Toh 1097The Prayer of Sublime Action
Pāli / Sanskrit:Agracāryapraṇidhāna
Save your scripture progress
Create a free account to save scriptures, track progress, and continue your daily learning path.
Explanation of the Sūtra of the Supreme Conduct Prayer
Background
Agracāryapraṇidhāna (The Prayer of Supreme Conduct) is one of the precious scriptures of the Northern Transmission canon, preserved in the Kangyur, the collection of the original teachings of the Buddha. This sūtra belongs to the Mahāyāna tradition, where the Dharma is developed with an emphasis on the bodhisattva path, the path of liberation for the sake of all beings.
In the context of Tibetan Buddhism, this sūtra plays a foundational role in practice according to the Mahāyāna tradition, especially in its emphasis on praṇidhāna (aspiration), one of the essential factors on the bodhisattva path. An aspiration is not merely a personal wish, but a profound commitment to practice and to help all beings be freed from suffering.
Main Content
The Sūtra of the Supreme Conduct Prayer focuses on guidance concerning how to form supreme aspirations (agracārya, supreme action), the commitments that bodhisattva practitioners make in order to dedicate all their merit and effort toward enlightenment for the benefit of all.
The sūtra teaches that a true bodhisattva does not seek enlightenment only for himself or herself, but gives rise to great aspirations: the aspiration to become a support by which all beings may be saved, the aspiration to eradicate the suffering of beings, and the aspiration to lead them to nirvana. These aspirations do not arise from selfishness, but from boundless compassion (karuṇā), profound mercy toward all.
The sūtra also emphasizes that these noble actions cannot be separated from wisdom (prajñapti). A bodhisattva must clearly understand the nature of phenomena, impermanence, selflessness, and suffering, the foundations of the Dharma, so that their aspirations and actions are not distorted by ignorance (avidyā). This guidance helps practitioners avoid the pitfalls of nihilism or persistence in illusion.
Practical Meaning
For modern practitioners, the Sūtra of the Supreme Conduct Prayer offers profound guidance on how to transform the purpose of one’s life.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
Translations belong to the translator/source credited above. The bilingual compilation, presentation, and AI translations compiled by Inti are © Inti Foundation. Please attribute when quoting; do not bulk-copy or use commercially without permission.