By Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Founder of Fo Guang Shan
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Please listen to my quavering voice
Respectfully praying before you:
I am a person without opinions;
Because I lack courage and confidence,
Because I lack magnanimity and strength.
I am timid to face the society,
I refuse to accept the advice of my family.
I strive to work hard,
Yet I lack an open and magnanimous mind.
I strive to improve myself,
Yet I lack decisive willpower.
Therefore, I feel inferior and insignificant,
when facing all that I have done in the past;
Therefore, I feel deeply agitated and vulnerable,
when facing my current situation.
Whenever I encounter failure, I become discouraged;
Whenever I encounter adversity, I become hesitant;
Whenever I encounter setbacks, I become low-spirited;
Whenever I encounter conflicts, I become withdrawn.
Oh Buddha, I pray to you:
May I be able to march fearlessly onward when encountering setbacks,
May I be able to pluck up my courage when facing adversity.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Please listen to my discouraged voice
Sincerely confessing before you:
I am a stubborn and selfish person,
Because I lack a joyous personality and an open mind,
Because I lack the virtue of gratitude.
Therefore,
I shirk responsibility when my career is not successful,
I impute all faults to others when teachers reproach me,
I avoid interacting with people when there is a gathering
I am depressed and worrisome when life presents difficulties.
Oh Buddha, I pray to you:
May I heed the advice of others when my career is not successful,
May I reflect upon my deeds when teachers are reprimanding me,
May I be willing to form affinities with others when I am at gatherings,
May I be able to smile even when life presents its difficulties.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Please listen to my trembling voice:
I am a struggling practitioner,
Because I have bad habits and karmic hindrances,
Because I harbor suspicion, jealousy, and viciousness.
Therefore, I often intentionally make mistakes;
Therefore, I frequently err over and over again.
Oh Buddha, I pray to you:
May I increase my wisdom and build up self-confidence
Through self-improvement;
May I gain merits and virtue,
Through diligent cultivation and progress;
May I no longer fear the disrespectful views of others;
May I no longer doubt the constructive criticism of others.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept my sincerest prayer!
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept my sincerest prayer!
(Excerpted from “A Prayer for Self-Confidence (為自我信心祈願文)” from Pearls of Wisdom: Prayers for Engaged Living I by Venerable Master Hsing Yun)