Translating the Praise to Majushri

Title in Sanskrit: shri jana guna phala nmastuti

Title in Tibetan:
__________ A__%_
bal yexie ynden sangbo xie jiawe dba
Title in English: Glorious Wisdom's Excellent Qualities, A Praise to Majushri
Title in Chinese: (*)
Homage Line:
Version One:
Tibetan
R_ _ ___ ___A_ @__
Wylie bla ma dang mgon po 'jam pa'i dbyangs phyag 'tshal lo
Lujin Phonetics lama dang gnbo jiambe yang chiag tsal lo
Phrasal Meaning guru and lord/protector Majughosa/Gentle Voiced One I pay homage to

#
Version Two:
Tibetan
_______ ___A_ @__
Wylie bcom ldan 'das 'jam pa'i dbyangs la phyag 'tshal lo
Lujin Phonetics jiom den de jiambe yang la chiag tsal lo
Phrasal Meaning Bhagavat to Majughosa/Gentle Voiced One I pay homage

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Version Three:
Tibetan
R_ _ ___ _______ @__
Wylie bla ma dang mgon po 'jam dpal gzon nu phyag 'tshal lo
Lujin Phonetics lama dang gnbo jiambe snu chiag tsal lo
Phrasal Meaning guru and lord/protector Majushri, the youthful One I pay homage to

#
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Tibetan

Wylie gang gi blo gros sgrib gnyis sprin bral
Lujin Phonetics kang gi lo dr drib ni drin dral
Phrasal Meaning whose intelligence the two obscurations cloud free



nyi ltar rnam dag rab gsal ba
ni dar nam dag rab sal wa
shine like the sun completely pure brilliant clarity

Tibetan
_$_ ____ ____ ____ @
Wylie ji snyed don kun ji bzhin gzigs phyir
Lujin Phonetics chi nye dn gn chi xin sig chir
Phrasal Meaning as much as all meanings just as it is fathom thereby


__< ____ Q______
nyid kyi thugs kar glegs bam 'dzin
nid gyi tug gar leg pam dzin
your at the heart (honorific) holding a volume of scripture

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Tibetan
___ N_ ___ __
Wylie gang dag srid pa'i btson rar ma rig
Lujin Phonetics kang dag sid be dzn rar ma rig
Phrasal Meaning whoever of conditioned existence imprisoned ignorance


_____ &q__# >____
mun 'thoms sdug bsngal gyis gzir ba'i
mn tom dug ngal gyi sir we
confused by the darkness suffering the oppression of

Tibetan
E___ __ ____ ___
Wylie 'gro tshogs kun la bu gcig ltar brtses
Lujin Phonetics dro tsog gn la pu jig dar dze
Phrasal Meaning multitude of beings to all only son like the love for


__ Hs__ _A______
yan lag drug cu'i dbyangs ldan gsungs
yen lag drug j yang den sung
elements (lit. limbs) sixty speak with the voice of

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Tibetan
Ks__ _a__ ____ ___U_
Wylie 'brug ltar cher sgrogs nyon mongs gnyid slongs
Lujin Phonetics drug dar chier drog nyn mong nilong
Phrasal Meaning just like the dragon of thunder roar kleshas awake from deep sleep


_< ___a_ E____
las kyi lcags sgrog 'grol mdzad cing
le gyi jiag drog drol dze jing
karma's metal fetters liberating from

Tibetan
__ ___ &q__# Bp_
Wylie ma rig mun sel sdug bsngal myu gu
Lujin Phonetics marig mnsel dug ngal nyu gu
Phrasal Meaning ignorance clear away the darkness of sufferings fresh sprouts


_$_ ______ E_'__
ji snyed gcod mdzad ral gri snams
chinye ji dze ral dri nam
all that exist cutting holding a sword

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Tibetan
_____ __ _ ___ ____
Wylie gdod nas dag cing sa bcu mthar son
Lujin Phonetics d ne dag jing sa ju tar sn
Phrasal Meaning from the very beginning pure when/after ten bhumis ultimately reached


___ ____ WN_ __ !q
yon tan lus rdzogs rgyal sras thu bo'i sku
ynden ldzog gyalse tu gu
virtues; accomplishments perfect body bodhisattva chief; leading, senior body (honorific)

Tibetan
__J____ _____ W_c_
Wylie bcu phrad bcu dang bcu gnyis rgyan spras
Lujin Phonetics ju trad ju dang ju ni gyen dre
Phrasal Meaning ten time ten and twelve adorn with ornaments


___R ___ ____A_ ___
bdag blo'i mun sel 'jam dpal dbyangs la btud
dag l mnsel jiambal yang la t
of my mind clear away the darkness to Manjughosa to bow down

*'jam dpal dbyangs (jiambal yang)Majushri

#Majughosa 'jam pa'i dbyang (jiambe yang or simply jiamyang)

Jamyang
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche Gentle Voice
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Venerable Chje Lama Phuntsok

Excerpt of A Teachings on the Prayer,
Praising the Goodness of Glorious Manjushris Timeless Wisdom,
presented at Karma Chang Chub Choephel Ling, Heidelberg, in October 2009.

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Praising the Goodness of Glorious Manjushris Timeless Wisdom
The first line of Praising Glorious Manjushri is:
/ Gang-gi-blo-grs-sgrib-gnyis-sprin-brl
nyi-ltar-rnam-dag-rab-gsl-bs /
His intellect, free of the clouds of the two obscurations,
shines just as immaculately as the sun.
The first Tibetan word in the first line of the praise, gang-gi, means his and refers to Manjushri. We address him
when we speak this. bLo-grs, the second word in this line, means great wisdom-awareness (shes-rab-chen-po) and
refers to Manjushris great intelligence. What is the reason he has great intelligence, i.e., great wisdom-awareness?
Because he is free of the two obscurations, sgrib-gnyis, which are the coarse obscurations of disturbing emotions
(nyn-mongs-pai-sgrib-pa) and the subtle cognitive obscurations of knowledge (shes-byai-sgrib-pa). The two
obscurations are compared with clouds. As long as clouds cover the sky, the suns rays cannot shine forth and warm
the Earth. When the clouds have dispersed, sprin-brl, the sun is not impeded and shines freely and brightly. Then the
dark gloom of obscurations has no chance, so the next line speaks of the result. It is:
/ Ji-snyed-dn-kun-ji-bshin-gzig-phyir
nyid-kyi-thugs-dkar-glegs-bam-dzin /
Since (he) sees all things as they really are,
(he) holds a volume of sacred scriptures at the center of his heart.
The ability to clearly see all things as they really are refers to the two kinds of pristine wisdom (ye-shes-gnyis), the
wisdom of realizing how all things are (chs-nyid-ye-shes) and the wisdom of realizing how all things appear (ji-ltar-
ye-shes). Chs-nyid means the very nature of things (dharmata in Sanskrit), so chs-nyid-ye-shes is knowing
precisely all details of every single phenomenon, e.g., knowing why something is red and not yellow. Ji-ltar-ye-shes
means knowing the mode of being (gns-lugs) of all outer and inner phenomena, inner phenomena referring to the
mind. Having overcome the two obscurations, Manjushri has great wisdom-awareness (shes-rab-chen-po) and, having
realized pristine wisdom, he has vast, all-knowing, primordial wisdom (ye-shes-kyi-mkhyen-rgya-che-ba). To signify
that he has perfected and thus embodies timeless wisdom, we are told that with his left hand he holds a sacred text at
his heart. On the statue depicted in this article and on paintings, he holds the stem of the flower that blooms above his
left shoulder, the volume of sacred scriptures lying above the center of the flower. Both depictions have the same
meaning, namely that in his heart he is all-knowing, has complete and perfect love and compassion, and has immense
power and strength. The Tibetan term kun-mkhyen-pa (all-knowing, omniscient) is all-encompassing knowledge of
every field of study, both worldly and other-worldly, i.e., transcendent.
The next two lines in The Praise that we then recite are:
/ Gang-dag-srid-pai-btson-rar-ma-rig-mn-thoms-sdug-bsngl-gyis-gser-bai
gro-tsogs-kun-la-bu-gcig-ltar-brtse-yan-lag-drug-cui-dbyangs-ldn-gsungs /
Plagued by afflictive confusion (caused by the) darkness of ignorance, very many living beings are in the prison of
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conditioned existence.
(He) loves all living beings like an only child and (thus) has the 60 qualities of melodious speech.
Conditioned existence is srid-pa in Tibetan and is synonymous with the Sanskrit term samsara (the state of
continually taking birth under the control of our afflictive defilements). Due to their darkness of ignorance, living
beings are caught in the prison of samsara and are therefore subject to unremitting suffering and pain. Just as a father
loves his only child, Manjushri has love and compassion for everyone. Due to his great loving compassion, he has 60
skilful qualities of speech that help us become free of the ignorance that keeps us fettered in samsara. We looked at the
qualities of his mind, the two wisdoms of knowing how things are and how they appear, but the time at our disposal is
too short to speak about the 60 wonderful qualities of Manjushris speech. One quality of his speech is that his voice is
very pleasant to hear and brings much joy to everyone who hears him. Due to his immeasurable love and compassion,
he always speaks softly to help living beings become free of samsara.
The next two lines in The Praise that we recite are:
/ brug-ltar-cher-sgrogs-nyn-mongs-gnyid-slongs-ls-kyi-lcags-sgrog-grl-mdzd-cing
ma-rig-mn-sel-sdug-bsngl-myu-gu-ji-snyed-gcd-mdzd-rl-gri-bsnams /
The thunderous roar (of his voice) wakes (us) up from the sleep (of our) afflictive emotions (and his speech) frees (us)
from the chains of (our) karma.
With a sword (in his right hand, he) dissevers the dark gloom of ignorance (and thus) cuts away (our) many seeds of
suffering.
By comparing his voice with the roar of thunder, these lines describe Manjushris power and strength. Our darkness
of ignorance and our afflictive emotions are likened to sleep. When thunder suddenly roars overhead, anyone who is
asleep immediately wakes up. In the same way, Manjushris voice wakes us up. Just as thunder wakes us up from
sleep and mental stupor, his mighty wisdom wakes us up from the dark gloom of ignorance and powerfully breaks the
chains of our karma. The second line above tells us that with his sword Manjushri dissevers our confusion and cuts
away our karma before it ripens and sprouts. The sword that he holds in his right hand symbolizes that he cuts away
ignorance and therefore all suffering.
When we recite the prayer to Glorious Manjushri, we praise the three qualities that he perfected. They are: the
qualities of his mind by having perfected the two kinds of wisdom, the 60 qualities of his speech, and the qualities of
his mighty strength. We neednt have the meaning of every single word in The Praise in mind when we recite it. It is
good to remember the general meaning and to recite it with sincere faith and devotion. When we recite the lines, we
should be aware of the Manjushris immense qualities.
Then we pray:
/ gdd-ns-dag-cin-sa-bcui-mthar-son-yn-tn-ls-rdzogs-rgyl-srs-thu-boi-sku
bcu-phrag-bcu-dang-bcu-gnyis-rgyan-sprs-bdag-bloi-mn-sel-jam-dpl-dbyangs-la-dd //
Primordially pure, (you) have reached the 10 th Bodhisattva bhumi and have perfected all qualities.
Noble Son of the Victorious One, 10 times 10 plus 12 ornaments adorn your body. I bow to Manjushri and ask (you)
to please dispel the darkness from my mind.
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The first of these two lines addresses the qualities of Manjushris body. Being free of the two obscurations of mind, in
the core of his being he is a fully enlightened Buddha and has all qualities that are attained by having reached a
Bodhisattvas 10 th level of realization. Being the Son of the Victorious One, the Buddha, Manjushri manifests in a
human form for the benefit of all living beings. He has the 32 distinctive and 80 secondary physical marks of a
Buddha, i.e., 112 in all. The 32 qualities are that of the Dharmakaya and the 80 secondary qualities are those of the
two form kayas (bodies of a Buddha). By reciting the second part of the last line above, we ask him to dispel our
minds darkness.
And so, there are 8 lines in The Praise to Manjushri. The first two describe the qualities of his mind, the third and
fourth his great love and compassion, the fifth and sixth his power and strength, and the seventh and eighth praise his
manifest appearance. We are able to develop great faith, confidence, and devotion in Manjushri by sincerely reciting
this prayer of praise.
It is impossible to develop devotion without having confidence, so we need to see a reason to do so. In order to have
confidence in Manjushri, we need to be aware of his qualities and trust that we, too, can attain them. But we need to
know his qualities well. In order to have confidence and devotion for him, we need to know that he possesses all
qualities of wisdom, of love and compassion, of strength, and that he has all physical marks of enlightenment. We can
gain certainty of his qualities and can then easily develop sincere devotion. It will be hard gaining certainty of his
qualities without having stable and firm devotion, though. While unstable and insecure, we will sometimes have
devotion and sometimes we wont. Thinking of a small child, the child wont lose trust in its mother just because she
becomes angry on and off. Why does a child trust its mother fully? Because it is certain that the mother has all
qualities and will give protection. We should develop the same kind of strong trust and confidence in a deity of
meditation and in our Lama.
When we recite the prayer of praise, we know that we are addressing Manjushris great qualities and thus develop
and increase our faith and confidence in him by calling them to mind. We have confidence in his great wisdom when
we recite the first two lines, confidence in his great love and compassion when we recite the next two lines,
confidence in his great power to free us from ignorance when we recite the next two lines, and we remember that he
possesses all physical marks of an Enlightened One, a Buddha, when we recite the last two lines of the prayer. If we
recite the prayer of praise with upright confidence in his qualities of realization, then we will receive his blessing. So,
this concludes the discussion of the prayer,Praising the Goodness of Glorious Manjushris Timeless Wisdom.
Gaining Certainty
Somebody might tell us that someone having such great qualities as Manjushri cant really exist, causing us to doubt.
It is only possible to gain certainty in someones qualities by focusing our attention on coming to know what is true.
For example, we trust the bank where we deposit our savings and are confident that our money wont be stolen or lost.
Of course, nowadays its another matter, but if we are sure of a bank, then we bring our money there and feel that our
hard-earned savings are safe. In the same way, it is utterly necessary to gain certainty of Manjushris great qualities
that are addressed in The Praise and not to have slightest doubts. Otherwise we doubt and are uncertain whether there
is such a meaningful deity worthy of praise or not.

About 100 years ago there was a Tibetan Khenpo who at the age of 20 still couldnt read. He wondered, I havent
managed to learn to read up to now. What will become of me? He went to live in a cave and said to himself that he
would not leave until Manjushri appeared to him, face to face. He had a small statue of Manjushri, placed it on his
little shrine, focused his attention one-pointedly on the statue, recalled all his great qualities of wisdom, loving
compassion, and power, while he continuously called Manjushri in fervent prayer. Due to these best conditions of
rten-brel (interdependence), light emitted from the little statue and dissolved into Khenpo, uniting him with
Manjushri and thus bestowing upon him unfailing, timeless wisdom. Khenpo had truly received the blessing of
Bodhisattva Manjushri. He then left his cave and was able to fluently read and understand all 13 volumes of the
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sacred scriptures that are studied in the great monastic universities. Khenpo lived during the times of Jamgon
Kongtrul Lodr Thaye, who is known as Ds-gsum-mkhyen-pa, the One Who Knows the Three Times.
We may think that stories like this are strange, but they happen. For instance, we see our face when we look in the
mirror, dont we? If the mirror is polished, we see the color of our face and see ourselves just like we look. In the
same way, when auspicious causes and conditions come together, we can see Manjushri just like he is described in
The Praise.
There was once a 99-year-old Indian man who had gone through many hardships in his life. Being very sad about all
the samsaric problems he had experienced during his long life, he resolved to renounce samsara and wondered, How
can I do this? He realized that he needed to seek refuge in the Buddha because he was the One who could free living
beings from samsara. He also realized that he needed to follow the Dharma, the Buddhas teachings. There was a
meditation teacher in India at that time, so the old man looked him up and asked him for instructions. The teacher told
him, You are already very old and wont be able to study the sacred scriptures. The old man thought, He has a
point there. I guess Im too old, but how can I practice the Dharma if Im not able to read the sacred texts? As long as
this is the case, how can I become liberated from samsara? The old man then thought, I must praise Manjushri and
then Ill be able to make it. Another meditation master, named Nyima Shinpa, appeared in the old mans life. The old
man asked the master, Please give me a means to best praise Manjushri. Nyima Shinpa had great compassion for the
old man and taught him the prayer, Praising the Goodness of Glorious Manjushris Timeless Wisdom. The old man
asked Nyima Shinpa, How long should I pray to Manjushri in this way? The master replied, If you are very
diligent, it wont take aeons but only a day. The old man hung a painting of Manjushri on the wall of his room and
placed a sword on the ground in front of his seat. He said to himself, Now I will go to sleep, and I will cut the veins
of my wrist if I havent received Manjushris blessing by the next morning. So, he went to sleep. When he woke up
the next morning, he had truly received Manjushris blessing. It was the manifestation of Manjushris great
compassion that stopped the old man from committing suicide and that caused him to be able to read the sacred texts
at his very old age. The story goes that due to Manjushris blessing, the old man became younger and younger.
There are many stories like this from the past, because people had true confidence and devotion. We, too, can have
just as deep confidence as the old man had when we recite The Prayer of Praise, but nowadays we have very strong
negative emotions and very many mental complexities. Technology is so advanced and powerful that we focus most
of our attention on scientific discoveries. As a result, true wisdom becomes more remote and distances itself more and
more from us. Having confidence in unscientific truths becomes increasingly lost during modern times, yet we
shouldnt think that everyone living in times that are long gone had deep confidence in Manjushri. The stories are
meant to encourage and inspire us. We, too, can develop strong confidence in Manjushri and receive his blessing.
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With the above information, one is provided with the base of understanding the external meaning of the
prayer and should able to appreciate the various English translated versions, two of them attached below.
These are followed and concluded by the classic explanation of the prayer by His Eminence Jamyang
Khyentse Wangpo.
Splendour of wisdom's Excellent Qualities
translated by Lotsawa House
In the language of India: shrijana gunaphala nama stuti
In the language of Tibet: dpal ye shes yon tan bzang po zhe bya ba'i bstod pa
Homage to Lord Majughosha!
Your wisdom is brilliant and pure like the sun, free from the clouds of the two obscurations.
You perceive the whole of reality, exactly as it is, and so you hold the book of Transcendental Wisdom at
your heart.
You look upon all beings imprisoned within samsara, enshrouded by the thick darkness of ignorance and
tormented by suffering,
With the love of a mother for her only child. Your enlightened speech, endowed with sixty melodious tones,
Like the thundering roar of a dragon, awakens us from the sleep of destructive emotions and frees us from
the chains of karma.
Dispelling the darkness of ignorance, you wield the sword of wisdom to cut through all the shoots of our
suffering.
Pure from the very beginning, you have reached the end of the ten bhumis and perfected all enlightened
qualities. Foremost of the buddhas heirs,
You are adorned with the hundred and twelve marks of a buddha.
To Majughosha, the Gentle-voiced, I prostrate, and pray: dispel the darkness from my mind!
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At the upper right and left of the central Manjushri are two smaller figures of Manjushri, one red and one
white. They both hold a sword of wisdom in the upraised right hand and a Prajnaparamita text in the left
held at the heart. The red form can be either Stira Chakra Manjushri or the Kriya Tantra form known by the
name of a famous praise written by five hundred panditas of Nalanda monastery university in Bihar, India.
"He whose intellect is free of the clouds of the two obscurations, completely clear like the sun, seeing,
however many all meanings as they are, holds a book to his heart.
Discoursing with sixty separate melodious tones and a love for all the hosts of beings tormented by
suffering, covered with the darkness of ignorance in the prison of existence, like for an only child.
Roaring loudly like a dragon to wake from the two afflictions, to free from the shackles of karma, and to
clear the darkness of ignorance; severing the seedlings of misery, however many, holding a sword.
Pure from the beginning and reaching the tenth stages end, a complete body of qualities; principal form of
the Buddha's sons.
Adorned with one hundred and twelve ornaments, clearing the darkness of my intellect; homage to
Manjushri-ghosha." [Five Hundred Panditas Prayer. Translated by Jeff Watt, Vancouver, Canada. May
1984].
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An Explanation of the Praise to Noble Majushri known as Glorious Wisdoms Excellent Qualities
by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
Namo guru majughoshaya!
This explanation of the praise of Glorious Wisdoms Excellent Qualities has five parts: (i) author, (ii) title of the work,
(iii) translators homage, (iv) actual main part and (v) conclusion.
I. The Author
Here, some scholars claim that this text was written by Acharya Vajrayudha[1]. Others have said that in the past, in the
noble land of India, five hundred panditas were asked [by their abbot] to compose a praise to Majushri, and when
they did so, Majughosha blessed them so that all their praises turned out exactly the same, and they felt confident
that this must have come about through Majushris blessings. It is said that the name of the praise too was taken from
the name of their abbot: Shri Jana Gunaphala. In any case, the author was someone in whom we can have
confidence.
II. The Title
In the divine Sanskrit language of the noble land of India the title is shri jana guna phala nmastuti. In Tibetan this
becomes dpal ye shes yon tan bzang po zhes bya bai bstod pa.
III. The Translators Homage
I prostrate to the transcendent and accomplished conqueror, the Glorious Gentle-Voiced Lord. This is the
translators homage, made before undertaking the work of translation, for the particular purpose of ensuring its
accomplishment.
IV. The Actual Main Part
In this, there are two sections: (1) the actual praise and (2) the benefits.
1. The Actual Praise
The first section has three parts: praises to (i) enlightened mind, (ii) enlightened speech and (iii) enlightened body.
i. The Enlightened Mind
Here there is a praise of wisdom and a praise of love.
Praise of Wisdom
Your wise intelligence, O youthful Majushri, father of all the victorious buddhas, has thoroughly
overcome the darkness of the two kinds of obscuration which are to be abandoned, both emotional
ones which are the roots of desire and so on, and cognitive ones which are the roots of confused
dualistic perceptions. How is this? That too is here explained. Imagine the sun free from the
obscuring veils of dusty haze and clouds; like this, your wisdom, when it discerns all dharmas, is
utterly purified of those stains of delusion that obscure our true nature, and it is brilliant with the
light of wisdom that penetrates all knowable things. How this wisdom perceives its objects is also
explained. It says that you perceive the whole of reality, everything that exists, all dharmaseven
the most subtleincluded within thorough affliction and total purification from visual forms up
until omniscience, and you see them directly and nakedly, exactly as they are, clearly discerning
their essence and their distinctive characteristics. At your heart, you hold a book of the
prajaparamita, the complete teachings on the profound and vast graduated paths of the
bodhisattvas, in order to symbolize the fact thatas stated aboveyou possess the two-fold
wisdom that knows all things exactly as they are.
Praise of Love
All sentient beings without such lasting qualities are trapped in the prison of samsarafrom the
peak of existence down to the lowest hell of Avichiwhere the three doors of their body, speech
and mind are shrouded in the thick darkness of ignorance, as they cling to concepts of I and
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mine. For all these beings without exception who are, as a consequence, tormented by the three
kinds of suffering, you possess a deep, caring compassion. This is illustrated by an example; just
like the mother of an only child who loves him or her so tenderly, you, Majughosha, have the
loving and unbiased wish to rescue from suffering each and every sentient being, who is currently
tormented by frustration and pain.
ii. Enlightened Speech
Inspired by this great affectionate love, and seeing the way things are, in order to establish all
beings in the highest possible state of attainment, you speak and thereby clearly reveal what should
be adopted and what should be abandoned, in a single voice that nevertheless has the sixty
melodious tones of Brahmas speech. What is its function? you might ask. When the dragon of
thunder lets out his mighty roar, it rouses all other beings from their sleep. Similarly when you
speak with the voice that possesses these special qualities, and the beings to be guided hear the
great roar of the 84,000 sections of the Dharma thundering in their ears, it rouses them all from the
heavy slumber of their disturbing emotions, and breaks through the tight chains of defiling
karma, which cast them into samsara, perpetuate it and keep them bound within it. In order that
you might inspire all beings to attain the state of liberation and omniscience, on your right you hold
the sword of knowledge, the essence of all the buddhas wisdom, which also has its symbolic
meaning. On the basis of the wisdom and loving compassion described above, with your
enlightened activity of speech, you dispel the darkness of ignorance, in which beings cling to I
and mine and are thus prevented from seeing reality. Since in the process you cut through all the
fresh shoots of suffering, such as birth, old age, sickness and death, that develop out of ignorance,
you hold the sword of wisdom, symbolizing that this happens cleanly and unobstructedly.
iii. Enlightened Body
In definitive terms, Majushri, you are now, and from the very beginning you have always been, a
genuine buddha, in whom all the qualities of abandonment and realization are totally perfected,
because you completely traversed all ten bhumis, such as the Joyous and so on, and purified the two
obscurations, together with any latent habitual tendencies, many incalculable aeons ago.
Nevertheless, from a merely provisional perspective, you appear as the foremost of all the
bodhisattvas, and demonstrate the means of training as a bodhisattva in the presence of all the
victorious ones and their heirs throughout the ten directions.
Moreover, from the perspective of the mantrayana, there is no doubt whatsoever that you,
Majushri, are a buddha. In fact, this is even stated in the sutras. In the Sutra of the Array of
Majushris Pure Land, for example, it says you have completed the ten bhumis. And in two other
sutras the Surangama-samadhi Sutra and the Angulimala Sutrayou are clearly referred to as a
buddha. Your enlightened form is adorned with the ten times ten plus twelvewhich is to say
one hundred and twelvemajor and minor marks.
Given that you, Majughosha, the Gentle-voiced, are in possession of these qualities of
enlightened body, speech, mind and activity in their entirety, we prostrate in homage before you,
showing the greatest respect with our own body, speech and mind, and pray that you may dispel all
the darkness from our own minds, and, more generally, from the minds of all living creatures.
2. Benefits
Here there are two categories: the benefits of reciting this for a certain length of time and the benefits of reciting it
continuously.
i. Benefits of Reciting for a Certain Time
As regards the benefits to be gained from reciting this, the king of praises, for a certain period of time, someone with
faith and diligence, who recites this praise with a pure, altruistic motivation that is untainted by hypocrisy, and who is
intent upon complete enlightenment for the sake of others, will receive benefits according to the number of
recitations. As they recite the praise once, seven times, twenty-one times, or even a hundred or a thousand times each
day for a month or a year or whatever period, they will gain increasing qualities, such as the purification of their
obscurations. By reciting it once in this way, the obscurations that obstruct the arising of enlightened qualities will be
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slightly purified, and they will engage in the four close applications of mindfulness. By reciting it seven times, they
will gain the ability to retain the Dharma precisely as they have heard it, which is the direct cause for developing
enlightened qualities. By reciting it twenty-one times, they will develop courageous eloquencethat is, the
unobstructed intelligence that is the context for enlightened qualitiesand thereby apply the diligence of the four
correct endeavours. With a hundred recitations, in order that their qualities might be brought to completion, they will
gain the power of total recall, so that whatever learning and courageous eloquence they have already gained will never
be lost, and they will achieve the samadhi of the four miraculous limbs. Through a thousand recitations, they will
gain, as the function of your enlightened qualities, the power of wisdom that enables one to defeat opponents in
debate.
Thus it continues, so that if you are able to recite more than a thousand repetitions, you will gain the strength of
wisdom, at which point your wisdom will become capable of withstanding challenges from opponents and any other
circumstances. This serves to illustrate that you will gain the immeasurable qualities of the paths of training, such as
the other powers and strengths (meaning faith and so on), the seven branches of enlightenment, and the eightfold
noble path, as well as the qualities of the path of no-more-training.
ii. Benefits of Reciting it Continuously
Beyond this, it will be explained how benefits arise from reciting the praise continuously. Someone whose
mindstream has been purified through faith, diligence and two-fold bodhichitta, who recites the praise three times a
day throughout their lives will come to possess all the qualities mentioned above. Upon the foundation of ultimate
bodhichitta, meditating on shunyata (the aspect of wisdom) becomes the direct cause, and compassion (the aspect of
skilful means) becomes the contributing condition, for completing the five paths. Then, upon the foundation of
relative bodhichitta, skilful means and compassion become the direct cause, and wisdom and shunyata the
contributing condition, for reaching the ten bhumis.
As the paths and bhumis are gradually traversed in this manner, the qualities of abandonment and realization grow
proportionately greater, and one swiftly arrives at the citadel wherein all knowable things are understood with
perfect wisdom. At the culmination of the paths, one actualizes the dharmakaya for ones own benefit. At the
culmination of the bhumis, one benefits others through the two form kayas, and, like a great captain, performs the
enlightened activity of liberating all beings not only from the crippling sufferings of samsaric existence but also their
causes, continuously, for as long as space remains.
V. Conclusion
Here there are three sections: the authors colophon, the translators colophon, and inspiring delight by means of an
incidental history. The first of these, which begins Glorious Wisdoms Excellent Qualities . . ., the second which
begins the holy translator(s), and the third which begins with Acharya Dignaga and are easy to understand.
The unfathomable benefits and blessings of this king of praises have always been evident, and remain clear even up to
the present day. Having first received the transmission for focusing your awareness[2] from a teacher belonging to the
lineage, exert yourself in the practice with one-pointed faith and diligence.
Written by Majughosha simply as a note to aid his own and others memory.
Sarva sata hitobhawatu.
| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2004. Thanks to Lama Chkyi Nyima for his kind assistance.
[1] slob dpon rdo rje mtshon cha
[2] rig gtad is an abbreviated form of empowerment for lower tantra deities such as Manjushri, usually involving a
simple body, speech, and mind blessing
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