Vows of the Bodhisattvas

Vows of the Bodhisattvas

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

Avalokiteshvara – The Bodhisattva of Compassion

A bodhisattva is an enlightened being who has forsaken final nirvana in order to help save all sentient beings.

Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, is often portrayed with 1,000 arms.

Why 1,000 arms?

Their purpose is to listen to the cries of the world and bring relief.

Another version of the vows of a boddhisattva is used by the San Francisco Zen Center. These are the ones I first learned back around 1984.

Beings are numberless. I vow to awaken with them.
Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them.
Dharma gates are boundless. I vow to enter them.
Buddha’s way is unsurpassable. I vow to become it. 

Which version do you prefer? Do you know any bodhisattvas? If so, please share their names with everyone reading this post.