Since this is the start of a new year, it is customary to think about our goals for the year ahead and make New Year’s resolutions. We may resolve to quit a bad habit, learn something new, tidy our homes Marie Kondo-style, or focus on our health through fitness and diet changes.
Have you ever thought about making a spiritual resolution for New Year’s? We make a lot of pledges during service depending on which readings we may be doing together. For example, we pledge to take refuge in the ThreeTreasures – Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. But what does this pledge mean to you personally? If you were to put your spiritual commitment into words, what would you say you are doing here?
I recently returned from our mother temple in Kyoto, where I completed
my final tokudo training for ministerial ordination. It was a challenging and rewarding experience.
At tokudo, we were asked to take a pledge as ministers. I wanted to share this pledge with you, because it is real- ly my commitment to this sangha and to each one of you:
I affirm that I will uphold the duties as a Buddhist minister for all of my life, never being neglectful of responsibilities to actively pursue knowledge and propagate the teachings.
With harmony as the main principle, I shall never cause disorder or trouble to occur in our religious institution.
I shall live a life of gratitude to the benevolence of the Buddha, contributing toward the realization of a just and compassionate society.
This is a wonderful pledge and I was happy to take it. It’s a life commitment, not only to follow my duties but to actively seek out the teachings and share them with others. I am pledging to maintain harmony and not create trouble. Now, I am a headstrong person and I will ask questions and challenge our sangha at times (“good trouble”), but I
think a minister must be careful not to let their ego raise them above the sangha (“bad trouble”).
And lastly, it’s about walking the walk, living in gratitude and in appreciation for the Buddha. When I look at this pledge, aside from the word “minister,” I think it’s great spiritual guidance for all of us as Buddhist followers.
The reason I took this tokudo pledge and made this commitment to you, is that I am truly, from the bottom of myheart, grateful to have received what I have received from Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. And whether you consciously pledged to help me or not, I know that you have helped me grow as a dharma follower.
So I am asking you to think about the Three Treasures. Think about the other pledges we make in our service readings. Think about what Buddhism means to you, and whatever feelings come up for you, consider what your personal spiritual pledge would be. Write it down if you like.
At tokudo, in addition to the minister pledge, they did ask us to make a personal pledge, and we were asked to go to the onaijin (altar) individually and read it to Amida Buddha. I will share more about my tokudo experience, including my personal pledge, with you soon.