Toh 742The Spell for Attaining the Supreme

The Scripture of the Mantra for Attaining the True Supreme

An Explanation of the Agravidyamantra

Background

The scripture Agravidyamantra (The Mantra for Attaining the True Supreme) belongs to the Northern Buddhist canon and is recorded in the Kangyur, the collection of orthodox scriptures and treatises of the Mahayana Buddha Dharma. This scripture reflects the Vajrayana tradition (Tỳ Phудариyana — the Dharma of Suchness), where sacred mantra is regarded as the sound-expression of Buddha-nature and awakened power.

In the context of Northern Tibetan Mahayana, the “supreme” (agravi) does not simply indicate worldly strength or authority, but the supreme Buddha-nature, the state of complete awakening, transcending all distinctions and serving as the ultimate goal of practice. This scripture was transmitted within the context of tantric practice, where mind, sound, and symbolic signs are regarded as three inseparable elements of the path to awakening.

Main Content

Although the specific content of this scripture has not yet been fully translated in available Vietnamese materials, according to the structure of mantra scriptures in the Northern Tibetan tradition, this scripture aims at discovering and activating the Buddha-nature inherent in every being.

Mantra in this tradition is not a set of meaningless magical phrases, but the concentrated essence of the Buddha Dharma. Each syllable, each vibrational frequency, is designed to:

First, purify the mind of psychological defilements (klesha), the basic afflictions such as greed, hatred, and delusion. When one recites and concentrates upon the mantra, the mind is freed from useless and scattered thoughts.

Second, carry out “substitution,” transforming ordinary perception into Buddhist wisdom. By linking the mantra with the image of a sacred being (devata/deity), the practitioner gradually realizes that the nature of mind itself is Buddha-nature.

Third, accumulate merit and wholesome roots along a swift path, because Tantra is regarded as a highly effective method of practice in the period of Dharma decline.