In Praise of Vulture Peak

Melodious Sound

In Praise of Vulture Peak Mountain

by Rongtön Sheja Kunrig

To the Lord of Speech, I pay homage!

“Merely to praise those supreme places in which
The Bhagavān resided yields boundless merit.”
So it is said, and, in accordance with this,
I praise this site of his sacred Dharma teaching.

It was here that Buddha's excellent speech was compiled,
A place as even as a palm, and abundantly auspicious.

In the centre, surrounded by lesser hills,
Is this lofty peak, located to the east
Of the great town called Rājagṛha.[1]

As radiant and resplendent as the sun,
Its earth-embracing slopes are thick with forests,
And its pleasant trees display fresh foliage,
All swathed with flowers of varied colours,
While flights of birds call out in sweetest song,
As they swoop and flit from branch to branch.

Of the five major sites, Jambudvīpa's wonders,[2]
This mountain of Vulture Peak is the foremost.
Praised by the Victorious Ones and their heirs,
It is the site of Bhagavān's turning of the Dharma Wheel,
Ablaze with splendour and blessings beyond measure.
Here it is that the elder Cūḍapanthaka[3] resides,
Surrounded by his retinue of sixteen hundred arhats.

Whoever so much as sees this sacred place
Will feel a spontaneous surge of vivid faith.

Here is where groups of countless devas throng,
And Buddhas proclaim their dragon's roar of Perfect Wisdom.
A sublime space in which disciples see the truth,
A scene of wonders, and a scene of marvels,
A blessed site to which the bodhisattvas flock,
So that they might hear the perfect teachings.

Through the virtue of praising this outstanding place,
May we travel without obstruction to the Buddha's realm!

This praise of Vulture Peak Mountain was composed by the great Rongtön in Pal Nālendra Monastery.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2016.

Bibliography

Tibetan source

Shes bya kun rig. "Bya rgod phung po'i ri bo la bstod pa snyan pa'i sgra dbyangs" In gSung 'bum/_Shes bya kun rig. 10 vols. (BDRC W28942). Vol. 1: 354–356. skye dgu mdo: gangs ljongs rig rgyan gsung rab par khang, 2004

Version: 1.4-20230110