The long form of the opening invitation, used on observance days, which stops to explain why an image of the Buddha stands where the offerings are placed.
- When chanted
- Spoken by the leader in place of the ordinary invitation on observance days (วันธรรมสวนะ) and on Sundays.
A note on this chant. The book prints this chant in Pali only, with no Thai translation. The English here is a working translation prepared for this edition — it is not the book's own, and has not yet been checked by a teacher.
Historical background
This is the พิสดาร, the elaborate, form of an invitation whose ordinary form stands earlier in the book. The two open with the same words and then part company, and they are kept as two chants here rather than merged.
What makes it elaborate is not ornament but explanation. The short form goes from refuge to offering in a handful of clauses. This one takes eighteen, because between those two points it stops to give an account of the shrine that the offering is being made at.
It is unusual in naming its own object. The image is identified as one made and established by a named prince, dedicated to the Blessed One, which ties the text to a particular hall rather than to chanting in general. The book prints it in Pali only, and the verse divisions here follow the printed commas, as the book itself instructs elsewhere.
Meaning and purpose
The opening clauses establish a line of descent: the Blessed One to whom we have gone for refuge, for whose sake we have gone forth, who is our teacher, in whose Dhamma we delight. Then a clause that is more candid than it first appears — this Dhamma and Discipline is still carried on, in one way or another, even to this day. The qualification is not smoothed over. Transmission has been uneven, and the chant says so.
The middle explains the shrine, and it does so as a chain of permissions. Out of compassion for later generations the Blessed One allowed a shrine to be established after his passing; on the strength of that permission this image was made; and its purpose is then stated exactly — solely so that, seeing it and calling him to mind, one may gain confidence and a sense of urgency, and on that account fulfil the right practice. The image is described as an aid to recollection, and nothing more is claimed for it.
Only after all that does the chant do what the short form does in a line: offerings placed on the lion-throne, homage paid, and the assembly handed on to the preliminary salutation. That order is the reason it is kept for observance days. On a day when people come who may not come often, the room raises an obvious question about what the image is for, and this invitation answers it before anyone is asked to bow to it.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 9 →
ยะมัมหะ โข มะยัง ภะคะวันตัง สะระณัง คะตา,
yamamha kho mayaṃ bhagavantaṃ saraṇaṃ gatā,
The Blessed One to whom we have gone for refuge,
อุททิสสะ ปัพพะชิตา โย โน ภะคะวา สัตถา,
uddissa pabbajitā yo no bhagavā satthā,
for whose sake we have gone forth, who is our Teacher,
ยัสสะ จะ มะยัง ภะคะวะโต ธัมมัง โรเจมะ,
yassa ca mayaṃ bhagavato dhammaṃ rocema,
and in whose Dhamma we delight -
ตัสสะ โข ปะนะ ภะคะวะโต โลเกกุตตะมะสัตถุภูตัสสะ,
tassa kho pana bhagavato lokekuttamasatthubhūtassa,
that Blessed One, being the supreme teacher in the world,
สัพพะทุกขูกะสะมะปะรินิพพานายะ ธัมมัง เทสะยะโต,
sabbadukkhūkasamaparinibbānāya dhammaṃ desayato,
who taught the Dhamma for the stilling of all suffering and for final liberation -
อะยัง ธัมมะวินะโย ยาวัชชะตะนาปิ ยะถากะถัญจิ อานิยะติ ปะวัตติยะติ,
ayaṃ dhammavinayo yāvajjatanāpi yathākathañci āniyati pavattiyati,
this Dhamma and Discipline is still carried on, in one way or another, even to this day.
ตาทิเส ธัมเม ปะสาทูปะจารายะ,
tādise dhamme pasādūpacārāya,
For the growing of confidence in such a Dhamma,
เตนะ ภะคะวะตา ปัจฉิมาชะนะตานุกัมปัง ปะฏิจจะ อัตตะโน อัจจะเยนะ ถูปะปะติฏฐาปะนัง อะนุมะตัง,
tena bhagavatā pacchimājanatānukampaṃ paṭicca attano accayena thūpapatiṭṭhāpanaṃ anumataṃ,
the Blessed One, out of compassion for later generations, permitted the establishing of a shrine after his passing.
ตัง โข ปะนะ ภะคะวะโต อะนุมะติง อุปาทายะ,
taṃ kho pana bhagavato anumatiṃ upādāya,
Taking up that permission of the Blessed One,
อะยัง ปะฏิมา มะหาสุระสิงหะนาเทนะ ปะวะระราเชนะ ตัง ภะคะวันตัง อุททิสสะ กะตา ปะติฏฐาปิตา,
ayaṃ paṭimā mahāsurasīhanādena pavararājena taṃ bhagavantaṃ uddissa katā patiṭṭhāpitā,
this image was made and established by the noble prince Mahāsurasīhanāda, dedicated to that Blessed One,
ยาวะเทวะ ทัสสะเนนะ ตัง ภะคะวันตัง อะนุสสะริตวา ปะสาทะสังเวคะปะฏิลาภายะ เจวะ,
yāvadeva dassanena taṃ bhagavantaṃ anussaritvā pasādasaṃvegapaṭilābhāya ceva,
solely so that, seeing it and calling that Blessed One to mind, one may gain confidence and a sense of urgency,
ตัปปัจจะยา สัมมาปะฏิปัตติปะริปูระณัตถายะ จะ,
tappaccayā sammāpaṭipattiparipūraṇatthāya ca,
and, on that account, may fulfil the right practice.
มะยัญจัมหะ อิมัง ฐานัง สัมปัตตา,
mayañcamha imaṃ ṭhānaṃ sampattā,
And we, having arrived at this place,
อิเม สักกาเร อิมัส๎มิง สีหาสะเน อาโรเปต๎วา,
ime sakkāre imasmiṃ sīhāsane āropetvā,
having placed these offerings upon this lion-throne,
ตัสสะ ภะคะวะโต สุจิระปะรินิพพุตัสสาปิ สะโต,
tassa bhagavato suciraparinibbutassāpi sato,
to that Blessed One, though he attained final Nibbāna long ago,
สักการัง กะริต๎วา อะภิวาทะนัง กะริมหา,
sakkāraṃ karitvā abhivādanaṃ karimhā,
have made our offering and paid our homage.
หันทะทานิ มะยัง ตัง ภะคะวันตัง วาจายะ อะภิถุตุง,
handadāni mayaṃ taṃ bhagavantaṃ vācāya abhithutuṃ,
Now, to praise that Blessed One in speech,
ปุพพะภาคะนะมะการัง กะโรมะ เส.
pubbabhāganamakāraṃ karoma se.
let us make the preliminary salutation.