MERIT MULTIPLIED MILLIONS OF TIMES ON BUDDHA DAYS such a SAGA DAWA, LOSAR and other BUDDHA DAYS. Supreme Merit and Purification practice, purifying even heinous negative karma.

Here begins the concise practice of Shakyamuni Buddha. In front of me is the field of merit and real and visualized offerings.

Video (Transcript or recite-along text below)

Prostrations

With folded hands, touching my forehead, throat and heart, I prostrate to you, the Bhagavan, King of the Sakyas, with Body, Speech and Mind.

I prostrate with folded hands, touching my forehead, throat and heart, and make offerings in full confidence of the extensive benefits of the practice of Conqueror Shakyamuni Buddha. With this practice, I purify the negative karmas of 10,000 eons.

I prostrate with folded hands, touching my forehead, throat and heart, and make offerings in full confidence that with this practice, I plant the seed of Supreme Enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

By the merit thus arisen, may we acquire all the perfections such as life, merit, enjoyment, a retinue, and virtuous practice, and may all obstacles be pacified without exception. May I attain Enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Refuge

To you, Bhagavan, King of the Sakyas, Shakyamuni Buddha, who are of the essence of the body, speech, mind and all qualities and actions of all the Buddhas of the three times and ten directions, the source of the 84,000 sections of the Doctrine, Lord of all the Arya Sangha, I go for refuge. I go for refuge to the Dharma. I go for refuge to the Sangha.

To you, Bhagavan, King of the Sakyas, Shakyamuni Buddha, who are of the essence of the body, speech, mind and all qualities and actions of all the Buddhas of the three times and ten directions, the source of the 84,000 sections of the Doctrine, Lord of all the Arya Sangha, I go for refuge. I go for refuge to the Dharma. I go for refuge to the Sangha.

To you, Bhagavan, King of the Sakyas, Shakyamuni Buddha, who are of the essence of the body, speech, mind and all qualities and actions of all the Buddhas of the three times and ten directions, the source of the 84,000 sections of the Doctrine, Lord of all the Arya Sangha, I go for refuge. I go for refuge to the Dharma. I go for refuge to the Sangha.

Four Immeasurables and Bodhichitta

May all beings have happiness and its causes.

May they never have suffering or its causes.

May they constantly dwell in joy transcending sorrow.

May they dwell in equal love for both near and far.

Visualizing Field of Merit

With vajra and bell in hand, I ring the bell, and instantly, the entire merit field appears before me, and I visualize thus.

By the power of the truth of the Three Jewels, let this place where the deity host of the peerless King of the Shakyas and their entourage are to be invoked.

Become a perfectly pure Buddha land created through the previous special vows of the teacher, the King of Sages, with qualities of splendour like Lord Amitabha’s land!

Let its ground be of the nature of manifold jewels, heavenly flowers and the sweet fragrance of sandalwood!

With lakes bordered with jewelled tiles, their banks strewn with gold, silver and pearls, surface covered with graceful, swaying lotus blossoms and beautiful water birds, sweetly calling and joyfully soaring.

There are wish-granting trees of jewels, bending and swaying with celestial gems, garlands of pearls, pendant jewels, nodding blossoms and beautifully formed fruit. Everywhere is the sound of true Dharma, coming from the ringing of golden bells.

So, let the perfect Pureland appear in my mind space.

In the center, is gathered a lotus seat on a precious lion throne, for the peerless teacher, the King of the Sages. And surrounding him seats for all the Buddhas, the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, the Hearers and Pratyeka Aryas, infinite Bodhisattvas, Yidams and Dakinis and Protectors of the ten directions, and their retinues.

Seven Limbs and Offerings

Now I create merit with my seven limbs of practice.

I prostrate with complete purity to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Sangha.

I offer real and imagined flowers, incense, butter lamps, scent, food, music, and so forth. Supreme Assembly, please accept it.

I confess all my faults from beginningless time until now, committed with a mind under the sway of the afflictions, such as the ten nonvirtues.

I rejoice in whatever merit has been accumulated in the three times by Hearers, Solitary Realizers, Bodhisattvas, ordinary beings, and others.

Please turn the wheel of the Dharma according to the intentions and mental dispositions of sentient beings.

Until Samsara is emptied, please do not pass into Nirvana but look with compassion upon sentient beings that are drowning in the ocean of suffering.

May whatever merit I have accumulated become the cause of Enlightenment for the benefit of sentient beings.

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. May they be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May they not be separated from the sublime happiness that is free from suffering. May they rest in the great equanimity that is free of the duality of attachment and aversion.

Mantra Merit Accumulation

Now I generate supreme merit with the glorious mantra of the Supreme Conqueror, Shakyamuni the Sage, the Great Sage, the Sage of the Sakyas. As I chant the mantra, I see beautiful light going out from the heart of Shakyamuni Buddha and all the assembly. This dazzling blessing and purifying light goes out to all suffering beings in all of space and time, relieving their suffering, and purifying them of all obstacles and negative karmas.

Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuni Svaha

(As many times as possible in daily practice.)

Video recitation:

Requests and Dedication

Thus we gather the accumulations through prostrating, offering, confessing, and generating the two types of bodhichitta of the preliminaries.

By the power of praising and supplicating you, wherever I and others reside may illness, obstructive spirits, poverty, and fighting be pacified, and may the Dharma and auspiciousness flourish.

Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and the Sangha, please heed me. From the great, beginningless Samsara, I and all beings have performed the virtue of cultivating generosity and ethical discipline and have rejoiced in the expression of these deeds. By the virtue practiced thus, with the mind of holy generosity, and for the sake of our parents, teachers, masters, and all sentient beings, may we achieve Buddhahood. By the merit arisen from this virtue, may we acquire all the perfections such as life, merit, enjoyment, a retinue, and virtuous practice, and may all obstacles be pacified without exception.

May I attain Enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

We dedicate the merit of this presentation to the benefit of all sentient beings.

Saga Dawa Duchen: The Great Occassion of Buddha’s Birth, Enlightenment and Paranirvana

❤❤❤#BuddhaWeeklySagaDawa  on June 11

Join Our Saga Dawa 2025 Digital Mandala! #BuddhaWeeklySagaDawa

June 11 is Buddha’s holiest day—birth, enlightenment, and paranirvana. To celebrate, we’re creating a collective butter lamp mandala of blessings!

✨ How to Participate:

1️⃣ Light a butter lamp (real or imagined) while watching (and ideally chanting at least a few repetitions of) the Shakyamuni Buddha Mantra (video here): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oLH5B70anE&t

(Offer daily through the entire month if you can, and comment on each dedication of merit for the benefit of all beings)

2️⃣ Comment below:

“Light Offered”

OR share a photo of your lamp, candle or virtual butter lamp — or even an electric light, dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha’s great occassion.

3️⃣ Tag #BuddhaWeeklySagaDawa to be featured!

ABOUT SAGA DAWA THIS YEAR: https://buddhaweekly.com/events/event/saga-dawa-day-celebrating-buddhas-birth-enlightenment-and-paranirvana/

We’ll combine every light into a sacred digital mandala—multiplying merit together!

After Saga Dawa we’ll publish a video reporting on the lights we collectively lit to Honor the Great Occassion of Saga Dawa Duchen.

Mark your calendar: June 11, 2025.

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” — The Buddha

About Saga Dawa Duchen