WORSHIP
Although this cool drinking water
Does not quench the thirst
Of all beings
Like the water of your love,
Still I offer it with devotion.
Although this pure bathing water
Does not cleanse the faults
Of all beings
Like the fountain of your compassion,
Still I offer it with devotion.
Although these fragrant flowers
Do not give delight
Like the lotus softness
Of your care for the world,
Still I offer them with devotion.
Although this sweet incense
Does not pervade all worlds
Like the fragrance
Of your kindness,
Still I offer it with devotion.
Although these glowing lights
Do not awaken beings
Like the warm radiance
Of your awareness,
Still I offer them with devotion.
Although these rich perfumes
Do not attract all beings
Like the myriad scents
Of your goodness and virtues
Still I offer them with devotion.
Although this delightful food
Does not nourish
The minds of all beings
Like the nectar of your wisdom,
Still I offer it with devotion.
Although this resonant music
Does not uplift all beings
Like the dance of the mantra
That sounds forever in your heart,
Still I offer it with devotion.
SALUTATION
White beyond the dreams of snow,
Bright beyond the stars’ imagining,
Not blinding
But giving sight,
Revealing the pure nature
Of all phenomena.
Lord of Compassion
Homage to you.
Believer in the dream
Of universal Awakening,
Non-believer in the nightmare of suffering.
Wisdom shining before us
More brilliant than any jewel,
So we can awaken to it.
Lord of Compassion
Homage to you.
Love given form
So we can love it.
Kindness given smiling eyes
So we can see ourselves
With sympathy and tenderness.
Showing us how beautiful
Our hearts can be.
Lord of Compassion
Homage to you.
GOING FOR REFUGE
To Amitabha, warm as sunset,
Radiating the boundless light
Of the liberated heart,
I go for refuge.
To you Avalokita,
Perfect expression of his teaching,
Radiating the boundless love
Of the liberated heart,
I go for refuge.
To the assembly of Taras,
Born from your tears,
Radiating the boundless activity
Of the liberated heart,
I go for refuge.
CONFESSION
Lord of Great Love,
Your mind rests
In the natural state,
Poised, relaxed and serene,
Mine is tense with grasping,
Casting about for scraps of happiness.
Your speech is a symphony
Of care for the world.
Mine is harsh and thoughtless,
Or calculated to my own advantage.
You wear the silks and jewels
Of perfected karma,
I wear the rags and stones
Of a wasted life.
You hold the open lotus
Of ease and contentment.
I hold the brambles
Of anxiety and resentment.
You turn the crystal mala,
Every bead a thought of compassion.
I turn the razor wire
Of self-obsessed thought.
You cherish the flawless jewel
Of bodhicitta at your heart.
I clutch to myself
What can never satisfy.
Please rescue me
From being the cause
Of my own misery.
May your mantra
Soothe my fears and longings.
May your tears
Wash away my suffering.
May we meet in the realm beyond sorrow.
REJOICING IN MERITS
Avalokita,
Wish-fulfilling jewel,
I rejoice when you appear with a thousand arms
To show your loving mind
Is all-encompassing.
I rejoice when you appear with four arms
To show your immeasurable kindness,
Your compassion, joy and equanimity.
I rejoice when you appear with two arms
To show your state can be attained
By us human beings.
Above all I rejoice
That all your forms:
All this beauty,
All this wonder,
All this love,
Like visions in a mirror
Show me the potential
Of my own mind
And the minds of all beings.
ENTREATY
Oh you who gained Awakening
Through absorption on sound,
And are always attentive
To beings’ cries of distress,
Please stay forever,
Never leave us.
Your love is our only hope,
Your wisdom the only escape
From the labyrinth of suffering.
Please stay forever,
Never leave us,
Let the sound of your mantra
Always resonate
In every cell
Of every body
Of every being.
Please stay forever,
Never leave us,
Until all life
Knows its freedom,
And all places
Are Amitabha’s realm
Of great bliss.
DEDICATION
Lord of Bodhicitta,
Through these merits
May I become like you.
May I give my life to serve others,
To help them be contented and free.
Please enable me to do this,
Give me the courage
And the love.
Lord of Bodhicitta,
May you gaze down on the world
Through my eyes.
May your tears
Run down my cheeks.
May your great loving heart
Beat in my breast.
May you use my fingers
To turn the beads
Of everlasting compassion.
May you reach out
With my arms
To embrace the world.
May my body, speech and mind
Be your wish-fulfilling jewel.
[Composed by Vessantara as an ordination present for Tejasiddhi, at Guhyaloka Retreat Centre in June 2014. This version February 2015.]