Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to save them
Desires are inexhaustible; I vow to put an end to them
The dharmas are boundless; I vow to master them
The Buddha Way is unsurpassable; I vow to attain it.
Zen Buddhists are supposed to chant daily the lines above, known as the Four Vows, or Great Bodhisattva Vows. If you don’t know the term, a bodhisattva is a helper who has promised to forego enlightenment until all other sentient beings reach it – this is the ideal of Mahayana Buddhism, the “greater vehicle” (that’s what Mahayana means) that includes the Zen and Tibetan forms of the religion.
I confess that I don’t chant every day, but this vow is very important in my practice and my life. When I spent a month in retreat almost 20 years ago, I was mumbling these words at five o’clock every morning, trying my best to really mean it. Did I just promise to surpass something that I acknowledged in the very same breath is “unsurpassable”? Seems a little crazy, no?
Yes, it does seem a little crazy! But striving bodhisattvas really mean it when we make these promises. When someone makes the decision to follow every other sentient being (or even just the two-legged ones!) on the way to enlightenment, instead of racing to get there first, that someone should know what they’re getting into, even while recognizing the absurdity of the effort. The path is supposed to be a challenging one, and we are meant to take it seriously. Like my favorite marathon cheer sign says: “If it was supposed to be easy, it would be called your Mom.”
But why try to do something that seems impossible at the outset? Why promise to set forth on a path that will never end? Why start down a road on which we seem destined to fail? Who in their right mind would make such promises?
I would, that’s who! And lots of other Zen practitioners over the last thousand or so years. But this type of promise, to oneself in particular, can be entered into by anyone who wants to achieve what now seems unachievable. That’s because what really underlies the Bodhisattva Vow is the intention to attain the unattainable, not the belief that it’s actually possible (even though I’m convinced it is!). Zen practitioners, by making these promises, create a mindset that kicks off the journey toward helping others in the most radical way – sacrificing one’s own enlightenment in order to help others get there. This mindset is known as bodhicitta, loosely defined as “awakened heart-mind”.
Awakening to your own innate bodhicitta to become a selfless helper is something I encourage and provide tools for in my coaching and workshops, but here I want to write about the more individual aspect of setting intention for runners – of stepping foot on the path toward the impossible. Maybe you’ve set your sights on a goal that from a distant perspective seemed unlikely or even ridiculous, or maybe you’re thinking about setting such a goal right now. Whether it’s just lacing up and getting out the door one or more days a week, running your first mile, or 5k, or marathon, or striving for a new personal record, creating the proper mindset – setting your intention – is the first step.
You can’t develop a mindset without mindfulness. I’ve written before about how slowing down the natural chatter of our minds and being more present can help quiet the kind of self-doubt, the negative talk that pervades a lot of people’s thinking. The little voice that tells you that your goal is unreachable, impossible. With mindfulness practice, you can shut that voice up, even if it’s just long enough to see clearly how it was holding you back. And each time you realize that, you move another step forward on your journey. See how that works?
The path is the goal, and it’s mindfulness that keeps you on the path. It reins you in from dwelling on past failures and fantasizing about what your future holds, and can help you focus on the task at hand. But even more so, with mindfulness (especially the kind that is developed through sitting meditation, although it can be integrated into running, as well) you begin to embody your intention – the promises you make are digested and become part and parcel of who you are. More accurately, you begin to reflect your genuine nature, which contains all the tools it needs to attain the unattainable.
So, runners, I encourage you to enter into the Bodhisattva Vows and make the world a better place, but I’d also like to suggest a new, more earthly, vow for all of us – a Great Runnersattva Vow, so to speak. You can put it into your own words, but here’s mine:
My goals are futile; I vow to achieve them
The soreness is unbearable; I vow to foam roll through it
My self-doubt is overwhelming; I vow not to be persuaded by it
The miles are infinite; I vow to run them all!
HAPPY RUNNING!