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Mahamudra Pranidhana
By Rangjung Dorje, the Third Karmapa
1.
Namo Guru.
May the Buddhas and their lineage-bearers of the ten directions and three
times,
All Gurus and Mandalas of Yidam Deities,
Look on me with tenderness, and bestow their blessing,
So that my pranidhanas be accomplished, precisely as I wish and intend them.
2.
May the rivers of goodness, free from the sediment of the three mandalas,
That spring from the snow mountain of the pure intentions and deeds
Of myself and all limitless beings,
Flow into the ocean of the four kayas of the Buddha.
3.
For as long as that has not been accomplished, for however long that may be,
Throughout all my lifetimes, as they follow one upon another,
May I not even hear word of unwholesomeness and suffering,
But enjoy vast wholesomeness and happiness.
4.
In all my lifetimes, may I practise the supreme Dharma,
Having the necessary leisure and circumstances, faith, energy and prajna
To serve and learn from good spiritual friends and obtain the quintessential
instructions,
With no hindrance to their true accomplishment.
5.
By listening to scripture and reasoning, may I be liberated from the cloud of
ignorance;
By reflecting on the oral instructions, may I overcome the darkness of doubt;
By the light arising from meditation, may I see the true state, as it is.
Thus, may the light of the three prajnas of listening, reflecting and meditating
blaze.
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Section D: Pranidhanas
6.
May I always meet and never stray from the unerring Dharma:
The two-fold reality, the Ground, free from false positions regarding the
infinite and the finite,
The perfect path of the two accumulations, free from positions of false
assertions and false denials,
The attainment of the two benefits, free from false positions regarding
samsara and nirvana.
7.
In the Ground of the purification process, the Chitta itself, which is clarity
and emptiness both-at-once,
That which purifies is the Great Vajra Yoga of Mahamudra;
What is to be removed by the process of purification, are the contingent
stains of confusion.
May the fruit of the purification process, the stainless Dharmakaya, be
revealed.
8.
Certainty in the view is to abandon positions that are false assertions and false
denials regarding the Ground.
The key point of the meditation is to guard this undistractedly.
The perfect conduct is to exercise proficiency in all aspects of meditation.
May I have certainty in view, meditation and conduct.
9.
All phenomena are emanations of Chitta.
The Chitta is not Chitta, its essence is empty.
Empty, but unimpeded, it displays all and everything.
Having discerned it well, may I cut right to the root.
10.
The self-display that never existed is mistaken for objects.
By the force of non-recognition, avidya, self-awareness is mistaken for the
self.
By the force of grasping at these two one roams endlessly in the vast empty
space of samsara.
May non-recognition, avidya, the source of confusion, be eradicated.
Section D: Pranidhanas
11.
It does not exist, even Buddhas do not see it.
It does not not-exist, since it is the Ground for the whole of samsara and
Nirvana.
It is not a self-contradiction, but the Middle Way of both-at-once.
May I realize the Dharmata of the Chitta, free from false positions.
12.
Saying it is this does not capture it,
Saying it is not this does not negate it.
The Dharmata beyond the thinking mind is the Non-Compounded.
May I gain certainty in Ultimate Reality, the faultless true position.
13.
Not realizing this, we flounder around in the ocean of samsara;
Realizing this is none other than Buddha/Awakening.
Everything is this; there is nothing that is not this.
May I recognise the mystery of the Dharmata, Ground of all being (Alaya).
14.
The display is Chitta, emptiness is Chitta;
Realization is Chitta, confusion is also Chitta;
Arising is Chitta, cessation is also Chitta;
May I sever all false assertions and denials in regard to the Chitta.
15.
Not sullied by contrived effort in meditation,
Not disturbed by the commotion of common affairs,
Knowing how to rest without artifice, in naturalness, just as it occurs,
May I master and guard the quintessential Chitta practice.
16.
The waves of coarse and subtle thoughts are calm in themselves;
The unwavering river of Chitta rests in itself.
Free from the sediment of sinking and dullness,
May the ocean of Shamata become unwavering and stable.
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Section D: Pranidhanas
17.
Looking again and again at the Chitta that cannot be looked at,
The quintessential point which cannot be seen, just as it is, is Vipashyana.
This severs all doubts about whether this is it or not.
May the self-essence unerringly recognise itself for itself.
18.
Looking at objects, there are no objects, one is seeing the Chitta.
Looking at the Chitta, there is no Chitta, its essence is empty.
Looking at both, grasping at duality collapses on the spot.
May I realize the true state of the Prabhasvarachitta.
19.
Freedom from mental contrivance is Mahamudra;
Freedom from false positions is the Great Madhyamaka;
This is what is known as the Union of All, the Great Perfection.
May I gain certainty in the one quintessential point, knowing which, one
knows all.
20.
Continuous Great Bliss, without attachment;
Signless Prabhasvara, not obscured by veils;
Spontaneously existent Non-thought, beyond the conceptualising mind;
Unsought, may such experience become continuous.
21.
Grasping after good experience is liberated in itself,
The confusion of negative thoughts is liberated in the spaciousness of their
true nature.
Ordinary mind is not to give up or adopt anything, nor to get rid of or attain
anything.
May I realize nishprapancha, the simplicity of the Dharmata.
22.
The nature of beings has always been Awakened/Buddha.
Not realizing this they flounder endlessly in samsara.
May unbearable compassion for beings,
Endlessly suffering like this, arise in me.
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23.
Without suppressing the vibrant power of unbearable compassion,
Simultaneously, within that tender love, the empty essence dawns nakedly.
May I never stray from this unerring perfect path of both-at-once,
And practise it continuously throughout day and night.
24.
Through the power of meditation, may vision and supernormal knowledge
arise
And I ripen beings, purify Buddha worlds, and fulfil all pranidhanas that
accomplish the Buddha dharmas.
May the three, fulfilment, ripening and purification,
Be brought to perfection, which is Awakening/Buddha.
25.
By the compassion of the Buddhas and their lineage-bearers, the Bodhisattvas,
throughout the ten directions of space,
By the power of all the pure goodness there is,
May the pranidhanas of myself and all beings
Be accomplished exactly as we wish and intend.
The first draft of this translation from the Tibetan was begun in 1972 by Lama
Shenpen Hookham under the guidance of Bokar Rinpoche. This draft was made by
Lama Shenpen Hookham in September 2001 on the eve of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso's
visit to Great Britain. May all the faults in this translation be corrected by his teaching
on this auspicious occasion. Shenpen Hookham 2014
Sarva Mangalam
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May I expound the Dharma to all beings in their own language,
Such as the languages of gods, nagas and demons,
And in as many human and non-human languages as there are.
Thus may I practise the six paramitas with perfect virya,
And never forget the Bodhichitta.
May all unwholesome actions and obscurations without exception be
eradicated.
The Pranidhana for When I am Free from Veils
Having become free from the maras of karma and kleshas,
As I continue to be born in the world as whatever kind of being,
May I be like the lotus to which water cannot cling,
Acting like the sun and moon who remain steadfast
And unimpeded in their course through the sky.
The Pranidhana for Establishing Beings in Happiness and the
Causes of It
Throughout the vastness of all the reaIms
Extending in every direction,
May I relieve the suffering of the beings in the lower realms,
Establishing them in happiness
And acting for their benefit.
The Pranidhana of the Armour the Vow to Perform the
Bodhicharya Forever
Having perfectly completed the Bodhicharya,
May I harmonise with the charya of different kinds of beings;
Teaching them perfectly the Bhadracharya
And maintaining that charya through all future kalpas.
The Pranidhana for Meeting Karmicallly Attuned Companions
May I always join those performing the same charya as myself,
And may we act so that our charya of body, speech and mind,
And our pranidhanas, be in unison.
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Since every atom is filled like this,
The space of a mere hair-tip is filled with as many Buddhas
As there are in all the past, present and future.
I pray I may be able to perform the Bodhicharya
Before these endless Buddhas in their endless Buddha realms for endless
kalpas.
May I always be able to hear the teaching of the Buddhas,
In the pure voice of all the Buddhas that in a single utterance
Encompasses perfectly every form of expression and language,
Perfectly attuned to the mentality of every kind of being.
As the Wheel of the Dharma is set in motion
By the Buddhas of the past, present and future,
May I have the strength of intelligence
To perfectly understand their inexhaustible teachings.
May I enter all future kalpas;
May I enter them all in a single instant;
May I make all the kalpas of the three times
Enter a fraction of a second,
And perform within them the Bodhicharya.
May I see in a single instant all the Great Lions, the Buddhas,
Dwelling in the past, present and future.
May I always be able to enter the sphere of their charya,
By the magical power of illusory Vimokshas.
May I make all the Buddha realms of the three times
Appear arranged within a single atom;
And display all the Buddha realms arranged like this,
Within every atom everywhere in every direction.
May I manifest before all the Lord Protectors
The Lamps of the World who have yet to come,
On their progress to Enlightenment,
As they turn the Wheel of the Dharma
And as they show the way to the ultimate peace of Nirvana.
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The most powerful of all the Buddhas lineage-bearers, the Bodhisattvas.
Having the purity of his body, speech and mind,
The purity of his charya and the complete purity of his pure realms,
May I also match exactly the goodness and skill of his dedication.
May I make the same pranidhana as Manjushri,
In order to carry out the totally good charya,
Perfecting and completing all his deeds,
Tirelessly for all future kalpas.
The Concluding Pranidhana, Leading into the Dedication
Pranidhana
May my charya be beyond measure,
And its qualities beyond reckoning.
May this steadfast measureless charya
Sweep away every trace of confusion.
Establishing the Extent of the Pranidhana
Just as space extends without limit
Beings, karma and kleshas extend without limit.
Therefore, may this my pranidhana extend without limit,
For as long as beings, karma and kleshas last.
The Benefits and Dedication of the Pranidhana
If someone were to offer up to all the Buddhas
Limitless Buddha realms adorned with precious jewels,
Filling the ten directions,
Even if they contained the most precious possessions of gods and humans
And were offered continuously for kalpas as countless as atoms,
The punya deriving therefrom would be exceeded by a person
Who only once gives rise to faith
And rejoices in Supreme Bodhi
Through hearing this King of pranidhanas.
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