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.)