Prayer to Kumārādza

The Thousand-Petalled Lotus

A Prayer to Kumārādza

by Longchen Rabjam

oṃ āḥ hūṃ. Homage to Guru Kumārādza!

Inseparable from the primordial protector,
Great vidyādhara Vimalamitra in person,
With oceanic qualities as limitless as space—
Dharma lord Kumārādza, at your feet I bow.

Glorious one, foremost perfecter of twofold accumulation,
Guru, lord of Dharma, guardian of the triple world,
Inspired by the ardour of my devotion, I pay homage to you,
And shedding tears in heartfelt emotion, I take refuge in you.

Countless lifetimes ago in the distant ancient past,
You opened your eyes to compassion for infinite beings,
So that you became today a friend to all who live,
A supreme ornament for the inhabitants of this vast world.

You spread the precious teachings throughout the ten directions,
Taking up the mantle of noble conduct on an immense scale.
Through your multifaceted activity you brought joy to beings
And your fine reputation extended throughout heaven and earth.

Then, to set straight and guide those attached to permanence,
As your final act, in the Dang Valley to the east,
In the final autumn month of the female Water Sheep year,[1]
You displayed signs of impermanence by passing into nirvāṇa.

The guru who was the world’s adornment has now gone.
A precious wish-fulfilling gem has vanished into thin air.
A magical wishing tree of precious teachings has been felled.
The guru, a great ferry for the world, has disappeared today.

As divine substances fall continuously like rain,
And five-coloured rays of wisdom light shine,
As all the world, even the devas, are struck by wonder,
As ḍākinīs strike their cymbals amidst offering clouds,
As there are boundless marvels unlike any seen before,
As incense permeates and music sounds at strange hours,
And as five-coloured lights appear by day and night,
May this lead all beings to the essence of awakening.

As the earth including its mountains swayed serenely,
Whole forests of trees bowed their heads in tribute.
Flowers and pristine rivers flashed rapturous smiles,
And birds and beasts called out as they took refuge.

With billowing throngs of ḍākinīs leading the way,
You left for the realm of the victorious vidyādharas.
This is the day that the sun of the teachings has set.
The sovereign of physicians will visit us no more.

The noble guide on the path to freedom has gone.
The wishing gem, the source of all fortune, is lost.

Kyema kyihü! The world is empty, bereft.
The sun of wisdom and virtuous forces has set.
The māras, legions of darkness, have triumphed
And remain throughout every corner of the land.
The sublime light of this world has gone out,
And all are blinded by the darkness of ignorance.

In the absence of a great guide to liberation’s isle,
It would only be right for beings to feel sorrow.
As we remember the Victorious One and reflect on nirvāṇa,
The merits of travelling to the island of peace defy imagining.
As such qualities were taught to be without limit,
The virtues we accumulate will be all the greater.

Kyema kyihü! From the absolute sphere of compassion,
Listen to my lament, the words of one who lacks protection.

As we wander in saṃsāra with our many forms of sorrow,
All of us who lack protection and have no friends or allies,
We who have faith in you and were your dependents,
What should we do now? In whom should we place our trust?

The devas who are inclined towards the teachings
And the faithful too are tormented by burning sorrow.
A tree that brought benefit at this time has been felled.
And we are companionless, without refuge or protector.

For us disciples, the cool lake of merit has dried up.
The supreme pacifying jewel has vanished into space.
The elephant of Dharma has today fallen sound asleep.
The sun of wisdom’s natural luminosity has set.

The light of well-being has sunk behind the western peak.
The fine vase bringing divine and human joys has broken.
The vidyādhara guru, our guide and captain, has departed.
Alas! The ornament of this four-continent world has gone.

As if the compassionate one had relinquished his kindness,
He has forsaken us and travelled on to another realm.
Could he have surrendered his nature and abandoned us,
The protectorless who placed our hope and trust in him?

Sun and moon have not strayed off course;
The earth and sky have not changed places.
Yet for the likes of us, at such a time as this,
Our hearts are filled with grief and sorrow.

Wherever I direct my attention, I recall the guiding guru.
The forested hilltops and slopes of snowy mountains,
Supreme places for practice, used to bring him delight,
But now he will not reside in any such locations again.

Seeing a gathering of those who attended him closely,
I recall how he looked on them with joy before he died.
I intend to meditate on dharmatā, precious luminosity,
But as I recall the noble guru’s words, I only shed tears.

This magical tree of merit for all beings, including the devas,
Had not fully extended its branches of benefit and happiness
When its fruits and flowers withered before their time.
Where now will the flocks of bird-like disciples find shelter?

Not to look lovingly upon those caught in saṃsāra,
A series of unbearable sorrows so difficult to escape,
Would be like a guide betraying travellers in peril.
Having forsaken us, protector, where have you gone?

Inseparable from all the conquerors of the three times,
You guided beings through your boundless activity,
Delivering from saṃsāra whoever saw, heard, thought of or contacted you in any way.
O guru, ocean of qualities, where have you gone?

Your loving compassion exceeds that of anyone else;
Your enlightened activity extends throughout all realms.
You have perfect clairvoyance, cognitive powers and abandonment and realization.
Exalted guru, where have you gone today?

Clouds of wisdom and love amassed in the sky of your compassion,
And you brought down great rains of Dharma, outer, inner and secret,
Thereby fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of all beings.
Supreme ally of the teachings, where have you gone?

By bringing a cooling flow of soothing compassion
To this vast maṇḍala of snowy mountains, O protector,
You doused the flames of fiery affliction in all beings—
Guardian of the three worlds, where have you gone?

Without offering the noble feast of peace and happiness
Any longer to the many devoted bees who have gathered
At the lotus pool of twofold accumulation with its eight qualities,[2]
Great host of liberative virtues, where have you gone?

Vowing to establish the beings of the three realms in peace,
You extended a net of myriad rays of benefit and happiness
And made the vast avenues that beings take bright and pure.
Lord of the sun of virtue and excellence, where have you gone?

In the midst of the assembly, your physical form shone brightly,
And we never tired of beholding your loving, handsome face,
As your two hands of compassion stretched out toward beings.[3]
Protector, circle of the autumn moon, where have you gone?

You ferried beings to the far shore of threefold existence,
Across the ocean of saṃsāra, so very difficult to traverse,
And guided them to the jewelled isle of precious peace.
King at the helm of your great ship, where have you gone?

As saṃsāra’s chronic disease, which we have endured
Throughout beginningless time, is so very hard to cure,
Master of all the nectarous medicines that provide healing,
Life-sustaining king of physicians, where have you gone?

Wondrously you banished the darkness of delusion,
Which the light of the sun and moon could not penetrate,
A wise, loving, liberating presence in disciples’ firmament.
Unprecedented jewel of the skies, where have you gone?

Not even the oceans, home to myriad makara sea creatures,
Could yield such vast waves of activity, compassion in nature
And unparalleled in this world, the domain of the elements.
Guru of beings beyond number, where have you gone?

In the marine world, where all is motionless and clear,
The wish-granting jewel adorns the hooded nāga’s crown.
You, Dharma lord, are the peerless adornment of the land.
Sublime guru, who surpasses others, where have you gone?

A mere glimpse of your form, the result of vast accumulations
Of merit and wisdom, inspires surges of devotion.
You who became a supreme field of merit for all beings,
A sacred monument for the devas and all the world, where have you gone?

Before the assembly, with leonine roar and voice of Brahmā,
You brought down a rain of precious sacred Dharma
And adroitly cut through the net of ignorance and doubt.
Guru of the drumbeat of wisdom, where have you gone?

The vast expanse of immovable samādhi on dharmatā reality,
Expansive realization, in which clear light is like the sun and moon,
And equipoise and post-meditation are indivisible in constant dharmakāya—
Guru who perfected space and awareness, where have you gone?

With mighty waves of wisdom and love throughout time beyond measure,
Like a vast glacial lake of scripture, reasoning and essential pith instructions,
You became a source of jewel-like blessings and attainments—
Guru of oceanic qualities, where have you gone?

You mastered pacifying, enriching, magnetising and wrathful activity,
And with magnificent deeds you nurtured those to be trained,
Spreading teachings on luminosity throughout the ten directions.
Emanation of the mighty Conqueror, where have you gone?

Without looking to us, your faithful followers,
You turned your mind toward peace in the primordial expanse.
Great loving, skilful and compassionate one, where have you gone?
Will we ever have another chance to see your face?

Your final deed was a source of intense sorrow.
Will you not look on this world bereft of virtue?
Will you not extinguish these fires of sorrow
With the cooling rains of your compassion?

If even our guardians leave us without hope,
To whom should we turn for our protection?

Kyema! Supreme refuge, compassionate guru,
Extend a hand in compassion from the peaceful expanse,
And guide us, all beings, today, we pray.
Empty the ocean of saṃsāra, we pray.

Thus, in my anguish, I offer prayers by day and night.
With devotion I pay homage and constantly take refuge.
For me and all beings, as numerous as space is vast,
Always, at all times, be our supreme guide, we pray.

To boundless realms wherever there are beings to be found,
I send imagined emanations, each of them joining their palms together.
With the stirring of the thousand-petalled lotus of intense faith, we prostrate
And offer praise in verses of infinite, oceanic melody.

Protector of beings, intensely compassionate one,
Guru, ornament of the world, you appeared so recently,
And illuminated the teachings of the luminous essence.
To the one who has passed into the peaceful expanse, in devotion I prostrate.

In your compassion, you always embraced all saṃsāra,
And did not pass into the one-sided peace of nirvāṇa,
But saw a way to benefit to beings through your final act.
To the one who filled the world with wonder, in devotion I prostrate.

In the first month of autumn, in a state of peace,
In a splendid forest grove, you gave up your life,
Then wondrously brought blessings and compassion.
To the one whose deeds equal those of the Victor, in devotion I prostrate.

Where the protector passed beyond sorrow,
At that time the earth and its forests trembled;
Untimely sounds and infinite cymbals rang out.
To the one adorned by offerings of divine substances, in devotion I prostrate.

Everywhere was made delightful by fine autumnal hues,
And canopies of five-coloured light unfurled across the sky’s expanse
In lattices, clusters of circles and brocade-like patterns.
To this arising of finely swirling visions, in devotion I prostrate.

During the funerary rites, even at midday and midnight,
The voices of ḍākinīs, cymbals, and flutes were heard,
Accompanied by divine substances, music, and visions of five-coloured light.
To such prominent clouds of wondrous offerings, in devotion I prostrate.

When the sacred remains were set alight and blazed,
The sky was filled with an appearance of five-coloured light,
And everyone remained in a state of non-conceptual meditation.
To this wondrous and pervasive vision, in devotion I prostrate.

At that time, sweet sounds echoed throughout the sky,
And rays of light appeared atop the clouds of smoke,
Filling the whole sky but, in particular, brightening the west.
To this spark of inspiration in beings’ minds, in devotion I prostrate.

Through the extensive cremation of the remains, as skilful means,
Skull and relic pills spontaneously appeared in a bright five-coloured maṇḍala,
And remained intact within an expanse of five-coloured light.
To such wondrous, sacred supports, in devotion I prostrate.

And when we built a stūpa to enshrine your remains,
Parasols and canopies of five-coloured light and supreme victory banners
Appeared, adorning the expanse of the sky with their beauty.
To such a field of merit, in devotion I prostrate.

The approach of saintly masters defies the imagination:
They bring benefit and happiness for as long as the world exists.
This master’s infinite activity, so impactful and magnificent,
Lies beyond the scope of limited ideas: “It is like such-and-such.”

In some places you are departing, in some you are being born;
In some you rest in meditation, in others you purify realms;
In some you act for beings, in others you subdue the māras.
Without wavering from basic space, your emanations are unceasing.

Therefore, since we can be sure that your compassion
Will lead us beings, to whom you have given purpose,
Swiftly out of samsaric abodes into the grove of peace,
We pray with devotion, ceaselessly and at all times.

Those who were slightly acquainted with this holy being,
The ones who only heard his voice or glimpsed his face,
Will never return to lower realms but will find the path to liberation and awakening.
Such qualities as these can never be adequately described.

To the guru, who is a guide to all beings, including the devas,
I and all others without exception prostrate in devotion,
And with clouds of samādhi filling the boundless sky,
We create billowing clouds of offerings unsurpassable.

Whatever misdeeds of body, speech, and mind I have committed,
Please banish them with the rays of your compassion.
Whatever fires of karma and afflictions I might experience,
Please extinguish them with the river of your wisdom.

From now until I reach the essence of enlightenment,
Stretch your liberating hand of compassion toward me,
So that I avoid the sorrows of saṃsāra and the lower realms,
And protect me from the pitfalls of lesser vehicles, I pray.

May I constantly rely on this noble spiritual friend,
Perfect the paths and stages of wisdom luminosity,
And attain the peace of awakening, I pray.

Throughout all my lives to come, wherever I am born,
May I never be apart from you but journey together as one,
As we perfectly accomplish magnificent deeds for others’ sake.

With your sublime, far-seeing eyes of compassion,
Please look upon us at all times,
And, having dispelled all faults and spontaneously established every good,
Please fulfil all our hopes and wishes.

Please be our refuge, defender and ally.
Please be our protector, friend and guide.
Please light the lamp of wisdom luminosity.
Please bless us never to be apart from you.

Thus, with a mind of intense of longing and devotion,
I have prayed with the utmost reverence and respect.
Through the virtue of this, may I and all beings
Attain the state of deathlessness beyond sorrow.

When the sublime guru Kumārādza passed into parinirvāṇa, the all-knowing Ngakgi Wangpo, who has trained well in the wisdom that is born of listening, contemplation and meditation on the vast teachings of the Sugata and who has unshakeable faith in the noble guru, composed, out of ardent longing and grief, this prayer entitled The Thousand-Petalled Lotus, which is hereby concluded. Śubham. Sarva maṅgalam.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Tsadra Foundation, 2026.

Bibliography

Tibetan Editions

klong chen rab 'byams. "gsol ba 'debs pa’i rabs padma stong ldan" In snying thig ya bzhi. 13 vols. Delhi: Sherab Gyaltsen Lama, 1975. Vol. 6: 483–498 (8 folios)

klong chen rab 'byams. "rig 'dzin chen po ku ma rA dza'i rnam thar lo rgyus dang bcas pa". In kun mkhyen klong chen rab 'byams kyi gsung 'bum. Dpal brtsegs bod yig dpe rnying zhib 'jug khang nas bsgrigs. Mes po'i shul bzhag 109. Pe cin: Krung go'i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, 2009. Vol. 4: 171–180

Version: 1.0–20261007