Traditional Bodhisattva Vow Ceremony
The King of Noble Prayers Aspiring to the Deeds of Excellent Conduct
Homage to the ever-youthful Arya Mañjushri!
Whoever dwells in the ten directions of this world, Jambhudvipa,
The Sugatas of the three times who are the lions among men,
To all of them without exception,
I bow down with devotion from my body, speech and mind.
By the strength of this prayer for excellent conduct,
And with a direct perception of all the Victorious Ones,
Wherever they dwell, with bodies as numberless as atomic particles,
I prostrate with reverence to each and every one of them.
Upon each atom there exists as many Buddhas as atoms are present,
With the Bodhisattvas seated in the middle of them all.
In this way the entire sphere of absolute reality, without exception,
Is imagined to be completely consumed by all the Victorious Ones.
Rendering praise to this inexhaustible ocean-like assembly,
With oceans of the sound of melodious voices,
The noble enlightened qualities of all the Conquerors are acknowledged.
I render praise to all the Sugatas.
Excellent garlands of magnificent flowers,
Instrumentation, potions and the best of parasols,
Splendid butter lamps and sacred incense,
All of this is offered to the Victors.
The finest of garments and superior perfumes,
And bundles of powders that equal Sumeru,
This magnificent array of the finest and best of them all
Is presented to and offered to all of those who are Victorious.
Whatever is offered is unsurpassed in vastness
And directed with utmost devotion for all the Buddhas,
As well as the strength and faith of this prayer for excellent conduct,
Paying homage to all the Buddhas, these offerings are made.
Overpowered by desire, anger and delusion,
With my body, my speech and similarly with my mind,
Whatever negativity that I have amassed
I confess individually and entirely.
All the Victoious Ones of the ten directions and their heirs,
The Solitary Realizers and those on the Path of Learning and No More Learning,
As well of the merit of each and every sentient being without exception,
I fully rejoice in all such accumulations.
All those who illuminate the world systems of the ten directions,
Who have attained Buddhahood and freedom from attachment through the stages of Enlightenment,
I implore all those Protectors
To turn the peerless wheel of the Dharma.
All those who intend to enter Nirvana
For the purpose of bringing benefit and bliss to all beings,
For as many aeons as there are particles of dust on earth,
With palms pressed together I beseech you to remain in the world.
By paying homage, making offerings, confession and
Rejoicing, requesting and beseeching,
Whatever virtue I have gained through these efforts,
I dedicate it all to the Enlightenment of all beings.
Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, all the Buddhas and
All the Bodhisattvas who dwell on the tenth bhumi,
All the great Vajra Master Spiritual Mentors,
Please turn your attention towards me.
REFUGE VOWS:
Until the heart of Enlightenment is realized,
I take Refuge in all the Buddhas.
In the Dharma and the Bodhisattvas,
As well as their assemblies, similarly I go for Refuge.
(Repeat refuge vows above 3X)
BODHISATTVA VOWS
Just as the Sugatas of the past
Have aroused the Awakened Mind Bodhicitta
And trained in the way of the Bodhisattvas
To gradually accomplish the stages of development,
Similarly for the benefit and purpose of beings,
By awakening the Bodhicitta
And training in the conduct of the Bodhisattvas,
I shall gradually develop the levels of training.
(Repeat Bodhicitta vows above 3X)
Today I have picked the fruit of this lifetime;
The meaning of this human existence is now realized.
Today I am reborn in the family of the Buddhas,
And have become an heir of the Enlightened Ones!
Now no matter what occurs hereafter,
My activities will be in conscientious accordance with the family,
And I shall never engage in conduct that could
Possibly sully this faultless family.
Like a blind man in a heap of refuse
Suddenly by chance finding a precious jewel,
Similarly, this occasion is such
That today I have given rise to the Awakened Mind.
Today before all of my objects of Refuge,
All beings and all those who have Gone Beyond,
I call to bear witness as the guests of this occasion,
Where all Devas, Titans and others join together to rejoice.
The precious Bodhicitta,
If unborn, may it arise,
If generated, may it never diminish,
And may it remain ever-increasing.
Never apart from the Bodhicitta,
Absorbed in the conduct of the Awakened Ones,
And being held fast by all the Buddhas,
May all demonic activities be fully abandoned.
May all the Bodhisattvas
Accomplish their altruistic intention to fulfill the needs of beings.
Whatever intention these Protectors may have,
May it occur for the purpose of those beings it is directed towards.
May all sentient beings know authentic bliss.
May all the lower realms be permanently emptied.
And may all the Bodhisattvas on whatever stage they remain
Fully accomplish all of their aspirations!
