May 4, 2025: Morning Session 1
Group Exploration: “The Vows That Carry Us”
Slogan 43: Observe these two, even at the risk of your life
(from Lojong Point Seven)
“Keep the two vows — refuge and bodhichitta — even when everything falls apart.”
“Don’t let adversity or personal crises shake your commitment. In fact, those are the very times your vows matter most.”
This slogan urges us to hold fast to our commitments — the vow to take refuge and the vow to awaken for the benefit of all beings — even when life feels overwhelming. It is a call to integrity, reminding us that ethical strength is forged precisely when things fall apart.
Group Exercise Overview
Contemplation: Staying loyal to your values under pressure
Purpose: To explore how the supportive structure of the refuge and bodhisattva vows show up — or falter — in real-life challenges, and to deepen collective support for holding those vows in difficult moments.
Step 1: Opening Reflection (2–3 minutes silent journaling)
Consider:
When in your life has it felt hardest to stay true to your values or path?
What helped you stay with it — or what might have, if you had remembered your ethical commitments or vows?
Step 2: Small Group Sharing (15–20 minutes)
Each person is invited to share:
A personal moment of crisis or doubt when their commitment was tested
What it would have meant to stay connected to refuge or bodhichitta in that moment
A vow or aspiration they feel called to recommit to now
Practice deep listening, without judgment or fixing.
Step 3: Group Inquiry (5–10 minutes)
Discuss together:
What does “even at the risk of your life” mean to us in a modern, everyday context?
What conditions or habits tend to erode our commitment — and how might we protect or reinforce it?
Step 4: Closing Reflection
Each person completes the sentence aloud:
“When everything falls apart, I vow to remember…”
This may be followed by a moment of silence or a group dedication of merit.