May the priceless teachings of the Omniscient One, the only door through
which happiness ever appears to living beings, never decline in any place or
time,
but spread forth to every direction's end.
May the span of life be lengthened and enhanced for our peerless teachers
and spiritual friends who cherish the Buddha's religion more than their
lives and
whose compassion and wisdom are measureless.
May the assemblies of monks who practice His teaching always endure and
their works pervade the ten directions, for they point out to beings the
path of
virtue and carry the great burden of teaching and meditation.
May all human beings be free from fears of old age, disease and death, but
live
instead with right views of existence in this world. May their minds
grow to love
one another, and limitless joys increase always for all.
May the cities of the earth be beautiful, strung with rows of prayer flags,
white
and rippling in gentle breezes; may their inhabitants not be poor but
wear the fine
clothes and jewels they long to have.
May the eyes of living beings be gladdened by skies made splendid by clouds
that lightenings garland, while on earth below, the peacocks dance with joy
as
showers of rain, falling gently, approach.
May the mountains be adorned by rippling grasses, clusters of wildflowers,
and by falling waters, and the valleys overflow with grains and commingling
herds, while men sing songs that spring forth from joy; in freedom from
pride,
from wars and discord.
May the rulers govern well in peaceful ways and peoples heed their rulers
with
unfeigned respect so that, all inner and outer conflicts set at rest,
well-being
prevails as it did in the Age of Perfection.
May every temple be adorned by many images of the Enlightened One and
by
books of holy scripture; may there the great rain of worship be increased by
infinite clouds of offerings offered by gods.
May the chanting and study of scriptures increase in every monastery, each
of them filled with spiritual friends and monks in saffron robes who uphold
the
teachings of the sage and devote their days to discussing, explaining,
and writing
about His words.
May the Holy Teaching of the Blessed Enlightened One be enhanced by lay
disciples, by novices, monks, and nuns, each endowed with moral conduct that
is
flawlessly pure and diligent in study, reflection, and meditation.
May meditators who have given up every distraction be increased by those
attainments of insight that follow renunciation; away from all bustle and
harm, may
they ever dwell in tranquil places of solitude.
May this, our own circle of meditators, whose prayers are offered with
especial faith, be blessed with prosperity untainted by wrong livelihood,
and may
our spans of life and our understanding of Dharma increase.
May there also arise within me spiritual qualities of learning and
realization
and the perfection of every principle which the Enlightened Ones
have taught,
through my own wholehearted performance of giving, moral
conduct, patience,
diligence, meditation, and highest wisdom.
For the sake of others, may I too grow in harmony with the Holy Teaching
and gather others together through kind words and generous deeds; by the
power of
right explanation, may their actions and mine become attuned to the
Way.
This prayer that I offer on behalf of all is that every obstacle to Dharma
may
vanish and every auspicious condition completely prevail; may every
virtue that
the Sage has praised increase always in every way!
By the power of the compassionate blessings of the holy masters, by the
truth of the Ultimate Reality of all Dharmas, and by the purity of our own
noble
resolve, may our prayers become actuality.
(This prayer for the happiness of all living beings was written by the
Venerable Master,
Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo, who established the famous
hermitage of Ngor Evam in 1434. He was
an emanation of the Greatly
Compassionate One and one of the Sakya Order's most illustrious
saints.
Because it expresses the tute intent of all Buddhist scriptures, i.e. the
aspiration to bring
about true happiness and well-being of all beings
without exception, this prayer is usually
chanted by Sakya monks at
the close of each assembly. This is translated by Dr. P D Santina.)
