Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This ritual text provides a prescriptive sequence for the generation of bodhicitta, the aspiration for complete enlightenment. The work functions as a liturgical guide, beginning with a formal homage to Mañjuśrī and the prerequisite act of taking refuge. It instructs the practitioner in specific physical postures—joining the palms and kneeling—to accompany the verbalization of a vow. The text commits the reader to a lifelong commitment to the pursuit of unsurpassed awakening, framing this aspiration as a means to facilitate the parinirvāṇa of others. By linking personal aspiration to the collective liberation of sentient beings, the ritual transforms a private mental state into a formal, structured commitment aligned with the precedents of previous Tathāgatas and Arhats.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual guide for the generation of the awakening mind, the sems bskyed pa'i cho ga belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. The work is attributed to the Indian author Mañjuśrīmitra. It is preserved in the Tengyur, specifically volume ངུ, where it comprises two pages and is situated within the Yoga Tantra Treatises collection. The record does not name the translators responsible for its passage into Tibetan. The text enacts a prescriptive liturgical sequence, beginning with homage to Mañjuśrī and the taking of refuge. It directs the practitioner to adopt specific physical postures, such as joining the palms and kneeling, while reciting vows to attain unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening. By framing the pursuit of omniscience as a means to facilitate the parinirvāṇa of others, the ritual aligns the practitioner's intent with the precedents of previous Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Bodhisattvas. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine the formal structure of bodhicitta generation and the integration of physical gesture with verbal commitment in the Yoga Tantra tradition.
The work is significant as it exemplifies the formalization of the bodhicitta vow within the Indo-Tibetan tradition, moving from abstract philosophy to ritual application. For the modern reader, it illustrates the intersection of somatic practice and ethical intention in Buddhist liturgy.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Preliminary Homage and Posture
Invocation of Mañjuśrī and instructions on the physical gestures of refuge and offering.
2
The Vow of Bodhicitta
The specific verbal formula for generating the mind of enlightenment for the benefit of others.
Themes
Bodhicitta (1-2)
Ritual Posture (1)
Altruistic Liberation (2)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
Homage to the noble Mañjuśrī!
Having thus performed the sublime taking of refuge, the generation of the awakening mind (bodhicitta) is as follows: Joining the palms in homage and making offerings, place the right knee on the ground and speak these words: "Just as the former Tathāgatas, Arhats, perfectly complete Buddhas, and the Blessed Ones, as well as the Bodhisattvas dwelling on the great stages, generated the precious, unsurpassed, supreme awakening in their hearts, so may I, who am called [name], be accepted as one who holds the precious gift of generating the supreme awakening mind." Thus, one should make this request three times.
Then, speak as follows: "All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas dwelling in the ten directions, please attend to me! I, who am called [name], through the roots of virtue arising from generosity, arising from ethical discipline, and arising from meditation—whether performed by me in the past, in this life, or in other lives; or caused to be performed; or in which I have rejoiced—by these roots of virtue, just as the former Tathāgatas, Arhats, perfectly complete Buddhas, and the Bodhisattvas dwelling on the great stages generated the precious, unsurpassed, supreme awakening mind, so too, I, who am called [name], in order to ripen those sentient beings who are not yet ripened, to liberate those who are not yet liberated, and to give breath to those who have not yet found relief..."
In order that those who have not yet passed into parinirvāṇa may pass into parinirvāṇa, one should make this supplication: "From this time forth until I reach the essence of enlightenment, I shall generate the mind set upon unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening." Then, one should recite these words:
"By this merit, may I attain the state of omniscience,
And having defeated the enemies of the faults,
May I lead all beings across the ocean of existence,
Which is turbulent with the waves of aging, sickness, and death.
By this virtue, may all beings
Accumulate the collections of merit and wisdom,
And may they attain the two sublime bodies
That arise from merit and wisdom.
Like earth, water, fire, or wind,
Or like a medicinal tree in the wilderness,
May I be the remedy for every illness
Of all sentient beings.
Through being seen, heard, remembered, or touched,
May I be like a boat or a bridge
For all sentient beings.
May the aspirations of all those
Who dwell as bodhisattvas be fulfilled,
So that all beings may have lasting happiness
And the lower realms may forever be emptied.
In the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly,
I take refuge until I reach enlightenment.
Through these acts of generosity and the rest,
May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of the world."
Thus, one should dedicate the roots of virtue for the sake of all sentient beings. This concludes the ritual for generating the awakening mind 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.