The Supplication to the King of the Sākyas
I respectfully pay homage to the Guru and Manjughosha.
1)
At the feet of the great Bodhi Tree, you faced demons with armies pervading all of heaven and earth.
When the powerful conjurer of magical apparitions, armed with flower-arrows, strove to turn you away from enlightenment, raining down waves of short vajra spears, whirling fire, and mountains upon mountains, you vanquished him skillfully with a loving mind. I bow my head to you who attained perfect enlightenment.
2)
With an excellent aspiration and a commitment to act,
You gave birth to the mind of true awakening
To benefit other beings. In that moment,
Even the earth shook in six different ways.
3)
I bow to you who perfected the pāramitās
By successfully mastering generosity and discipline,
By cultivating forbearance and vigor,
And by bringing to perfection samādhi and wisdom.
4)
When the protector of beings was born,
The wise ones of the world were delighted,
The demons grew very anxious,
And all tīrthikas felt threatened.
5)
Thus, your teachings
Have radiated enlightening activity like a sun.
I take refuge in you, the friend
Who is trustworthy in every regard.
6)
When you proclaimed your doctrine with the roar of a lion
To the whole universe, including the god realms,
Great worldly deities were dumbstruck.
These divine gurus felt intimidated like rabbits.
7)
I bow to you, who defeated with the Dharma
The sages Ak?apāda, Vāmalūra,
Vyāsa, Vāsara, and
All those who had amassed fame.
8)
After obtaining supreme enlightenment,
You have worked to benefit beings. How wondrous, indeed!
While not yet liberated from the thirst for existence,
You sacrificed your life. I stand in awe!
9)
You say, “I must help you,”
With no regard for your own well-being.
We take refuge in you, Lord,
Who embrace us, the protectorless.
10)
The Conqueror subjugated the hosts of demons,
Defeated all the tīrthikas without exception,
Liberated countless ?rāvaka disciples, and
Prophesied the enlightenment of holy bodhisattvas.
11)
All who see such an abundance of excellences
Yearn for your qualities.
I who am engaged in the path toward enlightenment
Once again take refuge in you.
12)
Your son is Ma?jughsha,
Your disciple ?āriputra, and
You selected Maitreya as your holy successor.
What intelligent person would have doubts?
13)
What need is there to speak of your qualities
When we are amazed at seeing the qualities of your sons?
We come to know the rays of the sun
By the glow which rises at daybreak.
14)
You have realized all aspects of phenomena,
Whatever they are, just as they are.
I prostrate to you who accomplishes
Enlightening activity exactly as you had envisioned.
15)
By virtue of these praises to the Bhagavān,
The perfect buddha, guru of sentient beings,
Born in the lineage of the ?ākya clan, the Ik?vāku,
May beings quickly obtain omniscience.
The fifteen verses of Supplication to the Bhagavān, King of the ?ākyas were composed by the Glorious Sakya Pandita in the Jokhang in Lhasa.
The fifteen verses of Supplication to the Bhagavān, King of the ?ākyas were composed by the Glorious Sakya Pandita in the Jokhang in Lhasa.
This Small Collection of Hymns to Be Recited at Prayer Festivals was translated by the Ch?dung Karmo Translation Group (IBA) and published in 2011 by the Dolma Phodrang. May virtue be excellent! |