慈悲道場懺法 7
English (machine translation) 7
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- English
7.1
Today, assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! Ultimate virtue is vast and silent, originally without words and without speech. Yet words are the expression of virtue, the path to the Way; speech is the staircase to principle, the guide of the sages. Thus, by relying on words, principle is revealed, yet principle is inherently not words; principle is manifested through words, yet words do not exceed principle. Although words and principle are distinct, and good and evil are utterly disparate, cause and effect correspond like a shadow or echo, never failing or confused. For beginners, words are essential to converge with the Way; reaching the stage beyond learning, one accords with principle and forgets words. Considering that I am an ordinary fool, whose confusion and obscurations are heavy, I have not yet been able to abandon words regarding the various Dharma gates. Now, because my discernment is coarse, I do not exhaust its subtlety; because my insight is shallow, I do not reach its ultimate limit. However, speaking of it is easy, but putting it into practice is truly difficult; only sage with sage can fully carry it out. Now someone might challenge me, saying: 'If you yourself cannot correct yourself, how can you correct others? If your own three karmic actions are defiled and turbid, how can you encourage others to be pure? If you are not pure yourself and wish to make others pure, there is no such possibility. Since you are not steadfast, how can you encourage others? Now that your practice is empty, merely speaking ends up annoying others; since it gives rise to vexation in others, why not desist for now? Searching and examining yourself again and again, are you not ashamed?' It was because he is a kalyāṇamitra that he uttered these words. Thereupon, straightening my robes and composing my countenance, I had no reply. Hearing these words of the kalyāṇamitra now, my heart feels ashamed; knowing my own deep faults, I dare not deceive the sages or conceal my errors. Now, wishing to destroy [this text], I fear someone might thereby increase their blessings; just wishing to preserve it, I again fear someone might give rise to slander. Hesitating back and forth, I know not what to do. Yet since the intention in establishing this repentance rite is good, and wholesome dharmas are unimpeded, one should simply exert effort and not calculate these things. Now, relying solely on the world's Great Father of Compassion and Loving-Kindness to shield, protect, and embrace us—since these words already exist, they cannot be destroyed; we must truly feel ashamed, and we pray that the great assembly will not be offended. If [this text] erroneously accords with principle, let us mutually use this repentance rite to reform the past and cultivate the future, acting as kalyāṇamitras. If it does not suit the minds of the assembly, we pray that you bestow joy, not becoming bad spiritual friends, but remaining bodhi-companions.
7.2
First: Self-congratulation; Second: Bowing to the Buddhas on behalf of the six destinies; Third: Dedication of merit; Fourth: Making vows; Fifth: Entrustment.
7.3
First: Self-congratulation (This briefly sets forth the general meaning of self-congratulation; the matters of congratulation within it may be adorned according to one's own inclination.)
7.4
Today, assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! Since taking refuge, we have known that ultimate virtue can be relied upon and doubt has been severed. In repenting, offenses and delusions are both dispelled. Continuing by generating the aspiration [for awakening] and encouraging combined practice, resentful knots have already been untied, and we roam free without hindrance; how could each and every person not leap with joy? As for what we should congratulate ourselves on, we now proclaim its meaning. The sūtras speak of eight difficulties: first, hell; second, hungry ghosts; third, animals; fourth, borderlands; fifth, long-lived gods; sixth, although obtaining a human body, being crippled, handicapped, or afflicted with a hundred illnesses; seventh, being born into a family with wrong views; eighth, being born before a Buddha or born after a Buddha. Because of these eight difficulties, sentient beings transmigrate in birth and death and cannot attain release. We have been born together in the Tathāgata's Semblance Dharma age; although we have not encountered a Buddha, our reasons for congratulation are glorious and manifold. Generally, regarding the word 'difficulty', the fault lies in the mind. If the mind gives rise to doubt, what is not a difficulty becomes a difficulty; if the mind is without doubt, what is a difficulty is not a difficulty. How do we know this? The eighth difficulty says: 'Being born before a Buddha or after a Buddha is called a difficulty.' Yet the Old Woman of the Eastern City was born in the same generation as the Buddha and was in the same place together with the Buddha, but she did not see the Buddha. Therefore, know that doubt in the mind is the difficulty; it is not necessarily that different ages are all called difficulties. Pāpīyān harbored evil and fell alive into hell; a nāga heard the preaching of the Dharma and thereupon attained awakening; one should know that humans and gods are not necessarily free from difficulty. If the mind is not good, the retribution received is no different: the lord of the six heavens fell into hell, while a lowly animal leaped up to ascend the bodhimaṇḍa. Thus, because the mind is crooked, a light difficulty becomes heavy; because the mind is upright, a heavy difficulty poses no obstacle. Today, assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! Because of doubt in the mind, whatever one encounters becomes a difficulty; for one whose mind can be upright, difficulties are not difficulties. Taking this one principle, it can be applied anywhere. Therefore, know that before a Buddha and after a Buddha is nowhere not the True Dharma; borderlands and animals are nowhere not places of the Way. If one now rectifies the mind, there are no longer the eight difficulties; if one harbors doubt, difficulties become measureless. As for rejoicing in this manner, the matters are truly not few. The assembly uses its benefits daily without knowing its efficacy; now I briefly present my humble view to show the starting points of self-congratulation. If the assembly can understand self-congratulation, then you should also cultivate a mind of world-transcendence. What is self-congratulation? The Buddha said that hell is hard to avoid, yet we together have already attained escape from this suffering; this is the first self-congratulation. Hungry ghosts are hard to escape, yet we together have already attained distance from its acute pain; this is the second self-congratulation. Animals are hard to cast off, yet we together have already attained freedom from receiving its retribution; this is the third self-congratulation. Being born in a borderland, one knows not humaneness and righteousness, yet we together have already been able to dwell in the central realm, where the teachings of the Way circulate and we directly receive the wondrous scriptures; this is the fourth self-congratulation. Being born as a long-lived god, one knows not how to plant blessings, yet we together have already been able to plant causes anew; this is the fifth self-congratulation. A human body is difficult to obtain, and once lost does not return, yet we together have already each obtained a human body; this is the sixth self-congratulation. When the six sense faculties are incomplete, one cannot participate in wholesome roots, yet we together are pure and have attained the profound Dharma gates; this is the seventh self-congratulation. Worldly knowledge and eloquence contrary-wise become a difficulty, yet we together single-mindedly take refuge in and rely on the True Dharma; this is the eighth self-congratulation. Before a Buddha or after a Buddha is also said to be a difficulty, or it is said: 'Not seeing a Buddha face-to-face is further a great difficulty.' We together have already been able to make great wholesome vows, vowing to rescue sentient beings in future ages; we do not consider not beholding the Tathāgata to be a difficulty. Merely seeing his form and image once, or hearing the True Dharma once, is naturally the same as being present when it was first proclaimed in the Deer Park of old. What is valuable in this matter is extinguishing sins and generating blessings and karmic merit for people; we do not, because of not seeing a Buddha, call it a difficulty. The Buddha said that seeing a Buddha is difficult, yet we together have already attained beholding his venerated image; this is the ninth self-congratulation. The Buddha said that hearing the Dharma is also difficult, yet we together have already tasted and consumed the sweet dew; this is the tenth self-congratulation. The Buddha said that leaving the household life is difficult, yet we together have already taken leave of family, severed affection, and taken refuge to enter the Way; this is the eleventh self-congratulation. The Buddha said that benefiting oneself is easy, but benefiting others is difficult, yet we together today make every bow and prostration universally on behalf of the ten directions; this is the twelfth self-congratulation. The Buddha said that enduring labor and suffering is difficult, yet we together today each exert ourselves diligently, doing what we do not for our own sake; this is the thirteenth self-congratulation. The Buddha said that reading and reciting is difficult, yet our great assembly now together can read and recite; this is the fourteenth self-congratulation. Practicing seated meditation is difficult, yet now we see those who quiet their minds and stabilize their thoughts; this is the fifteenth self-congratulation. Today, assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! In this way, matters of self-congratulation are immeasurably manifold, no longer something that weak words can fully express. Ordinary people dwelling in the world experience much suffering and little joy; even a single joy or delight cannot easily be harmonized. How much more so now, when we together have so much unhindered freedom! Attaining this unhindered freedom is entirely due to the mighty power of the Three Jewels of the ten directions. It is fitting that each of us, with utmost sincerity, bear in mind this grace, equal in acute feeling, prostrating with our five limbs touching the ground, on behalf of:
7.5
Kings, emperors, and rulers; the people of the land; parents, teachers, and elders; upper, middle, and lower seats; faithful almsgivers and dānapatis; good and bad spiritual friends; all devas and all immortals; the Four World-Protecting Kings; the discerning and upright of heaven, earth, and empty space; the five-directional dragon kings who oversee good and punish evil and protect and uphold dhāraṇīs, the eight classes of nāgas and spirits; all great māra kings, the great māras of the five emperors, and all māra kings; King Yama, the Lord of Mount Tai, the great spirits of the five paths, the eighteen hell kings, and all their official retinues; extending broadly to the three realms and six destinies, boundless and inexhaustible, all those endowed with sentiment and consciousness who possess the Buddha-nature: with utmost sincerity taking refuge in all the Three Jewels of the ten directions throughout the entirety of empty space. We pray that with your mind of compassion and loving-kindness you will together extend your embrace to them, and with inconceivable supernatural power shield, protect, and rescue them, causing all devas, all immortals, all spirit kings, and all sentient beings of the three realms and six destinies, from this day forth, to cross the sea of birth and death, reach the shore of nirvāṇa, quickly fulfill their practices and vows, ascend together to the ten stages, enter the vajra-like mind, and accomplish complete and perfect enlightenment. (One bow.)
7.6
Second: Mindfully Attending to the Three Jewels
7.7
Today, assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! It is fitting that each and every person should again mindfully attend to the Three Jewels. Why is this? If one does not know the Three Jewels, how could one give rise to a loving-kind heart that pities sentient beings? If one does not know the Three Jewels, how could one give rise to a compassionate heart that rescues and embraces all? If one does not know the Three Jewels, how could one give rise to viewing enemies and kin equally? If one does not know the Three Jewels, how could one attain wondrous wisdom to realize the unexcelled path? If one does not know the Three Jewels, how could one clearly understand that the twofold emptiness is truly signless? The Buddha said: 'A human body is difficult to obtain, yet now it has been obtained; faith is difficult to generate, yet now it has been generated.' We now each have the intention to take refuge in and rely on the Three Jewels. Our eyes do not see the forms of greed, anger, and delusion; our ears do not hear the sounds of suffering, fever, and distress of the hells and hungry ghosts; our noses do not smell the stench of tearing flesh, pus, and blood in the hells and hungry ghosts; our tongues do not taste the foul, evil, and impure flavors under heaven; our bodies do not touch the suffering of boiling cauldrons, burning coals, and freezing ice; our minds can constantly know that the Buddha is the unexcelled Father of Compassion and Loving-Kindness, know that all dharmas are good medicine for sentient beings, know that all sages and worthies are mothers nursing the sick, and our minds constantly mindfully attend to the places where the Three Jewels protecting the world are held in conscious awareness and thought, which I can constantly know. Although we today have not encountered a Buddha and were born in the Semblance and Final Dharma ages, we fully possess faith, our six sense faculties are pure without decay or distress, and we wander freely at ease, coming and going without hindrance. Is this superior retribution not due to our past karmic connections and the grace and power of the Three Jewels, which have also caused us to generate the bodhicitta in this life? Benefits such as these cannot be fully recounted.
7.8
Today, assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! How could each and every person not repay their grace and make offerings? Among all merits, offerings are supreme. Therefore, a sūtra says: 'Merely recollecting past lifetimes when offerings were slight, the retribution received spanned vast kalpas with remaining blessings.' The Tiānshī jīng says: 'If one wishes to repay it, erecting stupas and vihāras, offering lamps, candles, banners, canopies, flowers, incense, rugs, and various kinds of offerings—in future ages, one will naturally receive the blessings thereof. Although these are offerings, they do not repay the Buddha's grace. If one wishes to repay the Buddha's grace, only generating the bodhicitta, establishing the four great vows, creating immeasurable conditions, adorning bodily marks, and cultivating pure land practices: this is for the wise to know grace and repay grace.'
7.9
Today, assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! The compassionate grace of all Buddhas cannot be repaid; even if a bodhisattva-mahāsattva were to shatter his body, he still could not repay one ten-thousandth of it, how much less could we ordinary persons repay it! The assembly should only, in accordance with what the sūtras say, take benefiting others as paramount. Let each of us with dedicated mind prostrate with our five limbs touching the ground, universally on behalf of the boundless and inexhaustible sentient beings of the four modes of birth throughout the ten directions, taking refuge in the world's Great Father of Compassion and Loving-Kindness:
7.10
Namo Maitreya Buddha. / Namo Śākyamuni Buddha. / Namo Guṇaratna Buddha. / Namo Yaśo'nurūpa Buddha. / Namo Puspakāya Buddha. / Namo Mahāghoṣa Buddha. / Namo Pratibhānaprabhāsa Buddha. / Namo Vajramaṇi Buddha. / Namo Amitāyus Buddha. / Namo Maṇivyūha Buddha. / Namo Mahārāja Buddha. / Namo Guṇoccatara Buddha. / Namo Yaśottara Buddha. / Namo Śataprabha Buddha. / Namo Pramodya Buddha. / Namo Nāgavikrānta Buddha. / Namo Saṃkalpa Buddha. / Namo Ratnacandra Buddha. / Namo Nirātman Buddha. / Namo Nandirāja Buddha. / Namo Vinīta Buddha. / Namo Nandīśvara Buddha. / Namo Ratnacūḍa Buddha. / Namo Girivimukta Buddha. / Namo Ratnagarbha Buddha. / Namo Candramukha Buddha. / Namo Vimalakīrti Buddha.
7.11
Namo Anantakāya Bodhisattva. / Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.
7.12
Furthermore, we take refuge in all the Three Jewels of the ten directions throughout the entirety of empty space.
7.13
Third: The Master of Repentance Expresses Gratitude to the Assembly
7.14
Today, members of the assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! Together we have already been able to generate firm faith and generate the bodhicitta, vowing never to backslide. This is an inconceivable strength of will; such a mind and such an aspiration are praised by all Buddhas. Today, we, [so-and-so] and the others, only feel deep sympathetic joy. We vow that in future lives we will encounter one another again, and upon casting off bodies and taking on new bodies, we vow never to be parted from one another, all the way to bodhi, remaining forever Dharma-relatives and a retinue of compassion and loving-kindness. We, [so-and-so] and the others, in establishing this Dharma assembly today, have acted presumptuously: in wisdom we lack understanding, and in our bodies we fall short of practice; to lightly give rise to this undertaking was truly enough to shock the eyes and ears. Yet we persons are lowly and the task is weighty; ice and coals conflict within our hearts. If we do not rely upon a powerful cause, we will have no means to attain a supreme and wondrous fruit. Truly knowing our mistaken unworthiness, yet with minds never forgetting what is good, we hope to receive the power of your mindfulness to join as compassionate kin, respectfully entreating the assembly to deign to grace the bodhimaṇḍa with your virtues. The seasons do not linger, and suddenly old age approaches; pulled along by the actions of our conditions, a supreme gathering is difficult to anticipate. We should encourage ourselves and likewise benefit others, standing out and surpassing the throng, never harboring later regrets. When the Dharma sound passes through the ear, the retributive reward fills kalpas; a single thought of goodness provides sustenance forever; with single-mindedness and a single resolve, there is no vow that is not attained. Together, let each and every person, with utmost sincerity, prostrate with the five limbs touching the ground, and take refuge in the Great Compassionate Father of the World:
7.15
Namo Maitreya Buddha. / Namo Śākyamuni Buddha. / Namo Tejonirvāṇa Buddha. / Namo Lakṣaṇaprāpta Buddha. / Namo Bahudeva Buddha. / Namo Suyāma Buddha. / Namo Devatejas Buddha. / Namo Ratnagaṇa Buddha. / Namo Ratnavikrānta Buddha. / Namo Siṃhabhāga Buddha. / Namo Atyuccagāmin Buddha. / Namo Nararāja Buddha. / Namo Sumati Buddha. / Namo Lokapradyota Buddha. / Namo Ratnapratāpa Buddha. / Namo Guṇayāna Buddha. / Namo Bodhisaṃjña Buddha. / Namo Tuṣṭyalaṃkāra Buddha. / Namo Gandhottāraṇa Buddha. / Namo Gandhahastin Buddha. / Namo Gaṇārcis Buddha. / Namo Maitrīlakṣaṇa Buddha. / Namo Varagandha Buddha. / Namo Dṛḍhakavaca Buddha. / Namo Pratāpodbhaṭa Buddha. / Namo Maṇikavaca Buddha. / Namo Jinarakṣita Buddha.
7.16
Namo Anantakāya Bodhisattva. / Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.
7.17
And again we take refuge in all such Three Jewels of the ten directions to the ends of empty space.
7.18
4. Universally Making Great Vows
7.19
Today, members of the assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! Through the merits of our present repentance and generating of the bodhicitta, we universally vow that in the ten directions to the ends of empty space, all heavenly lords, all devas, each with their retinues; and again we vow that the lord of immortals, all true immortals, each with their retinues; and again we vow that King Brahmā, Śakra, the Four World-Protecting Kings, divine kings and divine generals, each with their retinues; and again we vow that all divine kings and all divine generals who are intelligent, upright, of heaven, earth, and empty space, who oversee good and punish evil, and who protect and maintain dhāraṇīs, each with their retinues; and again we vow that the dragon king Miaohua, the dragon king Touhuati, the dragon kings of the five directions, the eight classes of nāgas and spirits, divine kings and divine generals, each with their retinues; and again we vow that the asura kings, all divine kings, and all divine generals, each with their retinues; and again we vow that in the human destiny, all human kings, ministers, subjects, generals, and commanders, each with their retinues; and again we vow that the monks, nuns, śikṣamāṇās, śrāmaṇeras, and śrāmaṇerikās of the ten directions, each with their retinues; and again we vow that King Yama, the Lord of Mount Tai, the great spirits of the five destinies, the eighteen hell kings, all divine kings, and all divine generals, each with their retinues; and again we vow that all sentient beings in the hell destiny, all sentient beings in the hungry ghost destiny, and all sentient beings in the animal destiny, each with their retinues; and again we vow that in the ten directions to the ends of empty space, exhausting the bounds of the future, all sentient beings great and small, each with their retinues; and again we vow that if any sentient beings downstream of time have different realms of vow, all will be made to enter the great ocean of vows, each fully endowed with merit and wisdom. As for all such boundless, endless sentient beings within and outside the three realms who are subsumed under name and form and possess the Buddha-nature, we, [so-and-so] and the others, today reverently rely upon the power of great compassion and loving-kindness of all Buddhas throughout the ten directions to the ends of empty space; the power of the fundamental vows of all great bodhisattvas, worthies, and sages; their immeasurable and inexhaustible power of wisdom; their immeasurable and inexhaustible power of merit; their power of unimpeded supernatural transformations; their power of sheltering and protecting sentient beings; their power of comforting sentient beings; their power of exhausting the defilements of all devas and immortals; their power of gathering and transforming all good spirits; their power of rescuing sentient beings in hell; their power of delivering all hungry ghosts; and their power of liberating all animals, so as to enable all sentient beings to attain as they have vowed. We, [so-and-so] and the others, today also rely upon the power of the bodhimaṇḍa of compassion and loving-kindness, the power of taking refuge in the Three Jewels, the power of severing doubts and generating faith, the power of repenting and generating the bodhicitta, the power of untying all knots of enmity and rejoicing in ourselves, the power of leaping with joy and utmost sincerity, and the power of the wholesome roots of making vows and dedication of merit, so as to enable all sentient beings to attain as they have vowed. We, [so-and-so] and the others, today also rely upon the power of the great loving-kindness of the seven Buddhas, the power of the great compassion of the Buddhas of the ten directions, the power of eradicating afflictions of the thirty-five Buddhas, the power of subduing māras of the fifty-three Buddhas, the power of delivering sentient beings of the one hundred and seventy Buddhas, the power of embracing sentient beings of the thousand Buddhas, the power of sheltering and protecting sentient beings of the twelve bodhisattvas, and the power of Ananta[kāya] and Avalokiteśvara in circulating this repentance, vowing to cause all sentient beings in the ten directions, the three realms, and the six destinies, exhausting the bounds of the future, whether great or small, ascending or descending, who are subsumed under name and form and possess the Buddha-nature, from after this repentance onward, in every place they are born, each to attain a body endowed with the vast wisdom and inconceivable, immeasurable, sovereign spiritual powers of all Buddhas and great bodhisattvas: a body of the six perfections proceeding directly toward bodhi; a body of the four means of embracing that never abandons anyone; a body of great compassion pulling out all suffering; a body of great loving-kindness bestowing all joy; a body of merit benefiting all; a body of wisdom expounding the Dharma inexhaustibly; a vajra-like body that phenomena cannot destroy; a pure Dharma-body far removed from birth and death; an expedient body manifesting sovereign powers; and a bodhi body realizing samyaksambodhi.
7.20
We vow that all sentient beings in the four modes of birth and six destinies will fully possess such bodies, and fully achieve the unexcelled, great wisdom-body of all Buddhas.
7.21
We also vow that all sentient beings of the ten directions, from this day forward, in every place they are born, will each attain the mouth of inconceivable merit of all Buddhas and great bodhisattvas: a gentle mouth; an amṛta mouth bringing peace and bliss to all; an unfailing mouth bringing refreshing coolness to all; a mouth that speaks the true Dharma and genuinely turns [the Dharma wheel]; a revered mouth with no false speech even in dreams; a profound mouth venerated and respected by Indra, Brahmā, and the Four Kings; a steadfast mouth revealing all phenomena; an upright mouth expounding the non-retrogressing Dharma; an adorned mouth fully endowed with eloquence; and a mouth that universally manifests all expressions in accordance with the times and deeds, delivering and liberating all in accordance with what is appropriate. We vow that all sentient beings in the four modes of birth and six destinies will fully possess the pure verbal karma of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
7.22
We also vow that all sentient beings of the ten directions, from this day forward, in every place they are born, will each attain the mind of inconceivable great wisdom of all Buddhas and great bodhisattvas: a mind always renouncing afflictions, a fierce and keen mind, a firm and strong mind, a vajra-like mind, a non-retrogressing mind, a pure mind, a luminous mind, a mind seeking goodness, an adorned mind, and a vast mind; that possessing the power of great wisdom, whatever Dharma they hear they will naturally awaken to and understand; that with a loving mind directed toward others they will sever all knots of enmity; that abiding in shame they will always harbor remorse; that not reckoning self and mine, they will treat others as kalyāṇamitras; that upon seeing giving, morality, forbearance, diligence, meditation, and wisdom, they will rejoice upon seeing them; that viewing enemies and kin alike, their minds will be free of pride; that they will not speak of others' good, bad, strengths, or faults; that they will not transmit harmony or discord among people; that what they say will be gentle and no harsh words will be uttered; that they will praise the Buddha's virtues and delight in studying the profound sūtras; that they will cherish and protect sentient beings as their own bodies; that upon seeing others cultivating merit they will not slander them; and that with loving minds united like the noble saṅgha, they will together with all bodhisattvas realize equal and complete enlightenment.
7.23
2. Prostrating to the Buddhas for the Sake of the Six Destinies
7.24
1. Prostrating to the Buddhas on Behalf of the Heavenly Destiny
7.25
Today, members of the assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! All devas, all immortals, and all good spirits possess immeasurable, inconceivable kindness and virtue toward all sentient beings; they vow that all sentient beings may long preserve peace and bliss, diligently guarding them and following only what is good. How do we know this to be so? The Buddha commanded:
7.26
Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the Four Heavenly Kings, / with compassionate minds protect those who uphold the sūtra, / causing those who hear the names of compassion and loving-kindness / to be protected like a prince by his Dharma ministers. / He also commanded the sea dragon Elāpatra, / with a compassionate mind to protect those who uphold the sūtra, / like guarding his own eyes or cherishing his own child, / never departing during the six periods of the day and night. / He also commanded the rākṣasa children of the Yamas, / and countless venomous nāgas and nāgīs, / with compassionate minds to protect those who uphold the sūtra, / cherishing them like the crown of their heads, not daring to harm them. / He also commanded King Virūḍhaka, / with a compassionate mind to protect those who uphold the sūtra, / like a mother loving her child with untiring affection, / protecting them day and night whether walking or resting. / He also commanded Nanda and Upananda, / Sāgara and Upada, / with compassionate minds to protect those who uphold the sūtra, / revering, making offerings to, and bowing at their feet, / just as all devas attend upon Śakra, / and filial children venerate their parents. / The Bodhimaṇḍa of Compassion bestows peace and bliss, / teaching all sentient beings to form bonds of Dharma kinship; / later born before the Buddha, they will enter samādhi, / and will certainly attain non-retrogression. / If one hears the names of all the Buddhas, / and also hears of Ananta[kāya] and Avalokiteśvara, / the three obstacles will be eliminated without any evils, / and fully endowed with the five eyes, one will realize bodhi. / All divine heavenly kings are mindful of all beings, / constantly providing encouragement and adding their mighty spiritual power.
7.27
Today, members of the assembly sharing this karmic endeavor in the bodhimaṇḍa! All the divine heavenly kings possess such kindness and virtue in sheltering and protecting sentient beings, yet sentient beings have never generated the resolve to repay this kindness and virtue. The ancients were still able to be moved by the favor of a single meal to give up their lives; how much more so should this be for all the devas, good spirits, and divine generals of the eight classes who have such kindness and virtue toward sentient beings! The merit of this kindness and virtue is boundless. That we today repent and generate the bodhicitta is entirely due to the heavenly kings secretly adding their spiritual power to encourage and assist practitioners, enabling their minds to attain fulfillment. If they did not add their support, such minds as these would long ago have fallen back and perished. For this reason, the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas repeatedly praise the kalyāṇamitra as a great condition that enables us to tread upon the bodhimaṇḍa. Were there no kalyāṇamitra, how could we be enabled to see all the Buddhas? Throwing down one's body is insufficient to repay such great benevolence; giving up one's life is insufficient to repay such deep grace. Even bodhisattva-mahāsattvas utter such words; how much less should those below them fail to make return! Assembly! Today, since we are not yet able to cast off our bones and give up our lives, we should for now practice diligent exertion and vigor, which is also the beginning of repaying kindness. Together, each of us should intensify our efforts, mobilize our minds, know kindness and repay kindness, and not drift with the current without means of self-examination. As expressed before in our self-rejoicing, a second encounter is difficult; having obtained our present fruit which is hard to gain, what else do we wait for? If we lose this single gathering, who knows what destiny we will head to next? We must solely be valiant, forgetting ourselves for the sake of other beings. In affairs, there is success and there is failure, just as spring is followed by winter; time waits for no one, and how can life last long? Reflecting that after this departure, our reunion cannot be scheduled, let each strive diligently, united in one poignant anguish, prostrating with the five limbs touching the ground, and on behalf of all heavenly lords, all devas, and their respective retinues in the ten directions to the ends of empty space, take refuge in, revere, and pay homage to the Great Compassionate Father of the World.
7.28
Namo Maitreya Buddha. Namo Śākyamuni Buddha. Namo Sugatacandra Buddha. Namo Brahmēśvararāja Buddha. Namo Siṃhacandra Buddha. Namo Puṇyatejas Buddha. Namo Sañjāta Buddha. Namo Ajita Buddha. Namo Sūryadarśana Buddha. Namo Ratnanāman Buddha. Namo Mahāvīrya Buddha. Namo Parvataprabha Buddha. Namo Prabhāprada Buddha. Namo Vidyuttejas Buddha. Namo Guṇarāśi Buddha. Namo Pūjanāman Buddha. Namo Dharmastuta Buddha. Namo Ratnaghoṣa Buddha. Namo Trāṇakāma Buddha. Namo Suśīla Buddha. Namo Susaṅgha Buddha. Namo Samāhitamati Buddha. Namo Harṣottamarāja Buddha. Namo Siṃhaprabha Buddha. Namo Bheditabhavāndhakāra Buddha. Namo Virocana Buddha. Namo Uttaranāman Buddha.
7.29
Namo Anantakāya Bodhisattva. Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.
7.30
And again we take refuge in all the Three Jewels throughout the ten directions, exhausting the reaches of space. May all the lords of devas, all devas, and each of their retinues, throughout the Dharma realm exhausting space in the ten directions, constantly have the equal wisdom of emptiness manifest before them, use the power of wisdom and skillful means to open the unimpeded path, have their practices and vows of the ten stages continually increase in brilliance, cultivate their minds in the six perfections, broadly extend the four immeasurables, practice the bodhisattva path, enter the sphere of the Buddhas' practice, not abandon sentient beings through the four great vows, possess uninterrupted eloquence and inexhaustible joy in expounding, guide and transform with skillful expedients to benefit the four modes of birth, and together ascend the cloud of Dharma to realize the fruit of eternal abiding.
7.31
Second: Paying Homage to the Buddhas on Behalf of the Rṣis
7.32
Today, members of the assembly sharing this karmic endeavor! Let each person, with the utmost sincerity and an equal sense of acute sorrow, make a prostration with the five limbs touching the ground, and on behalf of all lords of ṛṣis, all true ṛṣis, and each of their retinues, throughout the ten directions, exhausting the reaches of space, take refuge in and pay homage to the great, compassionate father of the world:
7.33
Namo Maitreya Buddha. Namo Śākyamuni Buddha. Namo Tīkṣṇamati Buddha. Namo Maṇicandra Buddha. Namo Tejaḥprabha Buddha. Namo Abhedyavādin Buddha. Namo Prabhāsa Buddha. Namo Maṇicakra Buddha. Namo Lokaguru Buddha. Namo Maṅgalahasta Buddha. Namo Sucandra Buddha. Namo Ratnārciḥ Buddha. Namo Rāhulagupta Buddha. Namo Bodhyabhirata Buddha. Namo Samaprabha Buddha. Namo Paramaśānti Buddha. Namo Lokāgraśreṣṭha Buddha. Namo Aśoka Buddha. Namo Daśabala Buddha. Namo Harṣabala Buddha. Namo Guṇabala Buddha. Namo Guṇaprabhāva Buddha. Namo Mahābala Buddha. Namo Puṇyakośa Buddha. Namo Satyacaryā Buddha. Namo Kṣemottama Buddha. Namo Tiṣya Buddha.
7.34
Namo Anantakāya Bodhisattva. Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.
7.35
And again we take refuge in all the Three Jewels throughout the ten directions, exhausting the reaches of space. We pray that, with the power of compassion and loving-kindness, you will together protect them. May all lords of ṛṣis, all true ṛṣis, and each of their retinues be liberated from adventitious defilements, have their circumstantial obstacles purified, possess marvelous physical forms pristine and equal to the Buddha's physical marks, constantly have the four immeasurable minds and six pāramitās manifest before them, achieve sovereignty as wished in the four unimpeded knowledges and six supernormal powers, freely roam in the realms of bodhisattvas, equal the stage of the Dharma Cloud and enter the vajra-like mind, and with inconceivable power return to gather in the six destinies.
7.36
Third: Paying Homage to the Buddhas on Behalf of King Brahmā and Others
7.37
Today, members of the assembly sharing this karmic endeavor! Once again with utmost sincerity, make a prostration with the five limbs touching the ground, and on behalf of King Brahmā, Śakra Devānām Indra, the Four World-Protecting Kings, and each of their retinues, take refuge in and pay homage to the great, compassionate father of the world:
7.38
Namo Maitreya Buddha. Namo Śākyamuni Buddha. Namo Mahāprabha Buddha. Namo Vidyutprabhāsa Buddha. Namo Vipulaguṇa Buddha. Namo Ratna Buddha. Namo Puṇyaprabha Buddha. Namo Kavacadhara Buddha. Namo Kṛtahasta Buddha. Namo Supuṣpa Buddha. Namo Ratnasamuccaya Buddha. Namo Mahāsamudrajñāna Buddha. Namo Dharanīguṇa Buddha. Namo Tīkṣṇārthāśaya Buddha. Namo Sucintita Buddha. Namo Guṇacakra Buddha. Namo Ratnāgni Buddha. Namo Hitakara Buddha. Namo Lokacandra Buddha. Namo Mañjusvara Buddha. Namo Brahmalakṣaṇa Buddha. Namo Gaṇācāryaśreṣṭha Buddha. Namo Siṃhavikrānta Buddha. Namo Duṣprada Buddha. Namo Arhat Buddha. Namo Prabhāvatejas Buddha. Namo Mahāprabharāja Buddha.
7.39
Namo Anantakāya Bodhisattva. Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.
7.40
And again we take refuge in all such Three Jewels throughout the ten directions, exhausting the reaches of space.
7.41
We pray that, with the power of compassion and loving-kindness, you will together embrace and receive them. May King Brahmā, Śakra Devānām Indra, the Four World-Protecting Kings, and each of their retinues have the six perfections and four immeasurables increase in brilliance day and night; have inexhaustible joy in expounding with the four unimpeded eloquences; attain the eight sovereignties and be endowed with the six supernormal powers; have samādhis and dhāraṇīs manifest at will; extend compassion and loving-kindness universally over the four modes of birth throughout the ten directions; be adorned with the hundred merits and bring the myriad virtues to perfection; have the three knowledges opened and realized, and be endowed with the five eyes; and become kings of the Dharma wheel to embrace and transform the six destinies. (One prostration).
7.42
Repentance Rite of the Compassionate Bodhimaṇḍa, Fascicle Seven
Linked texts (1)
- 慈悲道場懺法 — Classical Chinese