I vow not to withhold spiritual or material aid, but to give freely when needed. Here we are back to the question: what does it mean to possess something? The concept of giving presupposes that one possesses something. It also presupposes that an object that can be given exists. So there are many false assumptions…
I vow not to praise myself by criticizing others, but to overcome my own shortcomings. Presenting someone in a less advantageous way is a strategy for being seen as better. Everything is relational, so if we compare ourselves to someone who is not good looking, we may think we are much better. People who use…
I vow not to gossip about others’ faults, but to be understanding and sympathetic. In general, we make things grow when we focus our attention on them. So if we decide to focus on mistakes, we will make them grow. For example, if we see that someone is noisy and complain about it, we will…
I vow not to misuse drugs or alcohol, but to keep the mind clear. Intoxicants can be very different. The most obvious are substances like alcohol or drugs. They are perhaps the most difficult to deal with because they can create a physical addiction and the body craves them. But other innocent substances like sugar…
I vow not to lie, but to speak the truth. What does it mean to lie? Technically, everything is a lie, because that’s how language works. Everything we say is a misunderstanding. We can never say exactly what we want to say, and it is always possible to find discrepancies.
I vow not to misuse sexual energy, but to be honest and respectful. On one hand, sex is beautiful and a nice thing to do with another person. On the other hand, it can be a strong distraction. It is a very strong instinct. Our bodies are programmed to reproduce, so sometimes it is enough…
I vow not to steal, but to respect that which belongs to others. It’s hard to answer this question without reflecting on what ownership is. What does it mean to own something? Owners have more rights to belongings than others. So stealing is a process of changing these rights. It is a very broad definition.…
I vow not to kill, but to cherish all life. Killing is always seen as the most fundamental violation in all ethical and religious systems. Life itself is usually the most ultimate goal of any spiritual process. Thus, protecting and supporting it are the most direct actions we can take.
Każda istota raduje się moją obecnościąi z niej korzysta. (3x) Tak łatwo o tym zapomnieć,gdy zwiedziony przez pragnienia, przekonany jestem, że czegoś mi brakuje. Ufając jak nowo narodzone dziecko swoim rodzicom, powierzam się mądrości wszystkich istoti pozwalam całemu światu kochać mnie na swój sposób,dbać o mnie na swój sposób,i uczyć mnie na swój sposób. (3x)…
Moje tłumaczenie czterech ślubowań na język polski.