“… I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion …” ~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Indeed, inner tranquillity – the basis of peace – is one of the natural consequences of cultivating compassion. For a deeper dive into this topic, we highly recommend the source of the above quote: His Holiness’ post titled Compassion and the Individual on his website.
Of course, cultivating peace and compassion is not only a worthy endeavor at any time but seems essential in this unfortunate time of increasing divisiveness. Stillness Speaks mission is to aid such “cultivations” … and in that spirit, today, we share the Vows for 2025, from Upaya Zen Center grounded in the vows of their founding abbot, Roshi Joan Halifax. Reflecting on these vows and earnest integration into one’s daily life would certainly develop compassion which will continue to deepen over time. It is an excellent practice to cultivate as we head into 2025!
As is often the case; some of the precious “wisdom gems” we offer … “arrive” somewhat accidentally or some would say, synchronistically … and so it was with this post 🙂 …
I won’t share the full “arrival” story except 2 elements: 1) that it began with encountering these words in Upaya’s weekly email newsletter (the 1st of 2025): “… May all know love and care. May all lives be filled with joy. May peace prevail in this coming year in and for all beings …” and 2) am deeply grateful to Roshi Joan and Sensei Kodo (Upaya’s Director) for their gracious generosity in giving permission to share this with you.
Roshi Joan is a beacon of wisdom in Western Buddhism who has a vast – and deep – imprint on the landscape of peace, compassion, and Buddhism. Her core work and her life is dedicated to deepening compassion in the world through social action or Engaged Buddhism. These words barely do justice to the breadth and depth of Roshi’s extensive work. To fully appreciate her background and her work, please visit her page and Upaya’s website.
We highly recommend deeper exploration of Roshi’s work and her extensive projects serving humanity across the world. Upaya’s website is an excellent start. Upaya offers a wide array of retreats throughout the year (you can join in person or online), wednesday evening dharma talks by outstanding teachers (which is also available as a podcast the following Wednesday morning – and is one of the largest online library with over 2400 episodes & has been podcasted since 2005), an extensive video library, and much more. It is truly a treasure trove of unparalleled wisdom.
As we often suggest for posts like this … please pause … read … pause … reflect … pause some more … reflect … pause … and see what’s revealed …
“Cultivating Peace, Dismantling War” (author unknown)
As one who aspires to practice the way of non-harming and compassion,
On this day, I solemnly swear to hold all life as sacred.
I vow to cultivate peace:
To greet all guests with compassion,
To feed the hungry,
Shelter the homeless,
Heal the sick,
Shield the defenseless,
Bring the young to safety,
And rescue the old from indignity.
I vow to work for communities of connection
In which all people can realize their full potential,
And contribute to the common good.
I vow to dismantle the workings of violence, war, and genocide,
Both within myself and in my society.
In the tradition of Buddha, Gandhi, and King,
I pledge nonviolent resistance to institutions and governments that destroy life.
I will stand in solidarity with my sisters and brothers who
Refuse to pay taxes for weapons of war and genocide,
And who are conscientious objectors.
In realizing my own true nature,
I vow to stand for peace.
I vow to protect our earth from limitless greed,
And to dispel ignorance,
Spreading justice and mercy in every direction.
Roshi Joan:
May we spread compassion, love, and justice in every direction.
May we exercise the right to vote and vote wisely.
May we send our voice and help others to do so in order to end racist and sexist violence in our world today.
May we end our addiction to lifestyle and recognize the catastrophic impacts of our consumeristic habits on climate, all species, and our earth.
May we end the supremacy of the privileged few, so all can enjoy equal justice and equal care.
This includes working toward the transformation of our economic system, our system of government, how we educate and care for our young, how we treat our elders, and how we treat our earth and indigenous peoples.
And may we do this even if it threatens our safety and puts our lives at risk.
At this very time, we understand that we need full systemic change,
And we together can make good trouble and bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice and care.
We can do it whether we are a contemplative or social activist, whether young or old, whether rich or living in sacrifice zones.
And, clearly, we must do this now.
From the heart of our practice, from Upaya Zen Center:
Through this practice and our vows,
I honor the Buddha and take refuge in them.
I honor the Dharma and take refuge in it.
I honor the Sangha and take refuge in it.
May all be free from physical and mental suffering.
May all be free from hatred, danger, violence, war, and genocide.
May all be free from environmental catastrophe.
May all beings, all living things, all creatures, all species, all individuals,
all those in unhappy states, including ourselves, may all be free from violence, hatred and harm.
May all know safety and generosity.
May all know love and care.
May all lives be filled with joy.
May peace prevail in this coming year in and for all beings.
May this merit of ours be shared with all beings in all realms.
FOUR BODHISATTVA VOWS:
Creations are numberless, I vow to free them.
Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to transform them.
Reality is boundless, I vow to perceive it.
The Awakened Way is unsurpassable, I vow to embody it.
~ Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico
All of the above italicized content (except where noted otherwise) is from Upaya Zen Center’s post titled: Upaya Zen Center: Vows for the coming year, 2025 and is used here with Roshi’s gracious permission.
May you develop ever deepening peace and compassion throughout this year … and may you remain safe and healthy.
Opening quote from Compassion and the Individual, by Tenzin Gyatso; The Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
Images (edited & Logo added): 1 & Featured) Beautiful sunset over the lake by javiersanz333 , 2) Roshi Joan Halifax from her facebook page, 3) Winter bird’s eyeview of Upaya from their facebook page, 4) Inside Upaya’s Zendo early hours of 2025 from Roshi’s facebook page. All images (except Roshi & Upaya) purchased from depositphotos or 123rf. All are for use only on our website/social channels (these images are not permitted to be shared separate from this post).
