morgannels blog

About four weeks ago, I took the Bodhisattva Vow, which essentially means that I have vowed to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings. Fulfilling this vow would mean both attaining Buddhahood and, as though that weren’t audacious enough, benefitting all beings by doing so. Fortunately, achieving either will get me the other for free, sort of by definition, and even more fortunately, I have countless lifetimes to accomplish this.

As with the Refuge Vow, I was given a name as part of the ceremony. But unlike my refuge name, I can only share my bodhisattva name with others who have taken the Bodhisattva Vow (so if you’ve taken the Bodhisattva Vow and want to know my name, e-mail me, and we can exchange secret messages). The name was chosen based on an interview with the preceptor on Saturday afternoon, and given to me during the ceremony on Sunday afternoon. I ran into my meditation instructor, who had done the calligraphy on the names, before the ceremony on Sunday, and she said she laughed and laughed as soon as she saw my name. I asked if she was laughing with me or at me, and she pointed out that from a bodhisattva’s perspective, there’s no difference.