Toh 1136Praise in Adoration
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vandanāstotra
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An Exposition of the Scripture "Praise in Adoration" (Vandanāstotra)
Background
In the Northern Mahayana Tibetan tradition, Vandanāstotra, or "Praise in Adoration," is a treatise belonging to the Tengyur, the commentarial canon that gathers the explanations and works of Indian Buddhist masters. This work is classed among the praises (stotra) of profound practice, not only as formal words of homage but also as an expression of the practitioner's reverence and recognition of truth.
According to the Tibetan tradition, adoration (vandana) is the first step on the Mahayana path of practice, clearly recorded in works on the "fivefold practice" (the five parts of reliance). Adoration is not mere eloquence but an expression of the state of mind: the recognition of one's own impermanence and selflessness, and of the greatness of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha). This scripture is regarded as a traditional instrument of practice for refining the practitioner's mind before approaching deeper Dharma methods.
Main Content
Vandanāstotra centers on praising the qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha through the lens of Mahayana. The scripture builds an attitude of adoration aligned with three fundamental principles: wisdom (prajñā), compassion (karuṇā), and faith (śraddhā).
The first part praises the Buddha, not only Shakyamuni but all buddhas of the three times in the three realms. The praise emphasizes the Buddha's boundless wisdom, boundless compassion, and immeasurable capacity to bring beings to liberation. This is the Mahayana recognition that the Buddha is not a single historical individual, but the boundless manifestation of truth (dharmakāya) in countless emanations (nirmāṇakāya).
The second part adores the Dharma, not merely as teachings, but as the unborn and undying nature of reality, expressed through emptiness (śūnyatā). Here the Dharma includes both the Mahayana scriptures (Mahāyāna-sūtra) and the transcendent truths they convey.
The third part adores the Sangha, the community of bodhisattvas and accomplished monastics.
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