The bodhisattva vow is the promise to free all sentient beings from suffering, without exception. Not some, not most — all. It can be a hard task in today’s world. Conflict is happening on every continent, political divides deepen with each election, and then there are those pesky family and work relationships we navigate daily. We’re constantly asked to draw lines in the sand.
A friend of mine who endured horrendous office politics said to me, “If my boss was dying in the street, I wouldn’t help him.” They were harsh words, but I understood. In the past, I’ve felt the same about people who hurt me in a variety of ways. But Buddhism has taught me that this kind of sentiment is a poisonous cocktail that I drink myself.
The bodhisattva vow to free everyone from suffering includes myself. What suffering am I enduring now? What poisonous cocktail am I mixing?
Starting with freeing ourselves doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to the ills of the world. Rather, we’re asked to look at it — all of it. If the saying “hurt people hurt people” can be true, then so can “free people free people.” If I go to a march, a rally, or a voting booth as a free person, my choices will cause less harm. I worked in the LGBTQ community for decades, where I learned that a free person welcomes straight allies and all the help possible. A suffering person hates straight people and wants nothing to do with them.
At Lion’s Roar, I’m currently working onBodhi Leaves, our new monthly digital publication featuring articles and teachings exploring the Asian American Buddhist experience. Alongside my work in the LGBTQ community, I’ve worked in Asian American spaces for a long time as well, and attachment and aversion are forms of suffering I’ve seen and experienced myself. As a young, self-hating Asian American, I only thought a white man could ever be my boyfriend. Then as I grew more empowered, I went the other direction where I believed that I should only have an Asian boyfriend. Now, having found freedom on the Buddhist path, I only want someone kind and loving.
The three pieces below explore the meaning and practice of living the bodhisattva vow. I know it can be hard to think of liberation forall. Perhaps we can start with a smaller grouping, as I suggest in my piece “I Vow to Save Everyone?,” featured on theBodhi Leavespage. Mu Soeng’s “How Sad is Your Love?” provides insight into the essence of the bodhisattva, and finally, Mushim Patricia Ikeda's “I Vow Not to Burn Out” serves as a gentle reminder that even bodhisattvas require rest.
May our commitment to the bodhisattva vow inspire others to join us in spreading compassion and liberation far and wide.
Living Up to the Bodhisattva Vow
The bodhisattva vow is the promise to free all sentient beings from suffering, without exception. Not some, not most — all. It can be a hard task in today’s world. Conflict is happening on every continent, political divides deepen with each election, and then there are those pesky family and work relationships we navigate daily. We’re constantly asked to draw lines in the sand.
A friend of mine who endured horrendous office politics said to me, “If my boss was dying in the street, I wouldn’t help him.” They were harsh words, but I understood. In the past, I’ve felt the same about people who hurt me in a variety of ways. But Buddhism has taught me that this kind of sentiment is a poisonous cocktail that I drink myself.
The bodhisattva vow to free everyone from suffering includes myself. What suffering am I enduring now? What poisonous cocktail am I mixing?
Starting with freeing ourselves doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to the ills of the world. Rather, we’re asked to look at it — all of it. If the saying “hurt people hurt people” can be true, then so can “free people free people.” If I go to a march, a rally, or a voting booth as a free person, my choices will cause less harm. I worked in the LGBTQ community for decades, where I learned that a free person welcomes straight allies and all the help possible. A suffering person hates straight people and wants nothing to do with them.
At Lion’s Roar, I’m currently working onBodhi Leaves, our new monthly digital publication featuring articles and teachings exploring the Asian American Buddhist experience. Alongside my work in the LGBTQ community, I’ve worked in Asian American spaces for a long time as well, and attachment and aversion are forms of suffering I’ve seen and experienced myself. As a young, self-hating Asian American, I only thought a white man could ever be my boyfriend. Then as I grew more empowered, I went the other direction where I believed that I should only have an Asian boyfriend. Now, having found freedom on the Buddhist path, I only want someone kind and loving.
The three pieces below explore the meaning and practice of living the bodhisattva vow. I know it can be hard to think of liberation forall. Perhaps we can start with a smaller grouping, as I suggest in my piece “I Vow to Save Everyone?,” featured on theBodhi Leavespage. Mu Soeng’s “How Sad is Your Love?” provides insight into the essence of the bodhisattva, and finally, Mushim Patricia Ikeda's “I Vow Not to Burn Out” serves as a gentle reminder that even bodhisattvas require rest.
May our commitment to the bodhisattva vow inspire others to join us in spreading compassion and liberation far and wide.
—Noel Alumit, Associate Editor, Lion’s Roar
For more stories by and about Asian American Buddhists, sign up forBodhi Leaves: The Asian American Buddhist Monthly, launching May 1.