To all the Lions Among Humans who appear
in the ten directions and three times,
I pay homage with reverent body, speech, and mind…
(2)
The power of my Aspiration Prayer for Excellent Conduct,
brings all the Victorious Ones directly to mind;
and with bodies as numerous as atoms in all the realms,
I bow to them all.
In each atom there are Buddhas as numerous as atoms in all the worlds,
each residing in the midst of their sons and daughters;
In this way, the whole dharmadhatu
is completely filled with Victorious Ones.
And to those with oceans of inexhaustible praise-worthy qualities-
with sounds containing oceans of tones of melodic speech,
I express their qualities, praising all the Sugatas.
(5)
I offer them the finest flowers, the finest garlands,
music, balms, supreme parasols,
supreme lamps, and the finest incense;
the finest cloths, supreme scents,
and fine colored powders equal to Mount Meru,
all displayed in supreme and magnificent ways.
With great faith in the excellent conduct of all the Victorious Ones
I bow deeply, and venerate them all
with vast, unsurpassable offerings.
Whatever negative actions I have performed
with body, speech, and also mind
overpowered by desire, aggression, and ignorance
I confess each and every one of them.
I rejoice in everyone’s merit-
The Buddhas of the ten directions,
the Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Pratyekabuddhas,
those in training, those beyond training,
and all beings.
(10)
I request the Protectors,
the Lamps of the Worlds of the Ten Directions,
who, passing through the stages of awakening,
attained Buddhahood, beyond attachment,
to turn the unsurpassable Dharma Wheel!
With my palms joined together,
I supplicate those who intend to demonstrate nirvana
to please remain for kalpas as numerous as atoms in the realms
for the welfare and happiness of all beings.
I dedicate whatever slight virtue I may have accumulated
through bowing, offering, confessing,
rejoicing, requesting, and supplicating
to the enlightenment of all beings.
May offerings be made to Buddhas of the past,
and to all who now dwell throughout the ten directions of the universe!
May all who are yet to come swiftly fulfill their wishes
and attain the stages of Enlightenment and Buddhahood!
May all the worlds in the ten directions
become completely pure,
filled with Buddhas who have awakened beneath the sacred trees,
and around them all their Bodhisattva Heirs!
(15)
May as many sentient beings as there are in all the ten directions
live always and forever in happiness and health!
May all beings meet the Dharma that befits them best!,
and so may all their hopes be fulfilled!
(16)
As I practice the training for enlightenment,
may I recall all my previous births,
and in all my successive lives,
may I always renounce the common, worldly life!
Training in the footsteps of all the Victorious Ones,
may I bring good actions to perfection,
and may my moral conduct be taintless and pure,
never lapsing, and always free from fault!
In the language of the gods, nagas, and yakshas,
in the language of demons and of humans too,
in however many kinds of speech there may be –
I will proclaim the Dharma in the language of all!
Taming my mind, and striving in the paramitas,
I will always keep in my heart and mind
the aspiration to enlightened understanding and activity.
May all my harmful actions and the obscurations they cause
be completely purified, every single one!
(20)
May I be freed from karma, harmful emotions and the work of negativity,
and act for all beings in the world,
just like the lotus flower to which mud and water cannot cling,
or like the light of the sun and moon,
that moves unhindered through the sky.
(21)
Throughout the reach and range of the entire universe
I will pacify completely all the inconceivable sufferings
of countless beings, in all the lower realms;
and I will lead all of them to enjoy every temporal and ultimate happiness.
In this way I will work for the benefit for each and every one!
I will bring enlightened action to perfection,
serve beings so as to suit their needs,
teach them to accomplish good actions,
and continue this, throughout all aeons to come!
May I always meet and be accompanied by
those whose actions accord with mine;
And in body, speech and mind as well,
May our actions and aspirations always be as one!
May I always meet spiritual friends
who long to be of true help to me,
and who teach me the good actions;
Never will I disappoint them!
(25)
May I always behold the Buddhas, here before my very eyes,
and around them all their Bodhisattva Sons and Daughters;
and without ever tiring, throughout all aeons to come,
May the offerings I make them be endless and vast!
May I maintain the Sacred Teachings of the Buddhas,
and cause Enlightened Action to appear;
May I train to perfection in good actions,
and practice these in every age to come!
As I move through all states of samsaric existence,
may I gather merit and wisdom,
and so become an inexhaustible treasury of noble qualities-
of skill, and discernment, samadhi, and liberation!
In a single atom, may I clearly see as many Pure Realms
as there are atoms in the universe:
and in each realm, Buddhas beyond imagining,
encircled by all their Bodhisattva Heirs;
Along with them,
may I perform the Activities of Enlightenment!
Everywhere, may I see an ocean of Buddhas,
in an ocean of Pure Realms,
and, throughout an ocean of aeons,
May I enter into an ocean of Enlightened Activities!
(30)
Each single word of a Buddha’s speech,
that voice with its ocean of qualities,
bears all the purity of the speech of all the Buddhas,
sounds that harmonize with the minds of all living beings:
May I always be engaged with the Speech of the Buddhas!
May I hear and realize
the inexhaustible melody of the teachings,
spoken by all of the Buddhas, past, present and future,
as they turn the Wheel of Dharma!
Just as the wisdom of the Buddhas penetrates all future aeons,
so may I too know them, instantly, (snap)
and in each fraction of an instant may I know
the three times.
(33)
In an instant,
may I behold all those who are the Lions of the Human Race-
The Buddhas of past, present and future!
May I always be engaged in the Buddhas’ way of life and action,
through the power of liberation,
where all is realized as like an illusion!
On every single atom, may I actually bring about
the entire array of Pure Realms
of past, of present and future;
and then enter into those Pure Buddha Realms in each atom,
and in each and every direction.
When those who will illuminate the world, who are still to come,
gradually attain Buddhahood, turn the Wheel of the Dharma,
and demonstrate the final, profound peace of nirvana,
may I be always in their presence!
(36)
Through the power of swift miracles,
the power of the vehicle, like a doorway,
the power of conduct that possesses all virtuous qualities,
the power of loving kindness, all-pervasive,
the power of merit that is totally virtuous,
the power of wisdom free from attachment,
and the powers of knowledge, skillful means, and samadhi-
May I perfectly accomplish the power of Enlightenment!
(38)
May I purify the power of karma;
Destroy the power of harmful emotions;
Render negativity utterly powerless;
And perfect the power of good actions!
I will purify oceans of realms;
Liberate oceans of sentient beings from their oceans of sufferings;
Understand oceans of Dharma;
Realize oceans of wisdom;
Perfect oceans of actions;
Fulfill oceans of aspirations;
Serve oceans of buddhas;
and perform these,
without ever growing weary,
throughout oceans of aeons!
All Buddhas throughout time
attained Enlightenment through their prayers
and Noble Activity;
May I awaken in myself the same motivation
as all Buddhas,
and then completely fulfill these vows!
(42)
The eldest of the sons of all the buddhas
is called Samantabhadra: ‘All Good’;
So that I may act with skill like his,
I dedicate fully all these merits!
(43)
With pure body, speech, mind,
and actions,
in all realms,
May I be the equal of Samantabhadra
in his skill in good dedication!
In order to perform the full virtue of good actions,
I will act according to Mañjushri’s prayers and aspirations,
and without ever growing weary, in all aeons to come,
I will perfectly fulfill every one of his aims!
(45)
May my beneficial activities be beyond measure!
May my enlightened qualities be measureless too!
Keeping to this immeasurable activity,
may I accomplish all the miraculous powers of enlightenment!
(46)
Limitless is the extent of space,
and limitless is the number of sentient beings;
Limitless are the karmas and delusions of beings-
such then are the limits of my aspirations!
Whoever hears this king of dedication prayers,
and yearns for supreme enlightenment,
whoever even once arouses faith,
will gain true merit greater still
than by offering the victorious buddhas
infinite pure realms in every direction,
all ornamented with jewels,
or by offering them all the highest joys of gods and humans
for as many aeons as there are atoms in those realms.
Whoever truly makes this Aspiration to Good Actions,
will be never again born in the lower realms;
They will be free from harmful companions,
and soon behold the Buddha of Boundless Light.
(50)
They will acquire all kinds of benefits,
and live in happiness;
Even in this present life,
all will go well,
and before long,
they will become just like Samantabhadra.
All negative acts-
even the five of immediate retribution-
whatever they have committed when previously in the grip of ignorance,
all will soon be completely purified, if they recite, meditate on,
and actualize this Aspiration Prayer to Good Actions.
They will possess perfect wisdom,
beauty, and excellent signs;
be born in a good family, and have a radiant appearance.
Demons and heretics will never harm them,
and all three worlds will honor them with offerings.
They will quickly go beneath the bodhi tree,
to benefit all sentient beings;
and there they will awaken, turn the Wheel of Dharma,
and tame Mara with all his hordes.
The full result of keeping, teaching, or reading
this Prayer of Aspiration to Good Actions
is known to the Buddhas alone.
Have no doubt-
supreme enlightened understanding will soon be yours!
(55)
Just as the courageous Mañjushri attained omniscience,
and Samantabhadra too,
all these merits I now dedicate
to train and follow in their footsteps.
All the victorious Buddhas of the past, present and future
praise dedication as supreme.
So now do I dedicate all these roots of virtue
for all beings to completely perfect good actions.
When the time of death comes for me,
may all my obscurations vanish;
and, seeing Amitabha,
may I go directly to his Pure Land of Sukhavati!
Having gone there,
may I clearly bring to mind all of these aspiration prayers,
fulfill all of them completely,
and benefit beings for as long as worlds exist!
May I be born within a beautiful lotus,
in that Excellent and Joyous Realm of the Victorious One;
And from the Victorious One Amitabha directly
may I receive a prophecy.
(60)
Having received His prophecy there,
may I benefit all beings in the ten directions, in whatever way is needed,
with countless emanations.
Through whatever slight virtue I may have accumulated
by making this Aspiration Prayer for Excellent Conduct,
may all the virtue of aspiration prayers for all beings
be accomplished instantly.
By the infinite and genuine merit,
attained through dedicating the Aspiration Prayer for Excellent Conduct,
may all beings drowning in floods of sufferings
reach the Place of Amitabha.
May this King of Aspiration Prayers
bring about the supreme aim and benefit for all infinite beings;
Completing this scripture adorned by Samantabhadra,
May the lower realms be forever empty.
* * *
This completes “The King of Aspiration Prayers, The Aspiration for Excellent Conduct.”
Translated from Sanskrit by the Indian Khenpo Jinamitra, Surendrabodhi, translator Bande Yeshe De and so forth, and chiefly edited by the Great Translator Vairotsana.
Translated into English under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso by Elizabeth Callahan, August 1994;
And, revised by J. Espada, in May, 2022.