By Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Founder of Fo Guang Shan
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Today is a new beginning!
On such a fine morning,
I recall past experiences:
Though I have failed, I was never disappointed;
Though I have been sad, I can always let go;
Though I have been wronged, I understood that everything in this world arises
and ceases according to the law of dependent origination;
Though I have shed tears, I always believed that tomorrow will be better.
Today, under the blessing and protection of your compassionate light,
I pray to you to grant me the courage to face today’s challenges;
I pray to you to grant me the patience to accept today’s setbacks;
I pray to you to grant me the strength to carry out today’s work;
I pray to you to grant me the wisdom to be grateful for today’s causes and conditions.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Please help me to increase my wisdom;
Please help me to open my heart.
May I be able to appreciate the wonders of sky and earth;
May I be able to be grateful for the warmth of the world;
May I be able to receive the assistance of friends;
May I be able to realize the value of Dharma.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Please help me become a person wealthy in spirit:
May I give with joy every day;
May I willingly form affinity with others every day;
May I practice kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity every day;
May I treat people with tolerance and generosity every day.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Please help me to be a brave person:
May I be able to purify my thoughts;
May I be able to contribute often;
May I be able to nothing unwholesome;
May I be able to do wholesome deeds.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Please bless me:
May I possess spiritual wisdom and the Buddha mind;
May I have prajna wisdom and compassion to liberate people from suffering.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
I can feel you in my mind.
I realize that I came to the human world to be happy;
I understand that I have entered into society to contribute;
I know that I am cultivating for the attainment of buddhahood.
I vow, from this moment on,
To benefit all sentient beings
To awaken myself and others every day;
And to contribute to society.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept my sincerest prayer!
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept my sincerest prayer!
(Excerpted from “A Prayer Upon Arising in the Morning (晨起祈願文)” from Pearls of Wisdom: Prayers for Engaged Living I by Venerable Master Hsing Yun)