The Essence of the Thorough Praises to the Thirty-Five Sugatas
Composed by Choden Rinpoche Lobzang Gyalten Jigdrel Wangchuk
Homage to Guru Moonlight!
Endowed with a golden hue, with one hand in the earth pressing mudra and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify the misdeeds of 10,000 eons, and
You are the splendor of this suffering world:
Supreme Guide, Pinnacle of the Śākyas, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify the misdeeds of 10,000 eons, and
You are the splendor of buddhafield Essence of Space, in the upper direction:
Thoroughly Destroying with Vajra Essence, to you, I prostrate!
Red bodied, with both hands in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify the misdeeds of 30,000 eons, and
You are the splendor of buddhafield Existent Jewel in the east:
Radiant Jewel Who Clears Away Darkness, to you I prostrate!
Dark blue with a white face, and with the mudra of taming nagas,
You purify the misdeeds of eight eons, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Filled with Nagas in the southeast:
Dharmadhātu King, Lord of the Nagas, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with one hand in the mudra of granting refuge and the other with the palm away to the side,
You purify all misdeeds of frivolous speech, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Glory in the south:
Army of Heroes who Destroys Darkness, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify all misdeeds of the mind without exception, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Joy in the southwest:
Delights in the Magnificence of the Joy of Dharma, to you I prostrate!
Red bodied, with one hand in the earth pressing mudra and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds of saying harmful things regarding the sangha, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Illumination in the west:
Blazing Jewel Fire, to you I prostrate!
White bodied, with one hand in the earth pressing mudra and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify the misdeeds of one eon, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Beautiful Light in the west:
Jewel Moonlight that Clears Away Darkness, to you I prostrate!
Green bodied, with one hand in the mudra of granting refuge and the other with the palm away to the side,
You purify all misdeeds of stealing from an arya being, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Sound of the Drum in the north:
Having Purpose and Observance of Teaching the Dharma, to you I prostrate!
White bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify all misdeeds of killing one’s mother without exception, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Possessed of Light Rays in the northeast:
Jewel Moon Radiating Coolness, to you I prostrate!
Dark blue bodied, with both hands in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds of killing one’s father without exception, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Filled with Consequences in the lower direction:
Stainless Perception and Meditation, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify all misdeeds of killing an arhat, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Glory in the upper direction:
Bestower of Glorious Exalted Wisdom without Obscuration, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with one hand in the earth pressing mudra and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds of causing a schism in the sangha, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Without Obscuration in the east:
Excellently Pure and Clean without Obscuration, to you I prostrate!
Red bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify all misdeeds of drawing blood from a tathāgata, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Without Misfortune in the southeast:
Bestower of Most Victorious Purity, to you I prostrate!
White bodied, with both hands in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds of refuting an arhat, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Without Stain in the south:
God of the Waters that Absolves the Stains of the Afflictive Emotions, to you I prostrate!
White bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify all misdeeds of killing a bodhisattva that has achieved Ascertained Placement, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Clarity in the southwest:
God of the Gods of the Waters that Absolve Stains, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with one hand in the mudra of granting refuge and the other with the palm away to the side,
You purify all misdeeds of killing a master, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Possessed of Bliss in the west:
Glorious Goodness of the Completed Two Aims, to you I prostrate!
White bodied, with one hand in the earth pressing mudra and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds of blocking the means of livelihood of the sangha, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Filled with Beautiful Scents in the northwest:
Glorious Sandalwood Dispelling Longing, to you I prostrate!
Red bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify all misdeeds of destroying stupas, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Majesty in the north:
Inestimable Splendor Filling All Realms, to you I prostrate!
Dark blue bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify all misdeeds accumulated because of anger, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Purpose in the northeast:
Completely Pure by Nature Glorious Light, to you I prostrate!
Pink bodied, with both hands in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds accumulated because of desire, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Devoid of Obscurations in the lower direction:
Glorious One Devoid of All Suffering and Sorrow, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with both hands in the mudra of teaching the Dharma,
You purify the misdeeds of one eon, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Devoid of Craving in the upper direction:
Unrivalled Son of Non-Craving, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with one hand in the mudra of granting refuge and the other with the palm away to the side,
You purify the misdeeds of one hundred thousand eons, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Great and Expansive Flower in the east:
Glorious Charming Flower, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with one hand in the earth pressing mudra and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify the misdeeds of one thousand eons, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Filled with Purity in the southeast:
Play of Pure Light Rays, to you I prostrate!
Red bodied, with one hand in the earth pressing mudra and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify the misdeeds of seven eons, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Lotuses in the south:
Play of Lotus Light Rays, to you I prostrate!
Dark blue bodied, with both hands in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds that come from past imprints, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Existent Jewel in the southwest:
Glorious Wealth Enriched with the Wealth of the Aryas, to you I prostrate!
Yellow bodied, with both hands in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all of the misdeeds of the body, without exception, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed With Clarity in the west:
Glorious Mindfulness of Body, Feelings, Mind and Dharma, to you I prostrate!
White bodied, with one hand in the mudra of teaching Dharma and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds of being unhappy at the emergence of a buddha, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Without Characteristics in the northwest:
Glorious Name Widely Renowned, to you I prostrate!
Dark blue, holding a victory banner with your right hand and your left in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds that are the product of envy, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Clear Sense Faculties in the north:
Victory Banner of the Pinnacle of the Sense Faculties, to you I prostrate!
Dark blue, holding sword with your right hand and your left in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds you caused another to perform, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Sport in the northeast:
Glorious Perfect and Complete Subduer, to you I prostrate!
Dark blue, holding a yellow suit of armor with both hands,
You purify all misdeeds that were motivated by pride, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Without Obscurations in the lower direction:
Perfectly and Utterly Victorious in Battle, to you I prostrate!
Dark blue bodied, with both hands in the earth pressing mudra,
You purify all subtle misdeeds, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Glory in the east:
Glorious Progression by Complete Subduing, to you I prostrate!
Red bodied, with one hand in the mudra of granting refuge and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds of rejoicing in the negativities of others, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Attained Illumination in the south:
Glorious Attainment Completely Illuminating, to you I prostrate!
Orange bodied, with one hand in the mudra of granting refuge and the other in the mudra of meditative equipoise,
You purify all misdeeds of renouncing the lower vehicles, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Endowed with Glory:
Jewel Lotus Complete Subduer, to you I prostrate!
Yellow, with hands in meditative equipoise and above them holding a mountain,
You purify all misdeeds of degenerated samaya, and
You are the splendor of the buddhafield Jewels:
King of the Lord of Mountains Free of Illusions, to you I prostrate!
May our actions of hearing, remembering, and reciting of the names, and
Offering prostrations to these thirty fives ones gone to bliss in the past,
Purify all of our obscurations!
By the power of the truth of this prayer, bless us to directly realize the result of the path!
Colophon: In this Essence of the Thorough Praises to the Thirty-Fives Sugatas the colors of the bodies and the hand mudras are in accordance with scripture, as they appeared again and again in to Je Dagnyi Chenpo (Je Tsongkhapa). The benefits of the names are the assertions of Great Atiśa, altered in accordance with the teaching of Gyaltsab Je. The names of the buddhafields are cited from Indian commentarial sources, as explained by the 7th Dalai Lama Kelzang Gyatso. The meaning of the names are as expressed by Tāranātha. This was written during the waxing of the seventh month of the Female Wood Snake Year of the 16th Rabjung Cycle, a “Second Conqueror” auspicious day, the day for the One with Seven Light Rays (Saturday), when the goddesses of the “Celestial Manor” constellation play, a day for performing long-life activities, a most auspicious day (18 September 1965), in the palace of the Ruler of Supreme Lands, the King of the Śākyas, near the base of the Rasa Gazhi Trulnang Temple, by one well versed in grammar and exegesis with the name of Ngawang Loter, a practitioner who laughs with the youth of a joyful mind.
May the splendor of jewels of virtue created by this
Ripen into acquiring the joy and happiness of teaching and knowing, and
From that my I, and all others like my parents and so forth, be endowed with faith,
Be free of obscurations, and achieve complete mastery of the four bodies!
Saying thus you become an actor for the sake of your parents. May happiness and goodness spread!
Namaḥ sarvatathāgata hṛdaya| Anugate| Oṃ kuruṃ gini svāhā|
By reciting this mantra of “Purifying All Obscurations from the Essence of All Tathātagatas” one time it is said that you purify all misdeeds accumulated during 100,000 eons.
Translator’s Colophon: Translated by Śākya Gelong Gyalten Lekden, Sera Je Monastery January 2016. Any merit that is the result of this translation is dedicated to the long and stable lives of our holy gurus, that they may remain until samsara ends to liberate all sentient beings from suffering with the inspirational perfection of their Dharma bodies, the unsurpassed nectar of the Dharma speech, and the inseparable bliss and emptiness of their Dharma minds.
Translator’s note: This is a rough, unchecked translation that was completed at the request of a number of Choden Rinpoche’s students. It can be shared with students for the purpose of personal practice, but it is not to be published. It likely contains errors, for which I offer my deepest apologies. The names of these buddhas were translated with a careful consideration of both Tibetan and Sanskrit, using the Nāgārjuna’s commentary as a guide. (Although Nāgārjuna’s system employs different visualizations—the buddhas’ colors are not the same and they are holding various hand instruments—the names and their meanings are the same. This has led to some of the names being different than what one may be accustomed to from other contemporary translations. The opening line of homage is unclear, and likely an error by typesetter or editor. The actual text reads “Homage to Guru Triple Cādhi.” The difficulty comes in that “cādhitraya,” “Triple Cādhi,” is not a word in Sanskrit, best I can find. Hypothesizing potential typos with a similar appearance in the Tibetan led to “caṇḍikāya,” or “moonlight,” which sounds nice but is not a recognized name and is not the name of any of the names of the buddhas in the practice (there is a buddha with the word moonlight in his name, but that is a different word). Other potentials would be “caṇḍitraya,” or the “three wrathful ones,” and “caṇḍika,” with “Caṇḍika” being the proper name of a goddess that appear in at least one piece of Buddhist literature. “Moonlight,” even without an identifiable reference, makes the most sense, but the likelihood for error is high.