Bodhisattva Vow

As I develop the awakening mind I praise the Buddhas as they shine I bow before you as I travel my path To join your ranks, I make my full-time task For the sake of all beings I seek The enlightened mind that I know I'll reap Respect to Shantideva and all the others Who brought down the Dharma for the sisters and brothers I give thanks for this world as a place to learn And for this human body that I know I've earned And my deepest thanks to all sentient beings For without them, there would be no place to learn what I'm seeing There's nothing here that's not been said before But I put it down now so that I'll be sure To solidify my own views And I'll be glad if it helps anyone else out too If others disrespect me or give me flak I'll stop and think before I react Knowing that they're going through insecure stages I'll take the opportunity to exercise patience I'll see it as a chance to help the other person Nip it in the bud before it can worsen A chance for me to be strong and sure As I think on the Buddhas who have come before As I praise and respect the good they've done Knowing love can conquer hate in every situation We need other people in order to create The circumstances for the learning that we're here to generate Situations that bring up our deepest fears So we can work to release them until they're cleared Therefore, it only makes sense To thank our enemies despite their intent The Bodhisattva path is one of power and strength A strength from within to go the length Seeing others are as important as myself I strive for a happiness of mental wealth With the interconnectedness that we share as one Every action that we take affects everyone So in deciding for what a situation calls There is a path for the good for all I try to make my every action for that highest good With the altruistic wish to achieve Buddhahood So I pledge here before everyone who's listening To try to make my every action for the good of all beings For the rest of my lifetimes and even beyond I vow to do my best, to do no harm And in times of doubt, I can think on the Dharma And the Enlightened Ones who've graduated Samsara --- Bodhisattva Vow - Beastie Boys