to me.

Enlightenment comes when one sees the futility of samsara (living with self-centeredness, bewilderment, greed, pride, envy, clinging to objects and people) and comes to understand that it's all these things that create suffering in our lives.

There will be a vow ceremony in which I and three others from our community or sangha, will be given our Boddhisattva names, chosen by Acharya Hayashi. My refuge name chosen by another Acharya is Champa Metok, in Tibetan, or Loving-kindness Flower.

I know all this must seem strange to you, but for me Buddhism is a philosophy, a way of life, learning how to know how to act in the world to relieve one's own suffering as well as that of others. It has changed my life.

Just wanted to share this important day with you all.
Much love,
Mom