Homage
Visākha Pūjā
(Leader)
Handa mayaṁ buddhassa bhagavato pubba-bhāga-namakāraṁ karomase:
Now let us chant the preliminary passage in homage to the Awakened One, the Blessed One:
(All)
[Namo tassa] bhagavato arahato sammā-
sambuddhassa. (three times)
Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One,
the Rightly Self-awakened One.
Yam-amha kho mayaṁ, Bhagavantaṁ saraṇam gatā, yo no Bhagavā satthā, yassa ca mayaṁ Bhagavato dhammaṁ rocema:
The Blessed One to whom we have gone for refuge, who is our Teacher, & in whose Dhamma we delight:
Ahosi kho so Bhagavā, majjhimesu janapadesu ariyakesu manussesu uppanno, khattiyo jātiyā, gotamo gottena.
was born in the Middle Country, the Ariyaka race, the noble warrior class, & the Gotama lineage.
Sakya-putto Sakya-kulā pabbajito, sadevake loke samārake sabrahmake, sassamaṇa-brāhmaṇiyā pajāya sadeva-manussāya, anuttaraṁ sammā-sambodhiṁ abhisambuddho.
A member of the Sakyan clan, he left his Sakyan family, went forth into the homeless life, & attained Right Self-Awakening unsurpassed in the cosmos with its Devas, Māras, & Brahmās, in this generation with its contemplatives & brāhmans, its rulers & common people.
Nissaṅsayaṁ kho so Bhagavā, arahaṁ sammā-sambuddho, vijjā-caraṇa-sampanno sugato loka-vidū, anuttaro purisa-damma-sārathi satthā deva-manussānaṁ buddho bhagavā.
There is no doubt that the Blessed One is worthy and rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge & conduct, one who has gone the good way, a knower of the cosmos, unexcelled as a trainer for those who can be taught, teacher for human & divine beings; awakened & blessed.
Svākkhāto kho pana tena Bhagavatā dhammo, sandiṭṭhiko akāliko ehi-passiko, opanayiko paccattaṁ veditabbo viññūhi.
And that the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One, to be seen here & now, timeless, inviting all to come & see, pertinent, to be realized by the observant for themselves.
Supaṭipanno kho panassa Bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho, uju-paṭipanno Bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho, ñāya-paṭipanno Bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho, sāmīci-paṭipanno Bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho, yadidaṁ cattāri purisa-yugāni aṭṭha purisa-puggalā.
And that the Community of the Blessed One’s disciples—the four pairs, the eight types of Noble Ones—have practiced well, have practiced straightforwardly, have practiced methodically, have practiced masterfully.
Ayaṁ kho pana paṭimā, taṁ Bhagavantaṁ uddissa katā patiṭṭhāpitā, yāvadeva dassanena, taṁ Bhagavantaṁ anussaritvā, pasāda-saṁvega-paṭilābhāya.
This image dedicated to the Blessed One has been fashioned & placed here so that, in seeing it, we will remember him and gain a sense of inspiration & chastened dispassion.
[Ayaṁ kho pana thūpo, taṁ Bhagavantaṁ uddissa kato patiṭṭhāpito, yāvadeva dassanena, taṁ Bhagavantaṁ anussaritvā, pasāda-saṁvega-paṭilābhāya.
This stupa dedicated to the Blessed One has been fashioned & placed here so that, in seeing it, we will remember him and gain a sense of inspiration & chastened dismay.]
Mayaṁ kho etarahi, imaṁ visākha-puṇṇamī-kālaṁ, tassa Bhagavato jāti-sambodhi-nibbāna-kāla-sammataṁ patvā, imaṁ ṭhānaṁ sampattā.
Now, on this full-moon day of Visākha—recognized as the date of the Blessed One’s birth, Awakening, & Total unbinding—we have gathered together in this place.
Ime daṇḍa-dīpa-dhūpādi-sakkāre gahetvā, attano kāyaṁ sakkār’ūpadhānaṁ karitvā,
We take these offerings—candles, incense, & so forth—and make our bodies a vessel for them.
Tassa Bhagavato yathā-bhucce guṇe anussarantā, imaṁ paṭimā-gharaṁ [thūpaṁ] tikkhattuṁ padakkhiṇaṁ karissāma, yathā-gahitehi sakkārehi pūjaṁ kurumānā.
Reflecting on the Blessed One’s virtues as they actually are, we will circumambulate this image-shelter [stupa] three times, paying homage to him with the offerings we hold.
Sādhu no bhante Bhagavā, sucira-parinibbuto-pi, ñātabbehi guṇehi atīt’ārammaṇatāya paññāyamāno,
Even though the Blessed One was long ago totally unbound, he is still discernable through our remembrance of his perceivable virtues.
Ime amhehi gahite sakkāre paṭiggaṇhātu, amhākaṁ dīgha-rattaṁ hitāya sukhāya.
May he accept the offerings we hold, for the sake of our long-term welfare & happiness.
