Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text is a devotional laudation of the Buddha, structured as a series of thematic chapters that employ hyperbolic praise and analogical reasoning to articulate the ineffability of the Buddha's qualities. The work argues that the Buddha is beyond the scope of ordinary analogy and comparison, yet it systematically utilizes poetic imagery—such as the sun, the moon, and the golden lotus—to bridge the gap between human perception and the Buddha's immeasurable nature. By emphasizing the Buddha's omniscience, his role as the supreme field of merit, and his physical perfection, the text commits the reader to a state of total surrender and prostration. It positions the Buddha as the indispensable source of spiritual light and liberation in a world otherwise shrouded in darkness and affliction. The work functions as both a meditative tool for cultivating faith and a warning against the spiritual peril of neglecting the Dharma in an age of decline.
Provenance
About this text
A devotional laudation of the Buddha, the Varṇārhavarṇe bhagavato buddhasya stotre 'śakyastava originates from the Indian tradition and is attributed to the author Mātṛceṭa. The work entered the Tibetan tradition through the efforts of the translators Padmākaravarman and lo tsa ba dge slong rin chen bzang po. It is preserved in the Tengyur, specifically within volume ཀ, where it comprises 34 pages and is categorized under the Eulogy collection. In the classical Tibetan translation, titled sangs rgyas bcom ldan 'das la bstod pa bsngags par 'os pa bsngags pa las bstod par mi nus par bstod pa, the work enacts a process of hyperbolic praise, arguing that the Buddha is beyond the scope of any analogy or comparison. By employing poetic imagery—such as the lake Anavatapta and the sources of precious gems—the text attempts to articulate the immeasurable qualities of the Buddha and the distinction between his liberation and that of others. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine how it utilizes analogical reasoning and meditative imagery to bridge the gap between human perception and the ineffable nature of the Buddha, functioning as a tool for cultivating faith and spiritual surrender.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Praise of the Bhagavan Buddha, A Praise of that Most Worthy One who is Beyond All Ability to be Praised” (Toh 1138), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1138
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its synthesis of Indian poetic conventions and Tibetan Buddhist soteriology, illustrating how the tradition uses aesthetic beauty to evoke religious devotion. For the modern reader, it provides a primary example of the 'praise' genre, demonstrating how the conceptualization of the Buddha's body and mind serves as a focal point for practitioners seeking purification.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-12
Chapter 2: Homage
Initial prostrations and arguments regarding the Buddha's peerless qualities and the urgency of making offerings before the teaching disappears.
16-27
Omniscience and Power
Discussion of the Buddha's definitive deliverance, his ability to reverse habituated natures, and his role as a universal remedy for afflictions.
30
Chapter 8: Praise
Focus on the Buddha's impartial compassion and friendliness toward all beings, including enemies.
34-45
Chapter 13: Praise by Way of Examples
Detailed descriptions of the Buddha's physical form, his melodious speech, and the spiritual radiance of his presence compared to natural phenomena.
Themes
Ineffability and Analogy (2-3, 10, 34-37)
The Buddha as a Field of Merit (11, 40)
Omniscience and the Nature of Phenomena (4, 16, 38)
Compassion and Impartiality (8-9, 30)
Physical Perfection (Laksana) (35-37, 42)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaPraise of the Bhagavan Buddha, A Praise of that Most Worthy One who is Beyond All Ability to be Praised·
In the language of India: Varṇārhavarṇa-bhagavato-buddhasya-stotra-aśakya-stava-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Sangs rgyas bcom ldan 'das la bstod pa bsngags par 'os pa bsngags pa las bstod par mi nus par bstod pa zhes bya ba. Homage to the Three Jewels!
Not knowing the field and the non-field, and following after mere sounds, whatever praise I previously offered that was unworthy of praise, and whatever was stained by the mud of speech—relying upon you, the Sage who has descended to the bathing platform of merit, I shall now undertake this thorough cleansing. Whatever fault I have committed through the blindness of delusion against this supreme assembly, this cleansing is the means to remove the stain of that sin.
Until I pass into nirvāṇa, may I not fall away from these two paths of speech: your words and the description of your qualities. Let this alone be the essence; since there is no other purpose, if I must speak, let it be this; or else, let me remain silent. Your Dharma alone and you yourself are equal; you possess that very equality. Therefore, all other phenomena are not even slightly inferior to you. If one were to contemplate the qualities of the Buddha, they would be the pinnacle of all things, while any other entity would be like something impure. Since there is no one even equal to you, what need is there to mention anyone superior? There is not even one who is inferior to you by the slightest degree. O Guide, whoever [praises] you...
Since there is no example to illustrate you, you are beyond the scope of any analogy. Homage to you, the peerless one! Because the qualities of a Buddha are immeasurable, even those individuals who have attained a liberation similar to yours differ from you by a vast margin. Yet, because they are alike in being merely empty, some who do not recognize the distinction might compare the emptiness of a single pore to the vastness of space. Who can count the infinite? Who can measure the immeasurable? There is no way to fathom the number or the power of your qualities. Just as one who wanders into the boundless groves of wish-fulfilling trees can never find enough, I am never satiated by my service to you and cannot perceive your limit. If the ocean of qualities—the Tathāgata’s dharmas—were to be displayed, even the sky would not be large enough to contain them.
Regarding your direct service, the Lord of the Buddha’s Dharma, the crest-jewel of all Hearers, who proclaims the profound: when the Bhagavān asked him if he had not understood, he replied, "I have not found it." Thus, the profundity of the Buddha’s Dharma was explained as being beyond comprehension. If even those foremost ones were exhausted in their capacity to grasp you, how could a creature like me, a worm in this impure existence, ever find the opportunity to conceive of you? Out of compassion, you have bent the branches of your great Sāla-tree qualities so that these beings may grasp even a small portion. Just as a great mass of rain clouds pours down a torrent of rain, [so do you bestow your blessings].
What need is there for the cuckoo to seek
The heat of the summer’s torment?
Though the four great rivers flow
From the lake Anavatapta,
They cannot exhaust it;
What need to mention other streams?
The world is enriched by
The sources of precious gems,
Yet I do not know how to describe
Your qualities, O Protector.
Striving to gather the flowers of your qualities
From your very teachings,
I offer them to you like a tree
With my own blossoms.
Like a mine with its own ore,
Like a mountain with its own minerals,
Like sandalwood with its own scent,
Like a lake with its own waters,
Like a jewel mine with its own gold,
I honor you with the qualities
Gathered from your very teachings.
When the moonlight from the center of the sky
Shines forth in all directions,
The kumuda lotus grove does not fail to bloom
When the moonlight falls upon the earth.
Likewise, from the ocean of the Victor’s praise,
Which possesses immeasurable qualities,
By expressing even a single portion,
The faithful are not without the fruit of their desire.
The words that praise the Buddha are fruitful;
They are the price for a good rebirth, a path to happiness without obstacles,
The vehicle to Brahmā, and the root of qualities such as faith.
Those whose faculties are inclined toward faith
And who strive in the texts of praise for the Buddha—
That stream of phenomena which arises in every single instant,
Cannot be grasped in the slightest by anyone who is not omniscient.
Since even power is subject to impermanence,
This leisure and endowment is also extremely difficult to find.
For those who do not strive in this very task,
What greater deception could there be than that?
This concludes the first chapter, titled "The Praise of the Ineffable," from the Praise of the Blessed Buddha: A Praise of the Worthy of Praise.
O Blessed One, while you were still present,
I was one who had surrendered to the power of faith.
Because you gazed upon me with the Buddha-eye,
Moistened by your compassion,
Having made manifest that very compassion
Which dwells within my mind,
I prostrate to you, the one worthy of homage,
Just as if you were right before my eyes.
How could anyone who is not omniscient
Ever comprehend you, the Omniscient One?
To you, the Great Soul who knows himself,
I prostrate.
You are not an object for one such as I
To say, "You are this" or "You are like that."
I do not praise you as being this or that;
I prostrate to one such as you.
Protector, you are like yourself;
The Victors are like you.
Since there is no other at all like you,
I prostrate to you who are such.
Just as you know yourself,
And just as one like you knows you,
And just as you do not know another,
I prostrate to you who are such.
Just as you yourself
Have proclaimed your qualities,
Such as compassion and the ten powers,
I prostrate to you who are such.
From this day forward, I shall extract from that very source the essence of your qualities, the source of all virtues, and pay homage to you as best I am able. I prostrate and bow to you, the Arhat; I prostrate and bow to you, the one worthy of offerings; I prostrate and bow to you, the one who is logical. I bow and prostrate to you. You are the precious Perfect Buddha, the very nature of the precious Dharma, and the source of the precious Saṅgha. I bow to you, the assembly of the Three Jewels. You are a jewel worthy of offerings, and your enlightened intention is also a jewel. You are the source of the precious Sublime Dharma; I bow to you, the jewel in every respect. Because you are the supreme among all jewels, you outshine all other jewels. You are the source of all jewels; I bow to you, the authentic jewel. I prostrate to you, the precious mind; I prostrate to you, the precious Dharma; I prostrate to all that is precious. Through your cultivation of the meditation on non-existence, you have become the supreme among all Sages. I prostrate with devotion to you, the Arhat worthy of worship. Whatever I have done in contradiction to you, I prostrate to you, the unsurpassed one who abides in the ultimate reality and has reached the final goal of the ascetic life. Because you are perfect in every aspect, you outshine all other beauties. I bow to you, the Buddha-lotus, who brings joy at all times. You are of excellent color and sweet fragrance, beautiful to behold and not too large. I prostrate to you, the Perfect Buddha, the white lotus in full bloom.
To you, the ascetic who has thoroughly refined the essence of bliss, who has attained the touch of all that is desired, and who has brought about happiness—to you, the youthful one, I prostrate.
To you, the ascetic who has reached the ultimate goal, for whom the fruits of hardship have become manifest, and who has pledged to speak the sublime truth—to you, I prostrate.
To you, the Brahmā who relies on the holy life and knows the Vedas and all their branches, who is purified by knowledge and conduct—to you, I prostrate.
To you, the Noble One whose dharma is unassailable, whose noble activities are supreme, and who performs the work of a teacher for the world—to you, I prostrate.
To you, the one who has made your mind pure by correctly adopting the austerities and vows of asceticism, and who has washed away all negativity—to you, the one who performs the ritual bath, I prostrate.
To you, the supreme sovereign who has attained mastery and overwhelms all sentient beings, who roars the lion’s roar—to you, the lion, I prostrate.
To you, the great elephant who dwells upon the peak of the sublime Dharma, the vast expanse of the avadānas, and who destroys all other doctrines—to you, I prostrate.
To you, the one who clarifies the path of dharmatā which is extremely difficult to traverse, and whom no one else can endure—to you, the one who has gone as the path of the world, I prostrate.
To you, the one who is perfectly tamed and patient, who possesses vigor, a beautiful complexion, and strength, and who possesses a body with all limbs complete—to you, the omniscient one, I prostrate.
To you, who knows the directions, the bathing ghats, and the spheres of activity, who is steadfast and never wanders into crookedness—to you, I prostrate.
Homage to you, the Bull, who has attained the station of the Bull.
Homage to you, the supreme charioteer who tames beings,
Skilled in every means of training and free from laziness.
If your teaching did not exist, even the fortunate would be without purpose;
Therefore, homage to you who have become the pure conduct for all.
Because you are perfectly and completely endowed with all excellent qualities,
You have severed the stream of all desire for virtuous phenomena; homage to you.
Having fully perfected your own welfare and being intensely diligent in the welfare of others,
You bestow the nectar of the sublime Dharma; I bow to you who bring satisfaction.
Having abandoned the non-beyond and left behind the fear of many terrors,
You have successfully crossed the great river and reached the far shore; homage to you.
You dispel the disease of the afflictions and extract every thorn of pain;
Accomplished holder of the vidyā-mantras, chief of physicians, homage to you.
Knowing the paths that are supreme and non-supreme, you show the direction of peace;
To you, the caravan leader who produces accomplishment and bliss, I prostrate.
You constantly dispel darkness and constantly open the eyes;
To you who possess the Dharma of never-forgetting and are ever-arisen, I bow.
Having thoroughly washed away the mud of stains with the stainless water of the sublime Dharma,
You are the supreme purifier; homage to you, the utterly pure.
Having abandoned both sin and merit, your self is permeated by emptiness.
I bow to you who are impartial toward benefit and harm,
And utterly free from attachment.
Having definitively cleared away all afflictions and habitual tendencies,
Your mind is stainless.
To you who possess the liberations without obscuration,
Utterly liberated, I bow.
Possessing a form that one never tires of beholding,
Your body is resplendent with light.
Among all things to be seen,
To you, the supreme beauty to behold, I bow.
Endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great being,
Together with the collection of excellent minor signs,
To you who are worthy of being seen, I bow.
Proclaiming the unsurpassed qualities of a Buddha—
The fearlessnesses, the powers, and so forth—
Amidst the world, to you who are worthy of joy, I bow.
To you who are worthy of meditation,
Whose two bodies are perfumed by the practice
Of the unsurpassed, pure, noble dharmas, I bow.
Because the activities of your body, speech, and mind
Have become utterly purified,
You have transcended the observance of discipline;
To you, the pure and clean, I bow.
Having abandoned the expression of afflictions,
You intend the culmination of peaceful activity.
To you, the Sage who remains in silence,
The peaceful one, I bow.
Your mind is not captivated by pleasure or pain;
It is steadfast.
To you, the supreme essence of all sentient beings,
Who outshines them all, I bow.
Because you are perfectly established in
The wisdom and intention that perceive all things
In every aspect and in all their bases,
I prostrate to you, the one who possesses the quality of non-forgetfulness.
Rich in the qualities that transcend the world,
You who utterly destroy the worldly material,
You who illuminate the world,
To you, the Protector of the World, I bow.
Equal toward friend, foe, and neutral,
You who intend the welfare of all sentient beings,
To you, the one who acts with compassion,
The Great Compassionate One, I bow.
You who have perfected all perception of the Dharma,
Protector who possesses the great superknowledges,
You who know what is done and what is not done,
To you, the Omniscient One, I bow.
You who have abandoned all opportunities for attack,
Who have severed all bonds,
You who make wisdom clear,
To you, the one who clarifies craving, I bow.
Worthy of being pleased, worthy of prostration,
Not to be transgressed, free from fault,
Worthy of being honored with effort,
To you, who possess the three types of reasoning, I bow.
Skilled in removing what is unbeneficial,
Diligently striving to produce what is beneficial,
To you, the sublime spiritual friend
Who is solely devoted to compassion, I bow.
To those beings who have entered wrong paths,
You who are constantly and diligently
Dedicated to turning them toward the sublime path,
To you, the sublime kinsman, I bow.
The pinnacle of those who know the stages,
Having attained the supreme stage,
You have become the supreme among bipeds;
There is no stage higher than that.
Having attained the unsurpassed stage,
You dispel all suffering,
Free from attachment and without grasping,
To you, the supreme among bipeds, I bow.
Without relying upon your teaching,
No one can see reality;
To you, who have become the eyes
For the blind world, I bow.
If there were no sun upon the earth,
Though fire and lamps might exist,
And though the constellations, jewels, and the moon
Might be present, they would not be fully radiant.
Though other lights and those far superior to them
Might exist, if you were not present,
The world would have no light at all.
Thus, to you who have become a lamp
For those whose minds are obscured by the cataracts
Of the thick, dark gloom of ignorance in this world,
I bow.
Because their intellects are untrained in the Dharma,
They do not recognize benefit as benefit,
Nor do they recognize harm as harm;
Yet, by relying on you, they will become trained.
Most ordinary fools desire to discard harm
But abandon what is beneficial;
Seeking benefit, yet not knowing it,
They instead pursue various harms.
Because you show them the means,
By relying on you, they will come to understand
Both of these exactly as they are;
To you, who have become a physician, I bow.
O Lord, whoever has become your superior
Is also a teacher of the world.
Therefore, to you, the teacher of teachers,
The supreme among teachers, I bow.
Even those honored by the wise of the world
Offer to you, the very essence of trust.
To you, the supreme object of worship
For those worthy of worship, I bow.
Even those who are worthy of praise
Praise you; to you, who are praised
By those worthy of praise, I bow.
Even the gods bow to you,
And the sages also bow to you.
To you, who are worthy of prostration
By those worthy of prostration, I bow.
I bow to you, who are worthy of homage. What person possessing a mind, when bowing to you—the immeasurable field of merit and the one worthy of homage—could ever be satiated? Therefore, I prostrate and bow to you. I bow to you, who are worthy of homage. With an uninterrupted stream of prostrations, I constantly pay homage to you.
You who always act with sublime conduct and possess the path, who perfectly know the awareness of what has been done and what has not been done, who possess great offerings and are worthy of prostration, the peerless one—I prostrate to you, the Arhat worthy of homage. I prostrate to you who possess a peerless and lovely body. I prostrate to you who proclaim the most excellent and melodious speech. I prostrate to you who possess a stainless and pure mind. I prostrate to you, the self who has cultivated a mass of qualities.
Bowing to the Buddha with the thought of him as a field, even all auspiciousness cannot equal a fraction of that stainless state, nor can all offerings and sacrifices, nor asceticism and vows, nor any ritual ablutions. Bowing to the Lord of Sages brings renown and glory; it uproots all misdeeds and causes majesty to increase. It dispels all enemies and ensures that the mental continuums of people in the world are directed toward the higher realms, ripening into the fruit of definitive peace.
Thus, reflecting on these many qualities and considering that the body is subject to destruction, what wise person would engage in any other physical action instead of prostrating to the Buddha? It is that which dispels the Lord of Death.
When this teaching has set and is completely shrouded in darkness, to whom should one offer honor? Therefore, quickly perform an incomparable offering. The terrors of the future have already arrived in the present.
This concludes the second chapter, titled "Homage," from the Praise of the Blessed Buddha, the Worthy of Praise.
Kinsman of the Sun, more radiant than the light of the sun, supreme among all who are to be venerated, I bow to you, the worthy one who has been honored.
Great in strength, great hero, possessing great clairvoyance and great power, you who discharge great arrows upon the battlefield—to you, the great festival, I offer worship.
Worthy of the world’s offerings, supreme among those worthy of offerings, you who are worshipped by the world’s worship, the unsurpassed vessel of offerings—to you, the worthy one, I offer worship.
Through worship and wisdom, you have attained realization; your intention is free from pride. To you, the worthy one, I offer worship, having cast aside the mind of pride.
You are impartial toward the respectful and the disrespectful. Though the world worships you with devotion, Indra, who is intent on honoring you, pays his respects with reverence.
There is no one equal to you; none has arisen superior, nor will any arise. Therefore, to all sentient beings, you are the peerless one who is equal toward both friend and foe.
Born from the lineage of the unmixed Noble Ones, you share the same fortune as all the Buddhas. With the radiance of your complexion and wisdom, you were born to illuminate all directions. You are endowed with the thirty-two marks.
Radiating a fathom-wide halo of light,
Adorned with the major marks and the eighty minor signs,
Possessing a majesty ablaze with splendor,
The body of the Great Victor is endowed with glory.
Outshining the beauty of all others,
Having brought illumination to the world,
He dwells like another sun.
The Bhagavan, the Dharma realized at all times,
The source of all things in every way—
Like an āmalaka fruit in the palm of his hand,
Your mind has it as its sphere of activity.
Regarding phenomena, both moving and unmoving,
Whether singular, manifold, or distinct,
Just as the wind moves through the sky,
Your mind is without obstruction.
In performing your deeds,
By the mere generation of your intention,
Everything you desire is accomplished;
Thus, you have perfectly realized the dharmadhātu.
For you, who have reached the perfection of virtue,
There is no virtue that arises from effort.
Whatever you may intend,
It depends upon your mere intention.
The existence of phenomena,
Their dharmatā, and the power of phenomena,
Abiding with their respective causes,
Along with their conditions and results,
With their various elements and divisions,
And their arising, ceasing, and expansion—
All of these, in every way and individually,
Are known by you, the Omniscient One, and no other.
Even that which is utterly obscured is manifest to you;
That which is extremely distant is near;
That which is extremely entangled is clearly purified;
That which is extremely high is low.
That which is extremely dark is accompanied by light;
Even that which is a ground of extreme doubt is discerned.
Even the most profound objects of knowledge
Appear vividly to you.
Just as the golden girth of a great Indra’s elephant,
Though the dharmatā is exceedingly profound,
You are not at all weary.
Just as dispassion is among all dharmas,
Just as the direct path is among those leading to liberation,
Just as the Buddha is among all excellences,
You are the supreme among all sentient beings.
Just as the immovable is among liberations,
Just as dharmatā is among logical principles,
Just as omniscience is among insights,
You are the supreme among all embodied beings.
Just as liberation is among purities,
Just as emptiness is among realities,
Just as patience is among austerities,
You are the supreme among all living creatures.
Just as your body is among all forms,
Just as your mind is among all minds,
Just as your dharma is among all dharmas,
You are the supreme among all living creatures.
From the Praise of the Blessed Buddha, the Worthy of Praise, this is the third chapter, titled "The Establishment of Omniscience."
O Sugata, you alone
Make a single dharma appear as all dharmas.
Through your omniscience, you possess that [knowledge];
Others do not.
Your wisdom alone
Pervades the entirety of the knowable;
For all others besides you,
The knowable itself remains a remainder.
"This result arises from these causes and conditions,
And this does not arise from that"—
All such certainties regarding the possible and the impossible,
You know them, but others do not.
The ripening of all actions and dharmas undertaken,
At all times and on all levels,
You know them in every way;
Others do not.
All the stages of yoga without exception,
Along with the presentation of afflictions and purification,
Together with the profound—these you alone have realized.
The superior and inferior faculties,
The small, the middling, and the great,
And their infinite subdivisions—
None other than you has understood them.
Whatever is conducive and whatever is discordant,
All the various inclinations of beings—
You alone have realized them.
This world is a realm of diversity;
The entirety of this manifold nature of elements—
You alone, through the classification of diverse elements,
Know them; it is not so for others.
From various causes and conditions,
The various things that are fully accomplished—
By the power of the all-pervading path,
You have realized them all.
Whatever has arisen in beginningless existence,
And whatever will arise without end—
Your wisdom engages in seeing them
As if they were directly perceived.
The prior limit and the subsequent limit,
The true formation of the world,
And likewise the linking of rebirth—
You see them all, even to the furthest reaches.
Whether near or far,
Just as they are directly perceived by you,
So too have you abandoned obscurations
Along with their habitual tendencies.
You have attained that state where,
Without not knowing this reality,
It cannot be said that any afflictions
Or their habitual tendencies remain.
Whatever you have declared to be obstacles,
Those certainly act as obstacles;
Whatever path you have shown, [it leads to liberation].
That alone is the definitive deliverance; there is not even a fraction of another’s objection that it could be interrupted, or that it would not lead to deliverance. You have neither been defeated nor are you not victorious; you have not failed to make the knowable appear. You, O Īśvara, are omniscient and victorious over all, and none other. Since you are powerful and do not fear, it is fitting that you are without dread; yet, while possessing such might, it is marvelous that you do not treat anyone with contempt. Some who possess false pride you cause to be free from arrogance; this is merely a means of training them, for you have no pride in your power. That which is called "victorious over all" because of power in the world is merely praise for others; that state is perfected in you. O Guide, no one is able to challenge you in accordance with the Dharma. You are not to be faulted, for you have attained the bliss of being without fault. Since you are without fault, there is no need for you to guard against the four [faults]. Because you have perfected these four, no one can find an opportunity against you. Possessing an intellect unimpeded by anything, your intention is ever-present. You are one whose compassion is impartial toward all, and whose mind is free from attachment to anything. You have crossed the entire ocean of the knowable and have forever abandoned all habitual tendencies. You know the distinctions of all obstacles and are skilled in all that leads to deliverance. You know the intentions of all and have reached the far shore of the means for training. [You are the master] of all the various afflictions.
You have no fear even of the antidotes.
Whatever speaker relies upon you,
Yet has not become a mature child,
That is the power of the unbearable thicket
Of the darkness of ignorance.
Whatever, even by relying on your word,
Has not become free from [defilements],
That and that is called an obscuration;
Those and those are unbearable obscurations.
From the Praise of the Blessed Buddha, the Worthy of Praise, this is the fourth chapter, titled "Praise of the Powers and Fearlessnesses."
Just as when one hears your word, O Sage,
Which speaks of the defects [of cyclic existence],
Even if the unbearable fire of the sufferings of saṃsāra
Were to blaze up all around,
Beings clad in the armor of ignorance
Do not become weary in that way.
Thus, O Protector, your word,
Though its meaning is clear even through direct perception,
Is the profound dharmatā of vast depth;
Because it is explained so clearly,
Your word even performs the miracles
Of the "interwoven" (nre lji).
The end of the words is not seen,
And the depth of the meaning is not fathomed;
That they are mutually consistent—
What could be more wondrous than that?
Your word, O Supreme Speaker,
Exists in many enumerations,
Yet there is no redundancy,
And the system of its composition is logical.
Your word, O Supreme Speaker,
Possesses the qualities of the four abodes;
Though it is the basis for the four prophecies,
In meaning, it does not become dual.
Regarding permissions and prohibitions,
In some cases your word is definitively certain,
In some cases it is not certain,
Yet there is no mutual contradiction.
For the sake of the reality of phenomena, the basis of the state free from dispute, you refute all malicious speech through the excellence of your logical and valid qualities. You are single-mindedly intent upon the ultimate, yet there is no fault in your engagement with the conventional. Because it does not contradict the two truths, your word arises as reason.
To those without afflictions, it is singularly gentle; yet to those possessed of afflictions, it is a definitive provocation. Your word is not something to be merely approached, nor is it possessed of the defects of cyclic existence. It accords with total purification, yet it does not fall into partiality. Your word is not impatient toward the enemy of the afflictions.
Even if filled with a hundred words of disparagement, it is not possessed of the fault of derision. Even when uttering words of high praise, it does not depend upon anyone at all. It is without addition or subtraction, yet it possesses both brevity and expansion. It is logically consistent upon examination, and it was not unexcellent from the very beginning.
Your speech is exceedingly melodious, yet it does not become attached. It is not without essence despite its abundance. Though diverse, its meaning is not confused. Your word is full of many wonders. Your word, O Lord of Speech, captivates the mind yet is without clinging. It does not harm the majestic; it is pervasive yet not understood by the base.
It causes even the hairs of the body to stand on end and causes dust to rise everywhere. It causes bodies to tremble and produces shivering. It brings weariness to the world of the gods and causes sounds to resound everywhere. Even the earth, remaining in its natural state, [trembles].
It causes the earth to tremble in six ways. You reverse the nature of embodied beings who have been habituated since beginningless time, and you cause them to take to heart that which is unfamiliar to their nature. To the wise who have entered by means of reasoning, your word is like a falling rain of nectar. Your teaching is virtuous in the beginning, the middle, and the end; when heard, contemplated, and meditated upon, it becomes nectar for its practice. To the many who are gathered there, possessing diverse inclinations, from the utterance of a single speech, it appears as if it were many. That everyone understands it thinking, "This is for me alone"—what could be more wondrous than that? What could be more marvelous than that? You do not abandon the dharmatā, yet you are in harmony with worldly convention. While proclaiming the one, you also cause the other to be meditated upon. There are the afflictions and the purification; there are also actions and the fruits of actions. Your teaching, which causes one to engage in that and yet is itself without an agent, was heard by the world including the gods and humans, and each was moved as if by the moon in water. If the arising of the various distinctions between good and bad depends entirely upon conditions, how could there be an agent? If anyone possessed independence, it would be illogical for them to be an agent. Therefore, you have taught that for all phenomena, there is no agent.
To the world including the gods, you have remained having established the boundary by beating the drum with the lion’s roar of this dharma of emptiness. Because you have illuminated the world like the light of the sun, all other words have become utterly useless.
This concludes the fifth chapter, titled "Praise of the Pure Speech," from the Praise of the Worthy One, a praise to the Buddha, the Blessed One.
"All phenomena are selfless; all conditioned things are momentary; nirvana is peace"—these three characteristics are the seal of the dharma. You, the indivisible one, have established them as beyond the domain of all speech. No matter how one speaks in the world, who could ever transcend nature? Even if one were to practice in debate through grasping at positions, who could make fire cold or alter that very reality?
Space, which is unimpeded, might be wounded by someone; but regarding this seal of the dharma, there is no contradiction with the nature of things. You, who know that very dharmatā, have taught this in your word; it is renowned as existing here, but it does not exist in other doctrines. By relying on divergent views, the worlds fall into dispute. You alone have realized the state of the ground that is free from dispute. Just as the blind may quarrel, yet those with eyes see forms and do not dispute, so too is the example of you and the foolish.
To you who speak in accordance with the Dharma, there is no dispute with anyone. You are not a scholar for the sake of eloquent speech, nor are you unwise for the sake of disparagement. Desires have vanished; the web of views has been utterly destroyed. Since there is no basis, why would you dispute with one who has no basis? O Victorious One, what stable person like you would engage in dispute? What could you possibly contend with the darkness that is like a corpse, even if it possesses a thousand rays of light? Like one trying to strike the sky with a whip, you cannot be overcome by dispute. Dust scattered by the wind falls and settles back upon the very place it was blown from. The worlds are constantly falling [into error], but you are the one whose sphere of activity is the reality of things as they are. Therefore, you are not equal to the many who have fallen into perversion. For example, just as iron and gold are different, how could those who are attached to the false and you, who are free from attachment, ever be compared? The childish do not understand; I, who am directing my efforts toward you, the Protector who desires the benefit and happiness of others, am merely destroying myself. I am not casting myself into a dense mass of blazing fire; it is improper to challenge the Victorious One, the Sage, who is endowed with such majesty. Having set a time to challenge you here, you have set another time in return; like one bound by a firm tether, you are unable to rise from your seat. Since you have broken the fangs of the disputant, the son of Satyavādin, in the assembly, all your adversaries—
Even their horns will be broken. Some adversaries, upon meeting you, will bow down; some will turn back from afar; others will remain before you in a state of humility. Some, through the rain of the stream of nectar of your sublime Dharma, will rely upon the sublime Dharma with the excellence of authentic practice.
Alas, Protector, Lord of Compassion! Alas, the evil afflictions of delusion! Alas, the proliferation of craving! Alas, pride that brings ruin! By these three non-Dharmas, all these beings are thoroughly agitated and driven by an unbearable torrent, as if separated from your source text.
Based on this foundation, views, doubts, and other secondary afflictions—which individually obstruct the path—cause all the afflictions to increase. Just as a crow, upon hearing the song of the kalaviṅka, has no attachment to its own cawing, so too, when one tastes the flavor of your Dharma, one will have no attachment to the words of others.
Those who, having feigned interest in the Dharma, have entered into your teachings—even if they hear only a fragment of it—it will become for them like nectar for a camel. Your speech is true, easy to understand, and meaningful; it is accompanied by intention and miracles, inexhaustible and concise. It possesses singular great power, the supreme essence, and the finest flavor. It is endowed with various enumerations and skillful means; it is complete, unmixed, majestic, and renowned. Who, having heard your speech endowed with such qualities, would not be moved?
The words of others are the opposite of that; they smell like rot. Whether it be suffering or happiness, whatever is devoid of purpose should be completely abandoned, and its opposite is said to be relied upon. Thus, regarding the reliance on the desirable and the undesirable, such a distinction was taught by you. How could those who speak of the exhaustion of the path follow [others]? Whatever you have taught for the sake of those to be trained, that very thing is the boundary between your word and the words of others. How great is the difference between your word and the words of others! It is not like poison and nectar, nor is it like darkness and light. How vast is the distance between your word and the words of others! It is not like the higher realms and the lower realms, nor is it like sweet nectar and discarded dregs. That [other speech] is merely words with no essence, whereas this [your word] possesses both words and their meaning. By this, the difference between your word and the words of others is explained. What is the difference between you, the Sugata, and those speakers? That very thing is the high and low between your word and the words of others. Just as the distinction between cyclic existence and liberation is beyond analysis, so too, O Hero, is the difference between your word and the words of others. Whatever is the engagement and the reversal, whatever is the affliction and the purification—that very thing, O Hero, is the difference between your word and the words of others. This is the unique suchness, while that is merely deceptive phenomena. Between your word and the words of others—
What other [teaching] could be more distinguished than this? This alone is virtuous, while that is purely an obstacle. What difference is there between your word and the words of others? That which is infused and thoroughly permeated by the former is purified by this; that very distinction between your word, O Protector, and the words of others is the difference. All those others are the babble of the unholy, whereas this alone is the well-spoken word. For that reason, the certainty of your word and the words of others regarding their authority or lack thereof is established.
This concludes the sixth chapter, titled "Praise of the Buddha, the Blessed One, as Worthy of Praise," from the Praise of the One Without Dispute.
Regarding engagement and withdrawal, what is the nature of these wandering beings? That which the entire world, including the gods, does not transgress—whether in accordance with or contrary to the system—is the twelve-fold [cycle]. These two syllables are shown to be worthy of worship as the sun of the Sublime Dharma. Because that very [cycle] is a single birth through miraculous manifestation, and because its branches are incomplete, when each branch is multiplied by four as it truly is, there are three [sets] for worship. Because those branches are complete, through the twelve syllables of the words, when multiplied according to the former method of the system of truth, there is the supreme engagement.
Those who rely exactly upon this teaching of yours, O Brahmā, are the brahmins who become Brahmā; they are the Brahmā of the three secrets in harmony. The way of Brahmā, Brahmā himself, the fruit of the way of Brahmā, and the purpose of Brahmā—all these are found in your teaching, O Supreme Brahmā, and not elsewhere.
Without the way of Brahmā, no one at all can become a brahmin. This straight path, moreover, does not exist for any other. The brahmin has explained that one who possesses knowledge and conduct is a true Brahmā. That knowledge and that conduct are found in your teaching and nowhere else. That knowledge consists of the learner and the non-learner, and conduct is that which brings about its attainment. In others, even the name of that path of Dharma does not exist. By practicing what you have taught, all castes are made into brahmins. You have opened the door to the nectar that had been closed for a long time. How could one who is seized by wrong views and doubt become a brahmin? Apart from your system, no one else can cut this knot. The worldly renown that a brahmin is the son of Brahmā, born from his heart or his mouth—that for you has become fruitful. O Brahmā, you possess the path of Brahmā; you are the bull among brahmins, the one who leads and the teacher. You are the seasonal sacrificer and the domestic priest. A brahmin well-taught by you does not become impure. A brahmin who has been led by you will not fall from the way of Brahmā. In any other than your teaching, there is no dharma for becoming a brahmin. There is no offering to Brahmā, nor is there a path of Brahmā. There is no threefold truth of Brahmā, no threefold characteristic of Brahmā, no threefold supreme excellence of Brahmā, and no lineage of Brahmā.
Whatever elegant sayings exist in the world,
They all arise from your teaching.
This flawless expression is unique
To the Sugata alone.
Who else besides you could possess
Speech so free from fault?
All those who are brahmins through your well-spoken words
Are truly yours, O Knower of All Dharmas.
Like letters gnawed by insects,
Any elegant sayings other than these
Are as unsuitable as gold upon iron.
Like placing the finest sandalwood
In the midst of an eranda thicket,
Who would believe that such a thing
Could exist in such a contradiction?
Who would believe that mango fruit
Could ripen upon a neem tree,
And yet think that elegant sayings
Might exist in others?
Just as sandalwood comes from the Malaya mountains,
In this world with its gods, no source of
Elegant sayings exists other than you.
This concludes the seventh chapter, titled "Praise for Speaking in Accordance with Brahmā," from the Praise of the Blessed Buddha: A Praise of the Worthy to be Praised.
Only occasionally, those self-arisen ones who are like rhinoceroses,
Whose hearts are filled with joy when they do not speak,
Walk with a majestic stride.
Because there are many paths that lead to ruin,
You have established the great highway
Of the path to nirvāṇa, which brings true joy.
Like elephants, young men,
And even women of two-fingered strength,
Have all practiced upon that path.
This is the supreme, majestic power, the miraculous display of your reliance; it is the unshared, immeasurable majesty of the Buddha’s might. For those seized in many ways by the snakes of the afflictions, you are the unshared, faultless source of the universal remedy. To those defiled by desire and the like, you have taught the dharmas such as the meditation on the unattractive, which make faults faultless. By teaching the virtuous, contaminated dharmas of the path’s equipment, you have also shown the mutual distinctions among things. Furthermore, because they are defiled by the secondary afflictions, they are destroyed by the universal aspect; like the embers of a funeral pyre, they are consumed by the fire of wisdom. Prior to awakening, you taught the dharmas that are the causes for the ease of engagement; then, having attained awakening, you taught the dharmas of the ease of reversal. Even after becoming a Buddha, those contaminated virtuous dharmas were not left unexplained; for the most part, they were fully dedicated as the concordant causes of nirvāṇa. What decline is there from which you have not led beings? What excellence is there that you have not bestowed upon the world? You have severed the knots of doubt, cleared away the thorns of evil views, burned the poisonous creepers of craving, and destroyed all the poisons of anger. You have removed the cataracts of ignorance, toppled the banner of pride, and crushed the hardness of the mind.
You have severed the bonds and untied every knot. You have constructed a raft for the rivers and dried up the great lake that is the source of those rivers. You have uprooted from the very foundation the poisonous tree of total affliction, which grows hidden within the mind and bears the fruits of faults, dregs, and crookedness. You have cut off all the evil paths pursued through perversion and opened the straight, glorious path that is the sole way to the deathless.
Having drawn others out from the eight defects that must be tamed, you have established them in the state of the noble thoroughbred, endowed with the eight branches of the desired path. Having drawn them from the stream of impurity where the rākṣasas of total affliction rage, you have caused them to float upon the stainless water of the limbs that are not afflictions. Having cleared away the defects of immoral discipline, you have anointed them with the ointment of discipline. You have clothed them in the stainless garments of shame and modesty.
Having adorned them with the white ornaments of the sublime Dharma, you have seated them upon the great lion throne of concentration. You have scattered the flowers of the branches of awakening, fragrant with the scent of the untainted, and satisfied them with the noble, non-material taste of the joy of the Dharma. Having extracted them from the beginningless servitude of existence, which is full of harm, you have made them your own sons, forever and without decline. You have made some vessels for the Pratyekabuddhas in future times, and others for the Great Vehicle.
You were also empowered as the supreme Regent. You know the words of all dharmas and are skilled in the basis of all meanings. You know all the distinctions of languages and possess eloquence in every direction. Proclaiming, "I have become a friend to you who are without a protector," you remain as if embracing all wandering beings with great compassion.
The Teacher, who possesses great compassion, is endowed with love and acts with affection. Who else is there like you, who is diligent in that and free from laziness? You are the protector of all sentient beings and the excellent kinsman of all. Because you do not remain as a protector, beings have become submerged.
No one other than you understands those dharmas that act as friends, which even the lowly are able to take up as companions. You have perfectly accomplished all the external branches of power; yet because the internal powers are incomplete, the childish resort to suffering.
You have applied worldly conduct to the profound dharmatā. You have applied it to those who are inclined toward the inferior and to the many evil paths. You have applied it to the natural arising of busyness habituated since beginningless time. If, even through great effort in meditation, that which is difficult to attain is not reached, then if a good root—one that clearly shows the reality of correctly adopting the white dharmas like you—had not appeared in the world, all beings would fall into darkness. They would be tormented by the arising of unwanted feelings and would cry out in great distress.
It would become nothing but the nature of the lower realms. As for the three types of beings who go [to those realms], you have accomplished that through others. Toward enemies, friends, and neutrals, you act with the supreme friendliness of a friend.
This concludes the eighth chapter, titled "Praise of Beneficial Action," from the Praise of the Blessed Buddha: A Praise of the Worthy of Praise.
The nature of sharing is perfected in you alone. While others are gathered to perform acts of benefit, you are the one who possesses the complete mastery. As for the actual gathering of your disciples, whoever is skilled in that matter is not fully skilled; they merely follow a fraction of your example. O Blessed One, your sharing of material things extends even to your own life, yet your sharing of the sublime Dharma is free from the "teacher’s closed fist." You are the unsurpassed performer of the act of sharing; you possess all perfections and are not to be relinquished.
Most beings are fierce and delight in harming others. You, however, are the very nature of the world, yet you enter the direction that reverses the stream. Those who are grateful are few, and those who offer help are but a few; even they are mostly motivated by expectation. You alone are the possessor of pure qualities; you do not engage because of the benefit received, nor do you turn away because of harm done. You enter into all beings with equanimity, thinking, "They all possess the potential."
At night, the kumuda flower opens and the lotus closes; during the day, the lotus opens and the other closes. Yet, [your compassion] is not like that.
However, the light of the sun and the moon does not fall in partiality toward any direction. This very point is the example you have shown to both the foolish and the wise. Since every deed performed by you, O Protector, is solely for the sake of others, how could you ever receive a return for your immeasurable acts of benefit? There is no practice of yours that does not lead to the flourishing of sentient beings. Even a mere breath of relief from you produces benefit and happiness for the world. The fragrance of the Buddha’s breath, which outshines all other scents, causes even those who harbor malice to develop faith in you when they perceive it. When the scent of the Buddha’s breath descends, even the heedless gods abandon their celestial realms and turn toward discipline. I do not know of anyone who, by hearing the sublime Dharma from you, would not be satisfied. Therefore, in the ultimate sense, it is you alone who are satisfied and bring satisfaction to others. Like rain upon all living beings, you are the nourishment for all the wise. There is no one who could be your nourisher in the way that you are theirs. Even toward those who wish to kill you, your intention to benefit them is such that the untrained minds of the foolish are unable to believe it. The kind of excellence you accomplish even for those who hate you is a state that transcends the objects of even the most fervent aspirations. Those who experience the supreme taste of your acts of benefit are your kinsmen who shall partake in your share of the Dharma.
If these sentient beings,
Recognizing your compassionate intent,
Live according to your teaching,
They would enter even a blazing fire.
Because they are struck by the enemy Māra
And do not realize [the truth],
Those fools who act in opposition to your teaching
Bring about their own destruction.
Those who turn away from your teaching,
Experiencing the darkness of the great abyss
And total torment,
Alas, will wander for a long time.
Those beings who are averse to your Dharma,
Blinded by delusion,
Even if they reach the peak of existence,
They will achieve only the recurrence of suffering.
Those who follow your teaching,
Even if they have not attained the actual states of concentration,
While keeping the eye of Māra in check,
They turn back the realms of existence.
First, you laid low the flower-banner of Māra, the son of a god;
Then, you crushed the high banner of pride
Of the Māra of the afflictions.
Before you attained awakening,
You conquered the Lord of the Desire Realm;
On the path of no-impediment to awakening,
You conquered the Lord of the Three Realms.
O Lord, in this world,
You are the supreme hero among heroes.
Among beings who are under the power of the afflictions,
Who could be considered a true hero?
Because you have conquered the hosts of afflictions
In the continuums of both yourself and others,
There is no other supreme hero than you,
Nor any other victor in the terrible battle.
This is the ninth chapter, titled "The Praise of the Praiseworthy," a praise to the Buddha, the Blessed One, which is not a praise that receives a return.
The qualities of your eyes—the deep blue, the white, and the black—cannot be surpassed by the qualities of the world, including its sovereign. Your lips are unsurpassed in their glorious splendor. Both the lower and the upper [lips] possess such excellence that, were any of these to be absent, there would be nothing to match them; who then could stand above the upper, and what could serve as the foundation for the lower? Your lips are the abode of glory; that they are so perfectly suited to one another—how wonderful is this harmonious union! How unsurpassed is this correspondence!
When the Teacher speaks, they quiver; yet in their clarity, they are unwavering. The splendor of the moon of your teeth, which appears slightly from within, and the sound emerging from your own abode, you scatter like flowers. These [teeth], which benefit the path of beings produced by others, are like the glow of molten copper. In the presence of this blazing glory, the bimba fruit, the twilight clouds, and the beautiful red utpala flower are like mere tastes. Those who behold your lips as they move in beauty have truly found their eyes; their very sight is fruitful.
O Protector, it is not by a string of pearls, nor by a garland of kunda or kumuda flowers, nor by the body of the snowy mountain peaks arrayed and bathed in the light of the moon.
It is not the autumn river that brings reproach, nor the garland of white ḍākinīs. It is not the crescent autumn moon, shining brightly in a cloudless sky, that rivals you. O Tamed One, the radiant white garland of your teeth cannot be matched even in part by the light of a lamp, just as the light of the sun cannot be matched by the light of a lamp. What thing could possibly be like this garland of vajra sprouts, which is infused and moistened by the taste of the nectar of the Noble Dharma? When your garland of teeth appeared, the white examples such as the kumuda lily, the moon, and the kunda flower seem to have lost their way. Because this has appeared in the world, all white and beautiful substances without exception have become as if stained. Between your tongue and lips, these teeth are set in a fine row; they are as beautiful as liberation situated between realization and peace. Seeing this world overwhelmed by the garland of your teeth, your fangs are raised like victory banners, as if to say, "I have triumphed." Your fangs are even and rounded, beautiful, with sharp and white tips; having surpassed all other examples, they remain as if blazing. Whatever crescent moon in the world appears crooked, your fangs are not crooked, fashioned by those with beautiful bodies. With your fangs in the state of a crescent, your full moon-like face, and your brow furrowed in a frown, you overwhelm the fathom-wide radiance [of others].
O Sage Moon, through the perfection of the qualities of your form, you cause all the qualities of the moon to fade away at every occasion. Sugata, your body is like the heart of a golden lotus; each hair curls to the right, fine, smooth, stainless, and growing upward. Oily, untangled, and undisturbed, it is like the depth of an indranīla sapphire, appearing as if adorned with a collection of minute jewels. O Great Being, Elephant, whatever marks of an elephant you possess are unmixed; they are utterly unstained by internal or external impurities. Those which are like ornaments for your limbs, beautifying your members, are excellent; they remain like a rim fashioned from pure gold. Outshining the beautiful birth-marks of all the finest thoroughbred horses by their own beautiful shape, they remain. O Protector, for the sake of abiding in celibacy and for the sake of the shape being exceedingly beautiful, you have concealed them; yet they are also not to be concealed. Out of compassion, for those who possess doubt, you have shown other marks in a manner that is like the form of the moon in a gap in the clouds, many times over. Having made the mountain of shame and modesty immovable as if it were being shaken, you have brought them within the range of the intellect with the eyes of great compassion. The clusters of filaments of a slowly blooming lotus, slightly opened, do not move the beauty of you, O Protector, whose limbs are beautiful.
Even if the glorious full moon were to remain coiled [within your mouth], it would still not complete the basis of comparison for your supreme limb. Upon the beautiful path emanated by the vast karma of hundreds of merits, can any other mental intention ever truly follow? Though your own sheath, robes, and vows cover you most completely, you are as if made manifest by the excellence of your other marks. To that supreme limb of yours, which possesses the most excellent of limbs, I bow my head, with a mind of intense faith, and I also offer praise with my speech. If there were anyone who felt anger toward you—the supreme object of faith, whom one can never tire of beholding—that would be the basest and most wretched of darkness.
This concludes the tenth chapter, titled "Praise of a Single Aspect of the Body," from the Praise of the Blessed Buddha, the Worthy of Praise.
Since the inclinations of sentient beings abide according to their respective elements, for the time being, my own thought is this: who would not offer their head, mind, and speech to your broad tongue? It is the Mother of all these scriptures and the source of jewels. O Lord, among all your unsurpassed deeds, this broad tongue of yours appears to be the supreme pinnacle. For the sake of proclaiming the teachings to wandering beings and performing the activity of the Dharma, it stands as the chief among all your marks, like a king. In order to sever the doubts of others...
When that which issues from your mouth appears, like a mass of autumn clouds, it covers your moon-like face. That it should remain without crowding within that mouth, so vast and beautiful, and filled with teeth—what could be more wondrous than that? This is surely the power of that excellent and immeasurable strength, the power of its extreme softness and suppleness. When your face thunders, it acts like refined Jambu-river gold, like the light of molten copper, and like a flickering garland of lightning. Having attained the sovereignty of the excellence of the sublime trainings, your speech dwells and sports freely in other realms. Having smelled its fragrance, this world proclaims it the "Flower-Speaker." It is this [speech] that scatters those faultless flowers of your voice. For that very reason, O Victor, the most melodious and pleasant speech issues from you. Because of its exquisite fragrance, you are renowned as the "Sweet-Voiced One." That which causes one like you to be celebrated as the bestower of nectar—the instruction that provides guidance—depends entirely upon this. That which turns the wheel of Dharma in the world, including the gods, without regard for your own weariness, was accomplished by this virtue. That which, like a scattering of jewels, fills the world with hundreds of well-spoken words and brings it illumination, is the power of this. The description of your lineage and conduct—
The Noble One who proclaims all dharmas,
Like the trailing branches of a wish-fulfilling tree,
Bestows the fruit of various precious gems.
Without a broad tongue in this world,
Who could bear the burden of eloquence
Possessing the wisdom of omniscience
And the four types of perfect analytical knowledge?
Having considered this, whatever dharmas
You have taught,
Without any indolence,
You have strung them together like a garland of flowers.
If you had not taught these,
Who would have known of your omniscience?
Who would have known of your great compassion?
Who would have known of your other qualities?
If there were no teachings,
A scholar such as you would not be manifest.
The teachings depend upon your broad tongue,
Just as the source texts depend upon accomplishments.
Though you speak dharmas of various kinds
And present them with various flavors,
Like the sky is not stained by mud,
You are not defiled by attachment to flavors.
It is fitting that you remain in silence,
And there is no fault in your speaking.
Both the discordant and the concordant dharmas
Are in perfect harmony as one.
You do not take pleasure in remaining silent,
Nor do you feel weary in teaching.
This is the virtue of omniscience itself,
Engaging with all things with equanimity.
Thus, in all your speech and conduct,
You teach only the dharmas;
It is wondrous how you engage in conduct,
And wondrous how you are devoted to reason.
Through the merit born of the elements
And the nature of teaching the dharma,
You are constantly perfumed
By the two fragrances of a Buddha.
The pure range of your eyes, and...
By the nature of your merit and renown, you are most famous; your fame resounds in both directions. Those who behold this faultless [tongue] emerging from your mouth are truly possessed of eyes, and those eyes are endowed with glory. Those wise ones who drink your melodious speech with the cupped hands of their ears, as if drinking a stream of nectar, are most glorious. Just as sounds are adorned, and just as the earth is adorned by sounds, when you speak, your face is as if perfectly concealed. By the beauty of its own qualities, O Sage, your moon-like face has become an ornament for the world, yet it appears as an even more sublime ornament. By the power of its color, shape, melodious voice, and extreme softness, I have not seen any material substance that resembles your broad tongue. If the goddess Sarasvatī were to exist in any material form, this faultless, broad tongue would surely be her. When the Dharma drum is struck everywhere by this broad tongue, all the sounds of gods and humans become tasteless. You, the Teacher, this tongue, and this unsurpassed teaching—these three parts constitute the supreme medicine that destroys all the poisons of the afflictions. This concludes the eleventh chapter, titled "Praise of the Tongue," from the Praise of the Blessed Buddha, the Worthy of Praise. [In] fields like yours...
There is none in the three worlds; you are the supreme object of offerings, the pure one who purifies the assembly. Just as water and fields are inexhaustible as far as the limits of space, the ripening of benefit or harm done to you is likewise without end. Even those who remain indifferent toward you are, for a time, ruined by the taint of immeasurable darkness; what need is there to mention those who act perversely? Just as the karma of those who perfectly serve you, the unsurpassed object of offerings, is seen to reach no end of prosperity, so too the karma of those who have entered wrongly toward you reaches no end of decline. Alas, how wretched is this saṃsāra, where the base and the impermanent are so stubborn! Alas, how peaceful is nirvāṇa! Even one with a compassionate nature like yours has passed away there. You spoke of future terrors and explained the way of the Dharma; you granted the fourfold assembly the attainment of fearlessness. Although you appointed Mahākāśyapa, Ānanda, and others to guard this excellent path and refine their intellects, now that you—the sole eye of the world, the stainless one—have closed, this world, though possessing light, is as if shrouded in darkness. O Sugata, the word of the Sugata remains, and your sons...
Although your supreme sons, those in training and those beyond training, are indeed present, if you, the protector of beings, do not remain, then just as the sky marked by the clarity of planets and stars is empty of the moon, it is utterly ruined and no longer exists. If you do not remain, this sublime Dharma will be like the splendor of a lake from which the nāgas have departed; before long it will perish. Devoid of its proper essence, its radiant qualities will not shine, and through other rituals and other systems, it will be damaged and scarred, its majestic body on the verge of vanishing. When one considers that the Buddhas who were empowered have all passed into parinirvāṇa, who would not be terrified by existence, which is like a blazing sword?
This concludes the twelfth chapter, titled "The Praise that Induces Weariness with Existence," from the Praise of the Blessed Buddha: A Praise of the Worthy of Praise. This concludes the Praise of the Blessed Buddha: A Praise of the Worthy of Praise, composed by the master Mātṛceṭa. It was translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian abbot Sarvajñādeva and the chief editor and translator, the monk Paltshek Rakṣita.
Through you, who possess great fortune in composing poetry, my intellect shall increase greatly, even from its small state, like a river in summer. Having obtained this human birth so difficult to find and having obtained this tongue, who would not act for their own benefit by proclaiming the qualities of the Protector? Your body, adorned with the marks, is beautiful, a nectar for the eyes.
Like an autumn sky free of clouds, adorned with a host of stars, the Sage, possessing a golden hue, is beautiful, draped in his Dharma robes. Like the peak of a golden mountain encircled by the clouds of twilight, O Protector, though you are not adorned with ornaments, the radiance of your maṇḍala-like face is such that the full maṇḍala of the moon, when free of clouds, does not possess it. When the bees see your lotus face and a lotus opened by the sun, they will hang in doubt, grasping at the rope of uncertainty. Your face, possessing a golden hue, with its beautiful white teeth, is like the stainless moonbeams entering the crevices of a golden mountain during autumn. Your right hand, worthy of offerings, is beautified by the mark of the wheel; with that hand, you grant relief to those terrified by saṃsāra. O Sage, when you walk, your two feet, like glorious lotuses, have marked this earth; how beautiful it is, as if with lotuses. Your gait is peerless; you walk more steadily than a rutting elephant, a swan with its mate, or even a bull. Your body is great with the aggregate of discipline and adorned with the tree of meditative concentration. Pervaded by the flowing stream of wisdom, you are a moving snowy mountain. Whosoever’s body touches yours, an ocean of qualities, you make them a bathing ghat to be worshipped by gods and humans. Your dwelling is a field of accomplishment.
Since the mind has been purified by seeing you, what use is there for the field of ill-sounding words for those wise ones who desire purity? You, endowed with the six perfections, have become perfectly beautiful, like the full moon adorned by the constellation Kṛttikā. You awaken the lotuses of the disciples who were asleep, just as the rising sun causes the lotuses to bloom. To those seized by the poison of the afflictions, you grant the medicine of wisdom; you are like the protector of beings who removes the venom from one bitten by a fanged snake. The forest fire of your wisdom has burned away the net of views, just as a fiercely blazing forest fire consumes the saplings of the woods. With the blazing nature of wisdom, you, the Sage, dry up the mire of the afflictions, just as the light of the sun is similar to this. Your speech turns the minds of men away from improper actions, like a great charioteer turning back a stray cow with a lasso. If you alone were freed from the bonds of the afflictions, you would still be worthy of worship; yet, because you liberate others as well, you are preeminently worthy of honor. The rays of your speech satisfy those tormented by the afflictions, just as the moonbeams of night satisfy those tormented by the heat of summer. The disciples, parched by the thirst for the Dharma, gaze upon your face, just as crows parched by thirst gaze upon a mass of summer rain clouds.
By the sound of your speech, the Dharma, you bring joy to all those to be trained; it is like the sound of a melodious song that causes even wandering deer to stop. Those who seek refuge but do not go for refuge to you, the one worthy of refuge, but instead take refuge in non-Buddhist extremists, will remain without protection and suffer for a long time. Even with a thousand eyes, Śakra has not seen suchness; yet you, with the eye of wisdom, see it and show it to others. Those who pride themselves on knowing the treatises and engage in much contentious debate are cowed by your vision and wander about like bees. When you subdue opponents with even a single word of your speech, others remain in silence, like the cuckoo in winter. Your excellent disciples are like a tree in full bloom with the flowers of virtue, as beautiful as a tree adorned with blossoms in spring. O Sage, your arrow of intelligence has pierced the target of all that is to be known, a feat that the god of Love could not achieve even in the city of Rati. Those arrogant ones who pride themselves on being learned, not knowing your path to liberation, wander in the wilderness of cyclic existence, like a crowd of blind people in a desolate forest. When worldly people doubt whether the results of actions exist or not, your very body serves as the witness to virtuous deeds. O ocean of qualities, I cannot fathom the limits of your virtues.
It is like the sky of blue lapis lazuli, which birds cannot fathom its limits. This concludes the thirteenth chapter, titled "Praise by Way of Examples," from the Praise of the Blessed Buddha: A Laudation of the Worthy of Praise. This concludes the Praise of the Blessed Buddha: A Laudation of the Worthy of Praise, composed by the master Mātṛceṭa. It was translated by the Indian abbot Padmākara and the translator-monk Rinchen Zangpo.