Toh 733The Dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara Hayagrīva
Pāli / Sanskrit:Avalokiteśvarahayagrīvadhāraṇī
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THE SŪTRA CONCERNING THE MANTRA OF HORSE-HEADED AVALOKITEŚVARA (Avalokiteśvarahayagrīvadhāraṇī)
Context
The Sūtra Concerning the Mantra of Horse-Headed Avalokiteśvara (Avalokiteśvarahayagrīvadhāraṇī) is a tantric scripture of the Vajrayāna tradition, preserved in the Kangyur—corresponding to scriptures that teach protective and transformative dhāraṇīs and mantras. In Tantra, mantras are not merely simple prayers, but sacred sound formulas imbued with the power of the fourfold attainment (the fundamental qualities of wisdom and compassion).
Avalokiteśvara is the most compassionate bodhisattva in the Buddha Dharma, a symbol of compassion and manifestation before beings. In the tantric context, the Horse-Headed form (Hayagrīva) represents transformative power, the capacity to turn turbidity into clarity and darkness into light. The horse's head symbolizes invincible strength, swiftness, and the flexibility of vajra wisdom. This scripture therefore unites two sources of energy: Avalokiteśvara's compassion and Hayagrīva's transformative power.
Main Content
The scripture teaches a protective and transformative mantra, regarded as the heart essence of Horse-Headed Avalokiteśvara. This mantra functions in three ways: protecting those afflicted by defilements, transforming obstacles, and connecting practitioners with Avalokiteśvara's supreme wisdom.
In Tantra, mantra is the sound-recording of Buddha-nature. Each syllable is not to be translated according to ordinary language, but is contemplated and recited in order to penetrate the nature of non-self-existence (śūnyatā) in mind and phenomena. The scripture explains that when we recite the mantra with a pure mind, free from contrivance, we are not only protected from the four kinds of obstacles—natural, psychological, karmic, and heterodox—but also gain the ability to liberate other sentient beings.
Hayagrīva's mantra is especially efficacious in transforming violent states of mind and grave afflictions.
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