Homage to Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom

Homage to my guru and protector, Manjushri,
Who holds to his heart a scriptural text
symbolic of his seeing all things as they are…

 


Whose intelligence shines forth like the sun,
unclouded by delusions or traces of ignorance,

Who teaches in sixty ways,
with the loving compassion of a father for his only child,
all creatures caught in the prison of samsara,
confused in the darkness of their ignorance,
overwhelmed by their suffering.

You, whose dragon-thunder-like proclamation of Dharma
arouses us from the stupor of our disturbing attitudes,
and frees us from the iron chains of our karma;

Who wields the sword of wisdom
hewing down suffering wherever its sprouts appear,
clearing away the darkness of ignorance;

You, whose princely body is adorned
with the one hundred and twelve marks of a Buddha,
Who has completed the stages
achieving the highest perfection of a bodhisattva,
Who has been pure from the beginning,

I bow down to you, O Manjushri;

With the brilliance of your wisdom, O compassionate one,
Illuminate the darkness enclosing my mind,
Enlighten my intelligence and wisdom
So that I may gain insight into the Buddha’s words
and the texts that explain them.