Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text outlines a ritual method for accumulating merit by integrating the seven-branch prayer practice with the recitation of the names of Mañjuśrī. The fragment begins with a formal homage to Mañjuśrī and the lineage of Victors, establishing the necessary devotional state of body, speech, and mind. It then transitions into a request for forbearance, acknowledging potential imperfections in the practitioner's execution of the recitation. By framing the recitation as an offering to the Victors, the text commits the reader to a disciplined practice of faith and mindfulness. The primary objective is the generation of merit, predicated on the Buddhist principle that faith-based merit is never wasted. The work functions as a liturgical guide, directing the practitioner to combine specific mantra-like recitations with a broader framework of merit-accumulation practices to accelerate spiritual progress.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual guide for accumulating merit through the seven-branch practice of the Chanting of the Names of Mañjuśrī, this treatise belongs to the Yoga Tantra Treatises. The work is attributed to the Indian author Mañjuśrīmitra. Preserved in the classical Tibetan tradition, the text appears in volume ངུ of the Tengyur. The work enacts a devotional process that begins with homage to Mañjuśrīvajra and the lineage of Victors, utilizing the devotion of body, speech, and mind to establish a state of faith. It functions as a liturgical method where the practitioner offers recitations to the Victors and requests forbearance for any distractions or imperfections in execution. By framing the recitation as an offering, the text seeks to generate merit that is never wasted, ultimately requesting instructions on precious secret mantras. A scholar or serious reader consults this two-page treatise to examine the integration of mantra-like recitations with the broader framework of merit-accumulation practices within the Yoga Tantra tradition.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Method for Amassing the Accumulations by means of the Seven Branches according to “The Recitation of the Names of Mañjuśrī”” (Toh 2554), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2554
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for illustrating how specific deity recitations are embedded within the broader Tibetan framework of the seven-branch prayer. It demonstrates the intersection of devotional practice and the technical pursuit of merit accumulation. For the modern reader, it provides insight into the ritualized nature of Tibetan Buddhist scholarship and practice.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Homage and Invocation
A formal salutation to Mañjuśrī and the spiritual lineage.
2
Offering and Request for Forbearance
The practitioner offers the recitation to the Victors and asks for forgiveness for any errors in practice.
Themes
Accumulation of Merit (1-2)
Devotion and Faith (1-2)
Ritual Forbearance (2)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Method for Amassing the Accumulations by means of the Seven Branches according to “The Recitation of the Names of Mañjuśrī”·
Homage to the noble Mañjuśrī!
Regarding the method for accumulating merit through the seven-branch practice of the Chanting of the Names of Mañjuśrī:
To Mañjuśrīvajra and the rest,
To the Victors and their spiritual heirs,
With devotion of body, speech, and mind,
I bow down and pay homage from all sides.
Whatever is praised in the Buddha-fields,
And whatever is supreme in the worlds—
Precious jewels, flowers, incense, and so forth—
I emanate and present as offerings.
Whatever negative actions I have committed in the past,
And all that has been accumulated,
I confess before all the Victors,
Through the realization of their lack of inherent existence.
Regarding the merit of the Protectors
And all the virtues of the lowly,
With a concordant and superior intention,
I rejoice with faith.
To the Sugatas who have generated the mind of enlightenment
And, out of compassion, wish to discipline wandering beings,
I pray, like Brahmā,
To turn the wheel of Dharma.
To those who intend to pass into parinirvāṇa,
For the sake of the long-term happiness of wandering beings,
For as long as saṃsāra endures,
I pray that you remain and do not pass into nirvāṇa.
For as long as I remain in saṃsāra,
May my virtue likewise never be exhausted,
But rather bring all sentient beings
To complete maturity.
From this moment until I reach the heart of enlightenment,
I offer myself as a servant to the Protectors;
Please hold me with your compassion.
From this moment until I reach the heart of enlightenment,
I shall accomplish the welfare of all beings
Just as you, Sugatas, have commanded;
Please grant your blessings.
To please the Victors, I have constantly offered this precious recitation before you with faith. For any slight discomfort of body or speech, or for any distraction of thought, I ask for your forbearance. Since not even the smallest merit generated through faith will ever go to waste, O Protector, please grant me instructions on the various precious secret mantras. May the precious secret mantras bear fruit so that sickness, suffering, enemies, obstructors, and the various conditions of dwelling in the ocean of saṃsāra may be permanently eliminated in both this life and the next.
This concludes the method for accumulating merit through the seven-branch practice of the Mañjuśrī-nāma-saṃgīti, composed by the master Mañjuśrīmitra.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.