事師法五十頌

Relying upon the secret teachings of the sūtras and vinaya

Setting aside the rules for attending upon the Master,

Having heard, with joy give rise to a pure mind,

And you shall attain the Tathāgata's vajra wisdom.

If, before the Master who bestows abhiṣeka,

You bow in reverence at the three times,

This itself is an offering

To all the Tathāgatas of the ten directions.

Arouse the most supreme reverence,

Joining your palms or holding flowers,

Scatter there the maṇḍala flowers,

And bow with head and face touching his feet.

That Master may dwell at home,

Or may have but newly received the great precepts;

Place the scriptures and staff before him,

And straightaway dispel all doubt and pride.

Or a disciple who has gone forth,

With a mind ever pure in his service,

Should leave his place to receive him,

Excepting only the place where he comes to pay homage.

When that Master and the disciple

Are carrying heavy belongings,

If one cannot perceive the other beforehand,

Both alike incur fault.

If there is anger and no compassion,

Much craving and distraction,

Or reliance upon one's lineage,

Use wisdom to discern and analyze.

Complete in precepts, patience, compassion, and wisdom,

Honored yet without boasting,

Clear in the secret rules,

Broadly versed in all treatises and discourses,

Skilled in attaining the marks of truthful speech,

In the works of the maṇḍala—

He shall realize the ten kinds of suchness,

And all his faculties shall be wholly pure.

If one comes seeking the Dharma,

Yet the Master gives rise to contempt and scorn,

This is to slander all the Tathāgatas,

And he shall meet with sufferings and afflictions.

Through this increasing delusion,

He shall meet with present retributions:

Because he grasps the foul as fair,

Grave illness shall bind and fetter him.

Hounded by the law of the king,

Harmed together by venomous serpents,

By foes, brigands, and the calamities of water and fire,

He shall be a man who gains no benefit.

Those Vināyaka spirits

Shall ever create obstacles for him;

And when from this his life comes to its end,

He straightaway falls into the evil destinies.

Do not become an ācārya

If but a little gives rise to vexation;

Not understanding, he shall meet a state

Of plunging straight into the Avīci hell,

Receiving manifold kinds of bitter suffering—

To speak of it plainly inspires still greater dread.

Because he held the ācārya in contempt,

There he shall ever and long abide.

That very ācārya

Upholds and maintains the treasury of the true Dharma;

Therefore one must be single-minded,

And never give rise to contempt or pride.

Ever toward the ācārya

Render service and make offerings;

Give rise to a mind of reverence,

And then you shall meet with no obstacle.

Moreover, in the place of the Master,

Joyfully practice together with rejoicing relinquishment;

Do not count even this body of yours—

How much less your wealth and goods.

For measureless koṭis of kalpas,

Valiantly and single-mindedly cultivate,

So as to realize bodhi—

Truly joyful and rare indeed.

Skillfully guard this profound vow:

To make offerings to all the Tathāgatas

And to revere the ācārya

As though he were all the Buddhas.

If you possess anything of your own,

Those precious objects and goods,

Seeking the inexhaustible bodhi,

With a sincere heart present them as offerings.

Giving to the Buddhas and the ācārya,

In thought after thought it ever increases—

This is the most excellent field of merit,

And straightaway you attain the fruit of bodhi.

In this way the one who seeks the Dharma,

Complete in precepts, patience, and merit,

Not false or deceitful toward the Master,

Shall attain the vajra wisdom.

If with your foot you tread upon the Master's image,

The grave fault is like destroying a stūpa;

To sit or lie upon his bed or seat,

The swift fault is like riding a horse.

If the Master instructs you to repent,

With joy receive his teaching;

Whether you yourself are able or not,

With good words make your declaration.

Because you take refuge in the Master

And wish there to attain accomplishment,

To find present joy and rebirth in heaven—

How could you reckon this body dear?

Guard and keep the Master's possessions

Just as you would guard your own body;

Toward those who are close to him there,

As to your own kin, ever revere and serve.

You should not, before the Master,

Conceal yourself or act in excess,

Brandishing your hands and feet about,

Sitting and lying at ease.

Or if there is occasion bidding you to sit,

Do not carelessly shift your feet;

Ever maintain the proper deportment—

When the Master stands, you too must stand.

If he should walk in walking meditation,

You should not follow behind him;

You should stand still to attend upon him,

And not spit out mucus or saliva.

Moreover, you should not, before the Master,

Privately whisper words in secret,

Nor talk and laugh nearby,

Nor sing, dance, or chant songs.

Whether you must sit or stand,

In each and every case you should pay reverent homage.

Or if you are upon a perilous road,

You yourself must go ahead;

Yet you should not, before him,

Show a body bearing the marks of weariness.

Do not make sounds with your hands,

Nor lean crooked against the wall.

Whether you wash your clothes or wash your feet,

Or bathe and wash entirely,

First inform the Master so he clearly knows,

And let what you do not be seen.

Furthermore, the very name of the Master

You should not pronounce of yourself;

If there is one who asks about it,

You should speak but a single syllable.

If the Master should bid an assembly to gather,

You should call all to come.

In that place, only the task at hand—

Bear it in mind and ever do not forget.

Do not laugh, mock, or be coarse and crude,

Nor cover your mouth with your hand;

If there is a matter you may hear,

Let your words be spoken gently.

If a laywoman,

With a pure mind, comes to hear the Dharma,

Joining her palms, full of dignity,

Gazing intently upon the Master's face,

Having heard, she straightaway upholds it,

Casting off all arrogance and pride,

Ever like a newly wedded bride

Whose countenance is truly bashful and shy.

There, though the body be adorned,

One must not give rise to fondness and delight;

What does not accord with the wholesome,

Reflect upon it all and keep far away.

Ever moved by the virtue of the Master,

You should not peer into trifling matters;

In compliance, so as to bring accomplishment,

Seeking gain may itself become loss.

In expounding the Dharma to deliver disciples,

In the maṇḍala and the homa rite,

In the towns and cities where the Master dwells—

Without his word, you should not act.

Or when expounding the Dharma, whatever is gained,

The pure offerings of various goods and wealth,

All should be offered up to the Master;

As you receive it, so should you use it.

Among fellow students and Dharma companions,

You should not, for the sake of a disciple,

Nor again before the Master,

Receive the homage of bowing to yourself.

If there are goods to offer to the Master,

You must present them bearing them in both hands;

Should the Master have something to bestow,

Ever with reverence receive it.

Be of yourself devoted to cultivating right conduct,

Ever bearing it in mind and not forgetting;

Should another lack discipline and observance,

With kindly speech instruct and admonish him.

If the Master has given some instruction

That, by illness or circumstance, you cannot perform,

You must make obeisance and declare the truth;

Being joyful, then there is no fault.

You should make the Master rejoice,

Departing from all matters of vexation;

Diligently and earnestly carry out the work,

And, fearing to trouble him, do not recount it.

That Vajra Tathāgata,

Speaking thus in such intimacy,

Or clearly revealing the place of light,

Relying on the Master, one attains accomplishment.

If the disciple is pure

And able to take refuge in the Three Jewels,

Even should his life be about to end,

Once more expound for him the essentials of the Dharma,

Together with conferring the secret words,

So as to cause the true Dharma to abide.

Or if he manifests the marks of reciting and upholding,

It shall cut off the root of his transgressions.

If one can comply with and follow the Master's learning,

He then accomplishes all merits entire.

By the wholesome joy I have met with here,

I vow that, together with all beings, we may swiftly attain Buddhahood.