On to Lines of
Experience Verse 6
I make obeisance to the Head of the Sakya Clan, Gautama Buddha. Your body is
the product of ten million virtues and the two perfect accomplishments (of the
realization of the meaning of Sunyata (1) and the
attainment of Bodhicitta (2)). Your speech
fulfils the hopes of endless numbers of sentient beings (by teaching them Dharma
(3)). Your mind,
being omniscient, sees all knowable phenomena in the way they exist as void.
I make obeisance to Maitreya and to Manjusri, the two chief disciples of the
peerless teacher Gautama Buddha. Your incarnations manifest themselves in the
countless worlds, having taken on the responsibility to further the action of
the speech of Buddha (by teaching the Dharma to help liberate all sentient
beings from samsara (4)).
I make obeisance at the feet of the two Jewels of the Southern Continents (5),
Nagarjuna and Asanga, famous throughout the Three Realms (6). You have
made commentaries explaining correctly the most difficult to fathom Mother of
the Buddhas, the "Prajnaparamita Sutras." (7)
I make obeisance to Atisa, the keeper of the treasure of the teachings. Your
faultless abridgement of their essential points, the "Bodhipathapradipa,"
summarizes and synthesizes the two major carriages of the Great Vehicle
Mahayana -- the paths of the profound insight of Sunyata and the
widespread action of Bodhicitta. This (it does for the first time since the
"Prajnaparamita Sutras" of Buddha and) is in accordance with the proper
lineages (from Buddha to Manjusri to Nagarjuna on the one side, and from Buddha
to Maitreya to Asanga on the other.)
I make obeisance with great reverence to my Gurus. (8) Motivated
by loving-kindness, you make the Dharma clear by teaching it with skilful and
effective means. (9) You are
the best bridge for crossing the ocean of samsara to Liberation for those
fortunate to receive your teachings. You are the eyes for your disciples to see
and understand all the profound scriptural texts.
