by
Gungtang Konchok Tenpai Drönme
I bow down to the spiritual guides who lead
Each and every sentient being
—our fathers and mothers of the six realms—
Beyond the invisible limits of the ocean of samsara
By the noble paths of the Prajñaparamita and Secret Vehicles.
O completely enlightened Buddha who abandoned all afflictions
and achieved the final realizations,
Holy Dharma, lamp that dispels the dark night of ignorance,
O Sangha, superior helpers on this unerring path,
Please be a refuge and protection for all beings without exception.
~ ~ ~
There’s not a single sentient being in this cyclic round
Revolving like a watermill from the limitless reach of time
Who has not been my mother and father,
Not one who did not cherish me
even more than their very own life.
How can I repay them
for the immeasurable good they’ve done for me?
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
As my mother, each sustained me in her body
For nearly ten months until I was born
And then she held me close to the warmth
Of her flesh both day and night,
Greeted me with loving smiles and sweetest words
And danced me to and fro on the tips of her ten fingers.
How kindly she nursed me to life with the milk of her breasts
And fondly guarded me like her favorite jewel as I slept and ate!
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
If I got sick she’d prefer that she was ill instead,
If I were to die she’d prefer that she would die instead.
So dear was I to her without measure,
More dear to her than her very own heart and eyes.
How can a child know how dear he is to her?
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
How fortunate I was to be given this noble basis
Of leisure and fortune to practice Dharma.
It was she who carried me to the feet of a holy qualified Lama
And installed me at the spring of the teachings,
Source of all benefit and happiness,
Where the the roots of all good fortune
In this and future lives were planted.
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
When they were fixated on me so that I should have
All the best of everything—property, riches, and wealth,
For their effort they wore themselves out
And became the scorn of others, did bad deeds
And suffered only pain for what they accomplished.
But what joy they felt
That I could practice to reach the lasting goals!
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
Imagine the burden of bad deeds and downfalls
My fathers and mothers collected
For having put aside valuables for my sake.
Who knows what kind of happiness and suffering
They’re experiencing now while staying in one
Of the six realms or the Bardo state!
There’s no way I can send them a portion of food or wealth
in repayment now they’re gone!
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
They always provided extensive amusements and enjoyments
For me, and were always by my side ever hoping to be of help,
Then suddenly Yama, the Lord of Death, rents their life asunder
And leads them alone to that terrible terra incognita of the Bardo
With nothing to help save their former virtuous deeds.
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
How rare to be able to give benefit as a repayment!
Due to the propensities for love nurtured again and again
Over lifetimes even birds and wild beasts of prey
Have a natural love for their children.
That is how they nurtured me with their immeasurable kindness
So many times over so many numerous lives.
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
As it says: “Since there are no limits to birth and death
Here in samsara, each and every sentient being
has been my mother. If one were to collect in one place
All the milk that I’ve drunk from their breasts,
It would exceed by far the water found in the great ocean.”
This is the truth of what he saw
And what the omniscient Buddha taught.
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
Even though they achieved this human body
Of leisure and fortune so difficult to gain,
They wasted their human life on doing bad deeds for my benefit.
They did not experience the happiness of their property,
Wealth, and riches, nor did they gain the opportunity
For practicing the holy Dharma.
Indeed, any hope of repaying them
For the benefit that they’ve done only falls on me.
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
By erecting images of body, speech, and mind
And making offerings, paying respect to the Lamas and Sangha,
Reciting rituals, reading Sutras, doing prostrations,
Circumambulations, ransoming animals
Then setting them free, giving to the poor and other things,
Whatever virtue I’ve done like these
I dedicate them all for these mothers’ benefit.
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
Effects of perfect virtue comprising the three spheres
Like pure seeds unmixed with ugly deeds,
Perfect morality, much learning, and wholesome states,
Accomplished with an altruistic mind
Free of any wish for fame and glory,
I dedicate to benefit
All father and mother beings of the six migrations.
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
All that is excellent in the three realms of samsara
Is like a feast of dreams without essence.
Three Precious Jewels, by the power of truth
Of your great compassion, please close the door
To rebirth in the samsaric lower realms and
Look compassionately upon your objects of focus
—these wretched migrating beings.
Think of them, Precious Jewels, supreme infallible refuge,
Acknowledge them, Divine Yidams of the four Tantras,
Consider them, Protectors Amitabha and Chenresik,
Please turn the Wheel of Dharma for them as repayment in kind,
And lead them, the object of your concern,
to a place of final liberation.
~ ~ ~
Though, in general, any kind of Dharma practice we do well serves as a superlative way of repaying kindness to our fathers and mothers who have produced our body, such prayers as this “Song of Request for the Departed” serve as a good reminder and compel our mind toward such thoughts. Finding this quite beneficial, the Venerable Konchok Tenpai Drönme composed this prayer.
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©Vincent Montenegro, translator
