The Seven Chapters of Prayer: as taught by Padma Sambhava of Urgyen, known in Tibetan as Le’u bDun Ma

In 1981 C R Lama wrote that “These prayers describe how … Padma Sambhava promises to come every morning with the rising sun and to come every tenth day of the lunar month and make himself visible to the people. The prayers give protection from war, disease, famine, difficult journeys, dangerous animals, earthquakes, troublesome yeti, robbers and authoritarian police, at the time of death, during the bardo, and from the other results of one’s karma. We have also translated the Bar-Chhad Lam-Sel prayer which saves all beings in the six realms from the difficulties that afflict them. The volume concludes with the prayer listing all the important deeds of Padma Sambhava written by gTer-sTon Nyi-Ma ’Od-Zer.

These prayers are said and believed in by all the rNying-Ma lineages, only the lineage prayers at the beginning will be slightly different for the later period and here we have given the Byang-gTer, ’Khor-gDong and sMin-Grol Gling lineages. All the bKa’-brGyud-Pa also read these prayers and some of the Sa-sKya-Pa also read them, and when they do their Phur-Pa practice, they read the fourth chapter. The prayers are also read in some dGe-Lugs-Pa monasteries, and they are respected everywhere for their great blessing.

English. The Seven Chapters of Prayer: as taught by Padma Sambhava of Urgyen, known in Tibetan as Le’u bDun Ma. Arranged according to the system of Khordong Gompa by Chhimed Rigdzin Rinpoche. Translated with commentary by James Low. (wandel verlag, 2010) ISBN: 978-3942380027

French La Prière en Sept Chapitres. Écrite par Padmasambhava. Traduite par Tchimé Rigdzin Rinpotché et James Low. Translated into French by Nathalie Koralnik and Patrice Sammut. (Editions
Khordong-France, 2010) ISBN: 9782953189018

German. Das Gebet in sieben Kapiteln gelehrt von Padmasambhava aus Urgyen (Le’u bDun Ma). Translated into German by Gudrun Knausenberger and Camel Chhimed Wangpo. (Edition Khordong, Wandel Verlag, 2011) ISBN 978-3-942380-11-9

Table of Contents

Preliminaries:

General Refuge and Bodhicitta
Developing Bodhicitta 
Gathering the Accumulations (sMin-Grol-Gling System)|
Developing the Visualisation (Byang-gTer System)          
Seven Line Prayer
Making Offerings
Developing the Visualisation (sMin-Grol-Gling System)
Prayer to the Three Kaya Guru
The Prayer to the Lineage Gurus (Byang-gTer System)
The Six Special Features of the Dharma of the Early Translation School
Padma Sambhava’s Brief Lineage Practice (Byang-gTer)                
The Brief Guru Lineage (Byang-gTer)
Guru Lineage Prayer (sMin-Grol-Gling System)

The Seven Prayers:

The Prayer Requested by King Trisong Deutsen
The Prayer Requested by Khandro Yeshe Tshogyal
The Prayer Requested by Namkhai Nyingpo
The Prayer Requested by Nanam Dorje Dudjom
The Prayer Requested by Lhasae Mutri Tsanpo
Requesting Meditation Instructions
Prince Mutri Tsanpo’s Lament and the Guru’s Reply: Sampa Lhundrub Ma

Additional Prayers:

Seven Line Prayer
Barched Lamsel Prayer
Prayer which immediately removes obstacles
Prayer which quickly fulfils our wishes
Prayer of stainless biography
Dedication of merit