American Buddhist ChurchA Universal Path

Resources

Offered freely. Adapt with respect.

Templates for daily practice, weekly services, self-ordination vows, and inclusive chants. Use them, change them, share them. Attribute the traditions they come from.

Sample

A daily practice (about 25 minutes)

  1. 01

    Three breaths of arrival

    Sit. Notice the body. Three slow, deliberate breaths to mark the beginning.

  2. 02

    Refuges & precepts

    Take the Three Refuges and recall the Five Precepts. Silently or aloud.

  3. 03

    Mettā opening (5 min)

    May I be safe. May I be well. May I be peaceful. May I be free. Extend the wish outward in widening circles.

  4. 04

    Silent sitting (15 min)

    Choose one anchor: breath, body sensation, or a chosen word. Return whenever you wander. No commentary.

  5. 05

    Dedication of merit

    May any benefit of this practice ripple outward for the welfare of all beings. Rise gently.

Sample

A weekly service (about 70 minutes)

Opening bell & welcome

5 min · Land acknowledgment, opening intention, brief welcome to newcomers.

Chanting & refuges

10 min · A short chant in the original language followed by an English translation. Refuges and precepts.

Silent meditation

25 min · Instructions briefly offered. Silence held together.

Dharma talk or reading

15 min · A teacher, minister, or member offers reflection on a teaching.

Inquiry circle

10 min · Brief, structured sharing. Listening more than speaking.

Dedication & closing

5 min · Dedication of merit. Mettā for the community and the wider world. Closing bell.

Sample

Self-ordination vows (lay path)

In the presence of my chosen witnesses, and in the company of the awakened ones of past, present, and future, I take these vows:

  1. 1.I take refuge in the Buddha—the possibility of awakening in this very life.
  2. 2.I take refuge in the Dharma—the teachings that point the way.
  3. 3.I take refuge in the Sangha—the community of practitioners across all traditions and times.
  4. 4.I vow to do no intentional harm, in body, speech, or mind.
  5. 5.I vow to practice honesty, generosity, and care in my relationships.
  6. 6.I vow to study and to sit, daily, for as long as breath is given to me.
  7. 7.I vow to serve the welfare of beings—human, animal, and Earth—in whatever way my life allows.
  8. 8.I vow to remain accountable to teachers and to a sangha, that I may be corrected when I stray.
  9. 9.I take these vows freely, knowing I will fall short, and committing to begin again whenever I do.

May all beings benefit. May no one be turned away.

Sample

Inclusive chants & readings

A modern English Mettā chant

May all beings be safe.
May all beings be well.
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be free.
(Repeat for self, loved ones, neighbors, strangers, the difficult, and all beings.)

A reading for the beginning of practice

We gather here from many traditions and from none. We bring our doubts and our devotion, our breath and our grief, our hope for awakening and our weariness. May this hour be enough. May this practice be enough. May we be enough, exactly as we arrive.