The Power of Intention

Beings are numberless. I vow to save them.

Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them

Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to enter them.

Buddha's way is unsurpassable; I vow to become it.

These vows, which are chanted at the end of Zen lectures, express the fundamental intentions of Zen practice. They elevate our day-to-day activities and provide a larger context in which to live. Though these statements appear lofty and impossible, they