For over 2,500 years, Buddhist teachings have been preserved in poetry

While secular poetry is not considered fully translated into another language until reproduced with similar meter and rhyme, Western Buddhist devotees are only beginning to draw their attention to the essential role of poetically translated liturgies for capturing the evocative nature of their Asian language originals.

Contributing to this end, on the eve of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche’s passing in 2011, near where he died in California, a sangha member spontaneously translated these verses into English. Then in October 2014, released this first ever verse-for-verse translation uniting two important Old School (Nyingma) Buddhist prayers: The Seven Line Prayer and The Concise Recitation of the New Treasure of Dudjom (The Dudjom Tersar Ngondro) at the 2014 Tsadra Foundation’s Translation & Transmission Conference in Keystone, Colorado.

Padmasambhava, a major Third Phase Buddhist teacher

The Seven Line Prayer

HUNG –
In Urgyen’s northwestern land,
On a lotus pistil stem,
You attained supreme siddhi,
Known as the Padmakara.
Surrounded by dakinis,
Following you, I’ll practice.
Please come granting your blessing –
GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG

The Concise Recitation of the Dudjom Tersar Ngondro

Tibetan original, chant lead by Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje:

Matching English verses:

This is a centuries long project

– Experience condensed English verses filled with the Dharma in the same spirit as was done in Tibetan and other Asian languages.
– Get inspired and become an active participant in this multi-generational translation effort in your own way, by condensing scholastic translation beginnings into new verses whose devotional cadence reflects the living spirit of the originals.
– Chant in the same meter and melody as Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, while using English with full comprehension.

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