Praise of Stūpas at Eight Great Places

In Praise of the Stūpas at the Eight Great Sacred Places

by Ārya Nāgārjuna

In the language of India: Aṣṭa-mahā-sthāna-caitya-stotra
In the language of Tibet: gnas chen po brgyad kyi mchod rten la bstod pa

Homage to Youthful Mañjuśrī!

The sole guru of beings was born in Lumbinī,
And he dwelt in the city of Kapilavastu—
Homage to the Stūpas of the Sugata,
Ornamented by ten million precious qualities.

He sat beneath the bodhi tree in Magadha,
On the bank of the river called Nairañjanā—
Homage to the support for awakening,
The Stūpa of Vast Qualities.

In Kāśikā, the city of Vārāṇasī,
With the marvelous, liberating Wheel of Dharma,
He cut through afflictions and obscurations—
Homage to the Four Wisdom Stūpas.

At Śrāvastī, he thwarted the might of others,
And he displayed a great miracle at Jeta’s Grove,
And manifested a sublime thought in the three worlds—
Homage to the Stūpa of Defeating Extremists.

In the sacred and exalted city of Sāṃkāśya,
He returned from heaven in a sublime descent.
Brahmā and Indra laid a crown at his feet—
Homage to the Stūpa of Thirty Gods’ Offerings.

When the Saṅgha had become divided,
The Teacher’s listeners were reconciled
At the Bamboo Grove in Rājagṛha—
Homage to the Stūpa of Loving Kindness.

When he gave up his conditioned lifetime,
His life was blessed yet again
And he was utterly free—
Homage to the Blessed Stūpa of Vaiśālī.

In Kuśinagara, he inspired
Beings to practice virtue—
Homage to the Stūpa of Nirvāṇa,
Between the Mallas’ twin sal trees.

I bow to all dharmakāyas abiding
At the eight stūpas of Śākyamuni,
In the ten directions, and elsewhere—
I humbly pay homage, always, to peace!

In this way, I pay heartfelt homage to the pure essence, free from elaboration,
Ineffable and permanent—the dharmakāya buddha pervading beings like space.
Through whatever pristine merit, white as snow, has been gathered in my mindstream,
May every single sentient being attain samādhi, bliss, realization, and awakening.

Thus concludes the Praise to the Stūpas at the Eight Great Sacred Places, Composed by the Mahācārya, Ārya Nāgārjuna.

| Samye Translations (trans. Monica Thunder and Peter Woods).