The Eight Auspicious Nobles Ones in Verse

THE EIGHT AUSPICIOUS NOBLE ONES IN VERSE THE PRAYER BY JU MIPHAM NAMGYAL

TRANSLATED BY TONY DUFF PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE

Copyright and Fair Usage Notice Copyright © Tony Duff 2008. All rights reserved. The translations and commentaries contained herein are made available online as a gift of dharma. They are being offered with the intent that anyone may download them, print them out, read and study them, share them with friends, and even copy and redistribute the files privately. Still, the following must be observed: • The files may be copied and given to others privately provided that no fee is charged for them. • Other web-sites are encouraged to link to this page. However, the files may only be put up for distribution on other sites with the expressed permission of the author. • Neither the files nor their content are in the public domain; the copyright for both remains with the author. • In accord with standard copyright law, you may use reasonable portions of these files for your own work, publication or translations. If you cite from them or use them in that way, please cite these files as if they were printed books. Please make it clear in your work which portions of your text is coming from our translation and which portions are based on other sources.

THE EIGHT AUSPICIOUS NOBLE ONES IN VERSE THE PRAYER BY JU MIPHAM NAMGYAL

TRANSLATED BY TONY DUFF PADMA KARPO TRANSLATION COMMITTEE

For enquiries regarding permission to reproduce this book or any portion of it, or to obtain further books, please write to the given address or contact the author via internet and e-mail.

Copyright © 2008 Tony Duff. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without permission in writing from the publisher. Second edition, February 2009 Palatino typeface with diacritical marks and Tibetan Classic typeface courtesy of Tibetan Computer Company Produced, Printed, and Published by Padma Karpo Translation Committee P.O. Box 4957 Kathmandu NEPAL Committee members who worked on this publication: Lama Tony Duff, Chris Vicevich. Web-site and e-mail contact through: http://www.tibet.dk/pktc Or search Padma Karpo Translation Committee on the web.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii THE EIGHT AUSPICIOUS NOBLE ONES IN VERSE . . . . . . . . . . 1 A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE PRAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 HOW TO TRANSLATE THE PRAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 TIBETAN TEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

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INTRODUCTION

This book is about a very popular prayer in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, called the “Eight Auspicious Noble Ones in Verse”. The prayer is actually an invocation of auspiciousness that was written by the great Nyingma guru, Ju Mipham Namgyal Gyatso. There were many translations of the prayer around at the time of writing. The verses of the invocation that come after the first verse are straightforward and not difficult to translate, though, even then, they have not always been translated correctly. The first verse contains ideas which have not become common yet amongst Westerners and because of that, it seems, this verse till now has not been translated correctly. Chris Vicevich approached me early this year, asking me to help him with the problems that he was finding in other translations. The result was this new translation and a small commentary to help clarify the meaning. As the work progressed, we realized that we could make this into a very nice exercise in translation, which we could offer for free to help those trying to learn Tibetan and how to translate from Tibetan. We created the exercise and included it in here after the invocation and commentary on it. Then, to make the whole book complete, we supplied the Tibetan text of the invocation.

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The book is meant both for practitioners and for those who are trying to learn to translate Tibetan texts. For the former, the new and correct translation with commentary should be helpful. For the latter, the attention to detail in the translation exercise and the provision of the Tibetan text so that it can be compared with the translation should of special interest.

STUDY TOOLS In general, the Padma Karpo Translation Committee has published a wide range of books on Buddhist dharma. Reading nearly any of them will help anyone to understand more about both the subject and the language involved. Certainly all of them will be helpful to anyone who is seriously trying to become a translator. See our website at the address given on the copyright page; you will find free texts and texts for sale there, all of them prepared to the highest level of quality. You will also find many aids for those wanting to translate. We would strongly recommend the Illuminator Tibetan-English Dictionary as something you should use if you are translating. In addition, you will want to use it in conjunction with the translation exercise; it contains a large amount of information about Tibetan grammar in general and all of the points mentioned in the exercise in particular. You would also be interested in our major work on Tibetan grammar, The Thirty Verses of Minister Thumi, which presents, for the first time in the West, Tibetan grammar as it is actually used and understood by Tibetans. In fact, the translation exercise in here is founded on the principles of Tibetan grammar which are laid out very extensively in that book.

THE VERSES

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Finally, there are other publications on our website which can be used as exercises in translation. May all be auspicious for you, Lama Tony Duff Padma Karpo Translation Committee Swayambhunath, Nepal, 5th February, 2009.

THE EIGHT AUSPICIOUS NOBLE ONES IN VERSE

If you recite this one time at the beginning of any undertaking, it will cause it to be accomplished easily and in accordance with your wishes. Therefore, turn your attention to it. OṂ

Apparent existence is complete purity’s nature, spontaneous presence; Its auspiciousness is the noble assemblies—the buddhas, dharmas, And saṅghas, who reside in the fields of the ten directions; Paying homage to them all may there be auspiciousness for us! Homage to the Eight Sugatas — Dronme Gyalpo, Tsalten Dondrup Gong, Jampa’i Gyen Pal, Gedrak Pal Dampa, Kunla Gongpa Gyacher Drakpa Chen, Lhunpo Tar Phak Tsal Drak Pal, Semchen Tamche la Gong Drakpa’i Pal, Yid Tshim Dzaypa Tsal Rab Drak Pal— Even hearing their names rouses auspiciousness and glory! 1

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Homage to the eight bodhisatvas— Youthful Mañjuśhrī, glorious Vajrapāṇi, Avalokiteśhvara, guardian Maitreya, Kṣhitigarbha, Nivaranaviskambin, Ākāśhagarbha, and the most noble Samantabhadra, Who, holding their insignia of utpala, vajra, White lotus, Nāga Tree, jewel, moon, sword, and sun, Are the supreme ones of auspiciousness and glory. Homage to the eight auspicious goddesses— The ladies of the eight excellent precious symbols— The excellent precious umbrella, auspicious golden fish, Good wish-fulfilling vase, exquisite Kamala flower, Conch of fame, glorious endless knot of perfect abundance, Ever victorious victory banner, and wheel of governance— Who offer to and delight the conquerors throughout time and space; Remembrance of your specific qualities of charm, and so on, increases glory. Homage to the Eight Protectors of the World— Great Braḥmā, Shambhu, Narayana, Thousand-Eyed, the Kings Dhṛiṭarāṣhṭra, Virudhaka, Nāga Ruler Virūpākṣha, And Vaiśhravaṇa—who hold the divine articles of Wheel, trident, short spear, vajra, Vīṇā, sword, stūpa, and banner of victory, and Increase the auspiciousness of virtue in the three levels’ abodes.

THE TEXT

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May the undertaking we are about to begin here Have all obstacles and harmful influences pacified, Proceed with success, then be accomplished as desired. May there be auspiciousness, goodness, and perfection. The supreme Conqueror has said that: If recited on rising, the day’s plans will all be achieved; If recited on sleeping, good dreams will be seen; If recited on entering battle, there will be total victory; If recited on starting a project, the plans for it will succeed; If recited continuously, there will be an excellence of glory, fame, and wealth, Perfection of goodness, and accomplishment of projects as desired; And all meaningfulness of cleansing evil and obscuration and rising to the definite goodness of higher stations will be accomplished. This, a great jewel encrusted Doshal necklace, came forth from the oceanic mind of Jampal Gyes pa’i Dorje in the third month of the Fire Monkey year, during a favourable conjunction of the planets, sun, and constellation Pushya. Sarva Mangalam. Translated by Lama Tony Duff in the magic forest of Broceliande, the place of Merlin, Arthur, and the fairies, in April 2008, with assistance from Chris Vicevich.

A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE PRAYER

This prayer is an invocation. It is based on various things mentioned by the Buddha relevant to the development of auspiciousness. The author has summed up what the Buddha said and put it into four lines verses, together invocations to the various principles of auspiciousness. Thus it becomes a prayer for making a connection with auspiciousness. The invocations start with the highest principles connected with auspiciousness and proceed in order through lesser ones. According to Buddhism, ultimate auspiciousness is the Three Jewels, so the first verse connects with them. There are many reasons why the Three Jewels are the ultimate auspiciousness. You will find a long explanation of the subject in the book “Unending Auspiciousness”1 which contains a complete explanation both by myself and by Ju Mipham of the Sūtra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels. The next most auspicious principle will be the buddhas in general and they are mentioned here as a group of eight sugatas that Śhākyamuni Buddha connected especially with auspiciousness. Sugata

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By Tony Duff, published by Padma Karpo Translation Committee.

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is one of many names for a person who has become a buddha. Their names are mentioned as their Tibetan names. The next most auspicious principle will be the bodhisatva mahasatvas. There are bodhisatvas still caught in saṃsāra and those who have transcended saṃsāra. The ones who have transcended saṃsāra abide on the bodhisatva levels. The Buddha said that there were ten such levels. He explained that those on the first through seventh levels had the danger that they could fall back within the levels. However, those on the eighth, ninth, and tenth, because they had purified their minds so extensively, could not fall back and were close to being truly complete buddhas. All bodhisatvas on the levels are called “bodhisatvas”. However, the bodhisatvas dwelling on the eighth through tenth bhūmis, which are called the pure one’s bhūmis, are given an extra name to indicate how special they have become. They are called bodhisatva mahasatvas, the great being type of bodhisatvas. Thus, the name mahasatva when seen with the name bodhisatva is not just another nice name but specifically tells you that this is a bodhisatva on the levels of the pure ones. Śhākyamuni Buddha had eight, bodhisatva mahasatva heart sons. They were very far advanced and some of them like Maitreya, Mañjuśhrī, and Samantabhadra were on the tenth level, about to become buddhas. Each of the eight has his own insignia in the form of something carried, and those are mentioned in the verse, in the same order as the names of the heart-son bodhisatvas. The level of auspiciousness connected with the eight is similar to the level of auspiciousness connected with the principles mentioned in the previous verses.

A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE PRAYER

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Next comes a set of eight things that the Buddha himself stated to be auspicious. These have been honoured as “the eight auspicious items” throughout Buddhist history. Here, they are put together with goddesses who carry them as an offering of auspiciousness. The eight auspicious items are mentioned in the text. Each of the eight goddesses has her individual, specific good quality. The first one’s quality of “charm” is mentioned in the invocation. Next comes the great gods of our era who can exert a positive effect on our world. These gods were all well-known to ancient Indian culture and the Buddha included them in his teaching. A lot could be said about them, which would involve recounting ancient Indian cultural stories and Buddhist stories, too. The key point though is that all of them, according to the Buddha, have the ability to exert a positive effect on our world. If you stay on their good side, and invoke them, they could provide you with auspiciousness. There are two sets of gods here, the first four and the second four each are a group. The first four are the great gods of Indian culture in general. Great Braḥmā is the great god Braḥmā who has a wheel as his insignia. Shambhu is a name for the great god Śhiva, who has a trident as his insignia. Narayana is a name for the great god Viṣhṇu who has a short spear as his insignia. Thousand-eyed is a name for the great god Indra who carries a vajra as his insignia. All of them have great power and can have significant effect over the human realm. The second group of four is the four guardian kings. The level of existence immediately above the human realm is a set of four realms, one associated with each of the four cardinal directions. Each one is controlled by a king and that king and his minions—which in each case includes powerful spirits—can exert a strong influence on the human realm. Collectively, these gods

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are all traditionally associated with the idea of bringing down auspiciousness in one form or another. Following the invocations, all done in sets of eight, just as mentioned in the title, there is one, four-line verse of aspiration for auspiciousness. That is followed by two more four line verses that go together to complete the invocation. These verses sum up the possibilities, as stated by the Buddha, when these various principles are invoked for auspiciousness. The last section at the end, which says, “if recited continuously” consists of two lines that indicate the worldly benefits of doing so followed by the very last line that indicates the non-worldly, that is dharmic, benefits of doing so. The colophon of the prayer mentions the time and circumstance of the invocation’s composition. A doshal necklace is one of the three types of necklace traditionally worn by the gods and the women of Indian Hindu society and which was taken as one of the ornaments of Buddhist sambhogakāya deities. It is a very long necklace that hangs all the way down below the breast and above the navel and is encrusted in a specific fashion with gems. It is the most magnificent of the three types of necklace worn in that culture and hence by sambhogakāya deities. That gives you some sense of how he thinks of the invocation he has just composed. The translation was originally done by Lama Tony in France, in the magic forest of Broceliande, the place of Merlin, Arthur, and the fairies. Just after that, Chris Vicevich took an active interest and gave a great deal of assistance to the work.

HOW TO TRANSLATE THE PRAYER A SMALL EXERCISE IN TRANSLATION

INTRODUCTION This is a small exercise in translation using the well-known and popular prayer written by Ju Mipham Namgyal called,

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