This liturgy is not included in the Daily Chant Book, but may be found in the booklet entitled “Bodhisattva Vow & Practice.” It is recommended that those who have taken the bodhisattva vow recite it daily.
Bodhicharyavatara (San. “entering the practice of a bodhisattva” or “of enlightenment”): A very famous text on bodhisattva activity and especially the paramitas, written by Shantideva in the seventh century. Translated from Tibetan by the Padmakara Translation Group as The Way of the Bodhisattva (Shambhala Publications, 1997).
sugata (San. “well gone, blissfully gone”): An epithet of the buddhas, similar to tathagata, which emphasizes the blissful quality of attainment.
bodhichitta (San. “awakened heart or mind,” “heart or mind of enlightenment”): Here, this refers to relative bodhichitta, the strong motivation to attain enlightenment in order to benefit all sentient beings.
my family: The community of mahayana practitioners.
amrita (San. “deathless”): The nectar or elixir of deathlessness; also, blessed liquor used in vajrayana meditation practices.
kleshas (San. “torment, affliction”): The confused emotions of passion, aggression, and ignorance.
devas (San. “gods”): Sentient beings who dwell in the god realm.
asuras (San. “demigods”): Jealous gods.
four limitless ones: Four qualities of a bodhisattva—maitri or loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
equanimity: Understanding the equality of samsara and nirvana; freedom from bias of any kind: likes and dislikes, attraction and rejection, hope and fear.