Āsāḷha 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, arahaṁ sammā-sambuddho. Sattesu kāruññaṁ paṭicca, karuṇāyako hitesī, anukampaṁ upādāya, āsāḷha-puṇṇamiyaṁ, Bārāṇasiyaṁ isipatane migadāye, pañca-vaggiyānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ, anuttaraṁ dhamma-cakkaṁ paṭhamaṁ pavattetvā, cattāri ariya-saccāni pakāsesi.
is a Worthy One, Rightly Self-awakened. Through his compassion & sympathy for living beings, compassionately desiring their welfare, he first set the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma in motion on the full moon night of the month of Āsāḷha, in the Deer Refuge at the Meeting Place of the Seers near Vārāṇasi, and proclaimed the four noble truths to the Group of Five Monks.
Tasmiñ-ca kho samaye, pañca-vaggiyānaṁ bhikkhūnaṁ pamukho, āyasmā Aññā-Koṇḍañño, Bhagavato dhammaṁ sutvā, virajaṁ vītamalaṁ dhamma-cakkhuṁ paṭilabhitvā, “Yaṅ-kiñci samudaya-dhammaṁ sabban-taṁ nirodha-dhammanti.”
At that time, the leader of the Group of Five Monks—Venerable Aññā-Koṇḍañña —having listened to theBlessed One’s teaching, gained the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye: “Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation.”
Bhagavantaṁ upasampadaṁ yācitvā, Bhagavato yeva santike, ehi-bhikkhu-upasampadaṁ paṭilabhitvā, Bhagavato dhamma-vinaye ariya-sāvaka-saṅgho, loke paṭhamaṁ uppanno ahosi.
Having asked for ordination, he gained the Come-Bhikkhu ordination in the Blessed One’s very presence, and so became the world’s first noble disciple in the Blessed One’s Dhamma & discipline.
Tasmiñ-cāpi kho samaye, saṅgha-ratanaṁ loke paṭhamaṁ uppannaṁ ahosi. Buddha-ratanaṁ dhamma-ratanaṁ saṅgha-ratananti, tiratanaṁ sampuṇṇaṁ ahosi.
And at the time the Gem of the Saṅgha first appeared in the world, making the Triple Gem—the Gem of the Buddha, the Gem of the Dhamma, & the Gem of the Saṅgha—complete.
Mayaṁ kho etarahi, imaṁ āsāḷha-puṇṇamī-kālaṁ, tassa Bhagavato dhamma-cakkappavattana-kāla-sammatañ-ca, ariya-sāvaka-saṅgha-uppatti-kāla-sammatañ-ca, ratanattaya-sampuraṇa-kāla-sammatañ-ca patvā, imaṁ ṭhānaṁ sampattā,
Now, on this full-moon day of Āsāḷha—recognized as the date of the Blessed One’s setting the Wheel of Dhamma in motion, the date of the arising of the Community of the Noble Disciples, and of the completion of the Triple Gem—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 long ago was totally unbound, he is still discernable through the 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.
