An underlying thought in the Agama Sutra is to help others, to save sentient beings. Usually, Mahayana Buddhists denounced Hinayana Buddhism, saying Hinayana Buddhists just practice our way to help themselves, not to help others. But actually, when they say in Agama Sutra that Buddha took nirvana because he finished his task in this world, it means that he came to this world to save others. And in various so-called Hinayana sutras, we find this kind of thought everywhere. Anyway, those vows are supposed to be Bodhisattva’s vows or Mahayana vows, but those four vows actually are vows for all Buddhists. All Buddhists should have these vows.
Calligraphy by Dainin Katagiri-roshi: The Four Vows
—cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the image. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 69-04-29 as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.
