What Four Words Will Change You in 2025?

Choose your gentle vows

Photo by Jamie Street

We chant these words during each of our Buddhist practice sessions, and they never fail to bring a wry smile to my lips:

Innumerable are sentient beings: we vow to save them all
Inexhaustible are deluded passions: we vow to transform them all
Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings: we vow to master them all
Infinite is the Buddha’s way: we vow to fulfil it completely

Talk about impossible! These are the Bodhisattva Vows, for those who dedicate their whole lives to helping others. They encapsulate both the importance of doing as much good as we can, and the preposterousness of aiming for perfection or completion.

The vows could have been written in this form:

Innumerable are sentient beings: we vow to save as many of them as we can

They’re not, and I am glad they’re not. As you know, I’m usually a big fan of going gently. Why not begin with something realistic?

For me, the impossibility contained within these vows conjures a particular feeling which is difficult to explain. It’s almost a spiritual experience in itself. It’s as if the vows are calling me, as a fallible human, to find ways of living with both my extreme limitedness and my yearning for something beyond. How can I reconcile this dear flawed body and mind with my deep yearning to help everyone, my desire to absolutely extinguish my greed, hate and delusion, my silly dream of becoming a Buddha myself?

I can’t. And so I live in the space of the vow - pointing myself towards certain ideals, acknowledging that I will certainly fail, and gently persevering all the same.

This deep acknowledgement of the inevitability of failure, together with the shining star of the vow’s target, is deeply relieving and inspiring at the very same time.

Photo by Dawid Zawiła

You probably already live with some vows in your own life - explicitly or implicitly. If you have children I imagine you have a fierce desire to raise them as well as you possibly can. You might feel a calling around excelling at your work or your creative projects. You might hold certain values for yourself and expect perfection - integrity, or generosity, or loyalty.

My invitation over the next four weeks and the coming year is that you funnel your energy (and invite the energy of the Universe) into two vows.

One will be something that you want more of. More peace, permission, harmony, delicious food, beauty, laughter… choose something that lights you up.

One will be something that you want less of. Less self-criticism, conflict, jealousy, blame, disconnection… choose something that offers you the hope of freedom.

These four words are all you’ll need over the coming weeks. If you want to add something to them to help you feel inspired (and to remind you to be realistic), or if you want to include the benefit this change in you with have on others, then feel free.

Mine are more play and less ambition. I could say:

It is impossible for me to hold onto a sense of playfulness in all that I do. May I always carry playfulness with me.

Or,

May ambition be washed away from me, in order that I may be relieved of its burden, and that I might more authentically and joyfully help those around me.

Play around with it and see what feels right - there are no rights or wrongs.

If you want you could write them down somewhere, say them out loud every morning, or design a little daily ritual. You could put a little time aside every day to work through my four invitations. You could find a friend and support each other with your vows.

Also, four words is all you need. Setting intentions like this is powerful. Even if you set them today and then promptly forget them, trust that they will have sunk deep into your subconscious and that they’ll work away on you - whether you do any of that extra stuff or not. Vows are also prayers. When we speak them, someone is listening.

So, are you set? During January we’ll be exploring different ways to invite (gentle) change, and applying each of these four invitations to your vows. First we’ll getting curious, then we’ll making teensy adjustments, then we’ll change some conditions and finally we’ll open up to help. These pieces will come to paid subscribers - if you’d like to join us but you can’t afford it at the moment, just email me & I’ll sort it: satya@satyarobyn.com.

Let me know what your vows will be, if you have any questions, or anything else. I’m looking forward to it.

Here’s to more gentle change!
Here’s to less stuckness!

Go gently,
Satya <3

PS Happy New Year, whatever you’re doing 🎉 - may your year begin with possibility.