Dogen Zenji offered us Four Methods of the Bodhisattva. The first is generosity, what and how we give. Our daily lives are where we offer our energies, our hearts, our efforts. As in zazen, where we sit in our authentic self, when we’re not on the cushion one way that we continue to do this Bodhisattva practice is to be real, be honest, be who we truly are, in all our relations, according to conditions.
We practice kind speech expressing our vow to be of benefit to all living beings. This can be challenging in the thrum of the mind in our daily agendas, but we do our best. Beneficial action likewise emanates from the bodhisattva vow and sets us up to pay attention to skillful means. Whatever we do or say needs to meet the current circumstances on a practical level, with congruence and appropriateness. This requires us to stay aware, not spend our days set on automatic.
The fourth method is cooperation, or identity action. We are always together with all things. Holding a view of the fundamental oneness of being helps us stay as tuned as we can, looking and listening, to how what we do contributes to the outcome. We maintain the commitment to act in accordance with the precepts, our guides to wise action.
