Flint Sparks' Bodhisattva Vow: Zen (video)

Flint Sparks (Appamada Zen, 3/24/21); Amber Larson, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

A Bodhisattva Vow through Care

The Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse

Beings are numberless; I vow to care for them all. Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to remove obstructions to care.

Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to enter them all with diligent mindful care. The Buddha’s way is unsurpassable; I vow to embody it with care and love.

Beings are numberless; we vow to offer care for them all together. Delusions are inexhaustible; we vow to remove obstructions to care together.

Dharma gates are boundless; we vow to enter them all with diligent mindful care together. The Buddha’s way is unsurpassable; we vow to embody it with care and love together.

Beings are numberless; this vow frees infinite care. Delusions are inexhaustible; this vow ends all obstacles to care.

Dharma gates are boundless; this vow enters the inconceivable world of care. The Buddha’s way is unsurpassable; this vow embodies profound care.

What does it mean to "care"?

You call that caring? - Yeah, everyone gets one.

Appamāda (Sanskrit apramāda, Tibetan bag yod pa) is a Pali word, a Buddhist term that translates as "conscientious" or "concern" or "care." It is defined as taking great care concerning what should be adopted and what should be avoided [1][2]. In the Pāli canon, a Pali language collection of the Buddha's earliest teachings, the term appamāda is quite significant. The essence of its meaning cannot be captured with a single English word. "Heedfulness," "diligence," and "conscientiousness" are all approximations tat capture some aspects of appamāda. It is identified as one of the eleven virtuous mental factors within the Mahayana Abhidharma ("Higher Doctrine") teachings. More