SECOND SUNDAY — THE BODHISATTVA VOW
(Class begins at 9:15 at Unity of Springfield, MO)
May 17, 2026
- Opening Centering (2–3 minutes)
Let us begin by coming into stillness. Take a breath… and let it settle you.
Last Sunday we explored the truth that spirit continues. That nothing essential is ever lost. That the thread of who we are does not end when the body falls away. We felt into the presence of those who walk with us still. We felt the continuity of life, the continuity of purpose, the continuity of love. Today we take the next step.
If spirit continues… then so does our responsibility. So does our calling. So does our part in the great unfolding.
Let us rest in that truth for a moment.
(silence)
- Recap of Week One — Continuance of Spirit (5 minutes)
Last week I shared the stone markers I found in China. Markers that stood quietly for centuries, pointing the way forward. They didn’t speak, but they didn’t need to. Their presence was enough. They said:
“You are not alone. You are part of something that continues.”
We talked about the I Ching — not as fortune‑telling, but as the oldest map of continuity. A reminder that Heaven and Earth move in patterns, and we move with them. We talked about the ones we love who have stepped beyond the veil… and how the veil is thinner than we think. And we ended with a simple truth:
If spirit continues, then so do we.
Today we ask the next question: What do we do with that truth? How do we live from it?
The Bodhisattva as the Human Form of Continuance (10 minutes)
The Bodhisattva is not a supernatural being. Not a saint on a pedestal. Not a figure carved in stone. A Bodhisattva is simply a human being who has awakened to the truth of oneness… and then makes a choice:
“I will stay. I will help. I will continue the work for all beings.”
In Unity language, this is the Christ‑nature. The awakened heart. The soul remembering why it came. The Bodhisattva is the one who sees suffering and does not turn away. The one who sees confusion and brings clarity. The one who sees fear and brings presence. Not because they are perfect. But because they are willing. This vow is not about becoming more spiritual. It is about becoming more human — fully, compassionately, courageously human.
- The Moment of Turning — “I Choose to Stay” (10 minutes)
Every spiritual path has a moment of turning.
For the Bodhisattva, it is the moment when the heart says: “I will not escape this world. I will participate in its healing.”
It is the moment when we stop asking, “What about me?” and begin asking, “How can I help?” It is the moment when compassion becomes stronger than fear. When presence becomes stronger than avoidance. When love becomes stronger than the desire to withdraw. I remember standing in Qufu, watching the students walk to class. Some carried burdens I could see. Most carried burdens I could not. And I realized:
Every person is carrying something. Every person is walking through a story we cannot see.
That realization is the beginning of the Bodhisattva Vow. It is the moment when the heart opens… and stays open.
- The Vow Itself — Four Movements (10 minutes)
The traditional vow is ancient, poetic, and vast. But today I want to offer it in a way that speaks directly to us — here, now, in this community.
**Movement One:
I vow to see all beings as part of myself. Not separate. Not other. Not strangers. But expressions of the same life.
**Movement Two:
I vow to meet the world with compassion. Compassion is not softness. It is strength. It is the willingness to see clearly and respond with love.
**Movement Three:
I vow to continue the work of healing. Not to fix everything. Not to solve the world. But to take the next step that is mine to take.
**Movement Four:
I vow to walk with those who walk with me. We do not do this alone. We walk together. We lift each other. We become markers for one another. This is the vow. Not a promise to be perfect. A promise to be present.
- The Practical Path — How We Live the Vow (10 minutes)
The vow is not grand. It is not dramatic. It is not a mountaintop moment. It is daily. It is small.
It is choosing presence when we could choose distraction. It is choosing kindness when we could choose judgment. It is choosing patience when we could choose reaction. Let me offer three simple practices:
- Pause before reacting.
A single breath can change the entire direction of a moment.
- Choose compassion over judgment.
Judgment closes the heart. Compassion opens it.
- Ask: “How can I help lighten the load?”
Sometimes the answer is a word. Sometimes it is silence. Sometimes it is simply being there. This is the Bodhisattva path. Not heroic. Human.
VII. Closing Movement — Becoming the Stone Marker (5 minutes)
Last week we talked about the stone markers — the ones that stood for centuries, pointing the way. This week the teaching turns:
We become the stone markers.
We become the ones who hold the light. We become the ones who show the way forward. We become the ones who say, through our presence: “You are not alone. You are part of something that continues.”
This is the Bodhisattva Vow. Not a vow to rise above the world. A vow to walk within it — awake, compassionate, and steady.
VIII. Closing Blessing (2 minutes)
May we walk gently. May we walk bravely. May we walk with open hearts. May we remember that every step we take is part of a larger story — a story of healing, of compassion, of awakening.
May we become markers of light for one another.
And may the vow we take today continue long after this hour has passed.
Amen.
TWO‑PAGE HANDOUT FOR THE CLASS
The Bodhisattva Vow — A Practice of Continuance
(Front and Back — Page 1 and Page 2)
PAGE ONE (FRONT)
THE BODHISATTVA VOW
A Practice of Continuance
Continuance of Spirit
Spirit continues. Presence remains. Nothing essential is ever lost.
We walk with those who walked before us. We carry forward what they carried forward. We are part of a story that does not end.
The question becomes: How do we participate in that continuance?
The Turning of the Heart
A Bodhisattva is a human being who awakens to the truth of oneness and chooses to stay present in the world for the sake of all beings.
Not to escape. Not to withdraw. But to help heal what is before us.
This turning is simple: “How can I help lighten the load?”
The Four Movements of the Vow
- I vow to see all beings as part of myself. We are expressions of the same life.
- I vow to meet the world with compassion. Compassion is strength, clarity, and presence.
- I vow to continue the work of healing. Not everything — just the next step that is mine.
- I vow to walk with those who walk with me. We lift each other. We become markers for one another.
PAGE TWO (BACK)
LIVING THE VOW
Daily Practice — Quiet, Steady, Human
Living the Vow in Daily Life
The vow is not dramatic. It is daily. It is small.
It is choosing presence over distraction. Kindness over judgment. Patience over reaction.
Three simple practices:
Pause before reacting. A breath can change everything.
Choose compassion. It opens the heart.
Ask: “How can I help?” Sometimes the answer is a word. Sometimes silence. Sometimes simply being there.
Becoming the Stone Marker
Last week we saw the ancient stone markers — silent, steady, pointing the way.
This week the teaching turns:
We become the stone markers.
Through our presence, we say: “You are not alone. You are part of something that continues.”
A Blessing for the Path
May we walk gently. May we walk bravely. May we walk with open hearts.
May we remember that every step we take is part of a larger story — a story of healing, compassion, and awakening.
May we become markers of light for one another.
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