The Ten Great Vows
From IKTWiki
During the Tao Receiving ceremony and before the Master transmitted the Tao, you made Ten Great Vows to obey according to the best of your sincerity and abilities. You vowed to:
1. Persevere in the Tao with sincerity. The key to enlightenment is sincerity and perseverance. Spiritually persons in the Tao will continuous strive to cultivate the greatest righteous actions, deeds, and thoughts. They will diligently proceed with great sincerity for doing all that can be done within their abilities to obtain the loving grace of God and earn the right to be in the highest heaven.
2. Wholeheartedly repent. Highly spiritual persons know what is right and wrong even without knowing the rules. Therefore, they can abstain from wrongdoings and be in constant wholehearted repentance. We can achieve this once our connection is made with God through righteously living and conduct. As we seek enlightenment in the Tao, we should wholeheartedly repent for any of our wrongdoings.
3. Harbor no insincerity and deceit. True devotees in the practice of the Tao act truthfully and sincerely. A true connection with God through dutiful spiritual practices allows for divine wisdom. Such a state harbors no illusions of falsehood. Cultivating righteous spiritual and physical actions will result in removing insincerity and deceit from your personality.
4. Make continuous spiritual progress. The path to God is never easy. If it was, you would not be living in this physical world. Everyday is another test to overcome. Persons of high spiritual awareness never waver under each test because they are committed to the Tao. Every test passed means another step toward God realization. It is not the size of the step taken but the effort to overcome the challenge of the test that measures the might of your soul. It is the continuous full effort that counts.
5. Never deceive or slander anyone. You can deceive yourself and others but you can never deceive God. Therefore, there is no need to ever participate in deceit because you can never fool the one that really matters. Slandering others serve no purpose because we are all one and the same in the Tao. In essence, slandering another person represents a slander to God and yourself.
6. Feel no jealousy of those leading in the Tao. We respect those who preceded us in receiving the Tao and act as our leaders. Time is always in a continuous changing mode but at any given moment, we all have our designated place in the order of life. Therefore, we will respect our superiors in the Tao as designated by God and obey them.
7. Never fail to obey the Rules of Faith:
• Respect God, heavenly spirits, and everyone.
• Honor those who preceded and those who came after us in the Tao.
• Have a pure mind, serious appearance, and righteous conduct.
• Do everything according to the Truth.
• Have a sense of responsibility.
• Emphasize the spiritual instead of the material life.
• Be modest, respectful, mild in manner, and easygoing.
• Keep holy thoughts in your mind.
• See everything in the true light.
• Be open, honest, and true in all you do.
• Show courtesy and respect to others.
• Recognize the Truth and continuously refine it for the better.
• Respect the property of others.
• Be flexible in your dealings with people.
• Be careful in what you say and what you do.
8. Not divulge heavenly secrets. Since each living person is at a different stage of spiritual growth, we will not divulge any learned spiritual secrets if the conditions are not right. Revealing the treasurers of the Tao and other heavenly secrets under the wrong environment will cause confusion, frustration, and even pain to those who are not ready.
9. Act according to the Tao. Study and practice the holy teachings of the spiritual masters because as you become in the Tao, you will change your karmic conditions and act according without any self imposed effort. The study of the Tao eventually becomes one without reading of words but of intuitively knowing what to do. The subtle connection with the universal divine nature for unselfish service, acts of kindness, and love for others manifests itself in the continuous practice of the Tao.
10. Do the best in all endeavors. Highly spiritual individuals always strive to be in the best holy light irrespective of the changing circumstances and unfolding karmic conditions. Your best is all that can be asked for and you will always give it because of your love for God.
