Toh 614The Dhāraṇī, The Excellent Method
Pāli / Sanskrit:Sumukhadhāraṇī
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The Sumukhadhāraṇī Scripture: The Excellent Method
Background
The Sumukhadhāraṇī (The Mantra of the Auspicious Smile) is one of the esoteric scriptures transmitted from ancient India and contained in the Kangyur—the largest treasury of esoteric teachings in the Tibetan tradition. This scripture was composed during the flourishing of tantric Buddhism, around the seventh and eighth centuries CE, when great teachers gathered together all the highest methods of Vajrayāna practice.
Dhāraṇīs are not ordinary words. They are sacred formulas of sound containing the transformative power of the Buddha’s Dharma, transmitted from the Buddha’s mind to the student’s mind through gurus and teachers. The Sumukhadhāraṇī bears the title “The Excellent Method” because it teaches a direct shortcut to awakening, relying not on reasoning or analysis but on the power of the dhāraṇī and the practitioner’s mind.
Main Content
In the Vajrayāna tradition, a scripture concerning a dhāraṇī commonly begins with a profound determination concerning ultimate reality. The Sumukhadhāraṇī teaches that, through reciting and visualizing this dhāraṇī, practitioners will be protected by deities (devatā), their minds will be purified, and obstacles in their lives will be eliminated.
The concept of the “auspicious smile” (sumukha) does not merely indicate a cheerful attitude but is an expression of discerning wisdom (jñāna)—the ability to see clearly the selfless nature (anattā) of all phenomena. Through the practice, practitioners enter a state of spiritual balance in which the opposing distinction between “self” and “other” dissolves. The dhāraṇī is an instrument for inscribing the profound intent of the Buddha upon the mind of a sentient being.
The scripture teaches that, when practiced with concentrated minds and the correct Dharma, accomplishments (siddhis)—extraordinary powers—will become manifest. These accomplishments include the ability to heal, spiritually induced higher knowledge, and ultimately the single-pointed opening of a map leading to the Buddha realms.
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