Remembering the Kindness of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan People

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Eaglehawk, Australia

This prayer was composed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche especially for the success of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s wishes, and in particular for the Tibetan people, and for there to be perfect peace and happiness in the world and for all sentient beings to achieve enlightenment.  

The prayer is also available for download as a pdf file.  

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The object of refuge of myself
And of all transmigratory beings
In all our lifetimes
Is the embodiment of the Three Jewels,
The all-encompassing Three Refuges in one:
The Guru: the Wish-granting Jewel, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

The Master: Padmasambhava,
The Dharma Kings: Songtsen Gampo and Trisong Detsen,
The Abbot: Shantarakshita,
And the numberless Holy Beings
Who preserved and spread the Buddhadharma in Tibet;
And the Tibetan people who practiced
And served Buddhism so faithfully for a thousand years,
As well as those who, along with many others,1
Died sacrificing their lives for Tibet and His Holiness¯
May all their positive wishes be fulfilled immediately.

Due to their limitless kindness,
The sun of Tibetan Buddhism has now risen in the West,
Which is a dark land.
But now that I have met with the Dharma,
I have received the perfect human body
Enabling me to lead a meaningful life.2

Our Refuge and Savior, the Supreme One: His Holiness the Dalai Lama
And the Tibetan people have been so kind to us!
Remembering this we make the following dedicating prayers:

May all His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s wishes be successful immediately;
May the Snow Land of Tibet achieve pure freedom
And develop the Buddhadharma even more than before in Tibet;
And may all mother transmigratory beings achieve enlightenment quickly!

Colophon

George Farley, who for many years served on the FPMT Board, requested me a number of years ago to write a prayer for Tibet. At that time I thought there was no need to do so, because there already was a prayer for Tibet that His Holiness the Dalai Lama himself had written, as well as the short and long prayers for the fulfillment of His Holiness’s wishes. Therefore I suggested to George that he make his request to His Holiness the Dalai Lama instead.

When I recently arrived in Eaglehawk, Australia to visit Thubten Shedrup Ling Monastery and Atisha Centre, where they are building the Gyantse Stupa,3 I remembered George’s request. I thought that it would be important especially for Western people who had become Buddhist to remember the great kindness they had received from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Padmasambhava, the Dharma Kings, Shantarakshita and the Tibetan people as a whole. While thinking how important it is, in addition to providing whatever help to Tibet that they can give, for these Westerners to at least direct their thoughts and wishes to the welfare of the Tibetan people, this prayer came to my mind. I composed it especially for the success of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s wishes, and in particular for the Tibetan people, and for there to be perfect peace and happiness in the world and for all sentient beings to achieve enlightenment.

Composed and translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche on 4 June 2011 in Eaglehawk, Victoria, Australia. Transcribed by Holly Ansett and edited by Jon Landaw.

Notes

1 This includes Westerners, Chinese and Indian people, and so forth. [Return to text]

2 The perfect human body is beneficial temporarily (for achieving the happiness of future lives), ultimately (for achieving the happiness of liberation and full enlightenment), and in just even one second (by enabling you to use every moment to achieve these happinesses).[Return to text]

3 The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion [Return to text]