🕊 The Modern Monk’s Vow

A vow of simplicity, awareness, and gentle strength

I. Intention

I walk the path of awakening — not of religion, but of realization.

I seek not to become something more, but to remember what I already am: a field of calm awareness expressing itself through this body, this breath, this life.

II. Simplicity

I choose a simple life.

I eat before noon and take only what sustains health —not one bite less and not one bite more.

I dress plainly, rest lightly, and keep few possessions.

What I own must serve peace, not pride.

III. Awareness

I practice mindfulness in all things —eating, working, walking, speaking, listening.

Each moment is a temple; each act, a bow to presence.

I will see thoughts and emotions not as masters,

but as waves rising and falling within the stillness that I am.

IV. Service

I live in the world but not of its confusion.

I offer calm where there is tension, patience where there is haste,

and understanding where there is judgment.

My work, my words, my silence —all are offerings of gentle strength.

V. Moderation

I follow the middle way —between indulgence and denial,

between clinging and rejection.

I will not flee the world nor drown in it,

but walk through it in balance and kindness.

VI. Practice

Each morning, I rise in gratitude.

I sit, breathe, and align with the stillness within.

Each evening, I reflect:

Have I lived with awareness, restraint, and compassion?

If not, I forgive and begin again.

VII. Presence

I will not measure my worth by gain or loss.

The world may praise or ignore me,

but I will remain steady as the quiet mountain,

content with the simple truth of being alive.

VIII. Dedication I vow to live as a monk of my own understanding —awake within the ordinary,

guided not by doctrine but by direct knowing.

May my life become the teaching.

May my presence ease suffering wherever I go.

May I live with exactly what is needed for health,

not one breath less, not one breath more.

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