Introduction to the King of Prayers 2

Introduction by the English translator of this prayer, Jesse Fenton:

"Thus have I heard. At one time the Bhagavan was at Sravasti in the Jeta grove, in the Anathapindada garden within a magnificent estate. He was with Samantabhadra, Manjushri and five thousand other bodhisattvas who had all undertaken the bodhisattva practice and aspirations of all-embracing good, Samantabhadra."

There, at Sravasti, begins the Gandavyuha Sutra, whose final pages are the "Extraordinary Aspiration of the Practice of Samantabhadra." Originally written in Sanskrit, the sutra was translated into Chinese beginning in the second century c.e. and into Tibetan toward the end of the first millennium. Virtually all Mahayana schools revere this sutra. In China, the Hwa Yen school of Buddhism was almost entirely devoted to the study of the Avatamsaka Sutra, of which the Gandavyuha Sutra is the last chapter.

Introduction to the King of Prayers

By Venerable Thubten Chodron

Whenever I read "The Extraordinary Aspiration of the Practice of Samantabhadra," I feel energized and optimistic. This prayer opens us up to a world of Buddhas teaching the Dharma to bodhisattvas on every atom of existence. Our view is no longer dismally bound by the 6 o'clock news, the dim prophecies of political analysts, and worries about finances and relationships, but is now expanded to include the activities of bodhisattvas who seek to alleviate the miseries of all sentient beings. Instead of seeing ourselves as limited beings, we have inklings of our Buddha nature -- the potential each of us possesses to become a fully enlightened being. Our aspiration to realize this Buddha potential flowers, and our lives are renewed with meaning and purpose.

"Samantabhadra" is sometimes translated as "the universal good." What is universally good? Bodhicitta-the aspiration to become a Buddha in order to be of the greatest and most effective benefit to all beings. Who possesses bodhicitta? Bodhisattvas. This prayer of aspiration summarizes all the extraordinary activities of bodhisattvas, as well as both the profound and extensive paths. For this reason, it is called "King of Prayers."

Samantabhadra's Admonition

"This day has passed
Our lives too are closing,
Like fish with little water
Joy will not last.

Let us practice with pure effort
Practice as we would were our heads aflame.
Be mindful of impermanence,
Be careful of idleness."

The Extraordinary Aspiration Of the Practice of Samantabhadra

The King of Prayers

In Sanskrit: samantabhadracarya pranidhana

In Tibetan: 'phags-pa bzang-po spyod-pa'i smon-lam-gyi rgyal-po

________________________________________

I bow down to the youthful Arya Manjushri.

You lions among humans,
Gone to freedom in the present, past and future
In the worlds of ten directions,
To all of you, with body, speech and sincere mind I bow down.

With the energy of aspiration for the bodhisattva way,
With a sense of deep respect,
And with as many bodies as atoms of the world,
To all you Buddhas visualized as real, I bow down.

On every atom are Buddhas numberless as atoms,
Each amidst a host of bodhisattvas,
And I am confident the sphere of all phenomena
Is entirely filled with Buddhas in this way.

With infinite oceans of praise for you,
And oceans of sound from the aspects of my voice,
I sing the breathtaking excellence of Buddhas,
And celebrate all of you Gone to Bliss.

Samantabhadra's Aspiration To Good Actions

The King of Aspiration Prayers: Samantabhadra’s “Aspiration to Good Actions”

from the Gandavyuha chapter of the Avatamsaka sutra

In the language of India: Arya Bhadracarya Pranidhana Raja

In the language of Tibet: Pakpa Zangpo Chöpé Mönlam gyi Gyalpo

 Homage to Manjushri, the youthful!

The Seven Preliminaries for Purifying the Mind

1. Prostration

To all the buddhas, the lions of the human race,

In all directions of the universe, through past and present and future:

To every single one of you, I bow in homage;

Devotion fills my body, speech and mind.

Through the power of this prayer, aspiring to Good Action,

All the victorious ones appear, vivid here before my mind

And I multiply my body as many times as atoms in the universe,

Each one bowing in prostration to all the buddhas.