Ananda's Vow Gatha

Original text: 妙湛总持不动尊。首楞严王世稀有。销我亿劫颠倒想。不历僧祇获法身。愿今得果成宝王。还度如是恒沙众。将此深心奉尘刹。是则名为报佛恩。伏请世尊为证明。五浊恶世誓先入。如一众生未成佛。终不于此取泥洹。大雄大力大慈悲。希更审除微细惑。令我早登无上觉。于十方界坐道场。舜若多性可消亡。烁迦罗心无动转。

Explanation: The supremely wondrous and tranquil tathāgatagarbha is the general guiding principle and overarching framework of the Buddha's teachings. Within the worldly dharmas of the three realms, it is always suchness, immovable, not merging with the myriad dharmas, and therefore it is supremely noble. This treasure, hard as the Śūraṅgama, is rare and difficult to behold in worldly dharmas, because He is a transcendent dharma, not belonging to the dharmas of the three realms; therefore He is not found within the world of the three realms.

When I heard the World-Honored One expound the tathāgatagarbha, I understood that the five aggregates are not the true self, but illusory appearances conjured forth by my own tathāgatagarbha. In this way, the inverted thinking of beginningless kalpas—taking the five aggregates as a real self—was utterly extinguished. When I awakened to the true dharma of the tathāgatagarbha, I instantly realized my own pure Dharma body (Dharmakāya), attaining sudden enlightenment without having to pass through asaṃkhyeya kalpas of time.

I now make the vow to attain buddhahood soon, becoming a Dharma King, and then to deliver sentient beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. I offer this deep vow of mine to the jeweled buddha-lands as numerous as dust motes and sands, to deliver the measureless, boundless sentient beings within those jeweled lands; only thus can I repay the grace of the buddhas for delivering me. I pray that the World-Honored One will bear witness: I vow to enter this evil world of the five turbidities to universally deliver sentient beings. If even one sentient being has not accomplished the buddha way, I shall not realize the supreme buddha fruit—the great nirvāṇa, that is, the non-abiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa) of the buddha stage.

O Buddha, World-Honored One, heroic and fearless, at ease in the ten powers, of great loving-kindness and great compassion, I hope You will further help me to carefully eliminate the countless, immeasurable latent afflictions (anuśaya) and dust-like ignorance within my mind, so that I may sever all subtle ignorance completely, ascend the throne of the supreme Dharma King, sit at the place of practice in the worlds of the ten directions, subdue the demon armies of the ten directions, and deliver the sentient beings of the ten directions. My empty, illusory, superficial mind may arise and cease, may vanish in an instant; but my steadfast, immovable vajra mind (Vajracitta) absolutely never has a moment of movement or turning.