Resting in the Twofold Purpose: A Prayer of Aspiration for the Three Vows

This quote is from “Resting in the Twofold Purpose: A Prayer of Aspiration for the Three Vows,” composed by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.

In this lyrical prayer of aspiration, Khyentse Wangpo explains the three levels of vows as gradually cultivated on the path of a Vajrayāna practitioner. The three vows are those found in Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism, namely, the prātimokṣa vows of self-liberation, the bodhisattva vows of universal enlightenment, and the tantric vows of secret mantra. The twofold purpose referred to in the title is the benefit of oneself and others, which is fulfilled through the cultivation of these disciplines and the three levels of vows that are upheld through them.

This text was translated by Elizabeth McDougal and can be found in our reading room here: https://www.khyentsevision.org/reading-room/kabum/a-chung/B1600/