Saptāṇga pūja

saptāṇga pūja [alt. saptāṅgavidhi] (T. yan lag bdun pa ཡན་ལག་བདུན་པ་; C. qizhi zuofa 七支作法). Translated as "seven branch practice", "seven-limbed practice", etc. A common recitation liturgy found within the Mahayana tradition. The "seven branch practice" is included in many practice texts in a variety of different forms, and is often recited as a preliminary for carrying out other dharma practices, such as a meditation session or a tantric practice. The recitation is seen as means of accumulating merit prior to entering into the main practice. Some forms of this practice include more than seven branches.

The seven branches

The "seven branches" of this practice commonly consists of:

1. paying homage (vandanā ཕྱག་འཚལ་བ།) to the three jewels or appropriate deities
2. presenting offerings (pūjanā མཚོད་པ་ཕུལ་བ།)
3. confessing (pāpadeśanā བཤགས་པ་ཕུལ་བ།) negative deeds
4. rejoicing (anumodana རྗེས་སུ་ཡི་རང་བ།) in the positive deeds of all beings
5. requesting the Dharma (saṃcodana བསྐུལ་བ།)
6. requesting the buddhas to remain in the world (prārthanā/adhyeṣaṇa)
7. dedicating (pariṇāmana བསྔོ་བ།) all virtues to the benefit of sentient beings

In the sutras

Dudjom Rinpoche states:

These seven branches for the accumulation of merit are mentioned again and again in the sutras, briefly or in detail, together with their benefits. Here is a passage from the Sutra Requested by Shri Gupta:

For those who, thinking of the Buddhas of the ten directions,

Fold their hands together

And submit obeisance, make offerings,

Rejoice in all merit,

Purify their negative actions,

And exhort, and pray,

A heap of merit constantly arises

Filling the whole of space.

Sample seven-branch prayers

There are many versions of the seven-branch practice, which generally include different versions of the same basic elements.

Brief seven-branch offering

This brief seven-branch offering prayer is intended as a preparation for a meditation session, according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This prayer is directed toward a "field of accumulation" (tshogs zhing) that is commonly described in Tibetan Buddhist practices.

Here the field of merit is the assembly of our root spiritual mentors, the lineage spiritual mentors, meditation deities, buddhas, bodhisattvas, solitary realizer and śrāvaka arhats, heroes (ḍākas) and heroines (ḍākinīs), and Dharma protectors.

The following prayer is recited:

Reverently I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind,
and present clouds of every type of offering, actual and mentally transformed.
I confess all my destructive actions accumulated since beginningless time,
and rejoice in the virtues of all holy and ordinary beings.
Please remain until cyclic existence ends,
and turn the wheel of Dharma for sentient beings.
I dedicate all the virtues of myself and others to the great awakening.

Seven-branch offering to Amitabha

The following prayer to Buddha Amitabha includes a version of the seven branch offerings:

[homage to Amitabha]
Emaho!
From here, over in the direction of the setting sun,
In a place many countless worlds away,
Lies the utterly pure realm of Sukhāvatī, 'the Blissful',
There resides the supreme and perfect Buddha,
Boundless Life and Light.

[the seven branches]
To that Lord and protector, I pay homage.
I offer clouds of imagined gifts, just like Samantabhadra's.
I confess misdeeds accumulated over many lifetimes.
I rejoice in the virtuous actions of all beings.
I request the turning of the Wheel of Dharma.
I pray that you do not pass into nirvāṇa.
And, through the virtues amassed in past, present and future,
I pray that as soon as my life ends and I pass from here,
I may be born in that sublime realm, and, like the Lord himself,
Perfectly achieve my own and others' aims—
Make this wish of mine come true, I pray!

Seven-branch offering to Tara

This seven-branch offering prayer is directed toward the deity Tara:

1. Prostration
To the Exalted Ārya, the Noble Lady Tārā,
And to all the victorious ones and their heirs
Dwelling in all directions of the universe, through past, present and future,
Sincerely and enthusiastically I pay homage!

2. Offering
I make offerings of flowers, incense, lamps, fragrant scents,
And food, and music, and the like —
Both physical and imaginary, created by the mind.
Assembly of Noble Ladies, please accept them all!

3. Confession
All my negative deeds throughout beginningless time until today,
The ten non-virtues and the five with immediate reckoning —
Sprung from this mind that is driven by destructive emotions,
I confess them all, each and every one.

4. Rejoicing
With a heart full of delight, I rejoice in all the merits
Of śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas,
And every living being,
Throughout the three times.

5. Imploring the Buddhas to Turn the Wheel of Dharma
I implore you: according to the temperament
And mental capacity of sentient beings,
Please turn the wheel of Dharma
Of all the vehicles — lesser, greater, and general.

6. Requesting the Buddhas Not to Enter nirvāṇa
Until saṃsāra has been completely emptied,
I beseech you: do not pass into nirvāṇa,
But look upon us with your boundless compassion,
As we flounder in this ocean of suffering.

7. Dedication
May whatever virtue I have amassed
Become the cause of enlightenment for all;
May I quickly, without delay or deferment,
Become an excellent guide to all beings.

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Dalai Lama; Thubten Chodron (2018), The Foundation of Buddhist Practice, The Library of Wisdom and Compassion, Volume 2, Wisdom Publications 

Further reading

• Seven limb prayer, StudyBuddhism
• Merit Field, Seven-Limb Prayer, Mandala and Requests, StudyBuddhism
• Seven Branches Series, Lotsawa House
• Seven branches, Rigpa Shedra Wiki