Buddhist Wedding Vows Examples: Buddhist weddings are a type of religious marriage ceremony. In Buddhist teachings, marriage is viewed as “the equal commitment to the happiness of your partner, toward their awakening.” Moreover, marriage is described as a practice ground for serving others. Through service and facing challenges, we develop our inner potential, which is the focus of Buddhism.
Buddhist customs give the couple freedom to personalize their ceremony and plan according to what is best for them. In a typical Buddhist wedding vow, the couple pledges to a greater Truth. There is a focus on self-improvement, enlightenment, and compassion toward oneself, each other, and everyone in general.
The vows used in a Buddhist wedding can be traditional or personally written by the bride and groom. Where couples have the freedom to decide the aspects they want to include in their individual vows. Also, couples can either recite their vows or opt to silently read them together. In this post are examples of Buddhist Modern/Traditional Wedding Vows to guide you when writing your own marriage vows for you partner.
The Buddhist wedding vows typically consist of three elements:
Prayer and meditation → Buddhist wedding ceremonies usually start with meditation or a prayer to Buddha. Through prayer or meditation, a person’s inner Buddha nature is awakened.
Individual vows → wedding vows contain one person’s promises to their partner as they enter their new life together. The typical length of an individual vow ranges from 30 seconds to three minutes.
Joint vows → the officiant or celebrant will recite a few promises, to which the couple will respond, “We do,” together. Like spiritual wedding vows, Buddhist joint vows deal with the soul and humanity; the couple makes a pledge to a greater Truth.
In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the couple answers the first set of vows read by the officiant together. The vows are longer than in many other religions but create a sense of companionship as the two respond in unison. Here’s an excerpt:
Traditional Buddhist Wedding Vows
Bride/Groom: “We do.”
Officiant: Recognizing that the external conditions in life will not always be smooth and that internally your own minds and emotions will sometimes get stuck in negativity, do you pledge to see all these circumstances as a challenge to help you grow, to open your hearts, to accept yourselves, and each other; and to generate compassion for others who are suffering?
Bride/Groom: “We do.”
Officiant: Understanding that just as we are a mystery to ourselves, each other person is also a mystery to us, do you pledge to seek to understand yourselves, each other, and all living beings, to examine your own minds continually and to regard all the mysteries of life with curiosity and joy?
Bride/Groom: “We do.”
Officiant: Do you pledge to preserve and enrich your affection for each other, and to share it with all beings? To take the loving feelings you have for one another and your vision of each other’s potential and inner beauty as an example and rather than spiraling inwards and becoming self-absorbed, to radiate this love outwards to all beings?
Bride/Groom: “We do.”