From the Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life (Larger Sutra)
Your radiant countenance is majestic,
And your dignity is boundless.
Radiant splendor such as yours
Has no equal.
Even the blazing light of
The sun, moon, and *mani-jewels
Is completely hidden and obscured,
And looks like a mass of black ink-sticks.
The countenance of the Tathagata
Is unequaled in the world;
The great voice of the Perfectly Enlightened One
Resounds throughout the ten quarters.
Your observance of precepts, learning, diligence,
Meditation, and wisdom ―
The magnificence of these virtues is peerless,
Excellent and unsurpassed.
Deeply and clearly mindful
Of the ocean of the Dharma of all Buddhas,
You know its depth and breadth,
And reach its farthest end.
Ignorance, greed, and anger
Are completely absent in the World-honored One;
You are a lion, the most courageous of all humans,
Having immeasurable majestic virtues.
Your meritorious accomplishment is vast,
And your wisdom is deep and supreme;
The majestic glory of your light
Shakes the great thousand worlds.
I vow to become a Buddha,
Equal to you, the most honored King of the Dharma,
And to bring sentient beings from birth-and-death
To the final attainment of emancipation.
My practice of giving, self-discipline,
Observance of precepts, forbearance, diligence,
And also meditation and wisdom
Shall be unsurpassed.
I resolve that, when I become a Buddha,
I will fulfill this vow in every possible way,
And to all beings who live in fear
I will give great peace.
Even though there are Buddhas
As many as a thousand million kotis,
Or countless great sages
As many as the sands of the Ganges,
I will make offerings
To all these Buddhas;
Nothing surpasses my determination
To seek the Way steadfastly and untiringly.
Even though there are Buddha-worlds
As many as the sands of the Ganges,
And also innumerable lands
Beyond calculation,
My light shall illumine
All of these lands;
I will make such efforts
That my divine power may be boundless.
When I become a Buddha,
My land shall be the most exquisite;
People there shall be unrivaled and excellent
And my seat of enlightenment shall be beyond compare.
My land shall be like nirvana,
Being supreme and unequaled.
Out of compassion and pity,
I will bring all to emancipation.
Those who come from the ten quarters
Shall rejoice with pure hearts;
Once they reach my land,
They shall dwell in peace and happiness.
May you, the Buddha, be my witness
And attest to the truthfulness of my resolution.
I have thus made my aspiration;
I will endeavor to fulfill it.
The World-honored Ones in the ten quarters
Have unimpeded wisdom;
May these honored ones
Always know my intentions.
Even if I should be subjected to
All kinds of suffering and torment,
Continuing my practice undeterred,
I would endure it and never have any regrets.”