The importance of the Three Vows

The whole 84,000 teachings of the Buddha can be divided into two categories: teachings showing us what to adopt and showing us what to abandon. These can then be essentialised into the Three Vows – the Individual Liberation Vows (Vinaya), the Bodhisattva Vows and the Tantric Vows.

I am trying to teach on the book Perfect Conduct: Ascertaining the Three Vows, written by the great pandita Ngari Panchen in the sixteenth century, with a twentieth century commentary by Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche. Even though it is difficult for me with my limited English, I am still teaching this because I think it is really the backbone of Dharma practice, as you can’t truly practice anything without understanding them. If you do understand the vows, however, you will find the entire three turnings of the Wheel of Dharma contained within them.

Here are some other reasons why I think they are so important:

1. Many people have the idea that vows are something difficult or tedious, having little interest in learning about them. This is a mistake. You cannot be a Buddhist practitioner without understanding them. In fact it doesn’t make sense to practice any religion authentically without understanding the purpose of vows. If you only know them superficially or just as an outline or list, then they can give you the feeling of discouragement, guilt or being pressured, as it is easy to think that they are difficult to keep.
2. Often people have the idea that they want the highest vows and not the Vinaya as this is too difficult and complicated. On the other hand, others just want the simplicity of straightforward rules like the Vinaya code. However, both attitudes are extreme. If you know all three vows, the guidelines for what to adopt and abandon become much clearer and smoother.
3. If you know the purpose of vows very well (not just a list of what they are), they are a source of confidence and enthusiasm. You realize they are easy to keep, you keep them with joy and you realize they are a sure way to bring you attainments. Furthermore, even if you break them, you will know how to purify them and thus never succumb to the consequence of breaking them. Also, knowledge of how to repair them will prevent you from straying from the path.
4. To speak of my own experience, I received the teaching of the Three Vows when I was a new student of Buddhism in Tibet. Even though my knowledge of Buddhism was very limited then, I can honestly say the study of the Three Vows helped protect me from falling into extreme views. I have never heard of this topic being taught in Western countries, though I believe it would be just as valuable for Western Buddhist students.
5. As I become established as a Buddhist teacher in the West, there are three things I am very keen to emphasize. Firstly, I want western Buddhists to genuinely understand how all Tibetan traditions are equally valuable and worthy of respect. Secondly, I wish to introduce the largely unknown but very precious Jonang tradition, nowadays the most important holder of the Kalachakra Tantra completion stage practice. Finally, I want to teach everything I learnt in Tibet (depending on the interest of students). Generally speaking there is still a big gap between Dharma education in the West and in Tibet, with quite a few topics not offered to Western students, and the Three Vows is one example of this. It is my deep wish that people who are really keen to understand Buddhism are able to receive this teaching.