Thiên Thủ Thiên Nhãn Đại Bi Tâm Chú [Hành,Hạnh] Pháp

Venerable Siming Zhili (1) compiled the ritual manual.

Vinaya Master Huashan Duti (2) revised and polished the text.

Śramaṇa Jiahe Jixian (3) added the woodblock illustrations.

Namo Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. (3 times)

With utmost reverence: With one mind, we bow in homage to the eternally abiding Three Jewels throughout the ten directions. (1 bow)

(Light incense, scatter flowers, and the officiant chants:)

May the entire assembly kneel, reverently hold incense and flowers, and make offerings in accordance with the Dharma.

(Visualization:)

I offer incense and flowers throughout the ten directions,
Fashioning a most wondrous radiant dais;
All heavenly music and precious fragrances,
All heavenly foods and precious garments,
Inconceivably wondrous objects of Dharma—
Each mote becomes all motes,
Each mote becomes all dharmas,
Transforming without obstruction and adorning one another.
Throughout the ten directions, before the Three Jewels,
Manifestations of my body all present offerings.
Each offering pervades the entire Dharma-realm;
The World-Honored Ones and I are unobstructed from one another.
Until the end of the future, may I perform the work of the Buddhas,
Universally perfuming all beings throughout the Dharma-realm.
May all who receive this fragrance awaken bodhicitta,
Together enter the unborn, and realize Buddha-wisdom.

(After the offering, all remain reverent, and the officiant chants:)

With reverence we bow to the Tathagata True Dharma Radiance of the past, who is none other than Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in the present age, the wondrously accomplished one, replete with great compassion, who manifests a thousand hands and eyes within a single body and mind, beholds the Dharma-realm everywhere, protects all beings, arouses the vast aspiration for the path, and teaches the recitation of the Perfect Dharani, so that beings may forever leave the evil destinies and be born before the Buddhas.

Even grave offenses leading to the Avici hell and malignant illnesses tormenting the body, though difficult to remedy, are all caused to disappear. Samadhis, eloquence, and all present wishes are granted and fulfilled. Those who resolve without doubt swiftly attain the Three Vehicles and soon ascend to Buddhahood.

His awe-inspiring spiritual power and merit can never be fully praised; therefore, with one mind, I take refuge, entrust my life, and bow at his feet. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to our Fundamental Teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One. (1 bow)

(Visualization:)

The nature of Buddha and beings is ever empty and still;
Their path of communion is inconceivable.
The jeweled net of Indra is like this place of awakening;
Shakyamuni Tathagata shines with radiant light.
Before the World-Honored One, my body appears reflected;
I bow my head and vow to take refuge.

With one mind, we bow in homage to Amitabha Buddha, the World-Honored One of the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the West. (1 bow)

(Visualization:)

The nature of Buddha and beings is ever empty and still;
Their path of communion is inconceivable.
The jeweled net of Indra is like this place of awakening;
Amitabha Buddha shines with radiant light.
Before the World-Honored One, my body appears reflected;
I bow my head and vow to take refuge.

With one mind, we bow in homage to King of a Thousand Lights, Tathagata of Tranquil Abiding, a Buddha of the past from measureless hundreds of millions of kalpas ago. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to the ninety-nine kotis of Buddhas, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, World-Honored Ones of the past. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to True Dharma Radiance Buddha, a Buddha of the past from measureless kalpas ago. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones throughout the ten directions. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to the thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa and to all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones of the three times. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to the wondrous divine phrases known as the Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded Great Compassionate Heart Dharani. (recite and bow 3 times)

(Visualization:)

True emptiness, the Dharma-nature, is like space;
The eternally abiding Dharma Jewel is inconceivable.
My body appears reflected before the Dharma Jewel;
With one mind and in accordance with the Dharma, I entrust my life and bow.

With one mind, we bow in homage to the expounder of the dharanis, the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, and to all revered Dharma throughout the ten directions and the three times. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Sovereign One of great loving-kindness and great compassion, with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes. (recite and bow 3 times)

(Visualization:)

The nature of bodhisattvas and beings is ever empty and still;
Their path of communion is inconceivable.
The jeweled net of Indra is like this place of awakening;
The Greatly Compassionate Bodhisattva shines with radiant light.
Before the bodhisattva, my body appears reflected;
I bow my head and vow to take refuge.

With one mind, we bow in homage to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to Dharani King Bodhisattva. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to Jewel King Bodhisattva, Medicine King Bodhisattva, and Superior Medicine Bodhisattva. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to Avatamsaka Bodhisattva, Great Adornment Bodhisattva, and Jewel Treasury Bodhisattva. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to Virtue Treasury Bodhisattva, Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva, and Akashagarbha Bodhisattva. (1 bow) (4)

(After the bows, rise, join the palms, and recite:)

The Sutra says: If any bhiksu, bhiksuni, upasaka, upasika, young man, or young woman wishes to recite and uphold this mantra, that person must first arouse a compassionate mind toward all beings and then make the following vows after me:

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I quickly understand all dharmas.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I soon attain the eye of wisdom.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I quickly liberate all beings.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I soon attain skillful means.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I quickly board the vessel of prajna.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I soon cross the great ocean of suffering.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I quickly attain the samadhis of all Dharma-realms.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I soon ascend the lofty mountain of nirvana.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I quickly return to the house of the unconditioned.

Homage to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara; may I soon become one in body with the Dharma-nature.

When I reach the mountain of knives, may the mountain of knives break apart by itself.

When I reach the boiling cauldrons, may the boiling cauldrons dry up by themselves.

When I reach the hells, may the hells be destroyed by themselves.

When I reach the hungry ghosts, may the hungry ghosts become full by themselves.

When I reach the asuras, may the asuras become gentle by themselves.

When I reach the animals, may the animals become wise by themselves. (5)

(The practitioner visualizes being before the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, invokes their revered names with earnest sincerity, and seeks rescue as though being burned or drowning.)

Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. (21 to 49 times, 1 bow)

Namo Amitabha Buddha. (21 to 49 times, 1 bow)

(Continue reciting:)

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One, if any beings who recite and uphold the Great Compassion Divine Mantra should fall into the three evil destinies, I vow not to attain perfect enlightenment. If those who recite and uphold the Great Compassion Divine Mantra are not born in the lands of the Buddhas, I vow not to attain perfect enlightenment. If those who recite and uphold the Great Compassion Divine Mantra do not attain measureless samadhis and eloquence in their minds, I vow not to attain perfect enlightenment. If those who recite and uphold the Great Compassionate Heart Divine Mantra have wishes in this present life that are not fulfilled, then this mantra shall not be called the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani.”

After Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva had spoken these words, he joined his palms and stood upright before the assembly, aroused a mind of great compassion for all beings, smiled, and then proclaimed the wondrous divine phrases known as the Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded Great Compassionate Heart Dharani:

1. Nam mô hát ra đát na đá ra dạ da.

(This is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva himself. One must arouse great compassion and recite it with mindful attention. Do not raise the voice or allow the mind to become impatient.)

2. Nam mô a rị da.

(This is Cintamanicakra Bodhisattva himself. At this point, one must guard the mind.)

3. Bà lô yết đế thước bát ra da.

(This is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Holding the Bowl himself. If one wishes to obtain bone relics, recite this mantra while visualizing the bodhisattva holding a bowl.)

4. Bồ đề tát đỏa bà da.

(This is Amoghapasha Bodhisattva, commanding a great army.)

5. Ma ha tát đỏa bà da.

(This is the bija of the bodhisattva—that is, the very person reciting the mantra.)

6. Ma ha ca lô ni ca da.

(This is Ashvaghosha Bodhisattva himself, holding a vajra pestle.)

7. Án.

(At this syllable “Án,” the ghosts and spirits join their palms and listen to the recitation of the mantra.)

8. Tát bàn ra phạt duệ.

(This represents the Four Great Heavenly Kings subduing the armies of Mara.)

9. Số đát na đát tả.

(This is the name of the clans of ghosts and spirits belonging to the Four Great Heavenly Kings.)

10. Nam mô tất cát lật đỏa y mông a rị da.

(This is Nagarjuna Bodhisattva himself. One must recite this phrase with mindful attention and not carelessly lose the bodhisattva nature of the mind.)

11. Bà lô cát đế thất phật ra lăng đà bà.

(This is the perfectly fulfilled reward body of Vairocana Buddha.)

12. Nam mô na ra cẩn trì.

(This is the pure Dharma-body of Vairocana Buddha himself. One must be mindful.)

13. Hê rị ma ha bàn đa sa mế.

(This is the Ram-Headed Spirit King together with the retinues of the celestial maras.)

14. Tát bà a tha đậu du bằng.

(This is Amrita Bodhisattva, and also the clans serving as the retinue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.)

15. A thệ dựng.

(This is the Flying Yaksa Heavenly King, who patrols the four directions to examine right and wrong.)

16. Tát bà tát đá (na ma bà tát đa (6)) na ma bà dà.

(This is Bhayadi Spirit King, whose body is tall and immense, whose skin is black, who wears leopard skin as a lower garment, and who holds an iron sword.)

17. Ma phạt đặc đậu.

(This is Kundali Bodhisattva himself, holding an iron wheel and a rope, with three eyes.)

18. Đát điệt tha.

(These are incisive words.)

19. Án, a bà lô hê.

(This is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva himself, with palms joined before the chest.)

20. Lô ca đế.

(This is Great Brahma, sovereign of the celestial sage clans.)

21. Ca ra đế.

(This is an imperial deity whose body is long, immense, and black.)

22. Di hê rị.

(This is the celestial deity Maheshvara, who commands the heavenly army in the Heaven of the Thirty-three and whose body is blue.)

23. Ma ha bồ đề tát đỏa.

(This is the true mind. It also signifies a mind free from confusion and distraction; hence it is called sattva.)

24. Tát bà tát bà.

(This is Fragrant Accumulation Bodhisattva, who commands the ghost armies of the five directions as attendants; this is inconceivable.)

25. Ma ra ma ra.

(This is the bodhisattva who disciplines through speech, which itself is the rescue of beings.)

26. Ma hê ma hê rị đà dựng.

(The same as the preceding phrase.)

27. Câu lô câu lô yết mông.

(This is Formless-Body Bodhisattva, who commands the Great Celestial General leading two hundred thousand kotis of heavenly soldiers.)

28. Độ lô độ lô phạt xà da đế.

(This is Stern and Majestic Bodhisattva, who commands the Peacock King and a host of fierce soldiers.)

29. Ma ha phạt xà da đế.

(The same as the preceding phrase.)

30. Đà ra đà ra.

(This is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva manifesting the body of a great heroic being.)

31. Địa rị ni.

(This is the Lion King, who bears witness to and protects the reciter.)

32. Thất phật ra da.

(This is Thunderbolt Bodhisattva, who subdues the maras and their retinues.)

33. Giá ra giá ra.

(This is Crushing Bodhisattva himself, holding a golden wheel.)

34. Mạ mạ.

(Name …, the upholder.)

Phạt ma ra.

(This is the Great Mara-Subduing Vajra himself, holding a golden wheel.)

35. Mục đế lệ.

(Here the Buddhas join their palms and listen to the recitation of the mantra.)

36. Y hê y hê.

(This is the Heavenly King Maheshvara.)

37. Thất na thất na.

(The same as the preceding phrase.)

38. A ra sâm phật ra xá lợi.

(This is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, holding a shield, crossbow, bow, and arrow.)

39. Phạt sa phạt sâm.

(The same as the preceding phrase.)

40. Phật ra xá da.

(This is Amitabha Buddha himself, the fundamental teacher of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.)

41. Hô lô hô lô ma ra.

(These are the spirit kings of the eight classes.)

42. Hô lô hô lô hê rị.

(The same as the preceding phrase.)

43. Sa ra sa ra.

(This is the violent age filled with the five turbidities.)

44. Tất rị tất rị.

(This is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva benefiting all beings; this is inconceivable.)

45. Tô rô tô rô.

(This is the sound of leaves falling in the lands of the Buddhas.)

46. Bồ đề dạ bồ đề dạ.

(This is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva forming affinities with beings.)

47. Bồ đà dạ bồ đà dạ.

(This is Venerable Ananda himself.)

48. Di đế rị dạ.

(This is Great Chariot Bodhisattva, holding a golden sword.)

49. Na ra cẩn trì.

(This is Nagarjuna Bodhisattva, holding a golden sword.)

50. Địa rị sắc ni na.

(This is Jewel Banner Bodhisattva, holding an iron trident.)

51. Ba dạ ma na.

(This is Jewel Golden-Light Banner Bodhisattva, holding a vajra pestle.)

52. Sa bà ha.

53. Tất đà dạ.

(This signifies mastery of all Dharma-gates.)

54. Sa bà ha.

55. Ma ha tất đà dạ.

(This is Light-Emitting Bodhisattva, holding a red banner.)

56. Sa bà ha.

57. Tất đà du nghệ.

(Here the devas and bodhisattvas all gather like clouds, holding golden swords.)

58. Thất bàn ra dạ.

(This is benzoin incense.)

59. Sa bà ha.

60. Na ra cẩn trì.

(This is Mountain-Ocean Wisdom Bodhisattva himself, holding a golden sword.)

61. Sa bà ha.

62. Ma ra na ra.

(This is Jewel Seal King Bodhisattva, holding a golden axe.)

63. Sa bà ha.

64. Tất ra tăng a mục khư da.

(This is Medicine King Bodhisattva himself, who cures all illnesses.)

65. Sa bà ha.

66. Sa bà ma ha a tất đà dạ.

(This is Superior Medicine Bodhisattva himself, who cures all illnesses.)

67. Sa bà ha.

68. Giả cát ra a tất đà dạ.

69. Sa bà ha.

70. Ba đà ma yết tất đà dạ.

71. Sa bà ha.

72. Na ra cẩn trì bàn già ra dạ.

73. Sa bà ha.

74. Ma bà lị thắng yết ra dạ.

75. Sa bà ha.

76. Nam mô hát ra đát na đá ra dạ da.

77. Nam mô a rị da.

78. Bà lô cát đế.

79. Thước bàn ra dạ.

80. Sa bà ha.

81. Án tất điện đô.

82. Mạn đá ra.

83. Bạt đà da.

84. Sa bà ha. (7)

When Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva had finished speaking this mantra, the great earth trembled in all six ways, the devas rained down precious flowers in profusion, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions rejoiced. Celestial maras and followers of heterodox paths were terrified, and their hair stood on end. Everyone in the assembly attained realization: some attained the fruit of stream-entry, some the fruit of once-returning, some the fruit of non-returning, and some the fruit of arhatship; some realized the first bhumi, the second bhumi, the third bhumi, the fourth bhumi, the fifth bhumi, and so forth up to the tenth bhumi. Measureless beings awakened bodhicitta. (1 bow)

(Recite silently:)

I, disciple …, together with all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, have since beginningless time continually created profound karmic offenses and obstructions through the three karmas and six faculties. Because we did not encounter the Buddhas, we did not know the way of escape; we merely followed birth and death and did not understand the wondrous principle. Now that I have come to understand, I see that together with beings I have already created incalculably many profound karmic offenses and obstructions. Before the Buddhas of the ten directions and before the great bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, I entrust my life and repent on behalf of all beings. May we be blessed and protected so that all karmic offenses and obstructions are extinguished.

(Kneel and chant:)

We, your disciples, on behalf of the four benefactors, the beings of the three realms, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, vow to sever the three kinds of obstruction (8); therefore, we entrust our lives and repent.

(After chanting, prostrate with the five limbs touching the ground and contemplate single-mindedly:)

I, disciple …, together with all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, from beginningless time until now, have inwardly clung to self and person because of craving and views (9), and outwardly followed unwholesome companions. Thus, I have never rejoiced in the goodness of others, even in a virtue as fine as a strand of hair, but have known only how to unleash wrongdoing through all three karmas. Though the deeds themselves may not have been extensive, malicious intent pervaded everything.

Day and night, this continued without interruption. I concealed my faults and did not wish anyone to know of them. I did not fear the evil destinies, nor did I feel shame or remorse.

I repudiated cause and effect as nonexistent. Therefore, today, deeply trusting the principle of cause and effect, I arouse profound shame, grave remorse, and great fear, and openly confess and repent. I sever the perpetuating mind and awaken bodhicitta.

I abandon evil and cultivate goodness, diligently urging on my body, speech, and mind. I cast away my former deeply ingrained unwholesome nature and rejoice in even the slightest virtue of ordinary beings and sages, though it be no more than a strand of hair. I recollect that the Buddhas of the ten directions possess vast merit and wisdom and can rescue me, bringing me out of the ocean of the two kinds of death (10) and placing me upon the shore of the three virtues (11).

Since beginningless time, I have not understood that all dharmas are by nature empty and quiescent, and therefore have committed many evil deeds. Now, understanding that all dharmas are empty and quiescent, I seek bodhi, wish to liberate beings, perform many good deeds, and bring all evil to an end. May compassionate Avalokitesvara accept and embrace me.

(After contemplating, kneel and chant:)

With utmost sincerity, we repent: I, disciple …, together with all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, possess in this single present thought the thousand dharmas, all endowed with spiritual power and luminous wisdom—above, identical with the minds of the Buddhas; below, equal to the nature of all living beings. Yet because delusion obscures this radiance, we become confused when facing objects, give rise to attachment and defilement, and within the equal Dharma-nature create distinctions of self and others, this and that.

Furthermore, taking craving and views as the root and body and speech as conditions, we create every kind of offense within the course of samsara: the ten evils, the five rebellious acts, slighting and disparaging others, slandering the true Dharma, breaking fasts, violating precepts, damaging stupas, destroying monasteries, stealing the property of the Sangha of the four directions, defiling pure brahmacarya, and encroaching upon the property, food, and drink of the permanently abiding community.

Such offenses would be difficult to repent of even if a thousand Buddhas appeared in the world. Offenses such as these are measureless and boundless. When this recompense-body is cast off, we must fall into the three evil destinies and undergo measureless suffering.

Moreover, in this very life, afflictions scorch us, illness surrounds us, external conditions oppress us, and obstacles obstruct the path of Dharma, making progress in cultivation difficult. Fortunately, we have encountered the Perfect Great Compassion Divine Mantra, which can swiftly remove such offenses; therefore, I now recite and uphold it with all my heart. I vow to rely upon Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and the spiritual guides of the ten directions, awaken bodhicitta, practice the conduct of mantra, and, together with all beings, disclose all offenses and seek repentance.

May they all be extinguished.

May the great bodhisattva, Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara, hold and protect me with a thousand hands and behold me with a thousand eyes, causing all obstructive conditions within and without to cease and return to quiescence. May the practices and vows of myself and others be perfectly fulfilled; may our inherent nature of knowing and seeing unfold; may external maras be vanquished; and may the three karmas diligently cultivate the causes of the Pure Land.

I pray that when I cast off this body, I shall not enter another destiny but shall certainly be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss of Amitabha Buddha, personally make offerings to Greatly Compassionate Avalokitesvara, perfect all dharanis, extensively liberate living beings, enable all to escape the wheel of suffering, and bring all to the Buddha path.

(Rise and chant:)

Having repented and made vows, we disciples now entrust our lives and bow at the feet of the Three Jewels. (1 bow)

Namo Buddhas of the Ten Directions.

Namo Dharma of the Ten Directions.

Namo Sangha of the Ten Directions.

Namo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha.

Namo Amitabha Buddha.

Namo King of a Thousand Lights, Buddha of Tranquil Abiding.

Namo Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded Great Compassionate Heart Great Dharani.

Namo Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.

Namo Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.

Namo Dharani King Bodhisattva.

Homage to the holy assembly.

********

This mind is originally no-mind, yet illusorily manifests a thousand hands and eyes. In realm after realm its function is wholly revealed; in mote after mote its essence responsively appears. It contemplates all the sounds of the world, and through the faculty of hearing beholds them all. I bow to the Great Compassion Dharani, which inconceivably seeks out sounds and rescues beings from suffering. Not even a hair’s breadth admits anything else; what fills all space is none other than you. Ah! Universally convey all sentient beings to the shore of awakening, where a thousand distinctions and ten thousand differences merge in perfect harmony.

Furthermore, before written words were established and before names and characteristics arose, tell me: what is the ultimate called? It is beyond deliberation and beyond speaking of deliberation. Suchness is precisely thus; sovereignty is right here. Bring forth the pivotal mechanism from within it, without hindering the whole household from knowing this excellent matter.

I, Jixian, obtained the Great Compassionate Heart Mantra and its illustrated manifestations when young and have reverently recited it for a long time. At the beginning of the Kangxi era, in the Yimao year, I assembled and engraved the repentance ritual. Now, in the winter of the Jimao year, I have consulted several editions, combined them into a practice manual, and edited it once more. To those who share this aspiration, I, Jixian, bow and offer greetings. The baimiao (12) exhausts the excellence of the subject, yet the painting itself remains entrusted to another. The Tang words may be inexact, but the Sanskrit is not erroneous. Abiding in illusion, I rejoice, join my palms at my forehead, invoke Avalokitesvara, and uphold the Great Compassion Mantra.

Śramaṇa Mingben of Xitian Monastery on Mu Mountain bowed in homage and gratefully recorded the following verse at the end of the volume:

Together with this verse, Bhiksu Ziru, who regularly recited the mantra, composed an extensive vow text to illuminate and purify the path of Dharma and to expand the great compassionate vow by upholding these phrases, reciting them according to the daily liturgy and forgetting the passing years. In the spring of the Gengxu year, he obtained this scripture, which accorded with his original vow and with Great Being Avalokitesvara’s intent that it be entrusted for circulation. One day, he raised the scripture and requested that the above verse be inscribed. On that occasion, the master wrote:

“The Great Being, having no body, manifests a body—a thousand hands and a thousand eyes; having no words, manifests words—the sounds of these phrases. If one can accept with faith and faithfully practice beyond appearances and language, there is only Avalokitesvara.”

I, too, gained insight from this.

Jian’an Ziru.

The mantra’s resonance penetrates everywhere, like the great wheel of wind supporting the great earth. If Buddhas, bodhisattvas, celestial beings, and sages emit brilliant fire from their throats and tongues, it extinguishes the causes of karmic obstruction accumulated through many kalpas, releases the pure wisdom of beings, and perfects the unimpeded gate of liberation. To illuminate and purify the path of Dharma, its root is before a single thought has arisen. To illuminate and purify the path of Dharma is to possess this mantra text. Thus it is recorded:

Bhiksu Dehai of Jingci Monastery, Dongzi Island.

I bow to Avalokitesvara’s greatly compassionate heart,
Inconceivably manifesting a thousand hands and eyes,
Proclaiming the secret dharani,
Rescuing beings and shaking the great earth.
The heavens gaze up in compassionate reverence; ghosts and spirits stand in awe;
Followers of heterodox paths and the armies of Mara become afraid.
It is like the sun traversing empty space,
Emitting great light that shines brilliantly everywhere,
Crushing every mountain of obstruction,
And opening the vajra-wisdom of all,
Causing the fevered afflictions in beings’ minds to cease
And enabling them to taste the cool flavor of amrita.
Daily uphold it to illuminate and purify the path of Dharma,
Revealing measureless vows of great compassion.
With utterly resolute faith and no doubt,
One accomplishes the pure wisdom of the Buddhas.

Bhiksu Xiling, abbot of Jingshan Monastery, spoke this verse of praise:

True Dharma Radiance, the Sovereign Contemplator, expounded this divine mantra. It is called Great Compassion, rescuing beings and freeing them from the ocean of suffering, prolonging the blessed realm of Yanyou, though autumn had not yet arrived.

Invited to offer praise, the eminent monk Yuanming of Jingren Monastery wrote:

Puru, Bhiksu of Yongdong Ganfu.

Without sound, without words—a single mantra,
Called the Unimpeded Greatly Compassionate Heart.
It reveals every direction to people with clear eyes;
Do not mistake yellow leaves for gold.

At the beginning of summer in the Gengshen year, at Lotus Cloister of Yanyou Monastery, Śramaṇa Yirun wrote in the repentance chamber at Jiangcheng:

Tang Yuanzhao, an official of the ninth rank from Tianzhu, reverently bowed and wrote:

I bow to the one replete with a greatly compassionate heart,
Whose body, benefiting beings, manifests a thousand hands and eyes.
One body further manifests bodies numerous as the dust motes in all lands;
Wondrous wisdom and spiritual powers are extensively displayed.
Universally rescuing all and returning them to the unconditioned,
This Sangha member first perfumed himself with myriad virtues.
The sun shines upon a season of flourishing abundance;
When spring returns to the earth, all things grow.
Realize true suchness and preserve the radiance of Dharma;
Do not discriminate between secret words and extraordinary forms.
Within a single phrase, understand self-upholding;
True Dharma Radiance King is luminously clear within darkness.

Recorded by the practitioner Ming.

After reverently inscribing and painting the image of the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani, Dharma Master Chujin, then twenty years old, recited and upheld the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani.

Great Master Wengu recorded: “Amid the defilements of the world and the karma of offenses, neither the wise nor the foolish are exempt; rich and poor undergo them alike. Day and night, I recite the full text five times. All virtues vie to gather, and myriad evils contend to perish. It cannot be expressed; it cannot be expressed. Now, at the age of fifty, I murmur it each day without allowing a single thought to move.”

On the day of his mother’s travail (13), Dharma Master Shangxue said: “Bring this forth to inspire seeing and hearing; kneel, unfold it, and admire it. The copied baimiao, paper, and ink appear as new. Suddenly, the great earth trembles and the heavens rain precious flowers; sorrow and joy meet together.”

Thereupon Dharma Master Chujin bowed his head and recorded:

National Master Zhongfeng, throughout seven past bodies, left related verses ending with this line: “The fruit is the banner of radiance; the seal is the treasury of spiritual powers.” One day, Dharma Master Yanjuan smiled and said: “Seek beyond appearances and language.”

I, Jin, have long been accustomed to secluded cultivation and have continually upheld Buddhist sutras. Over the past ten years, day and night have followed one another, and occasions for rejoicing have gathered like clouds. Having understood this, I said: “Jian’an Ziru praised ‘illuminating and purifying the path of Dharma through a daily liturgy that forgets the passing years.’ This accords with Great Being Avalokitesvara’s intent that the teaching be entrusted for circulation.”

Therefore, I have had it engraved and printed for circulation throughout the eight directions. Looking upward, I thank the elder Shangxue for bringing it and presenting it with utmost sincerity. At that time, he was sixty-two years old. I, Jin, ask to form a Dharma friendship.

Explanatory Notes:

1. Venerable Siming (960–1028): An eminent Chinese monk of the Tiantai school who lived during the Song dynasty, namely Dharma Master Zhili. Because he served as abbot on Mount Siming, propagated Tiantai doctrine, and was a central figure of the Shanjia branch of the Tiantai school, he was known as Siming Zhili or honored as Venerable Siming.

The Practice Method of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Great Compassionate Heart Mantra appears as no. 1480 in the Supplement to the Canon. The venerable compiled this repentance ritual on the basis of the Sutra of the Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded Great Compassionate Heart Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Taisho no. 1060), translated by Bhagavaddharma. The Great Compassion Mantra section was taken from the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Taisho no. 1064), translated by Amoghavajra, but the five sounds “Na ma bà tát đa” (那摩婆萨多) were added to phrase 16.

2. Vinaya Master Duti (1601–1679): He was the second patriarch of the Qianhua branch of the Vinaya school near the end of the Ming dynasty. A native of Yunnan, his family name was Xu and his style name was Shaoru, later changed to Jianyue.

As a child he excelled at painting, especially images of the Great Being Avalokitesvara. His parents died when he was fourteen, and an uncle raised and educated him. One day, suddenly recognizing the impermanence of life, he left home to become a Daoist priest.

Later, at Jianchuan, he studied the Avatamsaka Sutra with an elderly monk named Chiyan. While reading the chapter “The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the World,” he suddenly awakened and entered monastic life under Dharma Master Liangru at Mount Hongbao. He received the complete precepts from Vinaya Master Sanmei Jiguang and became a senior monk, teaching the Brahmajala Sutra in his teacher’s stead.

When studying the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, whenever he encountered an impasse, he turned toward the Buddha and prayed for its meaning; after sitting quietly for a short while, understanding would arise. He presided over eight practice assemblies and opened more than seventy ordination platforms. As Jiguang approached death, he entrusted Duti with the purple robe and the various precept texts, and Duti inherited his Dharma lineage.

Thereafter, he strictly conducted ordination platforms and summer retreats in accordance with the Vinaya, bringing profound inspiration and benefit. He authored the Essential Daily Practices of the Vinaya.

3. Śramaṇa Jiahe Jixian: An eminent monk of the Qing dynasty. In the sixtieth year of Kangxi (1795), Master Jixian supervised the carving of the printing blocks for the Great Compassion Repentance Ritual. In the twenty-fourth year of Jiaqing (1819), he reviewed the printed edition and edited it once more. The edition of the Great Compassion Repentance Ritual now preserved in the Supplement to the Canon is the edition compiled by Master Jixian. The Great Compassion Repentance Ritual published by Hong Kong Buddhism contains several additional sections, and Venerable Thich Thien Tam probably based his abridged Great Compassion Repentance Ritual upon that edition.

4. The edition of the Great Compassion Repentance Ritual published by Hong Kong Buddhism adds:

With one mind, we bow in homage to Maitreya Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and Manjushri Bodhisattva. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to all bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions and the three times. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to Venerable Mahakasyapa and to the measureless and innumerable great sravakas of the Sangha. (1 bow)

With one mind, we bow in homage to Venerable Siming, Dharma Master Fazhi, who propagated the doctrinal contemplation of the Tiantai school. (1 bow)

With one mind, and especially on behalf of Shanzha Brahma, the deva Gupojiā, the Four World-Protecting Kings, the eight classes of devas and dragons, the Heavenly Maiden Child-Eyed, the spirits of space, the spirits of rivers and seas, the spirits of springs and fountains, the spirits of rivers and lakes, the spirits of medicinal herbs, the spirits of forests and trees, the spirits of houses, the spirits of water, the spirits of fire, the spirits of wind, the spirits of earth, the spirits of mountains, the spirits of stones, and the spirits of palaces—all of whom protect those who uphold the mantra—and on behalf of all devas, dragons, ghosts, spirits, and their retinues, we bow at the feet of the Three Jewels. (1 bow)

5. In the abbreviated rite for upholding and reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, one first chants the “Great Compassion Invocation,” as follows:

a. Reverently we address the moon of Avalokitesvara,

b. Whose vast and perfect body is purple-gold,

c. Whose thousand hands constantly appear in the world,

d. Whose thousand eyes continually shine with light,

e. Whose twelve hundred mantra seals

f. Fulfill the wishes of beings,

g. Whose peaceful countenance is adorned with three eyes,

h. Who bears Amitabha upon the crown and holds precious implements,

i. Who praises and proclaims the mantra, the wondrous Dharma,

j. Which, when accepted and upheld, leads to the realization of a Buddha’s bodhi,

k. Whose unimpeded eloquence transforms devas and humans,

l. Who is foremost among the assembly of bodhisattvas,

m. Hearing whom for but a moment extinguishes karma numerous as grains of sand and dust,

n. And reciting whom increases the causes of Buddhahood.

o. The power of the vows of great compassion is inconceivable;

p. Therefore, I now invoke and praise you.

Afterward, one makes the vows of the Great Being Avalokitesvara given above, invokes the revered names of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Amitabha Buddha, recites the Great Compassion Mantra, and finally dedicates the merit.

6. These five sounds were clearly added, because the entire Great Compassion Mantra here was extracted from the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Taisho no. 1064), which does not contain these five sounds. The sutra text was extracted from the Sutra of the Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded Great Compassionate Heart Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Taisho no. 1060).

7. Recite it five times, as stated in the Sutra of the Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded Great Compassionate Heart Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva: “If any being recites the mantra five times within one day and night, the grave offenses accumulated throughout thousands of millions of kotis of kalpas of birth and death will be extinguished.”

8. Afflictions, delusive karma, and the suffering of retribution (or delusion, karma, and suffering).

9. Craving refers to errors concerning phenomena, such as greed and anger. Views refer to errors concerning principle, such as the view of self and wrong views.

10. The ocean of the two kinds of death: fragmentary birth and death, and transformational birth and death.

11. The three virtues: the virtue of the Dharma-body, the virtue of prajna, and the virtue of liberation.

12. Baimiao: A school of Chinese painting that uses paired brushstrokes to delineate portraits through numerous lines rather than relying upon color. First, a sketch is made with simple, clear lines; afterward, refined and decorative strokes are added to make the work vivid.

13. “The day of the mother’s travail” means one’s birthday, the day on which one’s mother endured a life-threatening ordeal in giving birth.

14. The Illustrated Manifestations of Great Compassion is a collection depicting the forms manifested by Avalokitesvara in each phrase of the mantra. It contains a total of eighty-eight illustrations, of which eighty-four depict forms manifested by Avalokitesvara, corresponding to the eighty-four phrases of the Great Compassion Mantra.

The remaining four depict bodhisattva manifestations in vajra form, the form of perfection, and the form of Thousand-Handed Avalokitesvara. Historically, however, more than one set of eighty-eight illustrations has circulated from the Yuan dynasty onward. A Ming-dynasty printed edition of the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani Sutra contains fifty revered images.

During the Qing dynasty, under the Kangxi emperor, the Great Compassion Repentance Ritual was re-edited and supplemented with images for printing, yielding fifty-two illustrations. In the Qing dynasty, Dharma Master Chujin recorded that “forty-nine excellent bodily forms were illusorily manifested.” An ancient edition of the Illustrated Manifestations of Great Compassion preserved on Mount Putuo in Zhejiang contains eighty-eight revered images.

In addition, the Ming-dynasty Sutra of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Greatly Loving Heart Dharani, preserved in the imperial palace and now photographically reproduced, printed, and circulated, reconciles all the differences among those editions. The origin of the Illustrated Manifestations of Great Compassion lies with Amoghavajra, translator of the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Taisho no. 1064).

In that sutra, Amoghavajra annotated, though not completely, individual phrases of the Great Compassion Mantra and identified forty-eight revered images. From this arose editions of the Illustrated Manifestations of Great Compassion containing no fewer than fifty-two and no more than eighty-eight revered images. The Great Compassion Mantra section of the Great Compassion Repentance Ritual follows Amoghavajra’s translation but adds the five sounds “Na ma bà tát đa” to phrase 16.