Praise to Kṣitigarbha
“Praise to Kṣitigarbha” is a verse in Buddhism specifically extolling the great vows and merits of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva.
The most widely known and most often recited in Dharma assemblies and daily practice is the classic eight-line praise from the liturgical section of the “Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva.” This praise is concise, neatly parallel in structure, and perfectly summarizes Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva’s compassionate vows and spiritual power.
The Five Core Benefits of “Praise to Kṣitigarbha”:
- Delivering ancestors and relieving suffering to attain joy: By relying on Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva’s mighty vows to “shake open the gates of hell,” one can rescue departed spirits fallen into evil destinies and ancestors of many generations, helping them lessen their suffering and quickly proceed to wholesome realms or the Pure Land.
- Eliminating karma, resolving enmity, and bringing peaceful sleep: Sincerely reciting the praise can resonate with the Bodhisattva to dissolve the entanglements of karmic creditors and resentful affinities from past lives, cultivate and protect the energy of body, mind, and spirit, improve problems such as insomnia, excessive dreaming, and fright, and bring lasting peace to the household.
- Increasing blessings and ensuring abundance in clothing and food: Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva is like the “wish-fulfilling jewel” that can fulfill the wishes of sentient beings. Reciting this praise regularly can transform one’s own field of energy, gradually open up financial fortune, and bless the family with harmony and no lack of clothing or food.
- Keeping away disasters and receiving protection from spirits and gods: The sutra records that praising Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva can earn the respect and day-and-night protection of the Firm Earth Deity, the eight classes of heavenly dragons, and both benevolent and malevolent spirits and gods, causing many calamities, accidents, and epidemics to be dispelled.
- Opening wisdom and ensuring non-retrogression on the path to enlightenment: The phrase “in the sound of wisdom, within auspicious clouds” in the praise can bless practitioners with keen hearing, increase their wholesome roots, enhance awareness in the direction of life, and reveal their originally inherent pure mind-ground.
The original text is as follows:
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva is wondrous and beyond comparison; he manifests golden forms, appearing in countless places.
The beings of the three evil paths and the six realms hear the wondrous Dharma; beings of the four births and ten categories receive his compassionate grace.
The bright pearl illuminates the road to heaven; the golden staff shakes open the gates of hell.
Through countless kalpas, relatives and loved ones receive guidance and deliverance; beside the nine-petaled lotus throne, one pays homage to the Compassionate Honored One.
The beings of the three evil paths and the six realms hear the wondrous Dharma; beings of the four births and ten categories receive his compassionate grace.
The bright pearl illuminates the road to heaven; the golden staff shakes open the gates of hell.
Through countless kalpas, relatives and loved ones receive guidance and deliverance; beside the nine-petaled lotus throne, one pays homage to the Compassionate Honored One.