Buddhist Blessings
“A Blessing for The Journey”
(Buddhist Prayer)
Let us vow to bear witness to the wholeness of life,
realizing the completeness of each and every thing.
Embracing our differences,
I shall know myself as you,
and you as myself.
May we serve each other
for all our days,
here, there, and everywhere.
Let us vow to open ourselves to the abundance of life.
Freely giving and receiving, I shall care for you,
for the trees and stars,
as treasures of my very own.
May we be grateful
for all our days,
here, there, and everywhere.
Let us vow to forgive all hurt,
caused by ourselves and others,
and to never condone hurtful ways.
Being responsible for my actions,
I shall free myself and you.
Will you free me, too?
May we be kind
for all our days,
here, there, and everywhere.
Let us vow to remember that all that appears will disappear.
In the midst of uncertainty,
I shall sow love.
Here! Now! I call to you:
Let us together live
The Great Peace that we are.
May we give no fear
for all our days,
here, there, and everywhere.
— Sensei Wendy Egyoku Nakao.
Dali Lama
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them, humanity cannot survive.
Every living being has an equal right to and desire for happiness.
I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from
the development of love and compassion.
The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.
Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease.
It is the ultimate source of success in life.
Buddhist Blessing
Do not deceive, do not despise each other anywhere.
Do not be angry nor bear secret resentments; for as a mother will risk her life and watches over her child, so boundless be your love to all, so tender, kind, and mild.
Cherish goodwill right and left, early and late, and without hindrance, without stint, be free of hate and envy, while standing and walking and sitting down, whatever you have in mind, the rule of life that is always best is to be loving-kind.
– The Buddhist Scriptures, The Buddha’s Sermon at Rajagaha, Verses 19-22
Buddhist Wedding Prayer
Today we promise to dedicate ourselves completely to each other, with body, speech, and mind.
In this life, in every situation, in wealth or poverty, in health or sickness, in happiness or difficulty, we will work to help each other perfectly.
The purpose of our relationship will be to attain enlightenment by perfecting our kindness and compassion toward all sentient beings.
– Lama Thubten Yeshe
Buddhist Blessing
In the future, happy occasions will come as surely as the morning.
Difficult times will come as surely as the night.
When things go joyously, meditate according to the Buddhist tradition.
When things go badly, meditate.
Meditation in the manner of the Compassionate Buddha will guide your life.
To say the words ‘love and compassion is easy.
But to accept that love and compassion are built upon patience and perseverance is not easy.
I Bow Deeply
Standing quietly by the fence,
you smile your wondrous smile,
I am speechless,
and my senses are filled
By the sounds of your beautiful song,
Beginning-less and endless.
I bow deeply to you.
– Thich Nhat Hanh
