8 passages · 8,627 Tibetan characters · 2,019 English words
Translation
gemma4:31b (English, machine-assisted)
Status
Edition 1.0 · 2026 · machine draft
Rights
OTDO terms — see otdo.aa-ken.jp/policy
This collection of prayers and aspirations associated with the foundation of the De ga yu tshal Monastery functions as a ritual instrument for the purification of karmic obscurations and the consolidation of political power. The text blends traditional Buddhist soteriology—specifically the pursuit of enlightenment and the purification of the two obscurations—with the specific historical and political concerns of the Tibetan state. It frames the construction of the temple as a merit-generating act capable of neutralizing the non-virtue associated with warfare, the killing of enemies, and the seizure of property. By intertwining the spiritual welfare of the Three Jewels with the administrative success of the royal government, the text commits the reader to a worldview where religious patronage serves as both a means of personal liberation and a mechanism for state stability and the subjugation of enemies.
Provenance
About this text
A record of the construction of the Temple of Gtsigs in the Valley, this work belongs to the Old Tibetan tradition of the Dunhuang manuscripts from the 8th–9th century. The text seeks the purification of the sins of the divine Tsenpo, his ministers, and his retinue through the merit and blessings of the Indras of the elements of the two sūtras who offered worship and gifts to the Three Jewels. It enacts a vision of state stability where political power is as stable as a vajra and the royal administration ensures that the haughty are subdued by force and means while the humble and poor are encouraged. By framing the construction of the temple as a means to spread kindness to the edges of the sky, the work argues that obedience to the Tibetan king and his ministers leads to the arousal of faith and joy across many royal bhūmis. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the intersection of royal command, administrative labor, and the pursuit of merit and wisdom within the early Tibetan political landscape.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Prayers for the Foundation of the De ga yu tshal Monastery”, machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/otdo-itj0751
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for illustrating the intersection of Buddhist merit-making and statecraft in early Tibetan history. It demonstrates how the establishment of monastic institutions was used to legitimize royal authority and spiritually offset the violence of imperial expansion.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1, 4, 5, 7
Purification and Merit
Prayers focused on the purification of sins, the accumulation of merit through offerings to the Three Jewels, and the ultimate goal of buddhahood.
2, 3, 6, 8
Statecraft and Subjugation
Descriptions of royal administration, the subjugation of arrogant individuals and foreign enemies, and the resulting peace and happiness of the Tibetan people.
Themes
Karmic Purification (1, 5, 7)
Royal Authority and Governance (2, 3, 6, 8)
The Three Jewels (1, 5, 7)
Military Conquest (5, 6, 8)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaPrayers for the Foundation of the De ga yu tshal Monastery·
The Construction of the Temple of Gtsigs in the Valley
By the merit and blessings of the Indras of the elements of the two sūtras who offered worship and gifts to the Three Jewels, may all the sins of the divine Tsenpo, the ministers, and the retinue be purified. May the accumulation of merit and wisdom be completely and fully perfected, may the political power be stable as a vajra, may the life of the body be long, and may the happiness of gods and humans be supreme. May the unsurpassed and perfectly completed enlightenment be spontaneously attained. This is the aspiration offered by Minister Bde during the consecration of the Temple of Gtsigs.
To all the Thus Gone Ones of the three times, who are beyond birth and cessation, beyond existence and non-existence, and beyond the extremes of eternalism and nihilism, in the ten infinite directions, I offer worship and praise, and I take refuge, take refuge, and bow down with devotion.
To all the āryas in the world and beyond the world, who possess the wisdom of omniscience, and to the Buddha, the dharma, and the saṅgha, I take refuge, take refuge, and bow down with devotion.
From the gods of the celestial realm, the descendants of the royal line who came to be kings of humans possess a magnificent body, great political power, excellent dharma, and great prestige, so that the royal lineage has not ceased until this present land. Through the great kindness of the stable and great vajra political power, which spreads and extends in the eight directions.
Considering the equality of the common people both outside and within, those who were haughty and arrogant were subdued by force and means and brought into the dharma of reason. Those who were humble and poor were encouraged and praised so that they might be happy and joyful, and the kindness of the common people spread to the edges of the sky.
The lord of the four directions of the great sky, the divine Tsenpo of Tibet, was in accord with the way of the miraculous. Having resided there from an early time, he dwelt in the banks of the great rivers, the channels of the high snow mountains, and the places of the high and pure lands. As the generations passed, the divine Tsenpo was not equal to the way of the gods; he appeared greater and more powerful than other kings.
Thus, having come from the lineage of the divine fathers and mothers, he possessed great political power. Upon that peak of power, the divine Tsenpo was born into the body of Lde Btsan from an early time. Possessing miraculous power in his heart, he performed all temple rites correctly, so that all the high lamas and the gods and nāgas of heaven and earth were pleased and joyful.
Because he possessed great compassion, he protected and honored the common people in accord with the ways of heaven and earth. In the time when the political power was vast and expanding, the ministers of the state were all āryas. Having come into power, the great minister Zhang Khri Sum Je and the great minister Zhang Lha Zhang Po defeated the enemy's strength and, from the political center, the king prevailed over the six Chinese regions.
In the interim, the royal administration labored. All of them, by the power and influence of the royal command, cut off all hope of the stubborn. Through the long-lasting grace of goodness and happiness, faith and joy were aroused, and it became like the expanse of the sky; many royal bhūmis were affected. Having listened obediently to the command of the Tibetan king and his ministers, this great royal audience was also conducted. In both the immediate and long term, goodness and happiness were not diminished. The two secrets of the royal administration were high, and the meaning of what was spoken and declared was profoundly deep. Even in ten thousand years, there will be nothing superior or more melodious. Since the Three Jewels and all the gods and nāgas of the world know and see that this great goodness of the royal audience was manifested directly, I pray that it will never change and will remain firm. By the cause of having conducted such a great royal audience, the afflictions of the subjects and soldiers of many royal bhūmis were completely removed, and by this great merit of being placed in a state of happiness all at once, it was bestowed upon the divine protector of the magical arts, the crown prince Ldetsan, the great minister of the royal administration, the great minister Legpa Drubdrubpa, the great minister Zhang Khri Sum Rje, the great minister Lha Bang, and the entire entourage of the Tibetan king and his ministers.
May all sentient beings, having purified the two obscurations and having fully completed the accumulation of merit and wisdom, in the end, may they attain the unsurpassed, genuine, and complete enlightenment and become fully awakened buddhas.
As for this temple built by Gtsigs at Mjal-dum Thang in the turquoise valley, it took two years to build, and it is the bhūmi where the three great royal elements, Mjal-dum and Great Gtsigs, were established. When combined with what is here, this is also a bhūmi blessed by the āryas of old. Even so, for the sake of such a great excellence occurring in one time, Gtsigs possesses especially great merit and prosperity.
By the power of those great merits, may this temple remain enduring as long as the sun and moon exist. And from the early days of the divine powerful spirit, the crown-wearing Lde-brtsan, may his life be long, his power great, and may his wishes be fulfilled.
In the time of those born before meeting the six Chinese and the power of the state, the chief divine son Rmogs-brtsan and the ministers, possessing bravery and skill in opposing enemies, struck the enemy; with the power of many armies, they brought down the enemy's forts, reversed the turquoise, destroyed the lands, and cut off the heads.
The non-virtue of having taken the lives of many enemies and their livestock, and of having taken what was not given, is also suppressed by the power and influence of this great merit; I pray for purification and make an aspiration.
By the merit of worshipping and making offerings to the Three Jewels and of confessing non-virtue, I repeatedly dedicate and focus. Regarding acceptance and the earnest prayers offered, I make other aspirations in accordance with what the master has done.
This was prayed as an aspiration by the great townsperson Khar-tsan at the temple of the Turquoise Grove. Regarding the body of the great Tibetan King and Minister Dumog Brtsan-sgam Kyel, the three great royal elements of the middle region and the victorious realms, in the context of political diplomacy: it was thought that by the blessing of the precious Minister Dumog Brtsan, who possesses bravery and skill, the enemy would be brought under control, and so the order was given.
Regarding the speaking of the accounts of generations, having recalled the kind favors, I bow and repeatedly bow. For the purpose of building the temple to serve the political administration of the victorious realms, the divine son Khri-gtsug Lde-brtsan performed the activity of the heart from an early age. Furthermore, the great minister Zhang Khri-sum Rje and the great Zhang Lha-bzang used the most effective means to strike the enemy by overturning the great fortress of the six enemy realms.
Just as the Khom-khar-tsan looked to the Tibetan people and the brave leaders, in one year two great treasures were turned back, and the brave ones were summoned and gathered. For the sake of the government of the Tibetan king and the people, they focused their minds on the enemy and sought to strike them. They offered an aspiration that not even a speck of dust would remain, and the Khom-khar-tsan offered offerings.
In the temple of the turquoise grove, the great Khom-kawa offered an aspiration. The Tibetan king and the chief minister were concerned. To the long-lived body of the great Kam-kyel, the three great Chinese elements in the middle were a threat to the government. By the power of the precious minister who possessed brave skill, the enemy was brought under command. They requested that a command be issued, and until the matter was spoken of in the assembly, they held the gratitude of the victory. For the sake of the government of the royal elements, the temple of the spoken word was built. From the beginning of the divine son's face, through the activity of the heart, the great minister Zhang-khri-sum-je and the great Zhang-lha-zang, through the action of turning back the great treasures of the six Chinese, for the sake of the government of the Tibetan king and the people, they struck the enemy with force. They offered an aspiration that not even a trace would remain. The great Khom-kawa offered offerings.
The aspiration offered by the wealthy lords and officials.
Homage to the Three Jewels. Homage to the buddha, the Omniscient One. Homage to the dharma, the Unsurpassed Vehicle. Homage to the saṅgha, the irreversible bodhisattvas. To accomplish the benefit of self and others, I make offerings to the Three Jewels; having purified all sin and following the merit, I rely upon the Three Jewels.
The ministers of the chief of the heart-bond, Lha and Phrul, having received the command to hold the six-fold expanse of the divine intent, descended to the chief of the heart-bond like a steady pillar, and having offered prayers to the great leaf of the water-realm, they wrote upon the stone surface after completing the construction of the temple. Since the markets of the various elements became peaceful and the center of the great land was made happy and prosperous, and because there is no greater kindness than this, through the merit of offering to the Three Jewels as a sign of gratitude and remembrance of the kindness, may the Tibetan king and his retinue be granted long life and an unchanging power, and may enemies and strife not be known in the Tibetan elements.
Just as the construction was completed in the year of the auspicious animal, may it remain enduring, and may they possess the perfect happiness of the worldly and the supramundane.
The aspiration offered by Brom Khong Pe. The lord who resides there is Lha. The minister of the water-realm is Phrul. By the lord and minister Lha and Phrul, the celestial vault was achieved by divine grace.
The land was subdued by the power of the ministers. Heaven and earth were joined in spirit. The enemies were crushed, and from every corner there were no more enemy persons. From the north, the yak-people were beaten and beaten. All the Tibetan people were only happy and peaceful. In the elements of the Chinese empire to the south, those small kings who were distressed and feared their existence would be lost also found their existence stable and their minds peaceful. The king and ministers are divine emanations. Having bestowed such great kindness, the time of the total happiness of the Tibetan people rose like the sun. It expanded like a flower, and the land became auspicious, like a summer plain, like a turquoise.
By the merit of the great minister Zhang Khritsum Rje, the great minister Lha bzang, the royal entourage, and the action of us who built the temple and established the class of the saṅgha, may the life of the divine son, King Lde bTsan, be long. May the great minister Zhang Khritsum Rje and the great minister Lha bzang achieve their goals and have long lives. May the glory of the Tibetan king and ministers never fade, like the sun, and may they remain stable. May the obscurations of the action of lifetimes of all sentient beings, including the action of myself, be purified, and may they pray to be born in the entourage of the unsurpassed god of gods, the buddha, the Blessed One Maitreya.