Aspiring to the Deeds of the Excellent - Aryabhadracaryapranidhanaraja
Salutation
Homage to the ever-youthful Manjushri!
Seven Preliminaries to Purify One’s Mind
1 – Homage
With purity of body, speech, and mind, I bow to all the heroic Buddhas of the past, present, and future without exception in every world in all the ten directions. By the power of this Aspiration of Samantabhadra, I bow with as many bodies as there are atoms in the world to all those victorious Buddhas manifest in my mind, and I pay homage to all of them.
I conceive the entire realm of truth to be completely filled with Enlightened Ones. On each atom I imagine there to be as many Buddhas as atoms in the world, each Buddha surrounded by many bodhisattvas.
I honor all these blissful lords, praising their perfections with all the sounds of various melodies, an ocean of endless praise.
2 – Offering
I offer to those heroic Buddhas the finest flowers, garlands, music, and ointments, excellent canopies, choice lamps, and the best incense. I offer as well to those Victorious Ones the finest array of all excellent things, the finest robes and fragrances, and heaps of sweet smelling powders as high as Mount Meru.
By the power of my faith in the deeds of Samantabhadra, I prostrate and present vast and unequaled offerings to each of the Victorious Buddhas.
3 – Confession
I confess every type of wrong that I have done in thought, word, or deed while influenced by desire, anger, and ignorance.
4 – Rejoicing
I rejoice in the meritorious deeds of all the Buddhas, as well as those performed by the bodhisattvas, Pratyeka Buddhas, Arhats, those who are in the Path of Training, those who need no more Training, and by all sentient beings in the ten directions.
5 – Requesting
I entreat the enlightened protectors who have attained the detachment of Buddhahood and illuminate the worlds of the ten directions to turn the peerless Wheel of Dharma.
6 – Beseeching
With folded hands, I beseech those who intend to manifest the final Nirvana, to remain for as many eons as there are atoms in all the worlds, for the benefit and happiness of all living beings.
7 – Dedication
May whatever small amount of virtue I may have gained from prostrating, offering, confessing, rejoicing, and beseeching be dedicated to attainment of perfect enlightenment.
Actual Aspirations
1 – Pure Attitude
May I worship the Buddhas of the past and those now present in the worlds of the ten directions; may those to come quickly fulfill their aspiration and reach Buddhahood by traversing the stages of enlightenment swiftly.
May all the worlds of the ten directions become extensively and completely pure. May it be filled with bodhisattvas and victorious Buddhas who proceed to the royal tree of enlightenment.
May all living beings in the ten directions always be happy and free of sickness. May they be endowed with favorable circumstances for achieving Dharmic goals, and may their wishes be accomplished.
2 – Maintain Bodhicitta
May I remember my lives in all states of existence while in the training for enlightenment. In all my successive births and deaths, may I always embrace religious life. May I follow all the victorious Buddhas and perfect all the deeds of Samantabhadra. Pure in the morality without defect, may my conduct always be flawless.
May I teach the Dharma in every tongue, in whatever sounds are understood by living beings, in the languages of the gods, nagas, demons, spirits, and human beings.
May I steadfastly apply myself to the six perfections. May I never disregard my intention to attain enlightenment, and completely remove whatever faults may obscure my path.
3 – Be Free from Defilements
May I be free from karma, emotional afflictions, and the influence of demons, like the lotus unsoiled by the mire or like the sun and moon in a clear sky, so that I may proceed unhindered.
4 – Lead Others to Happiness
Throughout all the lands in all the directions, may I relieve the sufferings of the lower realms. May I be able to bring happiness to and provide benefit for all living beings.
5 – Steadfastness
Fully accomplishing the activities of enlightenment, may I work in harmony with the needs of all beings. May I practice and demonstrate the deeds of Samantabhadra, through all future eons.
6 – Accompany other Bodhisattvas
May I always associate with those whose activities are similar to mine. May we act alike in thought, word, and deed, and may our aspirations be as one.
7 – Meet With and Please Virtuous Teachers
May I always associate with spiritual friends who wish to help me, and teach the deeds of Samantabhadra. May I never cause them pain or disappointment.
8 – Personally Serve Buddhas
May I always personally behold the victorious Buddhas, those guardians surrounded by bodhisattvas. Without tiring, in all future eons, may I always present them magnificent offerings.
9 – Preserve the Dharma
May I always uphold the Buddhas’ holy Dharma and illuminate the deeds of enlightenment. May I train in the practice of Samantabhadra in all future eons.
10 – Acquire the Inexhaustible Treasure
Through rebirth in all the states of existence, may I gather an endless store of merit and wisdom. May I become an inexhaustible treasure of all virtues of method, wisdom, concentration, and liberation.
11 – Means to Attain the Aspirations
May I always behold as many Pure Lands as there are atoms present in each world, with inconceivable Buddhas sitting in the midst of their bodhisattvas and performing the activities of enlightenment.
In this way, may I be able to see everywhere, even on every mote of dust, countless Buddhas of the past, present, and future, limitless Pure Lands, and endless eons.
May I always heed the pure speech of the victorious Buddhas, which holds within each word the totality of the perfect Dharma, and an ocean of languages precisely suited to the needs of each being.
May I possess the perfect intelligence to heed the endless melody of speech when the victorious Buddhas of the past, present, and future turn the wheels of Dharma.
May I accomplish the bodhisattva’s practice of entering the past, present, and future in a fraction of a second. May I know in a single instant all that is encompassed in the duration of the three times.
May I behold all the heroic Buddhas of the past, present, and future in a single instant. May I always perform their activities through the power of liberation from illusion.
May I perceive upon a single atom the perfect design of the pure realms of the past, present and future. Thus may I enter into the realms of the victorious Buddhas in all directions.
When the Illuminators of the Worlds of the future realize the stages of Buddhahood, turn the Wheel, and enter the profound peace of nirvana, may I always be in their presence.
12 – Power of Enlightenment
May I accomplish the perfect powers of enlightenment:
the power of miraculous swiftness;
the power of perfection of every spiritual path;
the power of all virtuous qualities;
the power of all-pervasive loving kindness;
the power of the merit of every virtue;
the power of all-transcendent wisdom; and
the powers of perfect knowledge, method, and meditation.
13 – Pacify Obstructions
May the forces of karma be utterly purified, the power of passions utterly subdued, the power of demons utterly destroyed, and the power of the deeds of Samantabhadra perfected.
14 – Enlightened Activities
May I tirelessly perform the enlightened activities for an ocean of eons:
purifying an ocean of lands; liberating an ocean of beings; realizing an ocean of Dharma; attaining an ocean of wisdom;
perfecting an ocean of practice; accomplishing an ocean of aspirations; ceaselessly serving an ocean of Buddhas.
15 – Complete the Training
May I completely fulfill all perfect aspirations to the enlightened activities of the victorious Buddhas of the three times by attaining enlightenment according to the deeds of Samantabhadra. The eldest son of the victorious Buddhas is called Samantabhadra. I dedicate all these virtuous actions that my deeds may be like his.
May my body, speech, mind, deeds, and environment always be pure.
May I become equal to Samantabhadra in these excellent aspirations.
16 - Conclusion
May there be no limit to my activities. May there be no limit to my virtues. Through limitless perseverance, may I accomplish all miraculous deeds.
Extent of the Aspiration
The limit of living beings is like the limit of open space. May the limit of my aspirations be equal to the limit of their activities and passions.
Benefits of the Aspiration
Whoever offers to the victorious Buddhas all the perfect joys of gods and men, and the infinite realms of the ten directions adorned with jewels, for as many eons as there are atoms in those realms shall gain great merit. But whoever hears this greatest dedication prayer and is inspired by faith to intensely desire supreme enlightenment, shall gain even higher and holier merit.
Whoever recites the Aspiration of Samantabhadra will never again endure hellish rebirth, will abandon all evil friends, and will soon behold Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light.
They will gain all benefits, live in happiness, attain precious human rebirth, and soon become like Samantabhadra himself. Even those who in ignorance committed the five unredeemable sins, will soon be completely purified by reciting this Aspiration of Samantabhadra.
They will achieve perfect wisdom, a radiant countenance, beautiful form, auspicious physical marks, and a noble birth. Profane and devilish being will not trouble them, and they will be honored in the three realms. They will quickly reach the tree of enlightenment, and reside there to benefit all beings. As enlightened Buddhas, they will turn the Wheel of Dharma, taming the demonic hosts. Whoever preserves, teaches, or recites this Aspiration of Samantabhadra shall ultimately attain perfect Buddhahood. May none despair of complete enlightenment!
Dedication of the Merits of this Meritorious Aspiration
In whatever way valiant Manjushri and Samantabhadra know how to transfer merit, so do I dedicate all of my own virtues, that I might train to be like them. Since dedication is praised as supreme by the victorious Buddhas of the three times, I dedicate all of these roots of virtues to accomplishing the deeds of Samantabhadra.
At the moment of my death, may all my obscurations be removed that I may behold Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light and go to Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Perfect Bliss.
In that blissful land, may I completely fulfill all of these aspirations, and benefit all beings as long as the universe remains. Joyful there in that blessed assembly of the Buddha, may I be reborn like the Holy Ones from an exquisite lotus, and may the Buddha Amitabha himself foretell my own enlightenment. May I thereafter emanate endlessly through the power of perfect wisdom to accomplish countless benefits for living beings in all the ten directions.
Conclusion
Through whatever small virtues I have gathered by reciting this Aspiration of Samantabhadra, may all the virtuous aspirations of living beings be accomplished in a single moment. Through the boundless merit gained by dedicating these Aspirations of Samantabhadra, may the countless beings drowning in the torrent of suffering reach the stage of Amitabha.
May this greatest of dedication prayers benefit countless living beings. May reciting this ornament of Samantabhadra release all beings from the suffering of the lower realms.
Translation © Khenmo Trinlay, Tibetan Meditation Center, Frederick, MD.