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Arranged According to the Tradition of Patrul Rinpoche
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’ Homage
to Manjushri, the Youthful! To
all the buddhas, the lions of the human race, In
all directions of the universe, through past and present and future: To
every single one of you, I bow in homage; Devotion
fills my body, speech and mind. Through
the power of this prayer, aspiring to Good Action, All
the victorious ones appear, vivid here before my mind And
I multiply my body as many times as atoms in the universe, Each
one bowing in prostration to all the buddhas. In
every atom preside as many buddhas as there are atoms, And
around them, all their bodhisattva heirs: And
so I imagine them filling Completely
the entire space of reality. Saluting
them with an endless ocean of praise, With
the sounds of an ocean of different melodies I
sing of the buddhas’ noble qualities, And
praise all those who have gone to perfect bliss. 2.
Making Offerings In
order to hold this priceless jewel of a mind, I
make offerings to the tathagatas, To
the sacred Dharma—that most rare and immaculate of jewels— And
to the buddhas’ heirs, whose noble qualities are without limit. The
Mandala Offering OM
VAJRA BHUMI AH HUNG The
earth is the golden ground, completely pure, full of beauty and power. OM
VAJRA REKHE AH HUNG The
circular iron mountain wall completely surrounds it; in the centre is the letter HUNG— Here
is Meru, king of mountains; In
the east is Purva Videha, In
the south is Jambudvipa, In
the west is Aparagodaniya, In
the north is Uttarakuru, Beside
them are Deha and Videha, Camara
and Aparacamara, Shatha
and Uttaramantrina, Kurava
and Kaurava, The
jewel mountain, The
wish-fulfilling trees, The
wish-fulfilling cows, The
harvest that needs no sowing, The
precious wheel, The
precious gem, The
precious queen, The
precious minister, The
precious elephant, The
precious horse, The
precious general, The
vase of great treasure, The
goddess of beauty, The
goddess of garlands, The
goddess of song, The
goddess of dance, The
goddess of flowers, The
goddess of incense, The
goddess of light, The
goddess of perfume, The
sun, the moon, The
precious umbrella, The
royal banner victorious in all directions: Here
is all the bountiful wealth of gods and men, complete and flawless— All
this I offer To
the root lama in all his compassion, to the glorious, sacred lineage lamas, to the victorious yidam deities and all the deities
of their mandalas, to the buddhas and all the bodhisattvas. Please
accept it, with compassion, for the benefit of beings; Having
accepted it, grant your blessing, I pray! The
Short Mandala Offering The
ground is purified with scented water and strewn with flowers It
is adorned with Sumeru, the king of mountains, the four quarters of the universe, and the sun and
the moon; Thinking
of it as the blessed buddha-fields, I offer it. By
virtue of this offering, may all beings here and now attain the happiness of that pure land! TRAM GURU RATNA MANDALA PUDZA MEGHA SAMUDRA SAPARANA SAMAYE AH HUNG This
is according to the tradition of Lama Phakpa. If so desired, then the Trikaya Mandala Offering from the Longchen Nyingtik
can be recited: The
Trikaya Mandala Offering OM
AH HUNG Nirmanakaya
Mandala Offering One
billion universes—a hundred times ten million worlds, Filled
with all the wealth of gods and human beings, like the ‘seven precious gems’, My
bodies, my possessions, and sources of my merit, all together, I offer them in their entirety, so that I
may attain a nirmanakaya birth, to turn the Wheel of the Dharma, liberating all beings! Sambhogakaya
Mandala Offering The
highest heaven of great bliss, the realm of Ghanavyuha, Perfect
with the five certainties and the mandala of the five buddha families, and Inconceivably
vast clouds of offerings of every variety of sensual and emotional stimulants— With
this offering, may I enjoy the perfection of the sambhogakaya fields! Dharmakaya
Mandala Offering Where
all appearance and existence are completely pure Ornamented
by the play of dharmata, unceasing compassion, The
realm where all clinging to the perception of kayas and tiklés is naturally liberated, With
this wisdom-offering, may I enjoy the freedom of the Even
if you do not recite this Three Kaya Mandala Offering, it does not constitute an error of omission. In
any case, there come the prayers of aspiration for what is being requested: Aspirations To
all the masters, who have perfected the three kayas, I
make offerings outer, inner, secret and of suchness. Accept
my bodies, my possessions and the whole universe, And
grant me the unexcelled supreme siddhi, I pray! And: By
offering this excellent mandala which delights you, May
no obstacle occur on the path to enlightenment, May
I realize the wisdom mind of all the sugatas, past, present and future, And,
neither deluded in samsara, nor dwelling in the peace of nirvana, May
I liberate beings as limitless as space! Offerings from
the Seven Branches in Samanatabhadra’s ‘Aspiration to Good Actions’: To
every buddha, I make offerings: Of
the loveliest flowers, of beautiful garlands, Of
music and perfumed ointments, the best of parasols, The
brightest lamps and finest incense. To
every buddha, I make offerings: Exquisite
garments and the most fragrant scents, Powdered
incense, heaped as high as Mount Meru, Arranged
in perfect symmetry. Then,
offerings vast and unsurpassable I
imagine I give to all the buddhas, and moved By
the power of my faith in Samantabhadra’s Good Actions— I
prostrate and make offering to all you victorious ones. Offering
Our Bodies To
the master, to the buddhas and bodhisattvas, I
offer my body, speech and mind at all times. O
supreme bodhisattvas, accept me completely! In
my devotion, my only wish is to be your servant. For
if you take me, fully, into your care, I
will have no fear of samsara, as I will be helping sentient beings. All
the harm I have done in the past is over and done; No
further harm will I create from now on. 3.
Confession of Harm O
lama, great vajra holder, all you buddhas and bodhisattvas who dwell in the ten directions: turn your attention towards me,
I pray! I…
(insert your name)… throughout time without beginning in samsara until this moment now, In
the grip of negative emotions of attachment, aversion and stupidity, With
my body speech and mind I have committed: the ten negative acts, The
five crimes with immediate retribution, And
the five crimes almost as grave. I
have broken the pratimoksha vows, The
bodhisattva precepts and the samayas of the secret mantra yana. I
have failed to respect my mother and father, My
preceptor and master, And
the members of my sangha. I
have performed acts harmful to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, Abandoned
the sacred Dharma, Disdained
the arya sangha, And
acted so as to harm sentient beings, and more. All these harmful and negative acts I have committed, Allowed
to be committed Or
rejoiced at others’ committing, in short all the downfalls and wrongdoings that will obstruct me from attaining higher
realms and liberation, And
will be the cause of samsara and lower realms, whatever they may be, in their entirety, in the presence of you, the lama,
great vajra holder, and all the buddhas and bodhisattvas who dwell in the ten directions, I openly acknowledge and purify
them! I
do not hide them. Nor
do I conceal them. From
now on I vow never to commit them again! If
I openly acknowledge and purify them, I shall attain the state of bliss; If
I do not, that will never be. Then: Whatever
negative acts I have committed, While
driven by desire, hatred and ignorance, With
my body, my speech and also with my mind, Before
you, I acknowledge and purify each and every one. 4.
The Remaining Four Branches Rejoicing With
a heart full of delight, I rejoice at all the merits Of
buddhas and bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, Those
in training and the arhats beyond training, And
every living being, throughout the entire universe. Imploring
the Buddhas to Turn the Wheel of Dharma You
who are like beacons of light shining through the worlds, Who
passed through the stages of enlightenment, to attain buddhahood, freedom from all attachment, I
urge you: all of you protectors, Turn
the unsurpassable wheel of Dharma. Requesting
the Buddhas not to Enter Nirvana Joining
my palms together, I pray To
you who intend to pass into nirvana— Remain,
for aeons as many as the atoms in this world, And
bring well-being and happiness to all living beings. Dedication What
little virtue I have gathered through my homage, Through
offering, confession, and rejoicing, Through
exhortation and prayer—all of it I
dedicate to the enlightenment of beings! Training
the Mind in the Four Immeasurables May
all mother-like sentient beings, as limitless as space, enjoy happiness and the causes of happiness! May
all mother-like sentient beings, as limitless as space, be free from suffering and the causes of suffering! May
all mother-like sentient beings, as limitless as space, never be apart from the sacred happiness devoid of suffering! May
all mother-like sentient beings, as limitless as space, dwell in boundless equanimity, which is free from attachment to some
and aversion to others! Recite
three times Giving
Away of the Three Bases of Clinging My
bodies and likewise my possessions And
all my merits, past, present and future, I
give them all away, withholding not a thing, To
bring about the benefit of sentient beings. The
Preliminary Prayer for Requesting the Attention of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Teachers All
you buddhas who dwell in the ten directions All
you great bodhisattvas on the ten levels, All
you great teachers, the vajra-holders, Turn
your mind towards me, I pray! II.
The Main Part: Taking
the Vows of Bodhicitta in Aspiration and Action Combined Until
gaining the essence of bodhi, I take As
my refuge the buddhas, all fully awake, The
Dharma (of statements and realization) And
all the bodhisattvas of noble aspiration. Just
as the sugatas of former ages, Aroused
bodhichitta and then in stages, Trained
themselves in skilful practice, On
the genuine path of the bodhisattvas, Like
them, I take this sacred vow: To
arouse bodhichitta here and now, And
train myself for others’ good, Gradually,
as a bodhisattva should On
reciting this all the way through three times, we will have taken the vow of arousing the bodhichitta. At the end comes the
meditation on encouragement and rejoicing: Now
my life has great significance, At
birth I found this human existence, And
now I’m born in the buddhas’ line, As
a son or daughter of the noble kind. From
this day on, come what may, I’ll
act only in an appropriate way, And
never shall I bring disgrace Upon
this flawless, noble race. For
like a beggar, poor and blind, Who,
by chance, a jewel might find, In
heaps of filthy dirt and litter, In
my mind is now born bodhichitta. And: Now
with buddhas as my witness, I
invite all beings to lasting bliss, And,
before that, to ordinary joys: May
gods, asuras and others rejoice! The
Series of Aspiration Prayers O
sublime and precious bodhicitta, May
it arise in those in whom it has not arisen; May
it never decline where it has arisen, But
go on increasing further and further! May
they not be separated from bodhicitta, But
be always inclined to enlightened action: May
they be cared for by the buddhas, and May
they abandon harmful action. And: May
the bodhisattvas’ good wishes For
benefitting beings be fulfilled. Whatever
the protectors have intended for them: May
sentient beings receive it. May
all sentient beings be happy. May
all the lower realms be forever empty. May
the aspirations of all the bodhisattvas Of
the various bhumis be fulfilled! III.
Conclusion Recitation
of the Dharani of Pure Discipline Homage
to all the tathagatas! Homage
to the bodhisattva, the mahasattva, the noble Lord Avalokiteshvara! OM
AMOGHASHILA SAMBHARA SAMBHARA MAHA SHUDDHA SATVA PADMA VIBHUSHRITA BHUDZA DHARA DHARA SAMANTA AWALOKITE HUNG PHAT
SVAHA Recite
three or seven times. Aspiration
Prayers May
all aspects of the paramita of discipline be perfected completely within the minds of all sentient beings, including me. May
all the harmful actions and obscurations caused by breakages in discipline due to negative emotions be cleansed and purified. May
I possess the good fortune to practise discipline that pleases the noble ones. May
I attain the bliss of complete liberation, that is free from the oppression of negative emotions. And: May
my discipline be free from any flaw, May
my discipline be completely pure, With
discipline devoid of complacent pride, May
I complete the paramita of discipline. And: Following
in all the buddhas’ footsteps, May
I bring Good Actions to full perfection; May
my conduct and discipline be flawless and pure, May
it never fail me or be at fault. And:
Through
the power of training to abandon both harming others and the attitude behind it, May
the thought of doing harm arise not even in my dreams; May
everything be auspicious for me to have that perfect discipline, Which
never diverges from the altruistic mind of bodhicitta! Afterword This
arrangement of the bodhisattva vow is according to the tradition of Patrul Rinpoche—Dza Palge Trulku, Orgyen Chökyi
Wangpo—who was no different from that great learned and realized acharya Shantideva from the holy land of India, a manifestation
in human form of the sublime, noble Avalokiteshvara, ‘The Self Liberation of Suffering’. It was handed down in
succession by Patrul Rinpoche’s heart son, the great being Nyoshul Lungtok Tenpé Nyima, to Jetsün Lama Ösel Rinchen
Nyingpo Pema Ledrel Tsal—Khenpo Ngakchung—whose great disciple was the supreme incarnation of Palyul Pema Norbu,
Thubten Chökyi Langpo. At his seat the Dago monastery, he sponsored its printing along with the rituals of the three roots
of Longchen Nyingtik. However the corrections were incomplete and in the text there were generally many abbreviations of the
style ‘..and so on’, with the result that not everyone found it easy to recite. Because of this need, the corrections
were made, the abbreviations filled out, and it was arranged so it could be read straight through, with rubrics added for
clarification. It was edited by Chadral Sangye Dorje in the Male Fire Tiger year (1986) on the virtuous eighth day of the
fourth month in the practice centre of Lotus Grove in Nepal. The calligrapher was Losal Abhaya. May virtue and goodness abound! © Rigpa Translations 2001. Reproduced with permission. Some minor amendments have been made for this edition. Several prayers were translated with reference to existing versions by the Nalanda Translation Committee. |
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