Ye Bul (禮 佛 / 예 불), AKA: Homage to the Three Jewels

[Note: This post has the Hanja, Hangul, Romaja (romanized transliteration), and some very literal translations of the Homage to the Three Jewels. And at the end there is also a video with a recording of the chant and the “lyrics”. See this follow-up post for more about the chant, it’s structure and some insights into it’s meaning: Homage to the Three Jewels: notes and comments.]

Hanja:    禮  佛
Hangul: 예  불
transliteration: ye bul
literal meaning: Ritual/Ceremony Buddha
Homage to the Three Jewels

戒 香                定 香                   慧 香               解 脫 香                解 脫 知 見 香
계 향                정 향                   혜 향               해 탈 향                해 탈 지 견 향
gye hyang       jeong hyang       hye hyang       hye tal hyang       hye tal ji gyeon hyang
śīla fragrance samādhi fragrance prajñā fragrance mokṣa fragrance knowlege of mokṣa fragrance

光 明 雲 臺                             周 邊 法 界
광 명 운 대                             주 변 법 계
gwang myeong un dae          ju byeon beop gye
light bright cloud stage         pervading dharmadhatu

供 養 十 方                             無 量 佛 法 僧
공 양 시 방                             무 량 불 법 승
gong yang shi bang               mu ryang bul beop seung
offering ten directions           numberless buddha dharma sangha
The fragrance of our discipline, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge of liberation, these are like terraces of radiant clouds pervading the entire dharma-realm, which we offer to the numberless Buddhas, Dharmas and Sanghas of the ten directions.

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獻 香 眞 言
헌 향 진 언
heon hyang jin on
offer fragrance mantra
The Mantra of Offering Incense:

唵 婆阿羅 度碑耶 吽 (3x)
옴 바아라 도비야 훔
om ba-a-ra do-bi-ya hum

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至心歸命禮                           三界道士                                四生慈父
지심귀명례                           삼계도사                                사생자부
ji shim gwi myeong ye         sam gye do sa                        sa saeng ja bu
sincere mind homage          three realms dao master        four lives loving father

是我本師                                釋迦牟尼佛
시아본사                               석가모니불
shi a bon sa                           seog ga mo ni bul
is our root teacher                Shakyamuni Buddha
We sincerely pay homage to the Master of the Three Realms, the Loving Father of the Four Lives, who is our root teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha.

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至心歸命禮                         十方三世                                      帝網刹海
지심귀명례                         시방삼세                                      제망찰해
ji shim gwi myeong ye       shi bang sam se                            je mang chal hae
sincerely mind homage      ten directions three worlds          emperor net (Indra’s net) land ocean

常住一切                            佛陀耶衆
상주일체                            불타야중
sang ju il che                      bul ta ya jung
eternally abiding all           buddha assembly
We sincerely pay homage to all the sacred Buddhas who, like Indra’s net, pervade all the lands and oceans of the ten directions and the three worlds.

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至心歸命禮                        十方三世                                            帝網刹海
지심귀명례                        시방삼세                                            제망찰해
ji shim gwi myeong ye      shi bang sam se                                 je mang chal hae
sincerely mind homage    ten directions three worlds                emperor net (Indra’s net) land ocean

常住一切                            達摩耶衆
상주일체                            달마야중
sang ju il che                     dal ma ya jung
eternally abiding all          dharma assembly
We sincerely pay homage to all the sacred Dharmas which, like Indra’s Net, pervade all the lands and oceans of ten directions and the three worlds.

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至心歸命禮                           大智文殊                   舍利菩薩                  大行普賢菩薩
지심귀명례                           대지문수                  사리보살                   대행보현보살
ji shim gwi myeong ye         dae ji mun su            sa ri bo sal                dae haeng bo hyeon bo sal
sincerely mind homage       great wisdom manjushri bodhisattva     great action samantabhadra bodhisattva

大悲觀                             世音菩薩              大願本尊                   地藏菩薩摩阿薩
대비관                             세음보살              대원본존                   지장보살마하살
dae bi kwan                     se um so sal         dae weon bon jon       ji jang bo sal ma ha sal
great love Kwan               seum bosal          great vows deity       jijang bosal great being
We sincerely pay homage to Majushri, Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom, Samantabhadra, Bodhisattva of Great Action, Kwan Seum Bosal, Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, and Ji Jang Bosal, Bodhisattva of Great Vows.

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至心歸命禮                         靈山當時受佛付囑                                     十大弟子十六聖
지심귀명례                         영산당시수불부촉                                     십대제자십육성
ji shim gwi myeong ye        yong sahn dang shi su bul bu chok          ship tae jae ja shim nyk song
sincerely mind homage      deity mountain then receive buddha teachings    ten great disciples 16 nobles

五百聖獨修聖乃至                          千二百諸大阿羅漢                     無量慈悲聖衆
오백성독수성내지                          천이백제대아라 한                    무량(자비)성중

o baek song dok su song nae ji      chon i baek jae da a ra han       mu ryang (ja bi) seong jung
500 holy ones and also                  1200 great arhats                       without number (compassionate) noble assembly
We sincerely pay homage to the countless noble compassionate Sanghas, especially those who received the teachings on Vulture Peak, the 10 great disciples, the 16 noble disciples, the 500 holy ones, and the 1200 great arhats.

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至心歸命禮                          西乾東震 及我海東                            歷代傳燈 諸大祖師
지심귀명례                         서건동진 급아해동                             역대전득 제대조사
ji shim gwi myeong ye       seo geon dong jin gub a hae dong    yeok dae jon dung je dae jo sa
sincerely mind homage      west sky east lightning reach self korea        previous generations transfer lamp every great ancestor teacher

天下宗師                                  一切微塵數 諸大                                     善知識
천하종사                                  일체미진수 제대                                    선지식

chon ha jong sa                        il che mi jin su je dae                             seon ji shik
heaven below grand master     all small particles count every great      good perceive realize (善知識 = kalyāṇa-mitratā: admirable friendship, sacred friendship)
We sincerely pay homage to all the previous generations of great masters who have brought the lamp of the dharma from the west to the east, and to Korea in particular, and to all of our great teachers and spiritual friends, who are as numerous as the atoms of the universe.

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至心歸命禮                          十方三世                           帝網刹海
지심귀명례                          시방삼세                           제망찰해
ji shim gwi myeong ye      shi bang sam se                je mang char hae
sincerely mind homage ten directions three worlds          emperor net (Indra’s net) land ocean

常住一切                   僧家耶衆
상주일체                   승가야중
sang ju il che             sung ga ya jung
eternal life every      sangha assembly
We sincerely pay homage to all the Holy Sanghas which, like Indra’s Net, pervade all the lands and oceans of ten directions and the three worlds.
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唯願無盡                                    三寶 大慈大悲
유원무진                                    삼보 대자대비
yu won mu jin                            sam bo dae ja dae bi
only wish/vow no end              three jewels great love great sadness

受我頂禮                                                         冥熏加被力
수아정례                                                         명훈가피력
su a jeong ye                                                     myong hung ga pi ryok
accept our great ritual (prostrations)          subtle smoke adhiṣṭhāna (blessings)

願共法界諸衆生                                                                   自他一時 成佛道
원공법계제중생                                                                  자타일시 성불도
won gong bob kye je jung saeng                                          ja ta il shi song bul to
wish open dharma realm all sentient beings                    we and others all attain buddha way
Our greatest desire is that the inexhaustible Three Jewels will lovingly and compassionately accept our devotions, that we will receive their mysterious and profound blessings, and that together with all beings throughout the Dharma Realm we will attain the Buddha Way.

See also:

The image of “three interpenetrating pyrite cubes” is from here:
https://the-earth-story.com/post/74931897667/three-interpenetrating-pyrite-cubes-many-crystals
.

And, finally, here is a video of a few of us chanting together (the video includes the “lyrics”, so you chant along!):

But wait, there’s more! Here’s another video of the chant, by Hye Tong Sunim (chanting solo). He has a very beautiful voice and his chanting is very easy to follow if you are trying to learn. It’s a little slower than the one above (and it does not have the lyrics displayed on the screen).

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