By Vernerable Master Hsing Yun
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
With the greatest sincerity,
As your disciples,
We are here to express our gratitude for your great protection;
Please let our nation make education available to all;
Please let our people raise their standard of living;
Please let our science and technology continue to improve;
Please let our politics maintain freedom and democracy.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
With great sincerity, we would like to express ourselves clearly:
Although education is available to all,
Our ethics have degenerated;
Although our standard of living has been raised,
Our public morality has eroded;
Although our science and technology have advanced,
Our industries have reported frequent incidents of pollution;
Although our political system is democratic,
Our society has been turbulent and ill at ease.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
We thus pray for your great protection:
May the mercilessness and cruelty of our society
Be transformed into harmony and happiness;
May the brazenness and debauchery of our society
Be transformed into proper manners and order;
May the rampancy of crime and misdirection of our society
Be transformed into joyous giving and forming affinity;
May the cheating and imposture of our society
Be transformed into harmony and righteousness;
May the anger, hatred, and jealousy of our society
Be transformed into compassion, kindness, and benevolence;
May the wrong knowledge and wrong views of our society
Be transformed into right knowledge and right views.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
We pray for your great support:
May we grasp the concept of cause of effect,
And understand the reality of life;
May we have the strength of a heart full of patience and tolerance,
And never retreat in the face of adversity;
May we be imbued with clear and wise foresight,
And have no fears or worries;
May we have the courage to subdue evils,
And complete the mission of life.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
We pray for your blessing and protection;
May our country have favorable weather,
And never have natural disasters or man-made calamities;
May our politics be honest, clean, and just,
And never have corruption or bribery.
May our ethnic groups be tolerant of those who are different,
And never have racial disputes;
May our society be steadfast, prosperous, and powerful,
And never have wars or upheavals;
May our lives be abundant in food and clothing,
And never suffer economic instability;
May our bodies and minds be healthy and carefree,
And never be disturbed by sickness.
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept this prayer for our country!
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept this prayer for our country!
Namo Shakyamuni Buddha.