The first step in taking the bodhisattva vow, the key to the path of the Mahayana, is to recall the qualities of the Three Jewels:

 

Recalling the Qualities of the Three Jewels

 

Homage to the omniscient one!

 

Thus the Buddha, the transcendent, accomplished conqueror,

The tathagata who has attained suchness,

The arhat who has conquered all foes,

Is a perfectly and completely enlightened buddha,

Endowed with insight and worthy of reverence,

The sugata who has reached the state of bliss,

The knower of the entire world,

The guide and tamer of beings,

The unsurpassable one,

The teacher of gods and humans,

The buddha bhagavat.

The tathagata is in harmony with all merit.

He does not waste the sources of virtue.

He is fully adorned with patience.

He is the foundation of the treasures of merit.

He is ornamented with the excellent minor marks.

He is the full blossoming of the major marks.

His activity is timely and fitting.

Seeing him, there is nothing displeasing.

He brings true joy to those who have faith.

His insight overwhelms all in its splendour.

His powers are invincible.

He is the teacher of all sentient beings.

He is the father of all bodhisattvas.

He is the sovereign of all the noble ones.

He is the guide who leads beings to the city of nirvana.

He has measureless wisdom.

He possesses inconceivable fearlessness.

His speech is utterly pure.

Its tones are melodious.

One can never have enough of looking at him.

His form is without comparison.

He is unsullied by the realm of desire.

He is quite unsullied by the realm of form.

He is not caught up in the formless realm.

He is completely liberated from suffering.

He is totally liberated from the aggregates.

He is not possessed with the constituents of ordinary experience.

He is in control of the sense fields.

He has cut right through the knots.

He is completely liberated from torment.

He is freed from craving.

He has crossed over the river.

He is perfected in all the wisdoms.

He abides in the wisdom of all the buddhas of past, present and future.

He does not dwell in nirvana.

He abides in perfect finality.

He remains on the level where he sees all sentient beings.

All these are the authentic and supreme qualities of the embodiment of the Buddha.

 

The sacred Dharma is good at the beginning, good in the middle and good at the end.

It is excellent in meaning, excellent in words and syllables.

It is distinctive.

It is totally complete.

It is utterly pure.

It completely purifies.

The Buddha teaches the Dharma perfectly.

It brings unerring vision.

It is without affliction.

It is constant and always timely.

It is trustworthy when applied.

Seeing it fulfils one's purpose.

The wise can validate it through their own awareness.

The Dharma taught by the buddha relies entirely on training the mind.

It brings about renunciation.

It causes one to arrive at perfect enlightenment.

It is without contradiction.

It is all-embracing.

It is constant.

It is the cessation of all uncertainty.

 

As for the Sangha of the Great Vehicle, they enter thoroughly.

They enter with awareness.

They enter straightforwardly.

They enter harmoniously.

They are worthy of veneration with palms joined together.

They are worthy of receiving prostrations.

They are a glorious field of merit.

Offering to them brings great purification.

They are an object of generosity.

They are in every way the greatest object of generosity.

 

The lord who possesses great kindness,

The omniscient teacher,

The source of oceans of merit and virtue,

I prostrate to the Tathagata.

 

Pure, the cause of freedom from passion,

Virtuous, liberating from the lower realms,

This alone is the supreme, ultimate truth:

I prostrate to the Dharma, which is peace.

 

Having been liberated, they show the path to liberation.

They are fully dedicated to the disciplines,

A holy field of merit, endowed with noble qualities:

I prostrate to the Sangha.

 

I prostrate to the Buddha, the leader

I prostrate to the Dharma, the protector,

I prostrate to the Sangha, the community,

I prostrate respectfully and always to these three!

 

The Buddha’s virtues are inconceivable;

The Dharma’s virtues are inconceivable;

The Sangha’s virtues are inconceivable.

Having faith in these inconceivables,

Therefore the fruition is inconceivable:

May I be born in a completely pure realm!

 

Prayer to the Bodhicitta and the Bodhisattvas

 

Now it is to the precious bodhicitta and the bodhisattvas, those who possess it, that we express our respect and go for refuge:

 

Turning us back from the road to the lower realms,

It shows us the road to the higher realms,

And leads to where there is no old age and death:

To this bodhicitta, in homage I bow!

 

I bow to those who have given birth

To this most precious and sacred of minds,

Who bring bliss to even those who cause them harm.

In such sources of happiness, I take refuge!

 

The Consecration of the Environment

 

Through the force of the truth of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha,

The blessing of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas,

The great power of the completed accumulation of merit and wisdom,

And the purity of the inconceivable dharmadhatu,

 

Now this whole environment becomes like the landscape of the buddha-field Sukhavati, magnificently arrayed with all kinds of exquisite ornaments, captivating and incredible in its beauty.

 

OM  SARWA  BID PURA  PURA  SURA  SURA  AWARTA YA  AWARTA  YA  HO SAPARANA  KHAM

 

Recite three times

 

Consecrating the Offerings

 

In this perfect realm, the sacred possessions of gods and men—forms, sounds, fragrances, tastes, textures, and the like—inconceivable ocean-like clouds of offerings, so pure and enchanting, fill the entire expanse of space:

 

NAMAH  SARWA TATHAGATE  BHAYO  BISHVA  MUKHE  BE  SARWA  THAKHAM  UTGATE  SAPARANA  HIMAM GAGANA  KHAM SOHA

 

Recite three times

 

The Offering Cloud Dharani

 

NAMO  RATNA  TRAYAYA   NAMO BHAGAVATE   VAJRA  SARA PRAMARDHA NE  TATHAGATAYA  ARHATE  SAMYAK SAMBUDDJAYA  TADHYATA  OM  VAJRE  VAJRE  MAHA  VAJRE  MAHA  TEDZO  VAJRE  MAHA  VIDYA  VAJRE  MAHA  BODHITSITTA VAJRE  MAHA  BODHI  MANTO  PASAM  KRAMANA  VAJRE  SARWA KARMA  AWARANA  VISHVA  DHANA  VAJRE  SOHA

 

Recite three times

 

Inviting the Buddhas and their Entourages as a Field of Merit

 

O three sources of refuge, of all directions and all times, along with those who attend you,

In all your wisdom and love, think of living beings, tormented by our negative emotions,

And come now, from limitless realms in unobstructed emanations,

To take your place at the heart of this cloud of offerings.

 

You are the protectors of all beings, every single one.

You are the deities who remorselessly destroy the maras and their forces.

You who know all things just as they are, in their true nature,

Enlightened ones, with your retinues, come now to this place!

 

Enlightened ones, over countless incalculable aeons,

Because of your love for sentient beings, you cultivated compassion.

Your aspirations are vast, your vision all complete,

And if now is the time you intend to benefit beings,

 

Then from the palace of the dharmadhtau, spontaneously perfect,

Display all kinds of magical emanations and blessings, and

And to liberate limitless sentient beings,

Come now, I pray and with you your retinue, in all their utter purity.

 

You are the lords of all dharmas;

Like the hue of refined gold,

Your brilliance brighter than the sun.

With faith and devotion, I invite you here.

 

You possess peace and great compassion,

You reside in gentleness and the stages of concentration;

You possess Dharma and wisdom free from desire,

And strength that is completely inexhaustible.

 

Come now, come from that state of peace,

Mighty sages, supreme beings, omniscient ones,

Assume exquisite illusory forms,

And come to this place of offerings, I pray!

 

And so invoke them.

 

Inviting the Buddhas and their Retinues to Remain

 

Enlightened ones, welcome, now that you have come.

We have such good fortune and merit.

Accept these offerings and then

Turn your minds towards us, please.

 

Offering the Buddhas their Places

 

PADMA  KAMALA  YÉ  STAM

 

I. The Preparation:

The Seven Branches for Gathering the Accumulations

1. Prostration

 

Incomparable masters, precious buddhas, as your nature

You possess the blessing of body, speech and mind

Of all the sugatas and bodhisattvas, past, present and future:

In homage I bow to those with such great kindness.

 

The Prayer in One Verse:

 

Homage to the Three Jewels!

 

Supreme among beings, in all the god realms there do not exist other great spiritual practitioners like you.

In this world too there are none, nor even in the realm of Vaishravana.

In the supreme abodes, the palaces of the gods, there are none,

Nor in any direction, cardinal or intermediate, are they to be found.

On the whole face of the earth with its mountains and its forests, where could any ever be?

 

The Prayer in Four Verses:

 

Whenever you take on a form, in every one,

You are honoured as perfectly enlightened buddhas

Endowed with all the thirty-two supreme marks:

To all you victorious ones, I pay homage.

 

Wherever the perfect buddhas are born,

Where they attain enlightenment,

Turn the wheel of Dharma that pacifies,

And pass into immaculate nirvana,

 

Where they dwell as sugatas,

Walk and stand and

Where they sleep like lions:

To all those holy places, I pay homage!

 

Above and below and in between

In the cardinal and intermediate directions,

Be they with form or without:

To the stupas, I pay homage!

 

These two praises should be recited alternately.

 

The Great Praise of the Ten Acts of the Buddha

 

Homage to the Buddha, Shakyamuni!

 

You I shall praise, who first awakened the mind of enlightenment,

Then completed the accumulations of merit and wisdom,

And now in this age, through the vast sway of your actions,

Have become the lord and protector of living beings.

 

Homage to you that, having taught the gods,

Knew the time had come to tame the human world, and

Descending from the god realm in the form of an elephant,

Foresaw the family of your birth and entered the womb of Mayadevi.

 

Homage to you, prince of the Shakyas, born after ten months

In the auspicious Lumbini grove, where

Brahma and Indra revered you, your supreme marks

Proving you were destined to be enlightened.

 

Homage to you, lion among men, in all your youthful vigour,

Displaying your prowess in the games at Agha Magadha,

Where you triumphed over the proud contestants,

So that not one could stand as your rival.

 

Homage to you, who, to comply with worldly convention,

And avoid all misdeeds, took on a queen and courtiers

And by acting with such skilful means,

So you ruled the kingdom.

 

Homage to you, who saw that samsara is wholly futile,

Renounced the life of a householder,

And, travelling through the sky,

Ordained yourself before the Vishuddha Stupa.

 

Homage to you, who, intent on persevering till enlightened,

For six years practised austerities on the banks of the Nairanjana,

And taking diligence to its ultimate perfection,

Attained the supreme samadhi.

 

Homage to you, who, seeking to make meaningful

All your efforts, made throughout beginningless time, sat

Unmoving in the vajra posture beneath the bodhi-tree in Magadha

And awakened into true buddhahood,

Attaining perfect enlightenment.

 

Homage to you, who, in your compassion,

Gazed at once upon living beings, then

Turned the wheel of Dharma in sacred places like Varanasi,

And established disciples in the three vehicles.

 

Homage to you that destroyed evil-minded opponents,

By defeating the six teachers of the tirthikas, Devadatta and the rest,

As well as the maras in the land of Khormojik;

You were the mighty sage, victorious in battle.

 

Homage to you, who performed great miracles in Shravasti,

Unmatched in their splendour in all the three realms,

And through the offerings made by gods, humans and other beings,

Caused the teachings to prosper and increase.

 

Homage to you, who, to spur the lazy on to the Dharma,

Left your body, though immortal and like a vajra,

And passed into parinirvana

In the pure abode of Kushinagara.

 

Homage to you, who, to show that you had not in reality perished,

And so that beings of the future could gain merit,

Emanated a wealth of relics, and caused

Your remains to be divided into eight portions.

 

The Short Praise of the Buddha’s Deeds

 

When you were born, chief among human beings,

You took seven steps on this earth and said:

“In this world I am supreme.”

To you, O wise one, I pay homage!

 

First, you descended from the heaven of Tushita,

And in the royal home entered your mother’s womb;

In the grove at Lumbini, O sage, you were born:

To the victorious ‘god among gods’, I pay homage!

 

You were tended by thirty-two nurses at the palace,

You spent your youth in sports at the house of the Shakyas;

At Kapilavastu you took Gopa as your wife:

To you who are unequalled in the three worlds, I pay homage!

 

At the four city gates, you were shown the four kinds of sorrow,

And cut your own hair in front of the Vishuddha Stupa;

On the banks of the Nairanjana you practised as an ascetic:

To you who are free from the faults of the two obscurations, I pay homage!

 

At Rajagriha you tamed a rogue elephant,

In Vaishali the monkeys offered you honey;

In Magadha, O sage, you realized buddhahood:

To you in whom omniscient wisdom blossomed, I pay homage!

 

At Varanasi you turned the wheel of Dharma,

And in the Jeta Grove you showed great miracles;

At Kushinagara your wisdom mind passed into parinirvana:

To you whose mind is like the sky, I pay homage!

 

Through the merit of this brief praise of

The deeds of the Enlightened One, Master of the Teaching,

May the actions of all living beings

Come to equal the acts of the Sugata himself.

 

O Sugata, may I and others have a form,

An entourage, a life-span, a pure realm

And sublime marks of perfection

Exactly like you.

 

Through the power of our praising you and this prayer,

In whatever lands we dwell, may

Illness, negativity, poverty, and conflict be quelled,

And Dharma and auspiciousness increase and spread.

 

If you have time, then recite ‘The Praise of the Twelve Acts of the The Sage’ composed by the Omniscient Jikmé Lingpa:

 

The Praise of the Twelve Acts of the Buddha

 

In the city of the immortal gods, in the heaven of Tushita,

The bodhisattva, holy Shvetaketu, saw the vessel

To contain the successor of the Shakya clan

Was the lady Mayadevi, her eyes of doe-like beauty.

Like the splendour of a sunrise on a mountain’s eastern face,

She gave birth, a lotus opening in blossom, in the Lumbini grove,

Brahma and Indra there to serve you, to tend you with all their grace;

You who were prophesied into the lineage of enlightened ones, I bow to you in homage!

 

Among the Shakya youths, vaunting their athletic physique,

You excelled in your prowess in the sixty four crafts;

All conceded victory and your renown

Filled the eyes and ears of all.

Never were you slave to the noose of craving and desire,

Yet to please your father, you married, but saw this illusion

For the illusion that it was, ruling the kingdom all the while.

So you were known as Sarvarthasiddha: I bow to you in homage!

 

Though precarious, fraught with danger and with change,

No-one was immune to the allure of the kingdom, save you.

Your mind was captivated by the four encounters that caused renunciation,

And you ordained yourself, a self-originating bhikshu.

Your constant perserverance, never tiring, by the Nairanjana river

Gave you the strength of mind to bear the agony of austerities, and

The concentration to keep on taming conceptual thought,

Which delighted the sugatas of the ten directions: I bow to you in homage!

 

Through three incalculable aeons in samsaric existence,

You sought the meaningful, by binding all your thoughts

With the rope of accumulating merit and wisdom.

Then, beneath the bodhi tree, you put the maras to flight,

And attained enlightenment, as all the buddhas do.

On the ship of the three turnings of the Wheel of Dharma, you save

Beings who rush into samsara’s bottomless and endless abyss,

And ferry them to the perfect levels of liberation and omniscience: I bow to you in homage!

 

Through the magical power of your miracles in Shravasti,

You rendered speechless the tirthika teachers who,

With all their analysis and research, drunk on the wine of indulgence, had become oppressive in the extreme.

In the final contest they were humbled, their prestige all drained away,

As you triumphed through the ‘the four bases of miraculous powers’.

Though you never experienced the feelings of birth, old age, sickness and death,

To bring disillusion to those who never think on the certainty of death,

You displayed your passing into parinirvana: I bow to you in homage!

 

As a device to let beings whose merit is weak or small

Increase their practice of the positive and virtuous,

You left relics, that were inexhaustible, in eight shares,

And you slept in the dharmadhatu. So, may I too

Bring perfecting, maturing and creating pure realms to completion,

Then in the great Akanishtha, that transcends the three realms,

Attain manifest buddhahood and through the ten acts displayed by a supreme emanation,

Become your equal, omniscient one, in benefitting beings!

 

You may choose whether to recite long, medium-length or short praises of the Acts of the Buddha. 

 

Offering Homage and Prostration

from the Seven Branches in Samanatabhadra’s ‘Aspiration to Good Actions’