Opening a Path to the Sea of Awakening Mind

Translations | Training

Noble and peerless Infinite CompassionAnd all awakened and awakening beings,May the truth in the fullness of your intentionsMove all beings, in their infinities,To the finest in awakening mind.

Those taken over by anger and hateAre caught in the hell realms of fire and ice.From all these beings, in their infinities,I take into me their pain and propensities.I give them the kindness and love in my heartAnd good works totally free of anger.With lives emptied of anger and hell may they knowA timeless awareness as clear as a mirror,The vajra potential of Infinite Compassion.

Those taken over by greed and wantAre caught in the ghost realms of hunger and thirst.From all these beings, in their infinities,I take into me their pain and propensities.I give them a mind that knows restraintAnd good works not in any way mercenary.With lives emptied of greed and ghosts may they knowA timeless awareness that knows this from that,The lotus potential of Infinite Compassion

Those taken over by instinctual functioningAre caught in the animal realms of reaction and habit.From all these beings, in their infinities,I take into me their pain and propensities.I give them my intelligence, both innate and acquired,A mind free of instinct and good works, too.With lives emptied of animals and routines may they knowA timeless awareness that embraces all experience,The buddha potential of Infinite Compassion.

Those whom jealousy turns inside outQuarrel and fight in the titan realm.From all these beings, in their infinities,I take into me their pain and propensities.I give them patience in thought, word and deedAnd good works free from any grudge.With lives emptied of titans and strife may they knowA timeless awareness that sees just what to do.The karma potential of Infinite Compassion,

Those whom arrogance weighs down,The gods, they struggle with loss and shame.From all these beings, in their infinities,I take into me their pain and propensities.I give them all my hard work and effort,A mind that knows no pride at allAnd good works free from any conceit.With lives emptied of gods and defeat may they knowA timeless awareness that encompasses balance,The jewel potential of Infinite Compassion.

Driven by patterns and blindness with no beginning,Humans follow the rounds of birth, old age, illness and death.From all these beings, in their infinities,I take into me their pain and propensities.I give to them all the virtue I’ve doneIn thought, word and deed from beginningless time.With lives emptied of toil, sweat and tears may they knowA timeless awareness that is just there on its own,The untainted presence of Infinite Compassion.

I take into me all failings or faultsIn the vows of freedom, awakening and awareness.The virtue of keeping these three noble vowsI give to all beings, in their infinities.May they make their three vows utterly pure,With not even a whiff of failing arising,And be Vajra Being, the union of all potential.

I take into me all acts that shorten life,Such as murder, sacrilege, or the defacement of shrines.The virtue of creating holy objects and protecting lifeI give to all beings, in their infinities.May they not even hear of untimely deathAnd be Vajra Immeasurable Life.

All illness in beings I take into meWhether from anxiety, apathy, ire or a mixGood works that bring comfort and health —Ending violence or giving medicine —I give to all beings in their infinities.May they be Medicine Buddha of lapis blue formWho dispels all illness throughout the three times.

I take into me robbery and all manner of theft,And the hunger, thirst and poverty they create.I give to all beings, in their infinities,All possible wealth, for both body and soul.May they find ease with treasures as vast as the skyAnd every wish naturally fulfilled.

Those who know only non-virtuous waysExperience life as an impure realm.All their acts and blindness I take into me.I give to all beings, in their infinities,Awakening mind, the ten changes, and other virtues.May they experience life only as a pure realm,Real Joy, for one, or Great Bliss, too

Those who cultivate only ideology and beliefDistance themselves from spiritual principles.All their acts and blindness I take into me.I give to all beings, in their infinities,Such virtues as the three kinds of faithMay they know deeply withinThat the results of their actions can’t be avoidedAnd cultivate virtue as they give up sin.

Those who know only I and otherSee their own projections as an enemy:All attraction and aversion I take into me.I give to all beings, in their infinities,The virtue of the four immeasurables.May they all come to know in their heartsLoving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity.

A mind that takes its own confusion as real,The origin of struggle and pain, I take into me.I give to all beings, in their infinities,The direct experience of emptiness and non-self.May they know directly profound emptinessAnd come to complete awakening.

In summary, to meet what you don’t like,Such as the sixteen threatsTo lose what you do like,Family, friends, food, wealth or home,To work at keeping what you do have,Defeated enemies, protected friends, a livelihood,To fail in what you strive for,Power, fortune, fame, respect,The suffering and struggles of change,Problems, accidents and the like,And fixation on self, I take it all in.

All forms of virtue, past, present and future,Good fortune, power, life, and health,Without regard, I give to beings.May all beings be joyous and happy,And pour their energy into awakening mind.

May all beings who have any connection with me,From my teaching them, encouraging them in virtue,Eating their flesh, drinking their milk, or riding them,Because they have faith and respect me, support me with food or money,Or because they don’t respect, misunderstand or slander me,Or mug and rob me, hit me, or hate me,Whatever the connection, through good or evil,In short, those who see me,Hear my name, think good or bad of me,Even those touched by the wind that touched me,All of them,May their evil and blindness come to an end.Then by Infinite Compassion,May they be drawn to the Realm of Bliss.

May whatever I do in thought, word or deed,Including even the stench of my body,Only be helpful to beings.

May those who harm me, in my body or my life,Whether human or non-human,Be the first to come to full awakening.

Whoever relies on me even a littleMay they never experience the results of evil.

Like a dream, a reflection or a mirage,When you look, there is nothing here.The fixation on self fools everyone.

I and all beings, in their infinities,Whether demonic, crippling or alien,Are, in the end, the same in emptiness.Confused is the person who takes what is empty as real.

Relatively, everyone has been a parent to us.Who in the world is kinder to usThan our parents?Confused is the child who hates his own mother.

Therefore, because I recall without reservationThe kindness of beings, my parents,Profit and victory I give to others.Loss and defeat I take for myself.

By the power of this unselfish intentionMay everyone generate goodness and clarity,And clear away evil and blindness.May they happily generateThis treasured intention to awaken,The unerring path of the victorious ones,The heart of emptiness and compassion,And attain the complete knowing of full awakening.

Lodro Taye, a practitioner and a devotee of mind training, made these earnest wishes on this remote mountainside. Ken McLeod, an unworthy follower of this path, translated this text in Los Angeles in 2011.