慈悲水懺法 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

All Buddhas, pitying sentient beings, taught the general Dharma for the bodhimaṇḍa of the Water Repentance. Now we should take refuge in all Buddhas:

Homage to Vairocana Buddha. / Homage to our original teacher Śākyamuni Buddha. / Homage to Amitābha Buddha. / Homage to Maitreya Buddha. / Homage to King of the Supreme Dragon Clan Buddha. / Homage to Dragon Sovereign King Buddha. / Homage to Ratnacchatra Buddha. / Homage to Sovereign King of Awakening Flower Samādhi Buddha. / Homage to Banner of the Kāṣāya Buddha. / Homage to Lion's Roar Buddha. / Homage to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva. / Homage to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. / Homage to Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva. / Homage to Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. / Homage to Mahāvyūha Bodhisattva. / Homage to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.

3.3

Having paid homage to the Buddhas, next we repent again. Having already repented of the three bodily and four verbal [actions], next we repent of all obstacles regarding the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. In the sūtras the Buddha said: a human body is difficult to obtain, the Buddha's Dharma is difficult to hear, the Saṅgha is difficult to encounter, faith is difficult to produce, the six faculties are difficult to possess completely, and good friends are difficult to meet. Now, having jointly planted good roots in the past, we have obtained this human body with the six faculties complete, and have also encountered good friends and been able to hear the true Dharma. Yet in the meantime, each of us has failed to be wholehearted and diligent, and we fear that in the future we will long drown in myriad sufferings with no time of release; therefore, today with utmost sincerity we beg for mercy and repent. From the beginningless past down to the present day, we and others: constantly had our minds shrouded by avidyā and our thoughts hindered by kleśas; seeing Buddha images, could not be wholehearted in reverence; disparaged the Saṅgha and harmed good friends; demolished stūpas, destroyed monasteries, burned sūtras and images, and caused the Buddha's body to bleed; or while living in magnificent halls ourselves, placed venerable images in base, improper places, exposing them to smoke, scorching sun, wind, rain, dust, grime, and destruction by birds and mice, dwelling together without ever paying homage; or went unclothed before images, not being well-adorned at all, or obscured lamps and candles and shut up shrine halls, obstructing the Buddha's light. All such sins as these, today with utmost sincerity we repent of them all. Furthermore, from the beginningless past down to the present day: regarding the Dharma, handled sūtra scrolls with impure hands; or faced sūtras and texts with improper, worldly speech; or placed them at the head of the bed, sitting and rising without respect; or shut them in boxes where worms gnawed and rotted them; or allowed the title pins and rollers to come loose and the case wrappers to lose order; or pulled and tore them, omitted or misread them, and ripped paper and ink; did not practice them ourselves, and were unwilling to circulate them. All such sins as these, today with utmost sincerity we repent of them all. Or lay on the ground while listening to sūtras, or recited while lying on our backs; talked and laughed loudly, disturbing others from hearing the Dharma; or misconstrued the Buddha's words, explaining the holy intent perversely; taught non-Dharma as Dharma, and Dharma as non-Dharma; taught what was not a transgression as a transgression, and what was a transgression as not a transgression; spoke of light offenses as heavy, and heavy offenses as light; or moved the earlier to the later, and the later to the earlier; put the earlier and later into the middle, and the middle into the earlier and later; or ornamented words to include them in our own texts; or, for the sake of profit, reputation, and reverence, preached the Dharma to others without a mind of virtue, seeking out the Dharma master's faults in order to debate, launching improper attacks, not seeking supramundane dharmas for the sake of lasting understanding; or disdained the Buddha's words and respected false teachings; disparaged the Great Vehicle and praised the śrāvaka path. Sins such as these are measureless and limitless; we repent of them all. Furthermore, from the beginningless past down to the present day: regarding the Saṅgha, had obstacles such as killing an arhat, causing schism in the harmonious Saṅgha, harming those who had resolved on supreme bodhi, cutting off the Buddha seed so that the holy path could not proceed; or stripped monastics, whipped and beat śramaṇas, flogged and drove them, piling abuse and slander upon them; or broke pure precepts and broke deportment; or urged others to abandon the eightfold noble [path] and accept and practice the five dharmas; or feigned appearance and conduct while covertly stealing from the permanent property. All such sins as these we now repent. Or exposed our bodies, wearing flimsy clothing with careless haste, and with unclean feet and shoes stepped onto temple halls and stūpas before sūtras and images; or wearing wooden clogs entered the saṅghārāma; spat and blew noses in halls and rooms, polluting the ground of the Buddha and the Saṅgha; rode carriages and spurred horses, rushing into monasteries. All such sinful obstacles as these arising in relation to the Triratna are measureless and limitless; today, with utmost prayer, before the Buddhas of the ten directions, the honored Dharma, and the holy assembly, we repent of them all. We pray that by the power of this repentance of all sinful obstacles regarding the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, we may in life after life constantly encounter the Triratna, revere and respect it without wearying, and constantly make offerings of heavenly silks, wondrous tapestries, various jeweled necklaces, hundreds of thousands of musical entertainments, rare and fine perfumes, and bright flowers and fruits, exhausting all that exists in the world. When someone attains Buddhahood, may we be the first to go and entreat them to open the gate of nectar; when they enter nirvāṇa, may we always be able to present the final offering. In the Saṅgha, may we cultivate the six harmonies and reverences, obtain sovereign power to make the Triratna flourish, promoting the Buddha path above, and transforming sentient beings below. The light and heavy sins regarding the Triratna mentioned above have all been repented; the remaining evils we should now repent in succession. In the sūtras the Buddha said: there are two kinds of strong persons: first, those who do not commit sins themselves; second, those who can repent after committing them. It is also said: there are two kinds of pure dharmas that can eliminate many obstacles for sentient beings: first, shame, not doing evil oneself; second, remorse, not letting others do it. One who possesses shame and remorse can be called human; if one lacks shame and remorse, one is no different from beasts. Therefore, today with utmost sincerity we take refuge in the Buddha and repent in accordance with the Dharma. From the beginningless past down to the present day, we and others: either believed in false, inverted views and killed sentient beings, offering prayers and sacrifices to chī, mèi, wǎng, and liǎng ghosts and spirits, wishing to prolong life but in the end unable to do so; or falsely claimed to see ghosts, pretending they were the words of spirits; all such sins as these we repent. Furthermore, from the beginningless past down to the present day: either in actions were arrogant and haughty, self-important and proud; or relied on noble lineage to look down on everyone, using high status to scorn the low and using strength to oppress the weak; or drank wine, fought, and caused chaos, sparing neither kin nor stranger, drunken all day long without recognizing high or low; all such sins as these we now repent. Or indulged in food and drink without measure, eating raw shredded fish or consuming the five acrid roots, defiling sūtras and images, pushing past the pure assembly, letting the mind run wild without knowing limits, keeping distant from good people and being intimate with evil friends; all such sins as these we now repent. Or were haughty, hypocritical, stubborn, and opinionated, domineering and pushy, unmindful of human feelings, considering oneself right and others wrong, hoping for lucky gains; all such sins as these we now repent. Or when facing wealth, showed no yielding, lacking integrity and shame; butchered meat and sold wine, deceiving to sustain ourselves; or loaned at interest, counting hours and selling days, hoarding, stingy, harsh, greedy and insatiable; receiving offerings from others without shame or remorse; or lacking precept virtue, receiving the offerings of the faithful in vain; all such sins as these we now repent. Or beat male and female slaves, driving servants without asking after hunger and thirst, without asking after cold and heat; or demolished bridges and cut off roadways; all such sins as these we now repent. Or were heedless and self-indulgent, inindeterminate and scattered, playing dice and chess, gathering in groups to drink, eat, and feast, mutually disturbing and wining-and-dining, engaging in pointless talk about worldly affairs, wasting time in vain from year's beginning to year's end; during the initial, middle, and final periods of the night, not cultivating dhyāna and recitation; lazy, indolent, lying like a corpse all day long, taking no care in mind regarding the six mindful recollections; seeing others' superior achievements, immediately giving rise to jealousy, harboring cruelty and poison, giving full rise to kleśas, causing the fierce wind of all evils to fan the firewood and fire of sins, burning constantly without rest, so that the slight good of the three karmas was all burned together, and the good dharmas being exhausted, one became an icchantika, falling into the great hells with no time of release. Therefore, today with utmost prayer we bow our heads to the ground, before the Triratna of the ten directions, repenting of them all. All the myriad sins above, whether light or heavy, coarse or subtle, whether done by oneself, causing others to do them, rejoicing in their doing, or using force and power to coerce their doing, down to praising those who practice evil dharmas, today with utmost sincerity we repent of them all. We pray that by the power of the merit produced by this repentance of all evils, in life after life we may be compassionate, harmonious, loyal, filial, humble, and patient; understand integrity and know shame, greeting others proactively with consideration; be compliant, good, upright, cautious, pure, righteous, and yielding; stay far from evil friends and constantly encounter good conditions; restrain the six senses and protect the three karmas; bear toil and endure suffering, the mind not retreating; establish the resolve for bodhi and not fail sentient beings. Having made these vows, we take refuge and pay homage to all Buddhas.

3.4

3.5

Having paid homage to the Buddhas, next we repent again. Hitherto we have repented the obstacle of afflictions and the obstacle of karma; the remaining obstacle of retribution must now be disclosed and repented in due order. The sūtras say: “When karmic retribution arrives, it is neither in the air nor in the sea, nor entering into mountain rocks; there is no place on earth where one can escape it without receiving retribution. Only the power of repentance can eliminate and extinguish it.” How do we know this is so? When Śakra Devānām Indra saw the five signs of decay, filled with acute dread he took refuge with sincere faith in the Triratna; the five signs immediately vanished, and his heavenly lifespan was extended. Similar examples made clear in the sūtras and teachings are not solitary occurrences; thus we know that repentance can indeed extinguish disaster. Yet ordinary worldlings, if not guided and encouraged by good friends, will commit every evil imaginable, so that when their great life is ending and they face their final extremity, all the evil signs of hell appear before them. At that very moment, remorse and terror arrive together; not having cultivated good in advance, they only regret at the brink of death—having regretted it afterwards, how can it avail? Calamities and disasters await in another realm, having long been prepared in advance; one must journey alone to the place of hell, only able to advance forward into the caldron of fire, body and mind shattered, the spirit suffering agony. At such a time, even if one wished to perform a single bow or a single repentance, how could it be obtained again? Let all of you not rely complacently on youth, wealth, and power, falling into laziness, negligence, and wanton indulgence. Once the suffering of death arrives, regardless of old or young, poor or rich, noble or base, all are obliterated; it arrives suddenly without letting people know. Human life is impermanent, likened to morning dew; though the out-breath remains, the in-breath is hard to guarantee—how can one neglect this and not repent? Once the five heavenly messengers have come and the murderous ghost of impermanence arrives abruptly, none in their prime of youth and robust complexion can escape. At that moment, what do magnificent halls and deep chambers have to do with human affairs? How could tall chariots and grand horses accompany oneself? Wives, children, and kin are no longer dear to me; the seven precious gems and ornaments become playthings for others. Speaking from this, worldly retributions are all illusory transformations. Although heavenly realms are pleasurable, they inevitably decay; when lifespan ends and the spirit departs, one falls into the three paths. Therefore, the Buddha said to Subhadra: “Your teacher Udraka Rāmaputra had sharp faculties and was clever, able to subdue afflictions up to the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. When his life ended, he returned to be reborn in the realm of animals with the body of a flying fox—how much more so for others!” Hence we know that before ascending to the holy fruit, all must cycle through the rounds of existence, undergoing the evil destinies in full. If one is not circumspect, and suddenly one morning personally incurs these things, will one not regret it? Even now, to be convicted of a crime and dragged to the public court is already a minor suffering, yet the mind is panic-stricken, and relatives are terrified, seeking relief in a hundred ways. Compared to this, the myriad sufferings of hell are a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times greater, beyond any analogy. From dust-mote eons onward, our sins have been like Mount Sumeru; how can we, upon hearing this, remain at ease, neither fearing, startled, nor terrified, allowing this spirit once again to undergo such suffering? It is truly lamentable. Therefore, with sincere devotion we seek compassion and repent. The retributions that have obstructed us, [so-and-so] and the rest, from beginningless time down to the present day—among the gravest of them, Avīci Hell is foremost. As explained in the sūtras, its features shall now be briefly described: around this hell there are sevenfold iron walls, and sevenfold iron nets covering it from above; below there are sevenfold iron knife forests, and boundless ferocious fire eighty-four thousand yojanas in extent. The bodies of the sinners fill it completely, yet through the conditions of sinful karma they do not obstruct one another. The fire above penetrates below, and the fire below penetrates above; from east, west, south, and north it thoroughly interpenetrates, like fish in a frying pan whose fat is entirely burnt away. The sinful suffering within it is also like this. At the four gates of its walls there are four great bronze dogs, four thousand yojanas in size, their fangs and claws sharp and long, their eyes like flashes of lightning. There are also boundless iron-beaked birds flapping their wings, soaring and devouring the flesh of the sinners. Ox-headed hell lictors shaped like rākṣasas have nine tails, their tails like iron forks. They also have nine heads, eighteen horns upon their heads, and sixty-four eyes on each horn; from each and every eye, hot iron pellets burst forth to scorch the flesh of the sinners. When they roar in anger, the sound is like thunderpeals. There are also boundless sword-wheels falling from the sky, entering through the crowns of the sinners' heads and emerging from their feet; thereupon the sinners' pain pierces the marrow of their bones, and bitter agony cuts through their livers and hearts. Passing thus through countless years, they seek life without success, and seek death without success. All such retributions we today prostrate ourselves with shame and repent. Next, we repent the retribution of bodies and heads falling off in the hell of sword-mountains and knife-trees; we repent the retribution of being burnt and boiled in the hell of boiling caldrons and furnace-coals; we repent the retribution of being scorched and scorched in the hell of iron beds and copper pillars; we repent the retribution of being cleaved and shattered in the hell of sword-wheels and fire-carts; we repent the retribution of the bitter pain in the hell of tongue-plucking and iron-plowing; we repent the retribution of the five viscera dissolving away in the hell of swallowing iron pellets and pouring molten copper into the mouth; we repent the retribution of flesh and bone ground to powder in the hell of iron mills; we repent the retribution of limbs and joints severed in the Black Rope Hell; we repent the retribution of distress and suffocation in the hell of the river of ashes and boiling feces; we repent the retribution of skin cracking and freezing naked in the hell of salt water and cold ice; we repent the retribution of mutually harming one another in the hell of jackals, wolves, hawks, and dogs; we repent the retribution of mutually striking, clawing, hacking, and stabbing in the hell of weapons, claws, and spurs; we repent the retribution of being roasted and scorched in the fire-pit hell; we repent the retribution of skeletons shattered in the hell where two rocks smash together; we repent the retribution of dismemberment and scraping in the Saṃghāta and Black Ear Hell; we repent the retribution of chopping and mincing in the dark mountain-of-flesh hell; we repent the retribution of being cut through in the hell of sawing and nailing the body; we repent the retribution of butchering and carving in the hell of iron batons and hanging upside down; we repent the retribution of torment and resentment in the burning-heat and wailing hells; we repent the retribution of the long night of darkness without knowing the three luminaries between the great and small Iron Enclosing Mountains; we repent the Apapa Hell, the Atata Hell, the Aṭaṭa Hell, and the Alala Hell. Within all such eight cold and eight hot hells, there are also eighty-four thousand subsidiary hells as their retinue. In these, the sinful sufferings of roasting, boiling, flogging, skinning, scraping flesh, paring bone, beating marrow, drawing intestines, and plucking lungs—boundless sufferings—are unbearable to hear, unbearable to speak of! Homage to the Buddhas! Those who are presently in their midst may be our parents and all our kin across successive births from beginningless time; and after our lives end, we and they may also fall again into such hells. Today, washing our hearts, praying earnestly, knocking our heads, and bowing to the ground, we turn to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the great bodhisattvas, begging for compassion and repenting, so that all these retributions of sin may be completely extinguished. May the merit generated by relying on this repentance of hellish retributions immediately shatter the iron walls of Avīci, making it entirely a pure land without the name of the evil destinies. May all instruments of suffering in the remaining hells transform into conditions for joy: sword-mountains and knife-trees become jeweled forests; boiling caldrons and furnace-coals transform into lotuses for birth; ox-headed hell lictors abandon violence and cruelty, all giving rise to compassion without any evil thought; beings of the hells attain liberation from bitter results and no longer generate causes, equally enjoying peace and bliss like the third dhyāna, and at once generating the supreme aspiration for awakening. Having repented, with utmost sincerity we faithfully pay homage to the eternally abiding Triratna.

3.6

Homage to Vairocana Buddha. Homage to the Original Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha. Homage to Amitābha Buddha. Homage to Maitreya Buddha. Homage to Dragon-Species Supreme King Buddha. Homage to Dragon Sovereign King Buddha. Homage to Ratnaprabhūta Buddha. Homage to Awakening Flower Samādhi Sovereign King Buddha. Homage to Kāṣāya Banner Buddha. Homage to Lion's Roar Buddha. Homage to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva. Homage to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Homage to Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva. Homage to Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. Homage to Mahāvyūha Bodhisattva. Homage to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.

3.7

Having paid homage to the Buddhas, next we repent once more. Having finished repenting the retributions of the hells, now we should next repent the retributions of the three evil destinies. In the sūtras the Buddha said: Because a person of many desires seeks much profit, his sufferings and afflictions are also many. Although a content person sleeps upon the bare ground, he still takes joy in it. One who is not content, though dwelling in heavenly halls, is still unsatisfied. Yet when people of the world suddenly face an emergency, they can abandon wealth without reckoning how much, not knowing that this very body teeters over the deep pit of the three paths, and if a single breath fails to return, one must plunge down. Should a spiritual friend suddenly urge them to perform meritorious deeds and cultivate provisions of good dharmas for the future, they cling to this stingy mind and are unwilling to do so. Such as these are utterly foolish and deluded. Why is this? In the sūtras the Buddha said: At birth one comes without bringing a single coin, and at death one also departs without holding a single coin. Tormenting one’s body to accumulate [wealth] brings only grief and distress; it is of no benefit to oneself and in vain becomes the possession of others. With no good to rely on and no virtue to depend upon, one is brought at the end of life to fall into the various evil destinies. Therefore today we take refuge in the Triratna and repent with utmost sincerity. / Next we repent the retributions of having no understanding or discernment in the realm of tiryagyonis; we repent the retributions of bearing heavy loads and pulling plows to repay past debts in the realm of tiryagyonis; we repent the retributions of lacking freedom, being hacked, pierced, slaughtered, and cut apart by others in the realm of tiryagyonis; we repent the retributions of having no feet, two feet, four feet, or many feet in the realm of tiryagyonis; we repent the retributions of having one’s body gnawed and devoured by various small vermin within feathers, hair, and scales in the realm of tiryagyonis. There are immeasurable retributions for sins such as these in the realm of tiryagyonis; today with utmost sincerity we repent them all. / Next we repent the retributions of enduring perpetual hunger and thirst for hundreds of thousands of years without ever hearing the name of water or broth in the realm of pretas; we repent the retributions of feeding upon pus, blood, feces, and filth as pretas; we repent the retributions of having all one’s limbs and joints burst into flames whenever moving the body as pretas; we repent the retributions of having a belly as large [as a mountain] and a throat as small [as a needle] as pretas. There are immeasurable bitter retributions such as these in the realm of pretas; today, knocking our heads on the ground and begging for mercy, we repent them all. / Next we repent the retributions of sycophancy, arrogance, and deceit in the realm of spirits and asuras; we repent the retributions of carrying sand and bearing stones to fill rivers and dam up oceans in the realm of spirits; we repent the retributions of devouring raw flesh and blood and receiving ugly forms as spirits, rākṣasas, kumbhāṇḍas, and other evil spirits. For all such immeasurable and boundless retributions for sins in the realm of spirits, today, knocking our heads on the ground before the Buddhas of the ten directions and the great bodhisattvas of the earth, we beg for mercy and repent, wishing that all may be extinguished. / May it be that by virtue of the merit generated through repenting the retributions of tiryagyonis and the like, in life after life we will eradicate the defilement of foolishness, recognize our own karmic conditions, illuminate with wisdom, and cut off the bodies of evil destinies. May it be that through the merit generated by repenting the retributions of pretas and the like, in life after life we will forever be separated from the suffering of stinginess, greed, hunger, and thirst, and ever feed upon the flavor of the ambrosia of liberation. May it be that through the merit generated by repenting the retributions of spirits, asuras, and the like, in life after life we will be upright and free of flattery, leave behind the causes of wrong livelihood, eliminate the fruits of ugliness, and bestow blessings and benefits upon humans and devas. May it be that from now until we reach the bodhimaṇḍa, we will definitely not undergo the retributions of the four evil destinies, except out of great compassion for the sake of sentient beings, dwelling among them untiringly through the power of our vows. / Having repented the retributions of the three paths and the like, now we should once more knock our heads and earnestly repent the remaining retributions among humans and devas. We have all received this lifespan in Jambudvīpa: though said to be one hundred years, few attain it in full; during that interval, those who die young and prematurely in their prime are countless, and there are only myriad sufferings tormenting and pursuing them, so that grief, anxiety, fear, and dread never leave mind or form for an instant. All of this is because good roots are weak and evil karma is rampant, so that in the present whatever one undertakes fails to satisfy one's wishes. One should know that these are all the remaining retributions of past evil karma. Therefore we now repent all the immeasurable remaining retributions among humans and devas in the present and the future from beginningless time down to the present day: we repent the retributions of inherited disasters, past retributions, crippling disabilities, the hundred illnesses, and incomplete sense faculties in the human world; we repent the retributions of borderlands, wrong views, the three evil destinies, and the eight difficulties in the human world; we repent the retributions of frequent illness, emaciation, short life, and premature death in the human world; we repent the retributions of being unable to preserve and stay together forever with the six kinds of relatives in the human world; we repent the retributions of relatives and friends perishing and the suffering of separation from loved ones in the human world; we repent the retributions of gathering together with enemies and bitter rivals with anxiety and terror in the human world; we repent the retributions of water, fire, robbers, weapons, peril, terror, and cowardice in the human world; we repent the retributions of loneliness, distress, wandering displaced, being scattered, and losing one’s homeland in the human world; we repent the retributions of being imprisoned in jails, bound in dark confinement, forced to stand sideways, flogged, and beaten under torture in the human world; we repent the retributions of public and private gossip and disputes, being entangled, implicated, and slandering one another in the human world; we repent the retributions of severe illnesses lasting for years and months without cure, lying confined to bed and unable to get up or move about in the human world; we repent the retributions of winter pestilences, summer epidemics, virulent contagions, and cold-damage disorders in the human world; we repent the retributions of pathogenic wind, swelling, abdominal fullness, and blockages in the human world; we repent the retributions of evil spirits lying in wait for an opportunity to cause misfortune and hauntings in the human world; we repent the retributions of birds crying out omens, a hundred monstrosities, flying corpses, and evil specters creating weird occurrences in the human world; we repent the retributions of being harmed by tigers, leopards, jackals, wolves, and all manner of fierce beasts and fowl on land and water in the human world; we repent the retributions of hanging oneself and committing suicide in the human world; we repent the retributions of throwing oneself into pits, leaping into fire, drowning, and throwing oneself down in the human world; we repent the retributions of having no majesty, virtue, or renown in the human world; we repent the retributions of clothing and material goods failing to meet one's desires in the human world; we repent the retributions of encountering bad companions who obstruct and hinder one's actions whenever coming, going, or conducting business in the human world. For all such immeasurable retributions of calamities, disasters, epidemics, misfortunes, decline, and distress among humans and devas in the present and future, we today with utmost sincerity beg for mercy and repent before the Buddhas of the ten directions, the venerable Dharma, and the holy Saṅgha, wishing that they may all be extinguished. / Previously we have repented all obstacles of afflictions of the three karmas and six sense faculties, all obstacles of karma, and all obstacles of retribution throughout the four modes of birth and six destinies. Now we should make vows and dedicate merit in proper sequence. We vow that all the merits generated by this repentance of the three obstacles will be dedicated and bestowed upon all sentient beings, repenting together with them. We pray that together with all sentient beings, within this present life, our bodies and minds may be peaceful and joyful; that the three disasters, eight difficulties, and inauspicious occurrences will all be eliminated; that clothing and food will be abundant; that we will have correct faith in the Triratna; and that upon casting off this retribution body, we may all be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, behold Amitābha in person, receive the prediction of enlightenment, see Maitreya Buddha in a future world, listen to the true Dharma, and cultivate according to the teachings. We further vow that in life after life, in every place, we will always encounter rulers who cause the Triratna to flourish, and never be born into households of non-Buddhist heterodox views. We further vow that in life after life, in every place, we will be born transformationally from lotuses into noble and eminent lineages, peaceful, happy, and naturally provided with clothing and food. We further vow that in life after life, in every place, we will be compassionate, benevolent, loyal, and filial, helping living beings with an equal mind, never conceiving a single thought of rebellion or harm. We further vow that in life after life, in every place, we will always be protected and kept in mind by all Buddhas, able to subdue the hordes of Māra and all non-Buddhists, assemble in one place together with all bodhisattvas, and have the mind directed toward the path of bodhi continue without interruption. We further vow that in life after life, in every place, we will cause the Buddha-Dharma to flourish, practice the Mahāyāna, divide our bodies into immeasurable forms to save sentient beings, and proceed straight to the bodhimaṇḍa without regression. Just as the vows made, the merit and wisdom cultivated, and the dedication of merit performed by all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, so too do I make vows, cultivate, accumulate, and dedicate: until the realm of empty space is exhausted, until the realm of sentient beings is exhausted, and until the karma and afflictions of sentient beings are exhausted, may this practice and dedication of mine never come to an end. Having made vows and dedicated merit, with the utmost heart we faithfully pay homage to the ever-abiding Triratna.

3.8

Compassionate Samādhi Water Repentance, Fascicle Three

Linked texts (1)

慈悲水懺法 — Classical Chinese