The Threefold Invocation Ritual invokes all the deities of the threefold world that have “entered the path of compassion” and are “held by the hook of the vidyāmantra” to gather, pay heed to the person reciting this text (or the person for whom it is recited), and bear witness to the proclamation of that person’s commitment to the Buddhist teachings. A profound aspiration to practice ten aspects of a bodhisattva’s activity is then followed by a dedication and a prayer for the teachings.
The Translation
I take refuge with sincere devotion and reverence
In the highest guru, the unsurpassed Three Jewels,
And the greatest of them all, the sublime supreme lord.
Brahmā and Śakra—lords of heaven and earth,
Source of all beings’ wealth, and protectors
Of the Dharma, the supreme teaching; great kings Dhṛtarāṣṭra,
Virūḍhaka, Noble Virūpākṣa, and Kubera;
Vaiśravaṇa, Īśāna, and Pṛthivīdevatā;
The Sun, Moon, grahas, nakṣatras, the elephants of the quarters,
And the general, minister, and queen; the guardians of the directions,
Each with their full retinue of queens and princes;
Renowned great commanders of the gods
Such as Viṣṇu, Gaṇapati, Nandi, and Kārttikeya;
Great and powerful Mahākāla, Mahābala,
Jambhala, Padma, and Mahāpadma,
Śaṅkha and Mahāśaṅkha, Pūrṇa and Supūrṇa,
Sugrīva, Pūrṇabhadra, Maṇibhadra, [F.2.a]
Kumbhakarṇa, Ghaṇṭākarṇa, Trikarṇa, Mahākarṇa,
Jinarṣabha, Āṭavaka, Haimavata,
Sātāgiri, Pāñcika, Pāñcālagaṇḍa, Pāñcālaka,
Daśagrīva, Vibhīṣaṇa, Meghanāda, Gaganaghoṣa,
Triśirṣaka,4Sāgara, Nanda, Upananda,
Anavatapta, Manasvin, Vāsuki, and the hosts of grahas;5
Rṣis, vidyādharas, gods of the rains and harvest,
Gods of the road, of the day, the night, conjunctions, lunar phases, and moments;
Powerful beings such as Hanuman and the like;
Vāgīśvarī, Svaraghoṣā, and Sarasvatī;
Gaurī, Guardian of Speech, Gaṅgā, Yamunā,
Hārītī, Śaṅkhinī, Pārvatī, Durgā, and Kālī;
The seven mothers, the seven sisters, and the four sisters;
Great goddesses and great yakṣiṇīs
Such as Mahākālī and Ekajaṭī and so forth;
Great rākṣasīs and great piśācīs
Revered for their youthful forms, nurturing, and magical powers,
Awesome in their great hides and praised in battle by the army of the gods;
Marvelous, renowned great lay practitioners,
Young gods and nāgas,
Young vidyādharas and ṛṣis,
And their five hundred kinsmen, all of them venerated by monks;
This entire group of resplendent youthful ones
Including the young yakṣa Tiraka and the like;
Gods and nāgas who are lords of all beings;
Yakṣas, gandharvas, uragas, asuras,
Garuḍas, kumbhāṇḍas, rākṣasas, kinnaras,
Bhūtas, piśācas, local deities, and evil spirits;
All you wise ones who have entered the path of compassion,
All you who are held by the hook of the vidyāmantra, listen to me. [F.2.b]
May (insert name), a person blazing with good fortune
Who has heard and recited the names
Of the Three Jewels with their vowels and consonants
Have a prosperous and long reign,7
Serve and venerate the Three Jewels, which possess immeasurable
Benefits and good qualities, have faith in the scriptures,
And, of course, study and practice the Dharma.
Upon death, may (insert name) depart for the divine pleasure groves
With their vast bounty of scriptures.
This one who is conscientious and devoted is crowned
With the teachings of the sun-like omniscient Dharma lord,
The supreme radiant jewel that crowns the king of the gods
Who brings victory in battle over the asuras and hosts of Māra.8
Approach,9 children of the Victors! Knowing that10 we and all beings are already beyond suffering and thus not fearing that sentient beings will fail to transcend it, may we still insatiably cultivate the accumulations of merit and wisdom. May we know that things are intrinsically conditioned, yet not dismiss their characteristics. May we not reject the form body of a buddha, yet attain freedom from all attachment. May we be free from attachment to all phenomena, yet seek the wisdom that knows everything. May we completely purify all phenomena as buddha realms without depending on others, yet understand the space-like characteristic of buddha realms. May we never weary of bringing beings to maturity, yet never abandon the characteristics of lacking self-identity. May we magically display supernatural powers, yet never waver from the sphere of reality. May we not stop setting our mind on enlightenment, yet may omniscient wisdom arise in us. May we satisfy all beings by turning the wheel of the Dharma, yet not pass beyond the inexpressible nature of reality. May we [F.3.a] demonstrate the magical emanations and blessings of a tathāgata, without nevertheless discarding the body of a bodhisattva, and yet in all the perceptions of beings may we appear and then display the great parinirvāṇa. Children of the Victors, uphold these aspects of the teachings and practice these obverse and direct ways of engaging in practice.11 These ten teachings are the most excellent activity of a buddha. Children of the Victor, these are the awakened activity of a bodhisattva. The spontaneous activity of the bodhisattvas is independent of others and is the perfect attainment of unsurpassed awakening.12
King of the gods, great sovereign, boon-granting lord,
Fearless hero famous throughout the world
Whose face is radiant with insight like the full moon—
The aspiration and activity of a great being is your sole companion.
Brahmā, Śakra, and the other world protectors
Used the vajra-like samādhi, Mt. Sumeru, as the churning stick
And, along with compassion and effort, the nāga rope,
Churned forth an elixir, the holy Dharma,
From the ocean of great insight that spread everywhere like a feast of amṛta.
With this jewel of merit, the renowned Dharma, as the crown jewel,
You were victorious in battle over the armies of rākṣasas and the asuras.
I dedicate this to the mighty helmet of the kingdom of the gods.13
I dedicate this so that our radiance, retinues, and wealth may increase
And in particular so that we may attain powerful and strong standings.
I dedicate this so that we may perfect all the means of liberation
Such as the magical powers, supernatural cognitions, and perfections
And accomplish all our virtuous actions and intentions.
I dedicate this so that our bodies may be pervaded by the bliss of the Dharma nectar,
Liberating us from minds that are plagued by suffering.
Spiritual teachers, kind and loving friends,
We are wounded by the blade of the afflictions.
Please sustain us with your compassionate blessing
And ensure that whomever is granted the crown is powerful
And protects the teachings of the Tathāgata.
We are faulted beings who are confused and act inappropriately—please forgive us!
Those who know the time, vidyāmantra, and ritual, please be patient with us. [F.3.b]
We pray that the good fortune of this Dharma offering to the hosts of gods
Shall ensure prosperity and cause the supreme Dharma to flourish.
This concludes “The Threefold [Invocation] Ritual.”14