{"collection":"Buddhism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bud/tib/trueword.htm","path":"bud/tib/trueword.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bud/tib/trueword.htm","text":"WORDS OF TRUTH\nA prayer composed\nby\nHIS HOLINESS TENZIN GYATSO\nTHE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA OF TIBET\nHonoring and invoking the Great Compassion of the\nThree Jewels: the Buddha, the Teachings, and\nthe Spiritual Community\nWISDOM PUBLICATIONS\nBOSTON\nFirst published, 1993\nCopyright 1993 His Holiness the Dalai Lama\nAll rights reserved.\nWisdom Publications would like to express its sincere thanks\nfor the generous donations made by the Barry J. Hershey Foundation,\nthe Nama Rupa Foundation, and the American Himalayan Foundation\nin support of this beloved prayer and its publication.\nPoetic translation into English by\nRabjampa Dupchok Gyaltsen and Peter Gold\n* * *\nDharmaNet Edition 1994\nThis electronic edition is offered for free distribution\nvia DharmaNet by arrangement with the publisher.\nDharmaNet International\nP.O. Box 4951, Berkeley CA 94704-4951\nTranscribed for DharmaNet by Myra I. Fox\n* * * * * * * *\nINTRODUCTION\n//Words of Truth// was composed by His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the\nFourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, during the autumn of 1960, a year\nand a half after he was forced into exile in India. It is one of the\nmost important prayers for Tibetans today. It is recited each\nmorning with their daily prayers and sung to a medley of four lovely\nmelodies on occasions such as the March 10 Uprising Day observance.\nFor Tibetans there is no separation between the sacred and the\nsecular. Accordingly, this prayer finds a place in both arenas.\n//Words of Truth// is dedicated to restoring peace, the Buddhist\nteachings, and the culture and self-determination of the Tibetan\npeople in their homeland. It is also an invocation of compassion\ntowards all suffering sentient beings: oppressor and oppressed\nalike.\nPrayer serves most immediately to focus the thoughts toward a\nspecific end, in this case the preservation of Tibetan civilization\nand the goal of universal compassion. Prayer is also a refined\nexpression of a state of mind, of an inner vision. Prayer is a crown\njewel of speech. Speech is intimately tied to the breath, the coarse\nform of energy that empowers the mind's awareness. While all speech\nhas such subtle power its basis, prayer (recited or sung) is a\ncarefully crafted mode of speech -- a vital channel into the depths\nof the mind.\nThus, one truly can appreciate the significance and beauty of His\nHoliness's //Words of Truth//. May its multifold repetition in the\nTibetan, and now English, language contribute to the goal of\ncompassionate liberation for all sentient beings.\nPeter Gold\nDharamsala, India\n* * * * * * * *\nWORDS OF TRUTH\nA Prayer Composed by\nHIS HOLINESS TENZIN GYATSO, THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA OF TIBET,\nHonoring and Invoking the Great Compassion\nof the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Teachings,\nand the Spiritual Community\nO Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and disciples\nof the past, present, and future:\nHaving remarkable qualities\nimmeasurably vast as the ocean,\nWho regard all helpless sentient beings\nas your only child;\nPlease consider the truth of my anguished pleas.\nBuddha's full teachings dispel the pain of worldly\nexistence and self-oriented peace;\nMay they flourish, spreading prosperity and happiness through-\nout this spacious world.\nO holders of the Dharma: scholars\nand realized practitioners;\nMay your ten fold virtuous practice prevail.\nHumble sentient beings, tormented\nby sufferings without cease,\nCompletely suppressed by seemingly endless\nand terribly intense, negative deeds,\nMay all their fears from unbearable war, famine,\nand disease be pacified,\nTo freely breathe an ocean of happiness and well-being.\nAnd particularly the pious people\nof the Land of Snows who, through various means,\nAre mercilessly destroyed by barbaric hordes\non the side of darkness,\nKindly let the power of your compassion arise,\nTo quickly stem the flow of blood and tears.\nThose unrelentingly cruel ones, objects of compassion,\nMaddened by delusion's evils,\nwantonly destroy themselves and others;\nMay they achieve the eye of wisdom,\nknowing what must be done and undone,\nAnd abide in the glory of friendship and love.\nMay this heartfelt wish of total freedom for all Tibet,\nWhich has been awaited for a long time,\nbe spontaneously fulfilled;\nPlease grant soon the good fortune to enjoy\nThe happy celebration of spiritual with temporal rule.\nO protector Chenrezig, compassionately care for\nThose who have undergone myriad hardships,\nCompletely sacrificing their most cherished lives,\nbodies, and wealth,\nFor the sake of the teachings, practitioners,\npeople, and nation.\nThus, the protector Chenrezig made vast prayers\nBefore the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas\nTo fully embrace the Land of Snows;\nMay the good results of these prayers now quickly appear.\nBy the profound interdependence of emptiness\nand relative forms,\nTogether with the force of great compassion\nin the Three Jewels and their Words of Truth,\nAnd through the power\nof the infallible law of actions and their fruits,\nMay this truthful prayer be unhindered\nand quickly fulfilled.\n* * *\nThis prayer, //Words of Truth//, was composed by His Holiness Tenzin\nGyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, on 29 September 1960 at\nhis temporary headquarters in the Swarg Ashram at Dharamsala, Kangra\nDistrict, Himachal State, India. This prayer for restoring peace,\nthe Buddhist teachings, and the culture and self-determination of\nthe Tibetan people in their homeland was written after repeated\nrequests by Tibetan government officials along with the unanimous\nconsensus of the monastic and lay communities. Particular\nacknowledgment was given to the requests by Barzhi Phuntsog Wangyal;\nLobsang Tendzin, treasurer of Lhatsun Labrang, and his wife, Tashi\nDolma; and Lobsang Dorje, treasurer of Shelkhar Monastery.\nThis translation was made in Dharamsala, India, during April 1992\nby Rabjampa Dupchok Gyaltsen and Peter Gold, under the editorial\nguidance of the Ven. Lotsawa Lhakdor and Ven. Lotsawa Tendzin Dorje,\nwith certain clarifications by the Ven. Lobsang Gyatso, Principal of\nthe Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. It was made with the sincere\nintention of stimulating a broad understanding of the current\ncondition of Tibet and its people, as well as of humanity as a\nwhole, whose sufferings cry out for a compassionate solution. In\ntoday's interconnected world, no person or society stands alone. As\nsuch, the fate of Tibet is indeed the fate of the world. His\nHoliness's //Words of Truth// bears an essential message to us all\nin this regard. May this translation aid in establishing peace and\naltruism among all members of the global family.\nTashi Shok\nMay Auspiciousness Prevail\n* * *\nENGLISH LYRICS\nThis versification into English lyrics was made expressly for\nsinging the prayer, //Words of Truth//, to its customary tunes. It\nwas written by Peter Gold in Dharamsala, India during April 1992 and\nis intended to convey the basic meaning of the prayer in a manner\nappropriate to the medium of song.\nPart I\nBuddhas and saints...and disciples throughout time,\nHaving qualities, infinite as the ocean is wide,\nSeeing each being as your only child,\nPlease heed my truthful and anguished cries.\nBuddha's teachings:...selfish peace, suffering's cease,\nSpreading joy and prosperity through the world;\nO scholars and great practitioners,\nMay the Dharma's ten virtuous ways prevail.\nHumble beings...suffering torments without cease,\nPressed completely by bad thoughts and deeds,\nPacify their fears: war, famine, disease,\nTo breathe an ocean of joy and peace.\nPart II\nPious people in the Land of Snows,\nDestroyed...mercilessly...through various means,\nBy barbarian hordes out of darkness;\nThrough compassion...may the blood and tears...quickly cease.\nCruel people needing compassion, made mad by delusions,\nDestroying...themselves...and others too;\nGive them the eye of wisdom to know what to do;\nIn a glorious...state of friendship...and of selfless love.\nPart III\nSo this wish for freedom in Tibet,\nIt's been awaited for a long time;\nMay the good fortune arise soon,\nOf spiritual with temporal rule.\nO protector, please look after them,\nThose who've undergone great suffering;\nSacrificing lives and all their wealth\nFor the nation, people, and religion.\nThe Protector Avalokita\nPrayed before Buddhas and Bodhisattvas,\nTo fully embrace the Land of Snows;\nMay good things appear not through your prayers.\nPart IV\nBy the profound interdependence...\nof emptiness and relative forms,\nWith compassion in the Three Jewels and\nWords of Truth,\nAnd through the infallible...\nlaw of one's actions and their fruits,\nBe this prayer unhindered and quickly fulfilled.\n* * *\nTIBETAN TEXT IN PHONETICS\nThis rendering of the Tibetan text into phonetics is designed to aid\nin its proper pronunciation when sung or spoken by a native English\nspeaker.\n[Note added for this DharmaNet edition: The umlaut is represented\nhere by a colon preceding the vowel it affects.]\nPart I\nTse mei y:on ten...gya ts:o pel nga zhing\nNyam chung dro la bu chik tar gong pe\nD:u sum de sheg se dang lo mar che\nDag gi den pe mei ngag di gong shig\nSi shi dung sel...yong dzog toob pe ten\nDzam ling yang pe pen de pel du gye\nDe dzin ke dang drup pe kye bu nam\nCh:o j:o nam chu ja wa pel war dz:o\nMi se le ngen...drak p:o yong n:on pe\nBar me du ke nar wei nyam tak dro\nS:o ka ne ts:on mu ge jig pa k:un\nShi ne de ga gya ts:o uk yung dz:o\nPart II\nKye par gang jong ch:o den kye dro nam\nNak chok... la l:o pung gi...tse me du\nNgen g:u jom pe trag dang chi mei gy:un\nNyur du...ch:o pe tug je...tu pung kye\nNyon mong d:on gyi ny:o pe lang ch:o kyi\nRang zhen...nyi pung gyi pe...nying je y:ul\nMi s:un kye w:o tsog nam lang dor mig\nYong tob...jam tse dza wei...pel la jor\nPart III\nRing ne nying du nag pe d:o pe d:on\nYong dzog p:o jong rang wang tsang mei pel\nLh:un drub ch:o si sung drel ga t:on la\nCh:o pe kel sang nyur wa nyi du ts:ol\nTen dang de dzin chab si rang rig le\nChe pe l:u sog long j:o yong tang te\nKa wa gya trag drub pe kye we nam\nDur dzin g:on de tug je kyong war dz:o\nDor na gon po Chen re sig wang gi\nSe che gyel wei chen ngar gang chen zhing\nYong sung gya chen m:on lam gang dze pe\nDre sang deng dir nyur du char war sol\nPart IV\nNang tong ch:o nyid sab m:o...ten drel dang\nChog sum tug je tu dang den tsig tob\nLe de lu mei den t:u...dag chag gi\nDen pe m:on lam geg mei nyur drup shok\n* * *\n[The printed book contains the Tibetan text of this prayer and the\nmusical score, the \"Words of Truth Hymn\"]\n* * * * * * * *\nWisdom Publications\nWISDOM is a publisher and distributor of books on Buddhism, Tibet\nand related East-West themes. Our titles are published in\nappreciation of Buddhism as a living philosophy and with the special\ncommitment to preserve and transmit important works from all the\nmajor Buddhist traditions.\nIf you would like more information, or a copy of our mail order\ncatalogue, and to keep informed about our future publications,\nplease write or call us:\nWISDOM PUBLICATIONS\n361 NEWBURY STREET\nBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02115\nTel: (617) 536-3358\nFax: (617) 536-1897\nWisdom is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization and a\npart of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana\nTradition (FPMT).\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------\n* * *\nDISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT\nTITLE OF WORK: Words of Truth: A Prayer for Peace in Tibet and Compassion\nin the World\nFILENAME: TRUEWORD.ZIP\nAUTHOR: His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet\nAUTHOR'S ADDRESS: N/A\nPUBLISHER'S ADDRESS: Wisdom Publications\n361 Newbury Street\nBoston, MA 02115 USA\nDATE OF PUBLICATION: 1993\nDHARMANET RELEASE DATE: April, 1994\nORIGIN SITE: Access to Insight BBS * Barre MA * (508) 433-0421\nDharmaNet (96:903/1)\nThe publisher retains all rights to this work and hereby grants electronic\ndistribution rights to DharmaNet International. 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