Hey there,
Welcome back.
Take a moment to breathe.
Let yourself arrive fully.
Body,
Mind,
And heart.
I'm glad you're here.
Thanks for showing up.
This path is always waiting for us.
And every time we return,
It welcomes us like an old friend.
So today,
We begin with the first bodhisattva vow.
Sanctient beings are numberless.
I vow to free them.
So let's explore what this means as a daily way of being.
Take a deep breath in through the nose and exhale,
Settling in,
Dropping into this present moment.
Let's sit with this first vow together.
Sancient beings are numberless.
I vow to free them.
Sancient beings,
That means all living parts to this world.
Not just humans,
We're talking animals,
Trees,
Oceans,
The beating heart of the earth.
Anything that breathes,
Moves,
Feels,
We are connected to it.
And the vow says they are numberless,
Endless,
Without limit.
There is no way to count or contain them.
So this vow is not a checklist,
It's a way of life.
And it says,
I choose to meet this world with care over and over again,
Even knowing I can never reach the end of it.
And so what does it mean to free them?
Well,
We start by freeing ourselves,
Noticing the moments when judgment creeps in,
The moments when you're impatient,
Shut down,
Or you try to control the outcome.
Instead of tightening your grip,
You soften.
You practice listening.
You practice showing up without fixing or changing.
And you allow someone to be exactly as they are.
And in doing so,
You make space for something to shift.
Sometimes freedom means giving someone else room to breathe.
Sometimes it means unhooking yourself from your own expectations.
Sometimes it's as simple as presence,
Sitting with someone in silence,
Letting them feel seen.
This vow does not require perfection.
It asks for your intention.
It says,
Wherever I go,
I want to be someone who brings a little more space,
A little more gentleness,
A little more freedom.
And that starts from within.
And let's practice together.
I invite you to close your eyes or soften your gaze,
Taking a deep breath in through the nose and exhale through the mouth.
Breathing in,
I soften.
Breathing out,
I allow.
And feeling into your own heart.
Where do I need compassion today?
Where do I feel tight or tired or unseen?
And maybe offer yourself these words either quietly or aloud.
May I be free from suffering.
May I feel peace.
May I remember I am not alone.
I invite you now to bring someone to mind,
Someone you care about,
Maybe someone who may be struggling.
And let's offer them the same wish.
May you be free from suffering.
May you feel peace.
May you know you are not alone.
Really allowing that field of compassion to grow,
To expand.
Offering the same wish to someone you have never met,
To someone you find difficult.
And as far out as the wish will go,
To all sentient beings everywhere.
The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence,
Thich Nhat Hanh.
And right now you are offering that gift to yourself,
To others,
To the world.
Staying steady and still with our breath.
Inhale through the nose and release through the mouth.
Let's take a moment to honor the time you spent here.
You paused.
You listened.
You opened.
Taking a closing breath here,
Inhale through the nose and release.
And when you're ready,
Opening the eyes,
Returning to the environment and your surroundings.
If you feel moved to journal,
Here is a prompt to explore.
What does it mean to walk with compassion,
Even when I can't fix or change someone else's experience?
What does it mean to walk with compassion,
Even when I can't fix or change someone else's experience?
I want to thank you again for showing up in this practice.
Let's go ahead and close with our vow.
Sentient beings are numberless.
I vow to free them.
May this vow move through me and ripple out into the world.
In our next session,
We will explore the second bodhisattva vow.
Delusions are inexhaustible.
I vow to transform them.
We'll look at how we meet our own patterns,
Not with shame,
But with clarity and compassion.
I'll meet you there.
Namaste.
