A Prayer in Honor of Service Personnel Killed in Action

By Category: PrayersTags: ,

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
With sadness, pride, and gratitude,
We would like to honor service personnel
Who have given their lives to save others.
We have seen them file onto ships, climb into
The cockpits of fighter jets, and
Join long convoys.
With a final salute, they disappeared
From our vision, and from our lives.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
In order to save the country and its people,
These troops sacrificed themselves.
Their lives and heroic spirits will go down in history.
In order to complete their missions,
They engaged in dangerous action with bravery and loyalty.
The undaunted courage and wisdom left in their wakes
Are enough to startle the universe and move all beings.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
These service personnel sacrificed their lives for their homeland.
Please bless them with your loving-kindness.
May they be reborn in the upper realms.
May they return to the earth by taking vows.
May their bereaved families receive proper support.
May their descendants learn of their brave deeds.

Oh Buddha!
We want to eulogize the aspirations
Of the brave service personnel who gave their lives.
Yet, we must also denounce those
Who attempt to expand their domination,
And bring great suffering to people.
We condemn the actions of those who drive their ambitions
Over the lives of innocent victims.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
We pray that we learn wisdom of your teachings.
May all humankind coexist peacefully.
May all sentient beings in all dharma realms be as one family.
In the future, may the world
See no tyrants who burn, kill, and plunder,
And create no warriors to face each other across vicious weapons.
In the future, may the world
See only compassionate, generous people,
And consist only of beings who enjoy peace and happiness.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept our sincere prayer!
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept our sincere prayer!

This was originally published in Pearls of Wisdom: Prayers for Engaged Living II, written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

Image from Pixabay.


A Brief History of Buddhist Volunteerism
Sages from all religions who serve the multitudes without any monetary reward or recognition are volunteers of human society.  An ancient sage once said: “Before one can become a prominent figure in Buddhist circles, one has to be a horse and an ox for all sentient beings.” Another said: “Before one attains Buddhahood, one first has to form affinity.” Over the generations, Buddhist monastics have Read more
The Web of Human Relationships
Human beings are social animals; we cannot live apart from community. As Buddhists, we are told to seek the Dharma among the people, for the Dharma does not exist in some other world or far away place; the Dharma is here among us, embodied in each and every being. When we understand that human society is nothing other than a web of human relationships, we Read more
Observe the Way through Living Simply
In the early days of Buddhism, how did monastics observe the Way and live their lives? As the daily lives of these monastics were not one of material things, emotional ties, or sensory pleasures, they led a lives of few material things and cool emotional ties. The world within their heart was pure and their spiritual life was forever lasting. In more concrete terms, their Read more
Lamp Offering
Offering lamps at Buddhist temples and stupas is a common practice. The Flower Adornment Sutra says, “The lamp of wisdom can break through all forms of darkness.” As such, lamps represent the light of wisdom that pierces through the darkness of ignorance. This empowers sentient beings encumbered by confusion. The Buddhist practice of offering lamps originates from the actions of a poor girl named Nanda. Read more
Master’s Advice on Daily Practice
As we live, we must strive for a life of value. Buddhism is different from philosophy, for it does not only deal with knowledge and theory. Rather, Buddhism calls for devout faith, developed morality, and most importantly: spiritual practice.All we need is the right intention to begin any form of spiritual practice, whether it is bowing to the Buddha, chanting sutras, repentance, meditation, or other Read more
Overcoming Greed
Greed is a basic disease of all sentient beings. In our realm, the desire realm (kamadhatu), the force and effects of greed can be felt especially strongly. Greed is based on ignorance and cannot function without it. The fundamental ignorance that enables greed to function is the belief in a self that exists separately and independently from other sentient beings. This belief leads to nothing Read more
A Moment and an Eternity of the Mind
What is the fastest thing in the universe? Of course, everyone knows it is light, which moves at three hundred thousand kilometers per second. However, in Buddhism, the fastest thing is not light but a person’s mind. The speed of mind is several hundred times faster than light and is not limited by time and space. In a flash you can think of Li Bo, Read more
Development of Mahayana’s Four Universal Vows
While the Four Noble Truths explain the phenomena of the universe, the Buddha expounded on them mainly as a guide for life. It is inadequate, however, to merely learn the Four Noble Truths. We must resolve, cultivate and practice accordingly. We must end the causes of suffering, practice the path, and reach the cessation of suffering in order to achieve liberation. Consequently, the Four Universal Read more
What is Meditation?
One of the great advantages of sitting meditation is that you can take it with you wherever you go. Whether you are in a forest deep in the mountains or beside a stream among the grass and reeds, you can develop meditative concentration just by sitting down and crossing your legs.But what is meditation? Does it come from sitting, standing, or lying down? Huineng, the Read more
Greed: The Cause of Suffering
Though the worlds that we see are fundamentally a product of our own minds, they usually do not appear this way to us. Like images in an intense dream, our perceptions appear to be wholly real to us, and not to have been generated by our own mental activity. For this reason, the Buddha taught many ways to help us comprehend the true nature of Read more
The Buddhist Tradition of Protecting the Environment
Most people regard the Buddhist religion as conservative and passive. Many think that Buddhism only teaches people to meditate, recite mantras and be vegetarians. They do not associate the religion with active and progressive ideas such as environmental protection. In truth, Buddhism is a religion that embodies the spirit of environmental protection and it has a long history of being active in such matters, well Read more
My Silent Revolution for Buddhism
In devoting my life to Buddhism, in order to keep Buddhism current with the advances in society, in terms of thoughts, I am always making improvements at every hour and moment; in terms of practice, I am constantly and continuously making adjustments. Even though I know that Buddhism must be reformed, innovation never comes into being in the heat of the moment. My “silent revolution” Read more