About 25 years ago I was a resident in a Zen Buddhist training center. For two years, each morning and evening, I would meditate in the zendo alongside fellow priests, monks, and trainees, and we would chant our vows. One of the vows was, “Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them.” Over time, I realized many of the vows I made were impossible to keep, and though sometimes that was disheartening, they still served as a compass for me. 

I’ve taken many oaths, pledges, and vows. In addition to those I took as a Buddhist, I pledged allegiance to the U.S. flag in school, I took the Oath of Enlistment when I joined the U.S. Army, and I’ve taken marriage vows. These days I still abide by the vows and commitments I made and in addition, I’ve adopted a habit of setting intentions before I get out of bed in the morning. I have noticed that my intentions seem to deepen into commitments, then become a silent vow. 

Vows are found in almost every religion in some way shape or form. They act as guiding principles reminding us of our aspirations, and as touchstones that strengthen our faith and inspire us to persevere during challenging times. 

The power of honoring the vows we make deepens our self-awareness, fosters our personal integrity, and facilitates greater spiritual fulfilment. When we make a commitment to align our actions with higher ideals and values, we become more and more mindful and aware of the moment-to-moment choices we make. This creates more inner transformation.  

I took the Five Mindfulness Trainings at a retreat at Deer Park Monastery in Southern California with the late Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh (known as “Thay” to his disciples). Thay had translated the ancient Buddhist vows into contemporary, nonsectarian practices of compassion and understanding, with mindfulness at the heart of each one. 

The first Mindfulness Training is to protect life, to decrease violence in oneself, in the family and in society. The second is to practice social justice, generosity, not stealing, and not exploiting other living beings. The third is the practice of responsible sexual behavior in order to protect individuals, couples, families, and children. The fourth is the practice of deep listening and loving speech to restore communication and reconciliation. The fifth is about mindful consumption, to help us not bring toxins and poisons into our body or mind. Thay wrote about the power of mindfulness in his book Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices:

“With mindfulness, we are aware of what is going on in our bodies, our feelings, our minds and the world, and we avoid doing harm to ourselves and others. Mindfulness protects us, our families, and our society. When we are mindful, we can see that by refraining from doing one thing, we can prevent another thing from happening. We arrive at our own unique insight. It is not something imposed on us by an outside authority. Practicing the Mindfulness Trainings, therefore, helps us be more calm and concentrated, and brings more insight and enlightenment.”

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