A Householder’s Prayer

To all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Ten Directions and the Three Times:

Please hear my prayer!

Protect me from seduction by the subtle mind of preference

And its supportive logic in story.

Help me to see directly the shaping of my conditioning

And acquire the skill to free myself from it.

Alert me to the cunning manifestations of resistance

And, through feeling their power in my own body,

Transform them into allies!

Show me that exclusive love is suffering.

Allow my commitment to dear ones to expand and deepen to encompass all.

Teach me that equanimity is not indifference,

But the flowering of loving kindness, compassion and empathetic joy.

Non-clinging awareness confers greater involvement, the wise ones declare.

Lead me to skillful interactions that expand kindness and clarity.

May wise discrimination guide me on the path of non-harming.

May deep question remain constant when choices appear obvious.

May I hold my worldly obligations as sacred vows of service.

Our tangled worldly lives have pure and vast potential.

We are crazed, all of us; may we soothe and forgive the madness of ourselves and others.

The potential to evolve, awaken and develop fully is reality.

Help us to seek, discover and encourage freedom in ourselves and others.

May we learn the power of a wholesome present moment as the seed of future goodness.

May our minds be fertile Buddhafields for the transformation of our worlds!

Image Credit: World of Wearable Arts Runner-up Gothic Habit, by San Francisco designer Lynne Christiansen.