Refuge

Until I reach the heart of awakening,
I take refuge in all buddhas
And likewise in the Dharma
And the host of bodhisattvas.

Repeat three times.

Seven Section Prayer

With complete faith I bow
To Buddha Shakyamuni and
All the victorious ones and their followers
Who abide in the ten directions and three times.

I offer flowers, incense, light,
Perfume, food, music, and many other things,
Both in substance and in my imagination.
I ask this noble gathering to accept them.

I confess all evil actions I have done
In the grip of reactive emotions,
From time without beginning until now:
The five that ripen immediately, the ten non-virtuous acts, and others.

I rejoice in the goodness of all the virtue
Listeners, independent buddhas,
Bodhisattvas and ordinary people
Gather throughout the three times.

I pray for the wheel of the Dharma to be turned,
The teachings of the universal and individual paths,
In ways suitable for the different aptitudes
And motivations present in sentient beings.

I ask buddhas not to pass into nirvana,
But, with great compassion and until samsara is completely empty,
To look after all sentient beings
Who are drowning in this ocean of suffering.

Whatever goodness I have generated,
May it become a seed for the awakening of all beings.
Without delay, may I become
A wonderful leader for sentient beings.

Bodhisattva Vow

Just as the buddhas of former times aroused awakening mind
And followed the training of an awakening being step by step,
I, too, for the benefit of beings, arouse awakening mind
And step by step follow that training.

Repeat three times.

Celebration

Today my life has borne fruit. 
I am fulfilling what it means to be human. 
Today I enter the tradition of the awakened 
And take my place among them.
From now on I shall do only what befits this tradition.
I shall do nothing to disgrace this noble and faultless line.
Today in the presence of the sources of refuge,
I take responsibility for the well-being of beings, that is,
Awakening and the way to it.
Gods and titans rejoice!
Awakening mind is precious.
May it arise where it has not arisen.
May it not fade where it has arisen.
May it ever grow and flourish.

Dedication

Through this goodness, may I come to complete knowing.
May the enemy, wrong action, be overcome.
From the stormy waves of birth, old age, illness, and death,
This ocean of existence, may all beings be freed.

The heart of Mahayana practice is found in the bodhisattva vow. Practitioners are encouraged to renew the vow every day and this is one form of a condensed vow ceremony for daily use. I first translated this back in 1970’s and have revised it many times. The most recent revisions (2025) are in the celebratory verses, where I sought to bring out the joy of taking up the responsibilities of the bodhisattva path.