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The Home of Tibetan Buddhist Texts in Translation
ISSN 2753-4812
ISSN 2753-4812

Seven Branches Series

Seven Branches

English (5) | Español (3) | Français (2) | Português (2) | བོད་ཡིག (5)

Texts on the theme of the seven-branch (yan lag bdun pa; saptāṅga) service, commonly consisting of 1) prostration/homage, 2) making offerings, 3) confession of negative actions, 4) rejoicing in others' virtue, 5) requesting the turning of the dharma wheel, 6) imploring teachers to remain and not pass into parinirvāṇa, and 7) dedicating merit to the enlightenment of all sentient beings.

Eight Branches

by Jigme Lingpa
This practice of eight branches (prostration, taking refuge, offering real and imagined gifts, confession, rejoicing, generating bodhicitta, offering the body, and dedication of merit) derive from the Tantra System Vajrakīlaya (rgyud lugs phur pa), which is part of the Nyingma Kama collection, but appear in other texts, especially empowerment rites.
Vajrakīlaya 13 Nov 2018

Practices

from the Words of the Buddha
Extracted from Samantabhadra’s “Aspiration to Good Actions” (bzang spyod smon lam, Toh 1095), this is the section on the seven branches (yan lag bdun pa; saptāṅga): 1) prostration, 2) offering, 3) confession, 4) rejoicing, 5) imploring the buddhas to turn the wheel of dharma, 6) requesting the buddhas not to enter nirvāṇa, and 7) dedication. This section is commonly recited as part of the preliminaries to other practices.
2 Aug 2022
by Lakṣmī
This seven-branch offering, which is found in many Tārā sādhanas, is attributed to the famous nun Lakṣmī (Gelongma Palmo), founder of the Nyungné tradition.
Tārā Compendium of Sādhanas Ḍākinī Treasury 21 May 2020
by Śākyaśrībhadra
Lists of the seven branches (yan lag bdun; saptāṅga) vary. In this short text by the influential Kashmiri scholar Śākyaśrībhadra, which is included in the Tengyur (Toh 3980), the seven are: 1) prostration, 2) offering, 3) taking refuge, 4) confession, 5) rejoicing, 6) generating bodhicitta, and 7) making prayers of aspiration.
Tengyur 21 May 2015
by Shamar Chökyi Wangchuk
This short prayer of aspiration towards Sukhāvatī (bde smon) incorporates the so-called 'seven branches' (saptāṅga; yan lag bdun) of devotional practice.
Amitābha Sukhāvatī Aspirations 12 Feb 2016

Related Topics

Confession Dedication Offering

Courtesy of Himalayan Art Resources

Further information:

BDRC T932 (yan lag bdun pa)

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ISSN 2753-4812

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