Thönmi Sambhoṭa Praise

A Blossoming of the Intellect

In Praise of the Great Pioneer Thönmi Sambhoṭa

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Namo guru mañjuśriye!

Even so much as hearing your name
Shatters the mountains of delusion,
Great translator who is inseparable from
The heroic conqueror Mañjuśrī, to you I bow!

As pure as a lotus or the whitest moon,
Bright and unblemished in colour or form,
Constantly you gaze in love, no matter where you might be—
Devotedly, we praise you, our sole refuge, Mañjughoṣa Guru!

Extremely handsome, you are like nectar to the eyes,
Fathoming even a fraction of your qualities would prove a challenge.
Great orb of wisdom and love, you lack even the slightest
Hankering after sensory pleasures such as tea or alcohol.
Iridescent, your moon-like face features lotus-like eyes.
Judiciously you bring together all the teachings of the tathāgatas,
Knowing all the sacred Dharma to be one within your wisdom mind.
Let alone in the past, even here and now and on into the future,
Most crucial, as the heart, your works will remain.
Now, like Venus, you stand aloft in the heavens of the knowable.
Over there or over here—you are not confined to such extremes.
Perfectly you grant all wishes, like the supreme cow of plenty.
Quite clearly, we are all, without exception, your disciples to train.
Readily, like a chowry, you bestow cooling bliss and wellbeing.
Sun-like, you overcome the bitter chills of existence and peace.
Taking up the sword of explanation, you cut through eternalism and nihilism
Until the wild proponents of such false views skulk away like foxes.
Verily you are as lofty as a hat, but we follow in your footsteps.
When we employ language even for a moment, it is through your kindness.
Exaggerated and excessive as it might seem, were it not for these texts,
Yes indeed, refined individuals would be as rare as stars in broad daylight.
Zealous and committed as I am, like Rāmaṇa, to my pledge,[1]
May I experience all the topics of knowledge, as vast as a great cloak,
Emerging clearly in my mind like burgeoning mushrooms,
And may excellent works of knowledge spread throughout the world.

As I pray continuously with exceedingly intense devotion,
May your wisdom, the vast unborn dharmadhātu that holds the meaning of A,
Merge inseparably with my own mind,
And may I serve the Victorious One’s teachings until the very end of existence.

Following the circumstance of seeing the praise composed by the All-Knowing Lord, and so that the blessings of both the object of that praise and the praise’s author might enter the mind, I, Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö offered this prayer. May it become a cause for the blessings of wisdom vision to swiftly infuse my own and others’ minds.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Khyentse Foundation and Tertön Sogyal Trust, 2020.

Bibliography

Tibetan Edition

'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. "'shing rta chen po thu mi saM b+hoT la bstod pa blo gros rab 'phel/" in ’Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung ’bum. 12 vols. Bir: Khyentse Labrang, 2012. W1KG12986 Vol. 2: 541–541

Version: 1.2-20230714