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Description
The King of Aspiration Prayers: Samantabhadra’s “Aspiration to Good Actions” (Zangchö Mönlam) from the Gaṇḍavyūha chapter of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Many translations of this text exist as it is regularly chanted around the world in many different traditions. For an example, see Lotsawa House.
Bhadracarīpranidhāna. (T. Bzang po spyod pa'i smon lam; C. Puxian pusa xingyuan zan; J. Fugen bosatsu gyōgansan; K. Pohyǒn posal haengwǒn ch'an 普賢菩薩行願讚). In Sanskrit, "Vows of Good Conduct," the last section of the Gaṇḍavyūha in the Avataṃsakasūtra and one of the most beloved texts in all of Mahāyāna Buddhism; also known as the Samantabhadracarīpraṇidhānarāja. The Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna focuses on the ten great vows (praṇidhāna) taken by Samantabhadra to realize and gain access to the dharmadhātu, which thereby enable him to benefit sentient beings. The ten vows are: (1) to pay homage to all the buddhas, (2) to praise the tathāgatas, (3) to make unlimited offerings, (4) to repent from one's transgressions in order to remove karmic hindrances (cf. karmāvaraṇa), (5) to take delight in others' merit, (6) to request the buddhas to turn the wheel of dharma (dharmacakrapravartana), (7) to request the buddhas to continue living in the world, (8) always to follow the teachings of the Buddha, (9) always to comply with the needs of sentient beings, and (10) to transfer all merit to sentient beings for their spiritual edification. The text ends with a stanza wishing that sentient beings still immersed in evil be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitābha. The text was translated into Chinese in 754 by Amoghavajra (705–774). Other Chinese recensions appear in the Wenshushili fayuan jing ("Scripture on the Vows made by Mañjuśrī"), translated in 420 by Buddhabhadra (359–429), which corresponds to the verse section from Ru busiyi jietuo jingjie Puxian xingyuan pin, the last roll of the forty-roll recension of the Huayan jing translated by Prajña in 798. (There is no corresponding version in either the sixty- or the eighty-roll translations of the
Huajan jing.) The verses are also called the "Précis of the Huayan jing (Lüe Huayan jing), because they are believed to constitute the core teachings of the Avataṃsakasūtra. In the main Chinese recension by Amoghavajra, the text consists of sixty-two stanzas, each consisting of quatrains with lines seven Sinographs in length, thus giving a total number of 1,736 Sinographs. In addition to the sixty-two core stanzas, Amoghavajra's version adds ten more stanzas of the Bada pusa zan ("Eulogy to the Eight Great Bodhisattvas") from the Badapusa mantuluo jing ("Scripture of the Maṇḍalas of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas") . . . Buddhabhadra's version consists of forty-four stanzas with 880 Sinographs, each stanza consisting of a quatrain with lines five Sinographs in length. Prajña's version contains fifty-two stanzas with each quatrain consisting of lines seven Sinographs in length. There are five commentaries on the text attributed to eminent Indian exegetes, including Nāgārjuna, Dignāga, and Vasubandhu, which are extant only in Tibetan translation. In the Tibetan tradition, the prayer is called the "king of prayers" (smon lam gyi rgyal po). It is incorporated into many liturgies; the opening verses of the prayer are commonly incorporated into a Tibetan's daily recitation. (Source: "Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna." In The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, 106. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)
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1) A commentary to inspire faith, based on verses in praise of the Buddha’s immeasurable qualities from Sakya Paṇḍita's Clarifying the Sage's Intent.
2) Oral instructions based on Candrakīrti's Entering the Middle Way, offering a practical understanding of the Mahāyāna path as a whole.
3) A commentary on the first three chapters of Śāntideva's Way of the Bodhisattva, which includes an explanation of the ritual for the bodhicitta vow.
4) A rarely given explanation of Gorampa's profound teaching on dependent arising according to the four philosophical schools of Indian Buddhism, entitled Illumination of Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa.
5) A detailed commentary on Samantabhadra's Noble Aspirations to Sublime Conduct, as the supreme means of dedication.
(Source: Chödung Karmo Translation Group)
volume, including this introduction, is exactly the same except for the commentaries that explain the prayer. This has been done so that each volume would be a complete resource, with only the explanations given in the commentaries changing. Note also that in the Tibetan tradition there are two prayers with the name "Samantabhadra's Prayer." The prayer in this series is the prayer from the
Great Vehicle sutras that sets out the excellent conduct of a bodhisatva, not the prayer that explains profound Great Completion. (Duff, introduction, v)
The book is divided into five parts:
I. Daily Recitation and Practice
II. Selected Texts for Study, Reflection and Meditation
III. Additional Prayers, Vows and Commitments
IV. Daily Dedication Prayers
V. Appendix
Part I and Part IV serve as a useful guide for all, who have an inclination towards dharma practice, but do not know how to start and design a daily practice session. It is also useful for those seekers who might be misguided and surmise that dharma practice comprises only of mantra recitation and so forth, thereby missing its essence.
Part II helps strengthen the practitioner’s dharma practice on the basis of selected compositions of great scholars and yogis. The actual breakthrough in the mental transformation happens through changes in the thought process, for which study and reflection are the cornerstones. Any of these profound texts and short extracts may be selected for study, reflection or meditation, on an on-going basis.
Part III reinforces and rejuvenates dharma practice and to that end, may be undertaken on a regular or occasional basis.
Part V introduces the reader to meditation practices, both shamatha (calm abiding) and vipasyana (special insight), including meditation on the breath, as well as methods to cultivate Bodhicitta and the wisdom of emptiness. While there are many texts on the wisdom of emptiness, the meditation included here is designed for all those who are not thoroughly introduced to this subject and still want to familiarise and habituate themselves with the wisdom of emptiness.
Brief notes, Endnotes and Glossary have been added to help the readers unfold the meanings of the texts with ease. (preface, xiv–xv)1) A commentary to inspire faith, based on verses in praise of the Buddha’s immeasurable qualities from Sakya Paṇḍita's Clarifying the Sage's Intent.
2) Oral instructions based on Candrakīrti's Entering the Middle Way, offering a practical understanding of the Mahāyāna path as a whole.
3) A commentary on the first three chapters of Śāntideva's Way of the Bodhisattva, which includes an explanation of the ritual for the bodhicitta vow.
4) A rarely given explanation of Gorampa's profound teaching on dependent arising according to the four philosophical schools of Indian Buddhism, entitled Illumination of Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa.
5) A detailed commentary on Samantabhadra's Noble Aspirations to Sublime Conduct, as the supreme means of dedication.
(Source: Chödung Karmo Translation Group)
volume, including this introduction, is exactly the same except for the commentaries that explain the prayer. This has been done so that each volume would be a complete resource, with only the explanations given in the commentaries changing. Note also that in the Tibetan tradition there are two prayers with the name "Samantabhadra's Prayer." The prayer in this series is the prayer from the
Great Vehicle sutras that sets out the excellent conduct of a bodhisatva, not the prayer that explains profound Great Completion. (Duff, introduction, v)1) A commentary to inspire faith, based on verses in praise of the Buddha’s immeasurable qualities from Sakya Paṇḍita's Clarifying the Sage's Intent.
2) Oral instructions based on Candrakīrti's Entering the Middle Way, offering a practical understanding of the Mahāyāna path as a whole.
3) A commentary on the first three chapters of Śāntideva's Way of the Bodhisattva, which includes an explanation of the ritual for the bodhicitta vow.
4) A rarely given explanation of Gorampa's profound teaching on dependent arising according to the four philosophical schools of Indian Buddhism, entitled Illumination of Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa.
5) A detailed commentary on Samantabhadra's Noble Aspirations to Sublime Conduct, as the supreme means of dedication.
(Source: Chödung Karmo Translation Group)
volume, including this introduction, is exactly the same except for the commentaries that explain the prayer. This has been done so that each volume would be a complete resource, with only the explanations given in the commentaries changing. Note also that in the Tibetan tradition there are two prayers with the name "Samantabhadra's Prayer." The prayer in this series is the prayer from the
Great Vehicle sutras that sets out the excellent conduct of a bodhisatva, not the prayer that explains profound Great Completion. (Duff, introduction, v)The book is divided into five parts:
I. Daily Recitation and Practice
II. Selected Texts for Study, Reflection and Meditation
III. Additional Prayers, Vows and Commitments
IV. Daily Dedication Prayers
V. Appendix
Part I and Part IV serve as a useful guide for all, who have an inclination towards dharma practice, but do not know how to start and design a daily practice session. It is also useful for those seekers who might be misguided and surmise that dharma practice comprises only of mantra recitation and so forth, thereby missing its essence.
Part II helps strengthen the practitioner’s dharma practice on the basis of selected compositions of great scholars and yogis. The actual breakthrough in the mental transformation happens through changes in the thought process, for which study and reflection are the cornerstones. Any of these profound texts and short extracts may be selected for study, reflection or meditation, on an on-going basis.
Part III reinforces and rejuvenates dharma practice and to that end, may be undertaken on a regular or occasional basis.
Part V introduces the reader to meditation practices, both shamatha (calm abiding) and vipasyana (special insight), including meditation on the breath, as well as methods to cultivate Bodhicitta and the wisdom of emptiness. While there are many texts on the wisdom of emptiness, the meditation included here is designed for all those who are not thoroughly introduced to this subject and still want to familiarise and habituate themselves with the wisdom of emptiness.
Brief notes, Endnotes and Glossary have been added to help the readers unfold the meanings of the texts with ease. (preface, xiv–xv)1) A commentary to inspire faith, based on verses in praise of the Buddha’s immeasurable qualities from Sakya Paṇḍita's Clarifying the Sage's Intent.
2) Oral instructions based on Candrakīrti's Entering the Middle Way, offering a practical understanding of the Mahāyāna path as a whole.
3) A commentary on the first three chapters of Śāntideva's Way of the Bodhisattva, which includes an explanation of the ritual for the bodhicitta vow.
4) A rarely given explanation of Gorampa's profound teaching on dependent arising according to the four philosophical schools of Indian Buddhism, entitled Illumination of Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa.
5) A detailed commentary on Samantabhadra's Noble Aspirations to Sublime Conduct, as the supreme means of dedication.
(Source: Chödung Karmo Translation Group)
