Does this sound at all familiar?
The next time you are sharing the Christian faith with a Buddhist friend, mention the supreme ideal of the Buddhist religion: the Bodhisattva is a redeemer who gives up his own right to heaven and glory in order to help others to attain salvation. Through his own redemptive suffering, the Bodhisattva draws others to salvation. Hmmmm... The Christian is saved by the Bodhisattva; His name is Jesus. Ultimately, He is the only One who can rightfully make the claims stated below, but it strikes me that this is not a bad way of praying for a renewed commitment to Christian evangelism...
The Bodhisattva's Vow
May I be a guard for those who are protectorless,
A guide for those who journey on the road; For those who wish to go across the water,
May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.
May I be an isle for those who yearn for landfall,
And a lamp for those who long for light;
For those who need a resting place, a bed,
For all who need a servant, may I be a slave.
May I be the wishing jewel, the vase of plenty,
A word of power, and the supreme remedy.
May I be the trees of miracles,
And for every being, abundance.
Like the great earth and the other elements,
Enduring as the sky itself endures,
For the boundless multitude of living beings,
May I be the ground and vessel of their life.
Thus, for every single thing that lives,
In number like the boundless reaches of the sky,
May I be their sustenance and nourishment
Until they pass beyond the bounds of suffering.
In reward for all this righteousness that I have won by my works,
I would become a soother of all the sorrows of all creatures.
I will give myself away as a pawn through which the whole world is redeemed, and within my body I must experience for the sake of all beings the whole mass of painful feelings.
On behalf of all beings I give surety for all beings… so have I surrendered my body for the welfare of the world.
posted by MM at 2:08 PM
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