1.

Prayer for Opening the Stra

The unsurpassed, profound true Dharma Is hard to encounter in billions of kalpas. This I now have seen and heard, and can accept and uphold, Hoping to understand the true meaning of the Tathgatas. 2. Prayer for Transferring Merit May the merit of my practice Adorn Buddhas' Pure Lands, Requite the fourfold kindness from above, And relieve the suffering of the three life-journeys below. Universally wishing sentient beings, Friends, foes, and karmic creditors, All to activate the bodhi mind, And all to be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. 3. The Four Vast Vows Sentient beings are countless; I vow to deliver them all. Afflictions are endless; I vow to eradicate them all. Dharma Doors are measureless; I vow to learn them all. The Buddha bodhi is unsurpassed; I vow to attain it. 4. The Ten Great Actions and Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva First, make obeisance to Buddhas. Second, praise the Tathgatas. Third, make expansive offerings. Fourth, repent of karma, the cause of hindrances. Fifth, express sympathetic joy over others' merits. Sixth, request Buddhas to turn the Dharma wheel. Seventh, beseech Buddhas to abide in the world. Eighth, always follow Buddhas to learn. Ninth, forever support sentient beings. Tenth, universally transfer my merit to all. 5. Prayer for the Bodhisattva Way May the three hindrances and all afflictions be annihilated. May I gain wisdom and true understanding. May all hindrances caused by sin be removed. May I always walk the Bodhisattva Way, life after life. 6. Repentance Prayer The evil karmas I have done with my body, voice, and mind are caused by greed, anger, and delusion, which are without a beginning in time. Before Buddhas I now supplicate for my repentance. The evil karmas I have done with my body, voice, and mind are caused by greed, anger, and delusion, which are without a beginning in time. I repent of all sins, the cause of hindrances.

The evil karmas I have done with my body, voice, and mind are caused by greed, anger, and delusion, which are without a beginning in time. I repent of all the roots of sin. 7. Short Prayer for Rebirth in the Pure Land I wish to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. I wish to have as my parents a lotus flower in nine grades. When the flower opens, I will see that Buddha and realize that dharmas never arise, And I will have as my companions the Bodhisattvas who never regress. 8. Long Prayer for Rebirth in the Pure Land I single-mindedly take refuge in Amitbha Buddha in the World of Ultimate Bliss. Illuminate me with Your pure light and draw me in with Your loving, kind vows! Thinking only of You, I now call the name of the Tathgatha. For the sake of the Bodhi Way, I supplicate to be reborn in Your Pure Land. Before this Buddha attained Buddhahood in the past, he made a vow: "Suppose there are sentient beings that desire to be reborn in my land and think in earnest only ten thoughts of belief and delight. If they should fail to be reborn there, I would not attain the perfect enlightenment." Through these causes and conditions for thinking of this Buddha, I have gained entrance into the Tathgata's ocean of great vows. By the power of this Buddha's lovingkindness, my sins will be expunged, and my roots of goodness will grow stronger. At the end of my life, I will know the coming of my time. My body will have no illness or suffering. My heart will have no greed or attachments. My mind will not be demented but will be peaceful as if in meditative concentration. This Buddha, holding a golden lotus-borne platform in His hands, together with a multitude of holy beings, will come to receive me. In the instant of a thought, I will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. When the lotus flower opens, I will see this Buddha and hear the Buddha Vehicle, and my Buddha wisdom will suddenly unfold. I will widely deliver sentient beings, fulfilling my bodhi vow. Homage to all Buddhas of the past, present, and future, in the ten directions! Homage to all Bodhisattva-Mahsattvas! Homage to mah-praj-pramit! Whatever actions I do -- eating, walking, sitting, sleeping, working, and so forth -and whatever I experience in life -- up or down, happy or unhappy, healthy or sick, whether I have a terminal disease or don't, whether my life is peaceful and harmonious or with discord and difficulties, whether I am successful or fail, rich or poor, praised or criticized; whether I am living or dying, or even born in a horrible rebirth; whether I live long or not -- may my life be beneficial for all beings. The main purpose of my life is not simply to be rich, respected, famous, healthy, and peaceful. The meaning of my life is to benefit all sentient beings. Therefore, from now on, may whatever actions I do be beneficial for all sentient beings. May whatever I experience in life -- happiness or suffering -- be dedicated to actualizing the path to enlightenment in my mind. May my actions and experiences cause all

sentient beings to attain full enlightenment quickly.