A vow is like a GPS system for your life. When taken on mindfully it can be a source of surprising wisdom and powerful energy, enabling you to accomplish things you never dreamed possible. It can have profound effects even beyond the original intention—and it can even live on after you’re gone. A vow can be as small as the aspiration to smile at someone at least once every day, or it can be as big as marriage; it can be as personal as deciding to be mindful whenever you pick up the phone, or it can be as universal as a commitment to save all sentient beings. But whatever its inspiration, when it’s done with conscious intention a vow becomes a conduit for the energy of your life.
In this guide to the vow-directed life, Jan Chozen Bays provides a wealth of practical exercises to use for formulating and implementing vows of your own and for using them to navigate your life with honesty and compassion.
AWARD
| 2016 IPPY Award
"A vow is a pledge or promise to bring direction and intention into our lives. Yet, how are we to discover the distinctive direction and purpose of our lives? How do we sort the trivial from the vital and essential? As a physician and Zen teacher—a healer of both the body and soul—Jan Bays offers deep insight for discovering the true gifts we want to bring to our unique life. This gem of a book awakens our capacity for vow-empowered living."—Duane Elgin, author of Voluntary Simplicity
"Our intentions count for so much more than we usually think. Roshi Chozen Bays, a physician of the heart, describes how we can ground our highest aspirations within our lived lives with grace and beauty. If you're looking for a guide through the confusions of life, The Vow-Powered Life is a very good place to start."—James Ishmael Ford, author of If You’re Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: Field Notes from a Zen Life
A vow is like a GPS system for your life. When taken on mindfully it can be a source of surprising wisdom and powerful energy, enabling you to accomplish things you never dreamed possible. It can have profound effects even beyond the original intention—and it can even live on after you’re gone. A vow can be as small as the aspiration to smile at someone at least once every day, or it can be as big as marriage; it can be as personal as deciding to be mindful whenever you pick up the phone, or it can be as universal as a commitment to save all sentient beings. But whatever its inspiration, when it’s done with conscious intention a vow becomes a conduit for the energy of your life.
In this guide to the vow-directed life, Jan Chozen Bays provides a wealth of practical exercises to use for formulating and implementing vows of your own and for using them to navigate your life with honesty and compassion.
Awards
AWARD
| 2016 IPPY Award
Praise
"A vow is a pledge or promise to bring direction and intention into our lives. Yet, how are we to discover the distinctive direction and purpose of our lives? How do we sort the trivial from the vital and essential? As a physician and Zen teacher—a healer of both the body and soul—Jan Bays offers deep insight for discovering the true gifts we want to bring to our unique life. This gem of a book awakens our capacity for vow-empowered living."—Duane Elgin, author of Voluntary Simplicity
"Our intentions count for so much more than we usually think. Roshi Chozen Bays, a physician of the heart, describes how we can ground our highest aspirations within our lived lives with grace and beauty. If you're looking for a guide through the confusions of life, The Vow-Powered Life is a very good place to start."—James Ishmael Ford, author of If You’re Lucky, Your Heart Will Break: Field Notes from a Zen Life
