By Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Founder of Fo Guang Shan
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
The sound of the bell echoes in the silent sky;
The wooden fish beat along with the Buddhist hymns.
Today, we approach you sincerely,
To pilgrim to your sacred image,
To venerate your golden body.
We chant your name single-mindedly;
We prostrate ourselves with the utmost sincerity before you.
Instantly we discard all distracting thoughts behind us;
Instantly, we completely remove arrogant egotism.
Our pulse begins to echo with yours,
Our minds gradually become as one.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Let us pull up the screens of selfishness;
Let us lay down the curtain of pride;
Let us cooperate with each other;
Let us achieve the Buddha Way together.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
The gentle breeze blows calmly,
The incense cloud is present all around;
Today, we approach you sincerely,
To pilgrim to your sacred image,
To venerate your golden body.
We are not afraid of the sand and stone on the road,
Nor the heavy dew on the journey,
But only of our inability to eliminate our karmic hindrances,
Our inability to completely wash away our unwholesome wrongdoings.
Oh Buddha, whom we turn to and rely on:
Please let us purify our body, speech, and mind;
Let us increase the cultivation of precepts, meditation, and wisdom;
Let us cross the sea of suffering safely;
Let us arrive at Buddhas’ lands smoothly.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
The filthy atmosphere disappears in a glance,
The pure and clean temple appears right before us;
Today, we approach you in a state of mind that longs for the Way,
To pilgrim to your sacred image,
To venerate your golden body.
We prostrate from the bottom to the top of the hill,
From outside the gate to inside the temple;
The more we prostrate,
The higher we climb, the closer we come before you.
Oh, great compassionate Buddha:
We are merely ordinary people,
We are merely beginning Buddhists;
We are willing to take the spirit of the Buddha as a model,
To awaken self and others;
We are willing to follow the steps of the Buddha
To benefit self and others.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
The polluted world is put behind us,
The pure, cool Dharma-water cleanses our body and mind.
Today, we approach you in a state of mind of zealous progress,
To pilgrim to your sacred image,
To venerate your golden body.
We are not afraid of the long journey,
Nor of the difficult mountain path;
We finally arrive before you,
We finally kneel before you.
Our great compassionate Buddha!
With your prayer,
Please protect us in welcoming your brightness;
Please support us in marching towards the great bodhi way.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept our sincerest prayer!
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept our sincerest prayer!
(Excerpted from “A Prayer for Pilgrimage 朝山祈願文)” from Pearls of Wisdom: Prayers for Engaged Living by Ven. Master Hsing Yun)