Praise of Smṛtijñānakīrti

Intensely Brilliant Wisdom

In Praise of the Great Elder Smṛtijñāna

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Namo guru jñānakāyāya!

With the splendour of your supreme wisdom body
You dispel delusion’s darkness from the three worlds.
Mañjughoṣa guru, Smṛtijñāna, I honour you evermore
As an inseparable adornment on the top of my crown.

Great paṇḍita of the noble land,
Most exalted at the head of all,
You are the marvellous great elder,
Resplendent in your pre-eminence.

The great pioneers Maitreya, Nāgārjuna and Asaṅga,
As well as Dignāga, Dharmakīrti, Candragomin,
Candrakīrti and the other adornments of this world
Passed on the fruits of their intellect to you.

Outwardly you were peaceful and tame, in conduct like a śrāvaka,
Inwardly you possessed the vast wish-fulfilling tree of bodhicitta,
And secretly you were endowed with the great siddhi of mantra—
To this lord of scholars and adepts, I offer homage and praise.

You terrified the beast-like tīrthikas and defeated them,
Sounded the victory drum of authentic scripture and reasoning,
And raised aloft the magnificent banner of Buddha’s teachings
From the noble land in the neighbouring realm of high mountains.

The scent of your superior ethical discipline permeated everywhere far and wide,
You emerged from from equipoise in an array of undefiled meditative absorptions,
And with profound insight you unlocked the eight treasures of courageous eloquence—[1]
To you who mastered an ocean of the wisdom of twofold knowledge, I offer praise.

In the valleys between the snowy peaks of the north,
As a great master, you shone as brightly as the moon,
With your profound wisdom mind deep as the ocean,
And for a fortunate few you were directly accessible.

To highlight the effects of actions and what to do and avoid,
You guided your birth-giving mother from the ephemeral hells,
Wandering in confusion and employing means to overcome evil forms—
To you who guided her safely to the heavenly realms, I offer praise.

Your great commentary on the Praise Expressed in Song,[2]
As well as other wondrous and amazing writings and translations
Related to the sūtras, tantras and other branches of knowledge,
Were all lauded by sublime beings who played the flutes of praise.

Your wisdom knowledge was equal to the limits of space,
Your loving compassion as intense as apocalyptic storms,
And your mighty power comparable to that of Vajrapāṇi himself—
O protector, you are the crowning glory of existence and peace.

In your countless representations, supports for reverence,
You inspire faith in all and sundry, even unto the ends of time,
And guard against the terrors of this and future lives—
You who are universally renowned as Smṛtijñāna.

In the region of Den your manifestation faded into absolute space,
Your physical form of karmic ripening merged into the earth,
And the great king of jewels remained forever stable,
Sacred relics that continue to benefit the teachings and beings.

An object of reverence for devas, human beings and nāgas,
Which when invoked through prayer fulfils every desire,
This wondrous great stūpa is clearly beyond compare,
A supreme foundation of benefit and happiness in this world.

Through your countless, unimaginable manifestations,
Your carry out great waves of activity to liberate beings,
And for as long as the earth and Sumeru continue to abide
Bring vast effortless and spontaneous benefit—to you I offer praise.

The inexhaustible stream of merit that accrues from such praise,
Like the flow of the Ganges, I dedicate to the spread of the teachings.
Now and in all my lives to come, may I always remain inseparable
From you, the sublime master Smṛtijñāna.

This garland of words arose during the Earth Dog[3] year following a surge of faith brought on by the compounded delusion of a dream. May it become a cause for the great elder’s blessings to seep into the heart. Maṅgalam. Śubham.

| 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. "jo bo chen po smr-i ti dz+nyA na la bstod pa ye shes rab gsal/" in ’Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung ’bum. 12 vols. Bir: Khyentse Labrang, 2012. W1KG12986 Vol. 2: 543–545