When I wander in the wilderness of samsara in the long night, who searches for me with compassionate eyes? It is the spiritual teachers! When I am clouded by ignorance and immersed in a deep dream in the dark night, who wakes me up from my dream? It is the spiritual teachers! When I struggle in the ocean of suffering of the three realms, who saves me like a boatman? It is the spiritual teachers!
When I stray into the wrong path and engage in negative actions, who guides me towards the right path? It is the spiritual teachers! When I am tightly bound in the prison of the three realms, who releases me from bondage and sets me free? It is the spiritual teachers! When I am tormented by afflictions in the long night, who heals me like an excellent doctor? It is the spiritual teachers! When I am engulfed by the flames of greed and anger, who extinguishes my afflictions like rain? It is the spiritual teachers! Dear teachers, you save us from the lower realms and skillfully guide us to comprehend the great equality of all phenomena. You show us the safe path to liberation and warn us of the dangerous path to samsara. You teach us the vast aspirations and practices of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and show us all paths leading to the city of wisdom. You accompany us on our journey to omniscience, guiding us into the ocean of the Dharma realm. You teach us the boundless Dharma of the past, present, and future. You show us the magnificent Mandala of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. You nurture all our virtues. You impart the authentic Dharma, expounding the merits of the Buddha’s teachings and the Bodhisattvas’ practices. Contemplating your immense kindness, we come here. You give birth to our wisdom-life, like our mother. You liberate us from birth, aging, illness, and death, like an excellent doctor. You nourish our minds, like Indra sending the rain of Dharma nectar. You guide our virtues to grow day by day, and ultimately, they will be as perfect and pure as the full moon. You illuminate the path to nirvana, like the sun. You remain unwavering like a mountain, free from any bias of resentment or favoritism. Your mind is as peaceful as the ocean. No matter how difficult or exhausting, your altruistic mind is never disturbed. You are like a boatman, fearlessly rescuing sentient beings in the stormy sea. Contemplating your immense kindness, we come here. I will never forget the Dharma nectar you gave me. It guides me to activate the wisdom of enlightenment, arouse the aspiration to transcend samsara, generate the courageous Bodhicitta, and attain the perfect insight into emptiness. I aspire to embody the supreme Bodhi vows and engage in Bodhi practices fearlessly! I aspire to follow your footsteps closely, serve as an emissary of the Tathagata, navigate the ship of the Dharma, and save sentient beings from the shore of birth and death. Dear teachers, you are the union of all the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. You are our refuge in all lifetimes. With gratitude, we come here. In my heart, you are like a warrior, courageously saving sentient beings from samsara with Bodhicitta. You are like an experienced navigator, guiding countless beings towards the island of liberation. You are like Mount Sumeru, the protector we rely on. You are like eyes, giving us happiness. With gratitude, I serve you, my teacher.