O lord of sages, Shakyamuni, who through abandoning and realizing attained supreme buddhahood,

With your hearts sons, Lord Maitreya and Mañjughosha,

The seven patriarchs[1], the seventeen great panditas[2] and the like,

All you great founders of the teachings in the noble land of India,

And especially you who introduced the excellent path in Tibet;

The three ancestral Dharma kings,[3]

The second buddha—Padmakara,

Shantarakshita and your entire lineage: recollecting your kindness fills us with faith and devotion.

So as to bring living inspiration to countless beings, you spread

The teachings of Buddha, our victorious guide endowed with four-fold fearlessness,

Radiating them, with the five perfections, to fortunate disciples in every direction,

O learned, skilful and noble lama, to you we pray.

When the time came for the enlightened aspiration and actions

Of the Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso to be fulfilled, it was through their spiritual link

That Lerab Lingpa, with his cycle of teachings,

Brought a wealth of auspiciousness to the people of the Land of Snows.

Even amidst the oppressive darkness of the five degenerations,

You perfected your study, contemplation and meditation on all the outer and inner pitakas, and countless scriptures,

Reached the highest experience and realization of their meaning,

And stood out, as the supreme holder of the definitive teachings.

When the fierce winds of change blew with unbearable intensity,

Your determination and resolve remained steadfast like the king of mountains,

And those in saffron robes, upholders of the three trainings,

And devoted followers in their thousands, flocked around you.

Day by day, by means of their study, practice and spiritual activity,

You fulfilled the deepest wishes of beings who came from far and wide,

And with a great Dharma rain of ripening empowerments and liberating teachings, vast and profound,

You planted the perfect seed of enlightenment within us all.

From the teachings of the shravakas up to Atiyoga,

You bestowed the scriptural traditions of all the vehicles,

Along with every drop of nectar from the pith instructions,

And satisfied the hearts of all your fortunate disciples.

How clearly we recall the mandala of your perfect form,

How distinct the deep melody of your enlightened speech,

How vivid the knowledge and affection of your wisdom mind,

Remembering all your noble qualities, fervently we pray to you.

All of us who are your followers, we pledge

With unwavering effort, to apply faith, diligence and critical intelligence

To the wish-granting Dharma treasury of the nine vehicles,

And to devote ourselves, always, to the practice of contemplation and meditation.

Through the power of this prayer to you, our protector, may all your aspirations

Be perfectly realized, and so bring inspiration to beings throughout the whole of space,

And may we all never be separated from the teachers of the supreme vehicle,

So that we cultivate completely the qualities of experience and realization.

Through the vast and compassionate blessings of the lamas, yidams and dakinis,

Through the power of interdependence, the nature of things, which is beyond all imagining,

And through the strength of unchanging and fervent devotion in both teacher and students,

May these aspirations come to pass, just as we desire!

Khenpo Jikmé Phuntsok Rinpoche gave immense service to the Buddha’s precious doctrine of scripture and realization in both teaching and practice, and he clarified the teachings of the Ancient Translation school as his enlightened aspirations and prayers from the past came to maturation. In his noble activity, he greatly benefited the teachings and beings by turning the wheel of Dharma extensively and in a non-sectarian way, affecting many thousands of devoted followers in a number of countries around the world through his wonderful aspirations and enlightened deeds, but especially at the Larung Institute for Higher Buddhist Studies which he founded in Serta, East Tibet.

At this unfortunate time, when he has displayed the appearance of directing his wisdom mind into the dharmadhatu as a result of some external and internal adversities, it is extremely important for his grief-stricken disciples to pray one-pointedly to their great teacher and to make an offering of their practice by diligently applying themselves continuously and without hypocrisy, as well as by keeping in their hearts his essential instructions that distil the essence of sutra and mantra, and not forgetting them.

So that the enlightened intentions of this great being may be fulfilled completely and to help dispel the anguish of his disciples, I recently made this prayer. May all these aspirations be fulfilled!

This was written by the Buddhist monk Tenzin Gyatso on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Wood Monkey year (6th March 2004) during the seventeenth calendrical cycle. May virtue abound!

| Translated by Rigpa Translations. First published in the Rigpa Tibetan Calendar 2005-2006.