By carefully following all of the teachings
My most holy Gurus have imparted to me —
Concerning the meanings of sutra and tantra
Explained by the buddhas and masters of old
I have written this work on the practices numbering
Thirty and seven of all Buddhas' Sons
To benefit those who desire to follow
The path that all sons of buddhas must tread.
Because of my poor intellectual powers
And the meagre amount of training I've had,
I haven't been able to write polished verses
In metre and style which would please those with skill;
But as I've relied on the words of the sutras
And all that my most holy gurus have taught,
I am certain that this is without any errors;
This truly is what buddhas' sons have all done.
However, because the extent and the depth
Of the great waves of conduct of all buddha's sons
Are hard to be fathomed by someone of limited
Power of intellect as is myself,
There are bound to be faults, contradictions in meaning,
Disjointed connections and many such flaws;
So most holy gurus, I beg your indulgence,
Be patient with all the shortcomings I have.
With pure bodhicitta of ultimate voidness,
Yet relative nature of mercy and love,
Devoid of extremes in this worldly existence
And passive absorption in blissful release,
May all sentient beings receiving the merit
Amassed by the effort I've made in this work
Soon reach your attainment, O great lokeshvara,
All-seeing protector with love for us all.