Prayers to the buddha Amitabha are popular in all traditions of Mahayana Buddhism. The three prayers by Karma Chakme and Mingyur Dorje included here are among the most popular in the Tibetan tradition, especially in the Kagyu and Nyingma schools. The strong connection both these authors had to Amitabha in their own practice comes through in simple and direct language that eschews poetic flourishes. This gives all three prayers depth, power, and an ability to speak to the heart, making it easy for practitioners to feel the thoughts and words as their own while they recite them. They are recited frequently in monasteries, nunneries, and dharma centers around the world, and many practitioners also include them in their daily practice to pray either for themselves or on behalf of recently departed loved ones.

In Tibetan, these prayers are frequently sung to the melody for the MAṆI mantra, so they are presented here in a new translation that can easily be sung to that same melody, with instructions, music notation, and recordings at the end of this publication.