This prayer can be recited on any occasion to purify negative karma.
Recite three times in
the morning and three times in the evening.
I and all sentient beings forever
Take refuge in the Lamas,
Take refuge in the Buddhas,
Take refuge in the Dharma,
Take refuge in the Sangha.
Prostrations to the Blessed One, Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly and
Fully Enlightened Buddha Shakyamuni.
Prostrations to Completely Vanquishing Vajra Essence.
Prostrations to Precious Radiating Light.
Prostrations to King of the Naga Lords.
Prostrations to Bravest of the Forces.
Prostrations to Glorious joy.
Prostrations to Precious Fire.
Prostrations to Precious Moonlight,
Prostrations to Meaningful to Behold.
Prostrations to Precious Moon.
Prostrations to Immaculate One.
Prostrations to Glorious Giving.
Prostrations to Purity.
Prostrations to Pure Giving.
Prostrations to God of Waters.
Prostrations to God of the God of Waters.
Prostrations to Glorious Nobility.
Prostrations to Glorious Sandalwood.
Prostrations to Limitless Dignity.
Prostrations to Glorious Light.
Prostrations to Glorious Sorrowlessness.
Prostrations to Son of Detachment.
Prostrations to Glorious Flower.
Prostrations to Tathagata Manifest Clairvoyance of
Pure Light.
Prostrations to Tathagata Manifest Clairvoyance of
Lotus Light.
Prostrations to Glorious Wealth.
Prostrations to Glorious Mindfulness.
Prostrations to Glorious Name of Extreme Renown.
Prostrations to King Victory Banner Tipped with Power.
Prostrations to Extremely Overpowering Glory.
Prostrations to Complete Victor of the Battlefield.
Prostrations to Overpoweringly Gloriously Gone.
Prostrations to Glorious Arrangement of All Perception.
Prostrations to Glorious Overpowering with Precious Lotuses.
Prostrations to the Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly and Fully
Enlightened Buddha, King of
the Power of Mountains,
Well-Seated on a Precious Lotus.
May all these blessed Buddhas and all others dwelling in
the ten directions of the world
of existence, the
Tathagatas, Arhats, perfectly
and fully enlightened
Buddhas give heed to me.
In this life, and in all my lives without beginning and end,
Whatever unwholesomeness I did in each of these worldly lives
in samsara,
Whatever I caused others to do,
Or rejoiced in their doing.
I extorted offerings for stupas,
Offerings for the Sangha,
Offerings for the Sangha of the ten directions,
Caused others to extort,
Or rejoiced in others' extortion.
I committed the actions of the five irredeemable sins,
Caused others to commit them,
Or rejoiced in others committing them.
I completely engaged in the path of the ten unwholesome actions,
Caused others to be engaged,
Or rejoiced in others' engagement.
Obscured by these obscuring actions,
I and living beings will fall into hell,
Fall into the birthplace of animals,
Fall into the realm of hungry ghosts,
Be born in the land of barbarians,
Be born as savages,
Be born as long-lived gods,
Become one with defective senses,
Become one who holds wrong views,
Or become one whose obscuring actions displease the Buddha
when He appears.
I confess these and all others before the Blessed Buddhas,
Who are transcendent wisdom,
Who are eyes, who are witnesses,
Who are perfect,
Knowers,
Seers,
Without hiding, or concealing,
Henceforth I will cease and refrain.
May all these blessed Buddhas give heed to me.
In this life, and in all my lives without beginning and end,
In each of these worldly lives in samsara.
Whatever roots of virtue arise from my gift of even a mouthful
of food to an animal,
Whatever roots of virtue arise from my preserving morality,
Whatever roots of virtue arise from my completely maturing
beings,
Whatever roots of virtue arise from my generating supreme
enlightenment thought,
All of these, gathered, combined, and added,
I completely dedicate to the highest,
Supreme,
Supremest of the supreme,
Highest of the high,
Unsurpassable, perfect, and full enlightenment.
However the blessed Buddhas of the past dedicated,
However the blessed Buddhas of the future will dedicate,
However the blessed Buddhas of the present are dedicating,
So do I completely dedicate.
I confess each and every sin.
I rejoice in all virtues.
I request and beseech all the Buddhas.
May I attain the unsurpassable transcendent wisdom which
is holy and supreme.
I fold my hands and reverently take refuge
In all those victorious supreme beings of the present,
Those who have passed, and those who have yet to come,
Whose good qualities are praised as a boundless ocean.
All Bodhisattvas who possess the power of compassion,
Heroes who benefit and protect living beings,
Protect me who is protectorless and full of sin.
All Bodhisattvas, grant me refuge.
The three forms of action of the body,
Four forms of the voice,
Three forms of the mind,
I confess each of these ten non-virtues.
From beginningless time until now,
With mind governed by negative emotions,
I have committed the ten non-virtues and five heinous crimes.
I confess all and each of these non-virtues.
All of whatever slight virtues that I may have gathered
through prostrating, offering, confessing,
rejoicing,
requesting, and beseeching,
I dedicate to the attainment of enlightenment perfect and great.
Translated by Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen and Ane Kunga Chodron on the auspicious day of the Great Sakya Pandita, 1993, in Washington D.C. By this merit may all living beings purify negativity, accumulate virtue, and achieve perfect enlightenment.
Invocation
Salutions to the mother of the Buddhas of the threefold time, the Wisdom
Gone Beyond, inconceivable and inexpressible, like space its nature is unborn
and unstopped.
Heart Sutra
Thus I have heard. Once the Blessed One was dwelling in the Royal Domain of the Vulture Peak Mountain together with a great assembly of monks and a great assembly of Bodhisattvas. At that time the Blessed One entered into the samadhi which examines Dharma known as the "Profound Illumination".
Also at the time the Holy Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva, looked upon the profound course of the Perfection of Wisdom and beheld that the five aggregates were empty by their own nature.
Then through the power of the Buddha, the elder Shariputra thus said
to Holy
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, "How should those sons
and
daughters of good lineage who wish to practice the profound course
of the
Perfection of Wisdom train?"
And the Holy Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva replied thus to elder Shariputra. "Shariputra, those sons and daughters of good lineage who wish to practice the profound course of the Perfection of Wisdom should look upon it like this: (they must) rightly see the five aggregates to be empty by their own nature.
Form is emptiness, emptiness is also form; emptiness is not different from form, and form is also not different from emptiness; in the same way, feeling, perception, predispositions and consciousness are empty.
Shariputra, likewise all Dharmas are empty without characteristics,
unborn,
unceasing, not impure, devoid of purity, not deficient, and not
complete.
Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness there is no form, no feeling,
no perception,
no predispositions, no consciousness, no eye, no ear, no nose, no
tongue, no
body, no mind; no form, no sounds, no smells, no tastes, no touchables
and
no objects of mind; from no eye-sphere to no mind sphere, until
(arriving at)
no mind-consciousness element.
There is no ignorance, no extinction of ignorance, no extinction
of ignorance,
and so forth up to no old age and death, no extinction of old age
and death.
Similarly, there is no suffering, origination, cessation and path;
no transcendental
knowledge, no attainment and also no non-attainment.
Therefore, Shariputra, since there is no attainment, Bodhisattvas
- by relying
on the Perfection of Wisdom - are fearless through lacking obscurations
of
mind; they have passed well beyond the false and have achieved Nirvana.
All
the Buddhas of the three times also, having relied upon the Perfection
of Wisdom, fully awake to the unsurpassable, right and complete Enlightenment.
Therefore, the Mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom, the mantra of great knowledge, the unsurpassable mantra, the unequalled mantra, the mantra which pacifies all suffering, should be known as the Truth - for there is no deception. The mantra of the Perfection of Wisdom is pronounced thus:
TADYATHA OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATA BODHI SVAHA
Shariputra, the profound Perfection of Wisdom should be learned in this way by the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva."
Then the Blessed One, having arisen from that samadhi, praised the
Holy
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, saying, "Good, good
son
of good lineage, it is like that, like that; practicing the Profound
Perfection
of Wisdom just as you have shown makes the Tathagatas rejoice."
When the Blessed One said this, the elder Shariputra, the Holy Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, the entire assembly of gods, men, asuras and gandhavas rejoiced and praised the Blessed One.
This completes the Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom, the Holy!
Mantra Recitation
TADYATHA OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
(Recite 3 times)
Repelling Verses
Namo
Prostrations to the Guru,
Prostrations to the Buddha,
Prostrations to the Dharma,
Prostrations to the Sangha,
Prostrations to the Great Mother, the Perfection of wisdom.
Relying upon the power and effectiveness of prostrating to you,
May we accomplish this recitation.
Just as the Lord of the gods, Shakra, previously relied upon the
power and effectiveness of reciting and reflecting upon the profound meaning of the Great
Mother, the Perfection of Wisdom, and so repelled maras and the like, likewise, I also
rely upon the power and effectiveness of reciting and reflecting upon the profound meaning
of the Perfection of Wisdom, and so may all unfavourable conditions for myself and my
associates which should be abandon be repelled (clap hands); may they be destroyed
(clap hands); may
they be allayed (clap hands); may they be thoroughly allayed.
(Recite three times from "Namo" to "thoroughly allayed")
Through method, refuge and purification of the pure Mahayana,
May the activities of Mara which completely deceive sentient beings
be repelled.
Verses 1 to 12 are suitable to recite when visiting shrines, doing prostrations, making offerings, confessing negative karma, or rejoicing in the virtuous and meritorious deeds of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and holy beings. It is also good to recite whenever you visit stupas and temples or meet holy teachers.
Verse 12 may be used for brief chanting.
Verses 13 to 63 is a dedication done when you have done good deeds
Verses 55 to 56 are dedicated verses that you can use at the end of any prayer.
Salutions to the ever-youthful Arya Manjushri!
With clarity of body, speech, and mind,
I bow without exception to
all the lions among men
Of the past, present, and future,
In every world in all the ten
directions.
By the power of this Aspiration to Noble Deeds,
I manifest bodies as numerous
as all the atoms in all the lands,
Aware in mind of the presence
of numberless victorious Buddhas,
And I prostrate to all of them.
I conceive the entire realm of truth
To be completely filled with
enlightened ones.
There are as many Buddhas as
atoms present in each atom,
Each Buddha surrounded by many
Bodhisattvas.
I honor all these blissful lords,
Extolling the ocean of their
inexhaustible perfections
With an ocean of all melodies
and sounds,
And endless praise.
I offer to those heroic Buddhas
The best flowers, best garlands,
best music,
Best ointments, excellent canopies,
finest lamps,
And the best incense.
I offer to those heroic Buddhas
The finest robes and best fragrances
And a variety of foods piled
as high as Mount Meru,
All perfectly arranged.
By the power of my faith in noble deeds
I prostrate and present
Vast and unequaled offerings
To each of the victorious Buddhas.
I confess every type of wrong
That I have done
In thought, word, or deed,
Under the influence of desire,
anger, or ignorance.
I rejoice in the meritorious deeds
Of all the Buddhas of the ten
directions,
The Bodhisattvas, Pratyeka
Buddhas, Arhats,
Practitioners, and all sentient
beings.
I request all the enlightened protectors
Who have attained the detachment
of Buddhahood,
And illumine the worlds of
the ten directions
To turn the peerless wheel
of Dharma.
With hands folded, I beseech
Those who intend to manifest
the final nirvana
To remain for as many eons
as there are atoms in all theBuddha lands,
To gladden and benefit all
living beings.
May whatever little virtue I may have gained
From prostrating, offering,
confessing,
Rejoicing, requesting, and
beseeching,
Be dedicated to attain perfect
enlightenment.
May I worship the Buddhas of the past, and those now present
In the worlds of the ten directions.
May those to come quickly fulfill
their aspirations,
And reach Buddhahood by traversing
the stages of enlightenment.
May all the worlds of the ten directions
Become spacious, pure,
And filled with victorious
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas,
Who proceed to the royal tree
of enlightenment.
May all beings in the ten directions
Always be happy and free of
sickness.
May their aspirations be in
harmony with the dharma,
And may they fulfill their
hopes.
May I perform all the deeds of enlightenment,
And remember my lives in all
states of existence.
In all my lives, after death,
migration, and rebirth,
May I always renounce the world.
May I follow all the victorious Buddhas,
And completely perfect all
noble deeds.
Pure in the immaculate deeds
of morality,
May my conduct always be flawless
and without lapses.
May I teach the Dharma in every tongue,
In whatever sounds are understood
by living beings,
In the language of the gods,
Nagas, yakshas, spirits, and
human beings.
May I always diligently and patiently perform the perfections.
May I never forget enlightenment
mind,
And completely remove
Whatever negativities may obscure
it.
Freed from karma, defilements, and actions of demons,
As unsoiled by the mire,
So in every rebirth in the
world, may I proceed unhindered,
Like the sun and moon in the
sky.
Throughout all the lands in all the directions,
May the sufferings of the lower
realms be completely relieved.
Establishing all beings in
happiness,
May I work for the benefit
of all living beings.
May I fully accomplish the deeds of enlightenment,
Work in harmony with the deeds
of all beings,
Thoroughly demostrate noble
deeds,
And perform them through all
future eons.
May I always associate with those
Whose deeds are similar to
mine.
May we act alike in thought,
word, and deed,
And may our aspirations be
as one.
May those friends who wish to help me,
And thoroughly demostrate noble
deeds,
Always meet me again,
And may I never disappoint
them.
May I always personally behold the victorious Buddhas,
Those guardians surrounded
by Bodhisattvas,
And without tiring in all future
eons,
May I always present them magnificent
offerings.
May I always uphold the Buddhas' holy Dharma
And illuminate the deeds of
enlightenment.
May I thoroughly train in noble
deeds
In the future eons.
Through rebirth in all the states of existence,
May I gather endless stores
of merit and wisdom.
May I become an inexhaustible
treasure of
All virtues of method, wisdom,
concentration, and freedom.
May I always behold as many lands
As there are atoms present
in each atom.
In each land countless Buddhas
sitting in the midst of their Bodhisattvas,
And performing the deeds of
enlightenment.
In this way may I be able to perform everywhere,
Even on every mote of dust,
The deeds of oceans of Buddhas
of the past, present, and future,
In oceans of pure lands, and
oceans of eons.
May I always heed the pure speech of the victorious Buddhas,
Which holds withtin each word
the totality of the perfect Dharma,
An ocean of words and languages
Precisely suited to the needs
of all beings.
May I possess perfect intelligence
So as to heed the endless melody
of speech,
When the victorious Buddhas
of the past, present, and future
Turn the wheels of Dharma.
May I enter all the past, present, and future eons
In a fraction of a second.
May I enter all future eons
In a single instant.
May I behold all Lions among Men
Of the past, present, and future
in a single instant.
May I always perform their
activities
Through the power of liberation
from illusion.
May I perceive upon a single atom the perfect design
Of the pure realms of the past,
present, and future.
Thus may I enter into the realms
Of the victorious Buddhas in
all directions.
May I always be in the presence of the future illuminators
of the worlds,
When they gradually reach the
stages of Buddhahood,
Turn the wheel of Dharma,
And manifest the profound peace
of nirvana.
May I acquire the perfectly accomplished powers of enlightenment
The power of miraculous swiftness,
The power of the door to every
spiritual path,
The power to manifest all virtuous
qualities.
The power of all-pervasive love,
The power of the merit of every
virtue,
The power of wisdom which transcends
all attachment,
And the powers of wisdom, method,
and concentration.
May the power of action be utterly purified,
The power of defilements be
utterly subdued,
The power of demons be utterly
destroyed,
And the power of noble deeds
be perfected.
May the ocean of lands be completely purified,
The ocean of beings completely
liberated,
The ocean of Dharma fully understood,
And the ocean of wisdom fully
attained.
May the ocean of deeds be completely purified,
The ocean of aspirations entirely
accomplished,
The ocean of Buddhas ceaselessly
worshipped,
And noble deeds tirelessly
performed through oceans of eons.
The victorious Buddhas of the past, present, and future
Attained enlightened Buddhahood
Through aspiration to the noble
deeds of enlightenment.
May I accomplish all of those
deeds without exception.
The eldest son of all the victorious Buddhas
Is called Samantabhadra.
I dedicate all of these merits
That my deeds may be like those
of that wise one.
Just as that noble wise one dedicated
His completely pure body, speech,
mind,
Deeds, and realms,
Likewise, may I become equal
to that.
To perform every noble virtue,
I will practice the aspiration
of Manjushri.
May I tirelessly accomplish
all of his deeds
In every future eon.
May there be no limit to my activities.
May there be no limit to my
good qualities.
Through persevering in limitless
deeds,
May I accomplish all miraculous
deeds.
The limit of living beings
Is as the limit of open space.
May the limit of my aspirations
be equal
To the limit of their activities
and passions.
Whoever offers to the victorious Buddhas
All the realms of the ten directions
adorned with jewels,
And all the excellent joys
of gods and men
For as many eons as there are
atoms in those realms shall gain great merit.
But whoever hears this greatest dedication prayer,
Greatly aspires to perfect
enlightenment,
And even once generates faith,
Shall gain even higher and
holier merit.
Whoever utters this Aspiration to Noble Deeds
Will never again endure lower
rebirth,
Will abandon all evil friends,
And soon behold the Buddha
of boundless light.
They will find that which is sought
And live in happiness,
Find joy also in this life,
And soon become like Samantabhadra
himself.
Even though they may have, in ignorance,
Committed the five irredeemable
sins,
They will soon be completely
purified
Through uttering this Aspiration
to Noble Deeds.
They will achieve perfect wisdom, a radiant countenance,
Ethereal form, auspicious physical
marks, and a noble birth.
Profane and devilish beings
will not trouble them,
And they will be honored in
the three realms.
They will quickly reach the royal tree of enlightenment,
Residing there to benefit all
beings.
As enlightened Buddhas, they
will turn the wheel of Dharma,
Taming the demonic hosts.
Whoever knows, teaches, or recites
This Aspiration to Noble Deeds
Shall ultimately attain perfect
Buddhahood.
May none despair of complete
enlightenment.
In whatever way valiant Manjushri and Samantabhadra
Know how to transfer merit,
So do I dedicate all of my
own virtues
That I might train to be like
them.
Through this dedication, praised as supreme
By the victorious Buddhas of
the past, present, and future,
I dedicate all of these roots
of virtue
To accomplishing noble deeds.
At the moment of my death,
All obscurations will be removed,
I will behold the Buddha of
boundless light,
And go to the pure land of
perfect bliss.
In that blissful land,
May I completely manifest all
of these aspirations,
And benefit all beings
As long as the universe remains.
Joyful there, in that blessed pure realm of the Buddhas,
May I be reborn in the beautiful,
perfect body of a lotus,
And the Buddha Amitabha Himself
Foretell my own enlightenment.
May I thereafter accomplish countless benefits
For living beings in all the
ten directions
By the power of perfect wisdom
In its myriad incarnations.
Through whatever small virtue I have gathered
By uttering this Aspiration
to Noble Deeds,
May all virtuous aspirations
of living beings
Be accomplished in a single
instant.
Through the boundless merit gained by so dedicating
This Aspiration to Noble Deeds,
May the countless beings drowning
in the torrent of suffering
Reach the stage of Amitabha.
May this greatest of dedication prayers
Benefit countless living beings.
May uttering this ornament
of Samantabhadra
Release all beings from the
suffering of the lower realms.
Translated into English by Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen, Ane Kunga Chodron, and John Golden, at Sakya Phuntsok Ling in Washington D.C. on the auspicious occasion of the Tibetan New Year 1987.
Arya Maitreya's Aspiration
Prostrations to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!
Ananda, in previous times when the Bodhisattva, the great sattva Arya Maitreya, performed the deeds of a Bodhisattva, he placed his Dharma robe upon one shoulder, and three times each day and three times each night, bent his right knee to the ground, and folding his hands, made this aspiration prayer:
Prostrations to all the Buddhas.
Prostrations to those rishis who possess the divine eye.
And to all the Bodhisattvas,
And also to the Shravakas.
Prostrations to bodhicitta,
Which repels the action of the lower realms,
Thoroughly demostrates the path of higher rebirth,
And leads to deathlessness and agelessness.
Whatever unwholesome deeds I committed,
Acting under the power of the mind,
I confess all these
In the presence of the Buddhas.
Through the accumulation of merit
Which I developed from the three sources,
Which are the seeds of my omniscience,
May my enlightenment never be exhausted.
I, too, rejoice in the merit of
Any offering made to the Buddhas
In the pure realms of the ten directions
And rejoiced by the Buddha's wisdom.
I confess all negative deeds
And rejoice in all meritorious deeds.
I prostrate to all the Buddhas.
May I achieve exalted primordial wisdom.
To the exalted enlightened Bodhisattvas,
Who abide on the tenth stage
Throughout the ten directions,
I request that they become fully enlightened.
Having attained the noble enlightenment of Buddhahood,
And conquered maras and their hosts,
May they turn the wheel of Dharma
For the benefit of every sentient being.
May the sound of the great drum of Dharma
End the suffering of sentient beings.
May they remain,
Teaching the holy Dharma for countless eons.
For those beings who are sunk in the quicksand of desire,
And tightly bound by the fetters of attachment,
And completely tied by every form of bondage,
May the Supreme Among Men gaze upon them.
Beings of stained mind
Are not scorned by the Buddhas,
Who possess the mind of compassion toward sentient beings,
May you liberate beings from the ocean of existence.
May I follow those fully enlightened beings who abide in the present,
Those who have existed in the past,
And those who are yet to appear,
And perform enlightened conduct.
Having accomplished the six perfections,
May I liberate all sentient beings of the six realms.
And by actualizing the six types of clairvoyance,
May I place them in unsurpassable enlightenment.
May I realize the Dharma of emptiness
Which was unborn and will not arise,
Has no nature and no place,
No consciousness and no substance.
Like the great sage, the Buddha,
May I realized the Dharma of selflessness,
The non-existence of beings and the non-existence of their life,
The non-existence of persons and the non-existence of things.
May I be able to give unstintingly
For the benefit of every sentient being,
Without ego or clinging
Toward any material thing.
May I acquire all my wealth spontaneously
Through realizing the non-material view of all matter,
And may I accomplish the perfection of giving
Through which clinging to material vanishes.
May I accomplish the perfection of morality
Through ethics lacking pride,
And by possessing pure moral conduct
Without lapses in ethical rules.
May I accomplish the perfection of patience
Which harbors no anger,
And is non-abiding, like the elements of air,
Earth, water, and fire.
May I accomplish the perfection of diligence
Through possessing strength of body and mind
By exerting diligence,
Stable, blissful, and without laziness.
May I accomplish the perfection of concentration
Through illusion-like concentration,
Through heroic traveler-like concentration,
And through diamond-like concentration.
May I accomplish the perfection of wisdom
Through actualizing the three types,
And equalizing the three times,
And the three doors of liberation.
May I accomplish my aspiration
Through a Bodhisattva's diligence,
Which blazes with dignity and light
And is praised by all the Buddhas.
Performing this conduct,
Becoming renowned for kindness,
And accomplishing the six types of paramitas,
May I thoroughly abide on the peak of the tenth bhumi.
Soon after departing this life
And having been born into the realm of joy,
With blissful mind may I swiftly please the Lord Maitreya Bodhisattva,
And may I obtain a prophecy to enlightenment.
Translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan by Bhante Yeshe De.
Translated from Tibetan to English by Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen
and Victoria Hunckenpahler.
The Purpose and Benefits of doing Full Prostration
By Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen
NAMO GURUBAE. The recitation of one mantra is transformed into 1,000 prostrations.
OM NAMO MANJUSHRI YE.
To Lord Manjushri I prostrate, NAMO SUSHRIYA.
To the incomparable glory I prostrate.
NAMO UDA DHARMA SHRIYE SVAHA.
To the most excellent glory I prostrate.
By prostrating to the most superior Triple Gems, defilements and obscurations of sentient beings and myself are purified.
By clasping the 2 palms, may method and wisdom be attained.
Resting the clasped hands on the top of the crown, may one enter the celestial land of Akanishta.
Resting the clasped hands on the forehead between the eyebrows, may the defilements and obscurations of the body are purified.
Resting the clasped hands at the throat, may the defilements and obscurations of the voice be purified.
Putting the clasped hands at the heart, may the defilements and obscurations of the mind be purified.
Each time for unfolding the two hands, for the sake of all sentient beings may the two bodies be obtained.
When the two knees touch the ground, may the damnation of samsara be free.
When the ten fingers of the two hands touch the ground, may the ten bhumis and five stages be reached.
When the forehead touches the ground, may the eleven radiant rays shine everywhere.
By straightening and the bending of the arms and legs, may the four activities be all at once accomplished.
By straightening and bending the veins and sinews, all the knots at the veins are loosened without exception.
By bending the spine and central artery, may all the wind enter the central vein without exception.
To touch the ground and later to rise up, may liberation from samsara be attained.
After prostrating many times, may one become the guide of all sentient beings without attaching to personal calmness.
By the meritorious power of offering full prostration by oneself and others, may the conditions in this life be freed from sickness and blessed with three auspiciousness.
During the time of dying, one is reborn in the state of bliss and quickly attains the state of a Fully Enlightened Buddha.
This is a preparation of Lord Sakya Pandita. After doing these full prostrations, if one reflects the reasons and purposes, immeasurables benefits and results will be received.
Heart Advice in A Nutshell by Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro
Homage to Guru Rinpoche, the Lord of Orgyen, the incomparable object of Refuge!
This unique, free and well-favoured human form
is so difficult to obtain.
Since we have actually attained it this time,
Let us endearvour to unfold the realization
of its full potential,
And not leave it to rot.
The root of all dharmas is one's mind.
If unexamined, it rushes after experiences
and is ingenious in the games of deception.
If you look right into it, it is free from
any ground or origin,
In essence free from any coming, staying or
going.
All the dharmas of Samsara and Nirvana are
one's own mind,
Only determined by its display our perception,
pure or impure
In reality, neither exists.
Pure from the beginning, free and simple,
Not falling into extremes,
Instead, in the luminosity of its self-existing
energy, it is fully accomplished.
This is the very ground for the manifestation
of compassion's intelligence Rigpa .
Rigpa is beyond designation and verbalization.
Out of it arises, as its display, the variety
of appearances of Samsara and Nirvana.
Manifestation and manifester are not two
In this state of oneness, naturally abide,
BODY free from walking, sitting, movements
SPEECH natural to the flow
of breath
MIND
free from afterthoughts
In the toally free state of mind: open, spacious, restfully content, carefree - abide.
This unborn Dharmakaya's Rigpa
Uncreated by cause and circumstances naturally
arose
Raw, fresh, nakedly naked.
Unstained by thoughts of 'I' and 'mine', 'this'
or 'that'
Unspoiled by understanding, mental fabrication
In the silence of its natural simplicity
abide
'Abide' is only an expression
In reality it is totally free from that which
abides and abiding itself.
This Rigpa Emptiness the Dharmakaya's actual face
Dwell, at all times, in this recognition, undistracted.
There is no end to the activity and delusions
of Samsara;
The more you do, the more you they increase.
Animosity and attachment just grow more and
more,
Gradually working towards your own downfall.
Therefore, instead, turn your mind towards the Dharma.
Here you will find the first glimpse enlightenment
and liberation,
You won't be ashamed at the moment of death,
And in this life and others you will go from
happiness to happiness there is no doubt.
The one who has been most gracious to you -
Your Lama, and Orgyen Chenpo, inseparable
-
Visualize on top of your head,
And offer your 'heart and soul' in fervent
and one-pointed devotion.
Whatever arises, good or bad, happiness or
sorrow,
Rely on your only father Lama and pray to
him,
Mix your mind one with him.
At the moment of death, abandon thoughts of
attachment and aversion,
Visualize Orgyen Guru, your Lama, on your
head.
Your consciousness in the form of light symbolised
by HRIH,
Transfer it into the wisdom of the Lama Orgyen
Chenpo.
If you always meditate and practice in this
manner,
At the moment of death, it will come easier.
Recite the prayer of Zangdok Palri .
In conclusion, Dharma practice is to cut attachment
to Samsara,
To generate love and compassion for all beings
of the six realms,
To tame this minds of ours again and again.
This, I plead, take to heart and practise
all the time please do!
Colophon
Even though I have no practice in myself, this short advice the words of the Noble
Ones of the past, was written for the fortunate woman practitioner
Pelu, by the one who has no Dharma, the stubborn parasite, the
socalled 'Chokyi Lodro', just in order not to reject her request.
Song To Inspire Myself By Jetsun Dragpa Gyaltsen
edited by Acharya Migmar Tseten
I prostrate to Manjughosa.
I am gripped by defilement, faithful to samsaric Dharma,
enjoy talking, diligent in speaking of the faults of others,
without comprehending my own faults, I compete with the inferior,
turn away from this conduct which is opposed to benefit!
Be diligent in recalling the faults of the dharmas of samsara,
always remember going for refuge
to the Three Jewels day and night;
be diligent in any of the vows of individual liberation that have been obtained.
In order to hold the lineage of the Bodhisattvas,
be very faithful to bodhicitta,
recite the Seven Limb Prayer,
and the Sutra of the Three Heaps during the three times.
Without sleeping, practice yoga of sadhana diligently
in the first and last parts of the night.
After arising from the meditation sessions,
practice the path of conduct as it occurs in the sutras and treatises.
Persevere in the root and branch samayas,
be diligent in offering to the Holy Guru,
protect the minds of all sentient beings.
When waves of negative conceptually occur,
abandon them by developing the antidotes well.
If you do not inspire yourself,
where will there be someone else who will give you inspiration?
In this way you will be well inspired!
It is very rare to practice according to the texts,
if one has not avowed from this non spiritual conduct,
one will not obtain a positive result.
Composing this inspiration to myself,
I request the Gurus to tolerate any contradictions.
This 'Inspiration to Myself', written by the Shakya Upasaka Dragpa Gyaltsen is well accomplished.
This prayer is recited to gain the positive qualities of the Buddha's
mind and as an additional to Samantabhadra's Aspiration. This can also be recited for the
benefit of the deceased.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected giving.
Just as the Conqueror perfected giving,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected morality.
Just as the Conqueror perfected morality,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected patience.
Just as the Conqueror perfected patience,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected diligence.
Just as the Conqueror perfected diligence,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected meditation.
Just as the Conqueror perfected meditation,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected wisdom.
Just as the Conqueror perfected wisdom,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected method.
Just as the Conqueror perfected method,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected power.
Just as the Conqueror perfected power,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected aspiration.
Just as the Conqueror perfected aspiration,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected primordial wisdom.
Just as the Conqueror perfected primordial wisdom,
May I and others become like that before too long.
The Greatly Compassionate One, Excellent among Men,
Completely perfected the Dharmakaya.
Just as the Conqueror perfected the Dharmakaya,
May I and others become like that before too long.
By the compassion of the unsurpassable teacher,
And the blessings of the truth of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,
Pratyekabuddhas and Arhats,
May this be accomplished just as I aspire.
Translated by Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen and Ane Kunga Chodron at Sakya Phuntsok Ling in Washington D.C. during the auspicious month of Vesak, 1997.
A Gift of Dharma to Kublai Khan
(As spoken by the Sakya-pa Chogyal Pagpa)
To the incomparable Enlightened One, who is endowed with the splendour of fame in name and the splendour of wondrous virtues in actual fact, I offer homage.
Although you, mighty emperor, know already the discourses on worldly and spiritual science, still, as with the songs and music of musicians to which you listen again and again even when you have heard them all before, why shouldn't a poet repeat wise words?
All of the countless teachings of Dharma taught by the Sage for the sake of countless disciples indeed are meant to be practised. But how may this be done?
Just as a man bound by fear and shame would not disobey his king's command but dwell in right conduct without harming others and, as a result, would ever grow in good fortune and even earn the praises of his king, so, too, with a person who accepts, in accordance with his ability to accomplish them, thel rules of discipline enjoined by the Sage to help beginners on the Hinayana and Mahayana paths: if, after properly receiving vows from an abbot, that person would then guard them because he is bound both by fear of seen and unseen sufferings in worldly existence and by shame whenever he reflects, 'The multitudes of Noble Ones who know the thoughts of other beings will be shamed if I break my vows, . . .'
He, as a result, would become a foundation not only of seen and unseen joys in worldly existence, but of the virtues of perfect liberation; he would also become a worthy object of veneration for men and gods and even receive the praises of Buddhas.
These three realms of existence, after all, are just suffering, while Nirvana, too, is just peace. Looking with pity, therefore, on those who wish either for worldly existence or Nirvana, it is the Buddha alone who, Himself free from sorrow, removes sorrow, and who, having Himself attained great Joy, bestows joy. And He has appeared from amongst beings like ourselves.
The methods He used we can also use. Without timidity and laziness, therefore, you should unwaveringly aspire to win highest enlightenment and feel free to think, 'I must surely attain Buddhahood . ' Guard as your own life the vows you have made which, if violated, will cause you to be burnt in hells and which, if preserved, will enable you to experience truly wonderful results in proceeding from Joy to Joy even now.
Since the three sets of vows--of the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana paths--are the foundation whereon all virtues may arise, remain and grow within oneself and others, try from the very first to be firm in their observance.
Become certain that the Teaching, which is virtuous in its beginning, middle and end, and whose words are quite flawless and not contra- dictory to the two logical proofs of valid knowledge, is the unique spiritual way among ways.
Know, too, that the Enlightened One who taught it is endowed with unhindered wisdom and great compassion -- since He revealed (the truth) without close-fistedness --and also with tremendous power.
Because they are His followers and a gathering of beings with virtues similar to His, because also your own sphere of spiritual activity is identical to theirs, know the noble Assembly of Bodhisattvas to be the best field for increasing your merit.
Realising that it is your preceptor who points out and introduces you to these Three Jewels, that he is endowed with the same virtues they have, and that he sustains you with kindliness, always attend and meditate upon him with unflagging faith.
Since they are like yourself in having the nature of being endowed with the causes of pain and with a constant state of unsatisfactoriness, and like yourself, moreover, in wishing themselves to be free from unhappiness and its causes, you should unceasingly meditate great compassion for all living beings.
Recalling the benefits of virtue which you will need in order to attain highest enlightenment and to achieve others' good as well as your own purposes, strive wholeheartedly with genuine devotion to acquire it. In brief, since a mind endowed with faith, compassion and devotion is the precursor of all spiritual accomplishments, perform every least virtue with these three present.
Envision the Body of the Enlightened One either in front of you or as your own body, and visualise that your dwelling place is a Buddhafield wherein all beings are Conquerors surrounded by Bodhisattvas and Disciples. Then worship yourself and others with oceans of offerings consisting of the enjoyment of the five sense-objects.
Realise that your own virtuous preceptor and all the Conquerors are truly equal and nondual in form, activity and essential nature. At all times, you should envision him in front of you, or seated atop the crown of your head, or within the lotus of your heart, and pray to him or meditate upon him as being nondual with yourself.
Of virtue, nonvirtue, pleasure, pain and all the phenomena of Samsara and Nirvana, mind is the substratum.
If you were to examine that mind thoroughly from every angle, you would realise that it has neither colour nor shape, nor is it single or manifold. It therefore has no nature; therefore it is not arisen, neither does it remain nor cease. It is devoid of both centre and periphery, and is thus away from all extremes. It has just the nature of space.
Even so, cognition is not stopped. Hence mind has the nature of nondual cognition-and-emptiness.
As one's own mind is, so, too, is the nature of all beings' minds. Understand thoroughly that all phenomena are nondual appearance-and-emptiness and place your mind in meditation without grasping.
Through meditating nondually on the two objects (one's preceptor and the Enlightened One) and objectlessness (emptiness), you will attain a superior meditative state of tranquil concentration (shamatha) which cannot be disturbed by thoughts.
Joyfully remembering that every act of virtue or nonvirtue increases the strength of one's virtuous or nonvirtuous inclinations, always bring virtues to mind and strengthen them.
Especially should you recollect and analyse the support, form and experience of your meditation whenever you have meditated upon an object. Through examining further the interdependent origination of their causes and conditions--however many they may be --you will attain meditative insight (vidarshana) through realising the true state of their suchness, i.e., that no support, form or experience whatsoever exists.
Following the performance of virtues, you should gather together in one all the merit acquired through that (meditation and the like), and fully dedicate them to the attainment of perfect enlightenment by yourself and all these countless beings.
Even though transferrable merit may not have been acquired at the time you offer prayers, your wishes nonetheless will be fulfilled if you pray for a great purpose to be achieved--for mind alone is chief. Every virtue which is adorned by this kind of recollection, dedication and noble prayer will increase unceasingly and eventually become the cause of great good for oneself and others.
Everything that is experienced and all other conditioned things (samskrtadharma) i.e., the five aggregates, the senses, sense-objects and sense consciousnesses) are devoid of any nature of their own because they all depend upon causes and conditions.
You should know, therefore, that these external objects also, which appear in various forms to, and are experienced by, mind that is stained by mental impressions, are not real; they are like magical shows which appear due to a variety of causes they are also like dreams that occur during sleep.
The (so-called) 'unconditioned dharmas' (asamskrtadharma) are simply ascriptions. A person would have to be mad to wish to propose meaningless names for them, or to indulge in thoughts about them and thereby accept them as 'conditioned dharmas'.
Never scorn the connexion between deeds and their results, for (the teachings on) the interdependent origination of cause-and-result as it operates in the sphere of relative truth are not deceptive. You will experience the ripening results of your actions.
There are 'eternalists' in whose view the substantiality of phenomena is accepted. However, no object whatsoever exists which is devoid of (both) direction (i.e., dimension) and time (i.e., consciousness): if you were to analyse the forms of direction and space, you could not possibly find a single entity (which is not reducible to its component parts). And if a 'single entity' does not exist, whence could 'many' appear? As there is no existence other than these, the conceptualisation of 'existence' (itself) is an inferior one.
Just as there is no length without shortness, how could a nature of 'nonexistence' be apprehended when even a nature of 'existence' is not obtained?
Know, intelligent one, that the Real also does not consist of 'both' (existence and nonexistence) because this possibility has been removed by the rejection (of each individually); nor does it consist of being 'neither' of the two, because there is no logical proof for this possibility and, in any case, there is no possible 'bothness' to which it could be an alternative.
But if we were to conclude that 'Mind alone is real since it is formless and thus has no directions', (we would have to admit that) it also becomes plural and false if subject and object are identical, (the latter being manifold).
If, however, subject and object are different to one another, how then do objects become objectified and mind subjectified? If the two arise dually, in what way (e.g, simultaneously or otherwise,) do they appear? Finally, what kind of liberation is achieved merely by rejecting illusory external appearances?
Since the object is not established as real by nature, the subject, too, is not established as real. The claim that there exists somehow a pure consciousness apart from these two, is as extremely wrong as the (Sankhya philosophers' notion of a) 'Self' (purusha) distinct from the transformations of primal nature (prakrter vikara).
Be free from supports, knowing that all phenomena from the first, are unarisen, natureless, away from extremes and like space.
Marvellous and much more wondrous than any wonder is this knowledge which does not relinquish the emptiness of all dharmas nor yet stop the process of interdependent origination!
Realise that objects are the nonduality of appearance-and-emptiness, that mind is the nonduality of knowledge-and-emptiness, and that the paths to liberation are the nonduality of methods and wisdom.
Finally, act (in accord with this insight).
The stages of cause, path and result should be understood thus: the interdependent origination of the relative sphere is like illusion; in the ultimate, the nature of dharmas is emptiness; finally, both are nondual without differentiation.
Thus, if the foundation (morality), preparation (reflection), meditation, conclusion (dedication of merit and recollection) and the process of practice taken as a whole each be multiplied by three (in correspondence to the three stages of cause, path and result), all the paths of virtue are gathered together in fifteen factors.
Whoever strives to perfect these (fifteen) factors in each performance of virtue enjoys the happiness of fortunate states and accumulates oceans of the Two Collections (merit and transcendent wisdom).
Through the clarity of his meditation, he becomes joined with the Aryan Path and increases in transcendent wisdom as a result of his meditation and noble conduct. Then, attaining the goal (of Buddhahood) through coursing along the final stages of the Path, he puts an end to all thought constructions by realising the nature of mind to be pure from the very beginning. (His mind) becomes one flavour with the Dharmadhatu and is transformed into the Svabhavikakaya which is the transcendent wisdom of Dharmadhatu and the knowledge of the perfection of renunciation.
For him, the dharmas of worldly existence become transformed through the practice of the path so that his body becomes the Body (of an Enlightened One) adorned by (112) marks and signs of perfection His voice becomes (the Voice of the Buddha) endowed with sixty tones; his mind is transformed into Transcendent Wisdom and is also endowed with omniscience. Passions are transformed into the boundless virtues of the Conqueror and constitute the Sambhogakaya. His deeds are transformed into the 'Task-Accomplishing Wisdom' and the countless kinds of enlightened activity which form the Nirmanakaya.
These five wisdoms constitute the perfect realisation of the Enlightened One and, inasmuch as He is also endowed with spiritual power, they are unending and uninterrupted. May you also, O emperor, become like Him!
Through the merit of offering this gift of Dharma which summarises the deep sense of the noble path, may all living beings with you, O king, as their chief, quickly attain the highest stage of enlightenment.
My own mind, too, has become encouraged by composing these lines as a gift of doctrine and so I shall speak further of another matter: undistractedly hear it, O Lord among Beings!
The time when you should make efforts is now: make firm the good fortune you have, ensure long life and the success of your lineage and practise right methods to gain liberation
It is right to make efforts without distraction. At a time when Dharma has not yet set like a sun and a religious king like yourself sits on the throne, how can your mind remain indifferent to the plight of those who wear saffron robes?
Though I am not old, the strength of my body is slight and my mind inclines to be lazy; therefore I wish to be excused for awhile that I may seek Dharma's meaning in solitude.