In the Kwan Um School of Zen we recite the Four Great Vows once every morning before practice. Here at SMZC, we recite them three times at the end of evening practice. The phrasing in each case is quite similar but hardly identical. Here they are, with a third translation that I copied from an article by Ajahn Amaro ("Between Arhat and Bodhisattva: Finding the Perfect Balance," BuddhaDharma, Summer 2008 p 25):
Sentient Beings are numberless, we vow to save them all.
Sentient Beings are numberless, I vow to save them.
Living beings are numberless; I vow to save them all.
Delusions are endless, we vow to cut through them all.
Desires are inexhaustible, I vow to transcend them.
Afflications are endless; I vow to cut them off.
The teachings are infinite, we vow to learn them all.
The dharmas are boundless, I vow to embrace them.
Dharma-doors are numberless; I vow to study them all
The Buddha way is inconceivable, we vow to attain it.
The Buddha way is unsurpassable, I vow to attain it.
The Buddha way is unsurpassed; I vow to accomplish it.
Which one do you like?
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