PRAYERS AT THE BEGINNING OF A SESSION
Perfection of Wisdom Prayer
Perfection of Wisdom, mother of buddhas and union of refuges,
I pray to you from the bottom of my heart.
This precious human form is difficult to obtain and embodies opportunities and resources.
Give me energy to realize its potential.
The ultimate foe, the Lord of Death, can come at any time.
Give me energy to live a life of no regret.
The laws of the way things are work internally.
Give me energy to live without shame.
Suffering is present in all six realms.
Give me energy not to take birth in these states.
The three jewels are the reliable and definite refuges.
Give me energy to trust them.
The beings in the six realms are as kind as my parents.
Give me energy for loving kindness and compassion.
In the end my mind is nothing but being as truth.
Give me energy to attain a stable understanding.
Refuge & Awakening Mind
Until I awaken, I take refuge in
Buddha, Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly.
Through the goodness of generosity and other virtues,
May I awaken fully in order to help all beings.
Four Immeasurables
May all beings enjoy happiness and the seeds of happiness.
May they be free from suffering and the seeds of suffering.
May they not be separate from true happiness free of suffering.
May they rest in great equanimity, free from preference and prejudice.
PRAYERS AT THE END OF A SESSION
Dedication Prayers
Through this goodness, may I come to complete knowing.
May the enemy, wrong action be overcome.
From the stormy waves of birth, old age, illness and death,
This ocean of existence, may all beings be freed.
I do not cling in any way
To the virtue and goodness I have generated.
In order that all beings may benefit from it
I dedicate it to the realm of totality.
This virtue and all virtue gathered in the three times
I dedicate as all buddhas do
To supreme non-residing awakening.
May I attain the state of union in this life.
Aspiration for Awakening Mind
Awakening mind is precious.
May it arise where it has not arisen.
May it not fade where it has arisen.
May it ever grow and flourish.
Prayers for Good Fortune
The energy of lineage teachers gathers like great clouds;
The abilities of yidams pour down like rain;
The activities of dakinis and protectors ripen like fruit.
Good fortune: may the two aims come about naturally.
Through the power of truth of aspirations made with a totally pure mind,
Through the inevitability of dependence and conditions totally formed,
And through the force of what is, profound and totally true,
May the brilliance of good fortune blaze forever.
Traditional Tibetan Buddhist prayers translated into English by Ken McLeod at UnfetteredMind.org.