The Bodhisattva Vows: Part 1

The Bodhisattva Vows are formal promises to refrain from two sets of negative actions. Buddha himself prohibited these actions for disciples training in the bodhisattva path to enlightenment. In other words, these vows guide our behaviour so that we can be of greatest benefit to ourselves and others.

• The 18 Root Vows
  These are the core set of vows. They guide our conduct along the spiritual path of a Bodhisattva warrior in order to achieve full enlightenment. Breaking any of the root vows constitutes losing the entire set of Bodhisattva vows in our mindstream.
• The 46 Secondary Vows
  These are actions to be avoided as they are detrimental to our development of the Six Perfections and the Ethic of Working to Benefit Sentient Beings.

The Bodhisattva vows are very powerful to generate merit and keep us firmly on the path of Bodhisattva conduct. The gurus of the past often emphasised that at the moment of passing away from this life, our Bodhisattva vows should be intact.

When our vows are intact at the time of death, their power carries forward to our next rebirth and continually generates merits. This means that even if we unknowingly commit a downfall in future lifetimes, we still generate merit unless we take the vows again and are once again consciously aware that we are holding them.

You are invited to a free talk on the topic of the Root Bodhisattva Vows. Along with the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, this is prerequisite study material for anyone aspiring to receive higher tantric initiations like Yamantaka and Vajra Yogini.