Living according to the Bodhisattva Vow to awaken for the benefit of all beings, is an endlessly demanding and mysterious undertaking. This Sunday we celebrate the Precept Ceremony, adding our support to those in the sangha who are entering into this mysterious agreement. Committing to live out the precepts is a way of life that acknowledges cause and effect in our day-by-day life. The precepts admonish us to be mindful of the effects of our own behavior, how we plant seeds with every action of body, speech and mind.
With so many suffering worldwide, we may doubt that any individual effort could possibly bring comfort and ease into our wider world. But it is only here with our personal efforts that we harness the wisdom of the nondual nature of all of life to every action that we take. Understanding that the more we can function with care and skill, the more we plant wholesome seeds, bringing unknowable benefit, for and beyond our own immediate sphere. Whatever we manifest dives deeply into the wide-open present moment, having universal effect. Our actions and the state of mind that underlie our actions are our responsibility.