The Bodhisattva Vows

The intention is everything with the Bodhisattva vows. We take the vows purely for the sake of others. Only when we dedicate for the sake of others and try our best to put what we have learned into practice will our practice become truly beneficial. The preparation for taking the Bodhisattva vows is really to know how to develop bodhicitta itself. We must have that knowledge and have the intention to develop our minds to really benefit others. In Mahayana, a “created” bodhicitta can be developed during meditation, but once the meditation stops, your mind stops. You should only take the Bodhisattva Vows when you have developed, or know how to develop, bodhicitta. 

Along with the vows, Bodhisattvas must abide by the Six Paramitas. It’s hard in this day and age to truly strictly abide and follow all the vows, or even remember them all, as to not break them. However, there are four factors needed to break a vow:

1. Not being mindful of the disadvantages/you don’t regard what you have done as being a mistake
2. Having no desire to stop the action (to repeat it again)
3. Indulging in the act of what you have done with great pleasure and delight
4. Being shameless and inconsiderate, you do not care about the consequences of your actions for yourself and for others

The vows are things you vow to abandon. So the Eighteen Root Bodhisattva Vows are:

1. praising oneself and belittling others
2. not sharing with others one’s wealth and Dharma
3. not forgiving even when others apologize
4. doubting and denying the doctrine of the Great Vehicle
5. taking offerings intended for the Three Jewels
6. abandoning the doctrine through sectarianism
7. causing an ordained person to disrobe
8. committing one of the five crimes of immediate retribution
9. holding perverted views
10. destroying places such as towns
11. teaching emptiness to the untrained
12. discouraging others from seeking full enlightenment
13. causing others to break the vows of Individual Liberation
14. belittling those who follow the path of Individual Liberation
15. proclaiming false realisations such as the realisation of emptiness
16. accepting gifts that have been misappropriated from the belongings of the Three Jewels
17. laying down harmful regulations and passing false judgement
18. giving up the pledge of altruistic aspiration

The Forty-Six Secondary Bodhisattva Vows are mainly connected with the practice of the Six Paramitas:

Generosity
1. not making offerings every day to the Three Jewels
2. acting out of desire because of discontent
3. not paying respect to those senior in ordination and in taking the Bodhisattva vows
4. not answering others’ questions out of negligence though one is capable of doing so
5. selfishly not accepting invitations due to pride, the wish to hurt other’s feelings or anger or laziness
6. not accepting others’ gift out of jealousy, anger etc or simply to hurt others
7. not giving the Dharma teaching to those who wish to learn

Morality
8. ignoring and insulting someone who has committed any of the five heinous crimes or defiled his or her vows of individual liberation, or treating him or her with contempt
9. not observing the precepts of moral conduct because one wishes to ingratiate oneself with others
10. complying with the minor precepts when the situation demands one’s disregard of them for the better benefit of others
11. not committing one of the seven negative actions of body, speech and mind when universal love and compassion deem it necessary in the particular instance
12. accepting things that are acquired through one of the five wrong livelihoods
13. wasting time on frivolous actions such as carelessness, lack of pure morality, dancing, playing music just for fun, gossiping and also distracting others in meditation
14. misconceiving that bodhisattvas do not attempt to attain liberation and failing to view delusions as things to be eliminated
15. not living up to one’s precepts
16. not correcting others who are motivated by delusions

Paitence
17. parting from the four noble disciplines
18. neglecting those who are angry with you
19. refusing to accept the apologies of others
20. acting out thoughts of anger

Perseverance 
21. gathering circles of disciples out of desire for respect and material gain
22. wasting time and energy on trivial matters
23. being addicted to frivolous talk

Concentration
24. not seeking the means to develop concentration
25. not abandoning the five obscurations which hinder meditative stabilisations
26. being addicted to the joy of meditative absorption

Wisdom
27. abandoning the path of Theravada as unnecessary for one following the Mahayana
28. exerting effort principally in another system of practice while neglecting the Mahayana teachings that one already has
29. without good reason exerting effort to learn or practice the treaties of non-Buddhists which are not the proper object of one’s endeavor
30. beginning to favor and take delight in the treaties of non-Buddhists although studying them for a good reason
31. abandoning any part of the Mahayana by thinking it is uninteresting or unpleasant
32. praising oneself and belittling others because of pride and anger
33. not going to Dharma gatherings or teachings
34. disparaging the spiritual master

Ethical Practice to Benefit Others
35. not helping those who are in need
36. not helping people who are sick
37. not alleviating the suffering of others
38. not explaining what is the proper conduct to those who are reckless
39. not benefiting in return those who have benefited oneself
40.  not relieving the sorrow of others
41. not giving material possessions to those in need
42. not working for the welfare of one’s circles of friends, students, employees, helpers
43. not acting in accordance with the wishes of others if doing so does not bring harm to oneself or others
44. not praising those who have good qualities
45. not acting with whatever means are necessary according to the circumstances to stop someone who is doing harmful action
46. not using miraculous powers, if one possesses this ability, in order to stop others from doing unwholesome actions

Once you take the Bodhisattva Vows, not only do you gain good Karma, but you also gain merit. If you’ve broken a vow, your bad karma is doubled daily until you repair it. There are several ways to mend a broken vow. One way is to repeat the vow(s) you’ve broken three times, or the whole list three times. Another way is to recite the Vajrasattva Mantra (the long version) 21 times (if you’re practicing Tibetan Buddhism), or the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra. Another way is to ask for forgiveness from your guru (teacher) or head monk. But it’s very important to know that if you do break a vow, you have to feel a deep regret in doing so and confess (infront of an image of a Buddha) and vow to not repeat it again.

Smile and be well!