Shantideva
Thus today in the presence of all awakened Ones
I invite every living being to this festival
Giving both immediate and lasting joy.
May the gods and all others rejoice.
Until every being afflicted by pain
Has reached nirvanas shores,
May I serve only as a condition
That encourages progress and joy.
May I fall as rain to increase
The harvests that must feed living beings
And in ages of dire famine
May I myself serve as food and drink.
May the slander, harm
And all forms of abuse
That anyone should direct towards me
Act as a cause of their enlightenment.
You are not here to change the world. The world is here to change you.
May any spiritual energy thus generated
By my devotion to the enlightened ones
Be dedicated to dispelling the misery
Of living beings without exception.
Those who injure me are really impelled by my actions.
For this they will go to the realms of hell.
Surely it is they who are harmed by me?
The Bodhimind is a great radiant sun
To disperse the darkness of unknowing,
And it is the very essence of butters
Gained from churning the milks of Dharma.
For all guests on the roads of life
Who would take the very substance of joy,
Here is the actual seat of true happiness,
A veritable feast to satiate the world.
May I act as the mighty earth
Or like the free and open skies
To support and provide the space
Whereby I and all others may grow.
My body, every possession
And all goodness, past, present and future
Without remorse I dedicate
To the well-being of the world.
In the ocean-like virtue of the Bodhimind
That brings joy to all beings
And in accomplishing the well-being of others,
I lift up my heart and rejoice.
Regardless whether those whom I meet
Respond towards me with anger or faith,
May the mere fact of our meeting
Contribute to the fulfilment of their wishes.
Suffering is transcended by total surrender
And the mind attains to nirvana.
As one day all must be given up,
Why not dedicate it now to universal happiness?
Whoever wishes to quickly afford protection
To both himself and others
Should practice that holy secret:
The exchanging of self for others.
May no one who encounters me
Ever have an insignificant contact.
His the knife, and mine the body
the twofold cause of suffering.
He has grasped the knife, I my body.
At which is there anger?
As long as diseases afflict living beings
May I be the doctor, the medicine
And also the nurse
Who restores them to health.
Like a blind man fumbling in garbage
Happens to find a rare and precious gem,
Likewise I have discovered
The jewel of the precious Bodhimind.
Thus was found this supreme ambrosia to dispel
The Lord of death, destroyer of life;
An inexhaustible treasure able to cure
The poverty of all sentient beings.
For as long as space remains
And as long as sentient beings remain
Until then may I too remain
To dispel the suffering of all beings.
What need is there to say more?
The childish work for their own benefit,
The buddhas work for the benefit of others.
Just look at the difference between them.