 Buddha Sutras |
 |
Mantras Sanskrit |
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Buddha Sutras |
|
Mantras Sanskrit |
| Home | Introduction | Sutras | Translators | Mantras | Prayers | Sanskrit | Glossary | Email Us |
1. Buddha-Crown Superb Victory Dhāraṇī (佛頂尊勝陀羅尼)
2. Great Cundī Dhāraṇī (准提神咒)
3. Whole-Body Relic Treasure Chest Seal Dhāraṇī (全身舍利寶篋印陀羅尼)
4. Dhāraṇī of Infinite-Life Resolute Radiance King Tathāgata (聖無量壽決定光明王如來陀羅尼)
5. Dhāraṇī for Rebirth in the Pure Land (往生咒)
6. Root Dhāraṇī of Infinite-Life Tathāgata (無量壽如來根本陀羅尼)
7. Mantra of Medicine Master Tathāgata (藥師灌頂真言)
8. Heart Mantra of the White Umbrella Dhāraṇī (楞嚴咒心)
9. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's Mantra (普賢菩薩所説咒)
10. Great Compassion-Mind Dhāraṇī (大悲咒)
11. Prajñā-Pāramitā Mantra (般若波羅蜜多咒)
At that time the great Brahma-king rose from his seat and straightened his attire. Joining his palms respectfully, he said to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, "Very good! Great One, I have attended innumerable assemblies of the Buddha and have heard various kinds of Dharmas and various kinds of dhāraṇīs. Never have I heard such wonderful phrases as in this Obstruction-free Great Compassion-Mind Dhāraṇī. Great One, please tell us the features and characteristics of this Dhāraṇī. This large assembly and I would be delighted to hear them."
Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva said to the Brahma-king, "For the convenience and benefit of all sentient beings, you ask me this question. Now hearken well! I will briefly tell you all a few of them."
Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva said, "They are the great loving-kind, compassionate mind, the impartial mind, the asaṁskṛta mind, the undefiled mind, the insight-of-emptiness mind, the reverent mind, the humble mind, the unmuddled mind, the non-grasping mind, and the unsurpassed bodhi mind. You should know that such minds are the features of this Dhāraṇī. Accordingly you should cultivate yourselves."
The features of the Great Compassion-Mind Dhāraṇī are true for all the mantras pronounced by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. One would be wise to cultivate these features whether one recites a mantra, studies a sūtra, or carries on one's daily life.
Those who have contact with Tibetan Tantrism may have some concern about receiving transmission of a mantra from a "highly realized" lama, vested with the authority of a certain lineage. This has never been a problem in the Mahāyāna tradition. First, the Buddha has always instructed us to do our best to disseminate the mantras which He has transmitted in His teachings. Second, the aspiration to recite a mantra arises from one's own Buddha mind, one's root lama. Can one find a lama higher than the Buddha or one's own Buddha mind? Given the mantra texts, one can feel authorized to enjoy mantra recitation with a peaceful and grateful mind, in addition to those minds taught by Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva!
The mantras on the next pages contain compound words. A compound word in Sanskrit can be overwhelmingly long. To show the components of a compound word whether created by the rule of pronunciation or other rules, hyphens are used to connect the components. For example, tathāgatāya-arhate actually should be written and pronounced as tathāgatāyārhate, bodhimaṇḍa-alaṁkāra-alaṁkṛte as bodhimaṇḍālaṁkārālaṁkṛte, sama-āśvāsa-adhiṣṭhite as samāśvāsādhiṣṭhite, and yogi-īśvarāya as yogīśvarāya. By comparing a compound word with its components, one can see that two vowels, short or long, connected by a hyphen are merged into one long vowel. One should pronounce a compound word as one word, but it is possible to steal a breath, if needed, after a long syllable.
To follow an audio, you can access a mantra page and minimize the Media Player window to see the text. The recording will continue to play if you have set the Media Player at the Repeat mode.
A mantra has boundless meanings if the meanings of the words are not known. However, some of the mantra words are well-known to Buddhist students, and this knowledge by no means diminishes the power of the mantra. If Sanskrit students are interested in looking up the meanings of some mantra words, they can consult the Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary.
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Corrections of typographical or grammatical errors in the source texts of these mantras are highlighted in red.