Wasan – The Sutra of Bussharison’s Glory

The Wasan – The Sutra of Bussharison's Glory is a sacred sutra written by the Great Master, His Eminence Seiyu Kiriyama, based on the spiritual message bestowed by the Buddha.

This sutra conveys the profound essence of the Agon Shu Buddhist discipline as it deliberately describes how and why people come to possess ill external and internal factors of fate (karma), how to eliminate them, as well as the boundless power of karmic liberation embedded in the Bussharison and the instruction on how to righteously receive its empowerment.

However, if these teachings are kept only as knowledge, nothing will change. Do not forget that it is only through active and faithful practice that we can unlock the potential of such power and receive its blessing.

Agon Shu Buddhist practitioners are advised to read this sutra on a daily basis to understand the profound meaning of the Agon Shu discipline, and to receive the empowerment and wisdom of the Buddha from the Bussharison.

With our lives entrusted in faith,

We praise and revere the Holy Bussharison.

For its boundless power to grant both fortune and liberation,

May its infinite merits be revealed to the world.

The Bussharison we revere and enshrine

Is the beacon of salvation the Buddha left behind.

Out of boundless, unceasing compassion and grace,

He vowed to save all sentient beings

In the dark latter age of sorrow and strife, 

Where the Dharma falls to karmic fate.

Thus, He entrusted His will to these sacred remains

As the final light and hope in the darkened days.

The Bussharison is

The treasured monument that encases

The Transformed Manifestation of the Absolute Buddha.

Among the sacred monuments that exist in the world,

The sacred Bussharison alone stands above all,

For it is the Venerable Miraculous Jewel

Equivalent to the Buddha Himself.

Wondrous be its Great Compassion, divine in transformation;

Unending be its power to guide and grant liberation.

Should you accumulate the Merits of revering and devoting to the Bussharison,

All manner of karma shall be severed at its root,

And boundless fortune shall be bestowed, without measure and end.

Wherever this sacred monument is placed with reverence,

There shall be no threat of danger or calamity.

All beings shall dwell in tranquil ease,

From humankind to beast alike.

No plague, no pain, their peace shall strike.

Thus, never forget to devote to the Bussharison daily.

If one offers sincere reverence and devotion,

The Absolute Buddha shall manifest.

Even if the stupa is made of tiles, stones, or scraps of wood,

It shall at once be transformed into a jewelled stupa,

Adorned with the seven precious gems, shining in splendour.

Its radiant light of polished purple-gold,

Will radiate and illuminate all worlds in ten directions.

A voice shall arise from the radiant light,

From which the Dharma resounds in luminous sound,

Revealing the realization in clear and sudden sight.

These are the words of the Absolute Tathagata.

Through such empowerment,

The Bodhichitta within ordinary beings shall be awakened,

And supreme enlightenment shall thereby be attained.

Therefore, praise the Buddha’s silent voice beyond all sounds.

Which quietly penetrates the hearts of all beings.

Even one burdened by the sin of past-life greed,

Now cast into poverty, where even clothing is a distant dream—

If they bow in sincere prayer before the Bussharison,

The Absolute Buddha shall transform it into the Three Sacred Jewels,

And a rain of radiant jewels shall fall.

Precious garments and noble robes shall appear,

Along with an endless abundance of foods and drinks, rich in a hundred flavours—

All shall be granted without fail.

In honour and abundance, day by day, one shall come to dwell.

Even if stricken by karmic or incurable diseases,

Tormented by deep and painful suffering—

If one offers sincere reverence and devotion to the Bussharison,

Even the heaviest illness shall begin to heal that very day,

And one shall fulfill their natural lifespan in peace. 

The merits are thus ineffable,

Vast beyond measure.

So must you cultivate profound faith,

And diligently accumulate Merits through dedication. 

Above all, you must earnestly set karmic liberation 

As the ultimate aspiration.

If there is a single ill karma within your fate,

Even the vast wealth and power one envies so much

Can become the seeds of pain and cries.

You must sever the chain of karma of ancestral lineages.

You must sever the effects of ancestral sins.

The grave sins and transgressions of parents, grandparents, and beyond

Are passed down to the children and descendants,

Through blood and flesh,

Setting their destiny of woes and pains.

The woes you bear for sins you do not recall,

Are caused by the karma from your parents’ and ancestors’ faults.

Therefore, the chains of ancestral fate you must break,

To free your family from karma’s heavy weight.

The next to sever is the karma of your own.

The birth to parents and kin whose sins are grave,

Whose karma runs deep in blood and burdens weigh,

Is the fruit of your sins from lifetimes past.

So curse not those who came before for your pains,

But turn within and take the blame.

Repent for your unrighteousness,

And with heartfelt sincerity,

Fully serve your ancestors

For their complete liberation

And spiritual ascension.

The karmic debts and disturbances

You and your forefathers bear,

Generated in the last thousand eons

In the unending cycle of birth and death,

Shall finally dissolve upon your honoured service,

Revealing the path to Enlightenment’s light. 

Even the ancestors who suffer in the Infinite Hell,

And those who endure in the Hungry Ghosts Hell or the Animal Realm,

Shall all be cast and freed by the Buddha’s Radiant Light

And enter the gate of Salvation, Peace, and Joy,

Free from woes and cries.

Honour the Threefold Path of Dedication.

The First is the Concrete Dedication.

So it is named the physical and material dedication.

Prepare and offer incense, flowers, candles, and zukō,

And dedicate yourself to the Bussharison to the fullest.

If you sow no seed of Merits through dedication,

You shall not reap the fruits of fortune. 

If you sow a bag of seeds,

From five to ten times fold,

The fruits shall come to bear.  

But if you sow no seed, 

Fearing its loss or waste,

Nor rice nor wheat

You shall reap.

Without sowing the seeds of Merits,

You shall never harvest their virtuous fruits. 

The more you sow, the more you reap.

Thus, sow as much as you possibly can,

Sparing no sweat, no toil, or pain,

For none of your dedication shall go in vain.

If karmic liberation and happiness are your sacred goals,

Then serve the Buddha with steadfast soul. 

The Second is the Dedication of Practice

If salvation for yourself and your children

Is what you seek,

Then, first save those in need.

This is the Supreme Law of cause and effect

Preached by the Sakyamuni Buddha.

I, My, Me.

If you think of nothing but yourself —

Karma remains unresolved.

If you live for nothing but yourself — 

Karma be stacked, shaping the self

As flawed as you are now. 

Thus, you, the practitioner, shall cultivate Dharmic Merits,

And undertake the mission of salvation with all your might. 

If you dedicate yourself to the Bussharison daily

With heartfelt awe and sincerity,

Endowed with the Ten Types of Merits,

You shall naturally rise and stand above all  

And become the saviour of the sentient souls. 

Yet, do not succumb to arrogance.

Set your pride aside.

Behold that arrogance and anger

Will set thousands of your Merit seeds

You have sown on fire.

Do not forget to dedicate yourself

To the practice of humble cleansing.

Empowered by the Nyorai’s blessing,

Save those burdened with bane,

Be the cane of those in pain.

Let it be known

That the ultimate solution

Is the Practice of Dedication 

To the Sacred Bussharison 

The Third is the Dedication to the Doctrine

This dedication

Is the comprehension and transmission

Of the sacred teachings found within

The Āgama Scripture.

Propagate to the world

The holiness of the Method of Liberation

Containing the 7 Systems and 37 Curricula,

Bestowed by the Sakyamuni Buddha.

These combined constitute

The Threefold Path of Dedication. 

It is the core foundation

Of the Practice of Dedication

To the Sacred Bussharison.

So, do not ever let the Threefold Path of Dedication

Slip away from your heart and cognition. 

These embody the holy and mighty

Threefold Path of Merits

That the Sakyamuni Buddha bestowed. 

If noble practitioners,

In upholding and praising the True Dharma

At the feet of the Dharma-Empowered Buddha,

Make the unwavering vow

To save the world from its spiritual decay and Karma,

All Heavenly gods shall unite,

And all Buddhist Deities shall take delight

In powerfully guarding them day and night. 

Out of Great Sympathy,

The Buddha grants karmic liberation.

Out of Great Compassion,

The Buddha grants abundance and fortune.

Driven by the Great Sympathy and Compassion,

The Lord Buddha transformed Himself and manifested:

In the past, as Sakyamuni Buddha,

And now, as the Sacred Bussharison. 

Blessed with abundance and fortune,

Let us walk the path of Karmic Liberation. 

How precious is the Holy Bussharison!

How sacred is the Holy Bussharison!

With our lives entrusted in faith,

We praise and revere the Holy Bussharison!

To entrust the method,

To receive the Buddha’s empowerment

Of Fortune and Karmic Liberation

For the world ahead and future generations,

So I leave this Sutra of Bussharison’s Glory.

(c) Agon Shu Canada Buddhist Association

Translation from the Original Japanese Sutra: Seiya

Revision: Monk Seiji Hayashi