Toh 601Dhāraṇī Tháp Thánh Xây Với Trí Tuệ Hoàn Toàn — Caityadhāraṇī

Summary

The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya is a short manual on the
ritual preparation for and casting of small caityas from clay. The ritual has three main
parts: a description of the general transformative power of the dhāraṇī, the preparation
rituals for the ground and clay, and rituals for the consecration of the cast images. The
main dhāraṇī, with the name vimaloṣṇīṣa, “stainless uṣṇīṣa,” was widely used in central and northeast
Asian Buddhism, especially in the context of purification, consecration, and inauguration
rituals.

Acknowledgements

This translation was produced by Julian Schott. Wladislav Ermolin and Jim
Rheingans also contributed to the translation with advice on challenging passages.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000:
Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya Perfectly Constructed with
Complete Knowledge
is a
dhāraṇī text that teaches detailed preparations for the construction of caityas
(mchod rten), specifically the
preparation of small caityas from clay, one form of tsha-tsha
as they are commonly known in Tibet. The main dhāraṇī to
be recited while crafting these small caityas is called the vimaloṣṇīṣa (“stainless uṣṇīṣa”) dhāraṇī, and is famed for its
use in consecration and inauguration rituals. The vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī has a long history in India, as evidenced by its
discovery on birch bark fragments from Gilgit dating to the seventh century as well
as by its inclusion in numerous small caityas and seals discovered at Bodh Gayā that
date between the eighth and eleventh centuries and in caityas and dhāraṇī
seals found at Nālandā, Ratnagiri, Paharpur, and Udayagiri. In addition, its
discovery on clay seals as far as Indonesia and manuscript fragments found at Dunhuang suggest
that the fame of this dhāraṇī extended well beyond India.

There are two dhāraṇī texts in the Kangyur that have been (and still are today) the principal works employed in Tibetan
rites for the consecration and inauguration caityas and stūpas. They are known as the “two stainless ones,”
The Radiance of the Stainless Uṣṇīṣa
(Raśmivimaloṣṇīṣaprabhāsa, Toh 599)
and The Dhāraṇī of Pure Stainless Light (Raśmivimalaviśuddhaprabhānāmadhāraṇī,
Toh 510). It is the first of these that is considered the
main canonical text introducing and featuring the
vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī. It relates the narrative of how the dhāraṇī, emanated
from the Buddha’s uṣṇīṣa, was first taught when a Trāyastriṃśa god was about to die and fall to the lower realms. The Buddha explains
how it should be placed in caityas with a series of offerings and recitations in order to prolong life and
purify the karmic causes of lower rebirth. The vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī is also counted as one of the “five great dhāraṇīs”
(gzung chen sde lnga) used in consecration rituals in Tibet.

The present text, although it contains its own, different narrative, is in some ways
a more practice oriented manual, detailing the use of the same dhāraṇī specifically for the preparation of minature caityas, and can perhaps be
seen as a derivative work of The Radiance of the Stainless Uṣṇīṣa itself. Nevertheless, in contrast to the
primary title given at the beginning of the text, the colophon to The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya names it simply The Vimaloṣṇīṣa
Dhāraṇī. The exact wording of the dhāraṇī itself in this text differs slightly from the version in The Radiance of the Stainless Uṣṇīṣa.

The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya begins with Vajradhara
residing in a celestial caitya whose structure will be mirrored in the caitya maṇḍala
taught later in the text. From this seat, he emits rays of light from his uṣṇīṣa and
heart center to bless the universe and all the beings in it, filling the sky with
images of dharmakāya caityas. Moved by this powerful display, Vajrapāṇi and the other
bodhisattvas in attendance ask Vajradhara for instruction on the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī used to bless caityas.
Vajradhara acquiesces, proceeding to teach the dhāraṇī along with variations to be used
in specific scenarios. He then lauds the benefits of using the dhāraṇī when constructing
caityas in general.

Following this more general discourse on the use of the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, Vajradhara offers a
series of instructions on making a maṇḍala of miniature caityas, beginning with the
identification and purification of the site from which clay will be excavated and the
preparation of the site where the caityas will be made. Once these preliminary steps are
taught, Vajradhara describes the procedure for making the caityas, including the
softening of the clay with a mallet, the forming of the individual balls of clay, the
preparation of the caitya molds, the process of inserting or impressing the dhāraṇī and
other mantra syllables into the clay balls, and the casting of the caityas. Each of
these steps is accompanied by a mantra recitation and a visualization sequence.

Once the process of making the caityas has been explained, Vajradhara teaches
his audience how to decorate the caityas, how to arrange them into the maṇḍala pattern,
and how to arrange the entire ritual site in preparation for the main consecration rite.
The primary maṇḍala described consists of five caityas: a central caitya surrounded by
four caityas in each cardinal direction. Vajradhara repeatedly notes that this rite can
be performed on any number of caityas—a hundred, a thousand, or even more.

After detailing these steps and their respective mantras and visualization
sequences, Vajradhara proceeds to the final instructions on the main consecration rite.
The practitioner, identifying themselves as Vajradhara, blesses the individual parts of
the ritual site and maṇḍala through mantra recitation and visualization, makes offerings
to the maṇḍala of caityas, and meditatively invokes the blessings of the five tathāgatas
and the five families for each of the individual caityas. After completing this
elaborate sequence, the practitioner is directed to recite the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī for as long as they can.

Vajradhara concludes his discourse by identifying the challenges a
practitioner may face in performing such a complex rite, offering remedies and
encouragement and extolling the benefits that come from practicing it completely and
correctly.

There is no known Sanskrit witness of The Dhāraṇī for a
Caitya, nor does it appear to have been translated into Chinese. Lacking an
Indic witness, little is known about its circulation and use in India. As noted above,
the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, the core
dhāraṇī employed in this text, enjoyed widespread fame in India and beyond, likely
because it was transmitted in scriptures and ritual manuals such as this one.
Nonetheless, there is no further information on or versions of The
Dhāraṇī for a Caitya beyond its Tibetan translation.

There is also little known about the provenance of the Tibetan translation of
The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya. Among the numerous versions of
the translation included in the Kangyur and other scriptural collections, none include a
translator’s colophon that would provide information on its translators or the time and
place in which it was translated. The text is not included in the imperial-period
catalogs under its main title, but the Phangthangma (’phang
thang ma) catalog does list a series of texts related to the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī that cannot be correlated
with extant Tibetan translations. Among them we find The
Dhāraṇī-Mantra of the Radiant Stainless Uṣṇīṣa Together with Its Rite (’phags pa gtsug tor dri ma med par snang ba’i gzungs sngags cho ga
dang bcas pa), which as the title indicates concerns the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī in combination with ritual instructions for
its use. Although this is more likely to be a reference to The Radiance of the Stainless Uṣṇīṣa (Toh 599) as mentioned above,
it may possibly refer instead to The
Dhāraṇī for a Caitya under a different title, as this text does describe an
elaborate ritual that employs the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī. If that were the case, it would indicate that
The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya was translated prior to the
Tibetan empire’s collapse in 843. As noted above, The Dhāraṇī for a
Caitya appears to be known by multiple titles, yet another of which might be
the title found in the Phangthangma. The colophon of the text translated below
identifies it as The Vimaloṣṇīṣa Dhāraṇī, and both the
Phukdrak (phug brag) and Lang do (lang mdo) Kangyurs provide the alternate Sanskrit title
Vimaloṣṇīṣasarvacaityanāmadhāraṇī, which can be
tentatively translated as The Dhāraṇī Called the Stainless Uṣṇīṣa
for All Caityas.

The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya is also found in two
paracanonical collections: The Extensive Collection of Early
Translations of Canonical Scripture of the Nyingma (rnying ma) tradition and The Collection of Maṇḍala
Rituals from Old and New Exemplars at Palpung of the Kagyü (bka’ brgyud) school. In both cases the Tibetan translation bears the same title
as that found in the majority of Kangyurs, shes pas thams cad
mthar phyin par grub pa’i mchod rten zhes bya ba’i gzungs.

As is often the case with dhāraṇī literature, The Dhāraṇī
for a Caitya is preserved in two locations in the Degé Kangyur. Toh 601 is
found among the Kriyātantras in the Tantra section (rgyud
’bum), while Toh 884 is located in the Collection of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus). Apart from a few scribal variations, these
two versions are identical.

The Degé versions of the Tibetan translation serve as the primary witnesses
for this translation. The versions found in the Stok Palace (stog pho brang) and Phukdrak Kangyurs were also consulted closely, as were
the annotations reported in the Comparative Edition (dpe
bsdur ma) of the Degé Kangyur. Additionally, the version preserved in The Extensive Collection of Early Translations of the Nyingma
tradition was studied as a representation of the text from a paracanonical source. No
substantive differences were found among these numerous witnesses.

The dhāraṇīs used in this text have been preserved as cited in the Degé
witness, with only minor emendations to correct obvious orthographic errors. An
important exception is the main dhāraṇī, the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, for which we have Sanskrit witnesses. There are,
naturally, some differences between the dhāraṇī as reported in the different Sanskrit
sources and the Degé witness. Thus, when possible and warranted, the Degé has been
emended to align with the Sanskrit witnesses when the latter preserve the clearer
reading.

The Translation

The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya

Homage to
the Three Jewels.

Homage to the Blessed One, Vajradhara.

Homage to the
blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha, the king with majestic power over the mode,
discipline, and miraculous display of all things.

Homage to the buddhas of the three times!

Homage to the virtuous Three Jewels!

I pay homage to Akṣobhya,

Amitābha, and Avalokiteśvara!

Homage to the three families!

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One, the great Vajradhara, was
dwelling in a great caitya with a central palace made of various precious substances
surrounded by four immeasurable caityas. It sat atop a foundation that had the nature of
a caitya and was made from the five kinds of materials from the great Mount Meru. The nature of
this great caitya was such that even the space above its summit had the quality of a
caitya. He was dwelling there together with Vajrapāṇi, Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara,
Maitreya, and other bodhisattvas of the tenth level, as well as the protectors of the pure
abodes, including Brahmā, Śakra, and the Four Great Kings.

Then, a total of sixty quintillion light rays of various colors were emitted
from the Blessed One’s uṣṇīṣa, the śrīvatsa at his heart, and other places. The great
brilliance of these light rays pervaded all the incalculable, inconceivable, and
inexpressible realms of the trichiliocosm, filling them like a heap of mustard seeds.
All those among the infinite number of beings who were blind could now see forms, those
who were deaf could hear sounds, those who stuttered could speak clearly, those with a
limp or who had trouble walking could walk, those who were paralyzed and those who were
sick were freed from their illness, hell beings had their lifespans reduced and were
gradually freed from their torment, and all beings gradually became contemplative. The
entire sky filled with dharmakāya mind-caityas, which grew in size. The rays of light
then reentered the Blessed One’s uṣṇīṣa, turning into a representation of the
dharmakāya.

Vajrapāṇi and the rest of the entourage were astonished, and they worshiped
the Blessed One with offerings of canopies, banners, flags, parasols, fly whisks, bells,
silk scarves, incense, flowers, garlands, unguents, lamps, food, music, and the like.
They asked the Blessed One, “Please, Blessed One, protector of beings who possesses
great compassion, teach the vimaloṣṇīṣa
dhāraṇī, the great spell
used in the rite for blessing a caitya.”

The Blessed One replied, “Here is the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, the great spell used in the rite for blessing a
caitya. Any
son or daughter of noble family who understands, upholds, writes, reads, or makes its
title known will entirely purify the five acts with immediate retribution, the ten
unwholesome deeds, and any other negative actions they have performed. This is the
vimaloṣṇīṣa, the great spell used in
the rites for blessing a caitya:

oṁ traiyadhve
sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe jvala dharmadhātugarbhe saṃhāraṇa āyuḥ saṃśodhaya pāpaṃ
sarvatathāgatasamantoṣṇīṣavimale viśuddhe svāhā.

Immediately after he spoke this great spell, all the realms of the world took
on the nature of a caitya. If this great spell is written on birch bark, cloth, or other
tree bark and affixed to the top of a banner, the banner will become worthy of worship,
one that is honored and venerated by all gods, humans, and the like. If this great spell
is affixed to someone’s body or neck, gods, humans, asuras, and the like will see that
person as a buddha. If one recites this great spell when traversing rugged mountains,
forests, isolated places, or other landscapes, all those mountains and landscapes will
be like a caitya.

If one recites oṁ traiyadhve
sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe jvala dharmadhātugarbhe saṃhāraṇa āyuḥ saṃśodhaya pāpaṃ sarvatathāgatasamantoṣṇīṣavimale viśuddhe
mahāvirajera gambhīrasi dharmadhātugarbhe vivisāra a a laṁ svāhā, the entire ground will take on the nature of a caitya.

If one utters this great mantra spell when crossing any body of water—such as
a river, lake, or ocean—all that water will take on the nature of a caitya. After
reciting oṁ traiyadhve sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe jvala
dharmadhātugarbhe saṃhāraṇa āyuḥ saṃśodhaya pāpaṃ sarvatathāgatasamantoṣṇīṣavimale
viśuddhe mahāvirajera gambhīrasi dharmadhātugarbhe vivisāra a māmaki
svāhā,
all water
will take on the nature of a caitya.

Additionally, when one casts this great spell in a way that pervades the whole
of space, all of space will also take on the nature of a caitya. When reciting oṁ traiyadhve sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe jvala dharmadhātugarbhe
saṃhāraṇa āyuḥ saṃśodhaya pāpaṃ sarvatathāgatasamantoṣṇīṣavimale viśuddhe
mahāvirajera gambhīrasi dharmadhātu vivisāra a a e khaṃ ya svāh
ā, all of space will take on the nature of a caitya and
become worthy of veneration, circumambulation, and worship.

If one recites the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī when making caityas from any of the five great
elements, it purifies all afflictions and obscurations. Moreover, when a caitya is made
with materials such as earth, wood, rock, mud, or clay onto which this mantra spell has
been cast, those materials will produce a caitya made of various precious substances.
When oṁ ratnacaitye pañcaye vivisāra svāhā
is recited, cow dung and similar
materials can be applied to result in a caitya made of various precious substances. If
this great spell is not cast, even if one intends to fashion a caitya from gold, silver,
lapis lazuli, and the rest of the seven precious substances, it will be no different
than one made of stone, wood, or clay. Why? Because the blessing of the mantra and
essence mantra will not have entered the nature of these materials. When blessed with the great spell, however, even a caitya made from
any of the five great elements will purify the stains of the obscurations from
incalculable eons so that one will be born into a householder family as great as a sal
tree and go on to obtain the stage of nonregression. If one makes a caitya from stone,
wood planks, and the like after blessing them with this great spell, there is no doubt
that one will be born into a brahmin family as great as a sal tree, gradually traverse the ten
stages, and obtain the eleventh stage, Universal Light. If one makes a caitya from gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and the like after
blessing them with this great spell, there is no doubt that one will be born into a
kṣatriya family as great as a sal tree and go on to obtain the stage of Vajradhara. Furthermore,
if this great mantra spell is cast when making a single caitya, it will be as if ten
million were made. If this great spell is not cast, even if ten million caityas are made
it will be as if they are just one. Why would this be the case? The answer is the same
as before.

The mantra for the great spell is tadyathā sūkṣme
sūkṣme śānte śānte nirākule yaśo tejo sarvabuddhe adhiṣṭhāna adhiṣṭhite anumide
svāhā. Its procedure is as follows: if one makes a single caitya
from a lump of clay after reciting the spell over it twenty-one times, it will be as if
ten million are made. The corresponding amount and benefit of making a hundred cannot be
expressed, even by the arhats among noble śrāvakas. The corresponding amount and benefit
of making a thousand cannot be expressed, even by bodhisattvas. The corresponding amount
and benefit of making ten thousand cannot be expressed, even by the tathāgatas. The
corresponding amount and benefit of making a hundred thousand cannot be expressed, even
by the tathāgatas of the three times and ten directions.

For these reasons, one should perform the ritual offering, including the five
supports for offering. First, the local deities should be appeased at the
site where the caityas will be made, where the clay for the caityas will be stored, and
where the clay for the caityas will be excavated. Next, a boundary should be created to
thwart any ill-intentioned obstructing spirits who live there and would disrupt the
caitya and its virtue. To infuse a thread with the mantra of this great spell, recite
oṁ vajrasūtra hūṁ phaṭ

while visualizing a thread to be a vajra thread. The area that encompasses the site for the
caitya and the area that encompasses the site where the clay is located should be
demarcated with the thread. When the ground is demarcated in this way, the specific
patch of ground will take on the qualities of the various precious substances that are
used for a caitya.

In the same space, one should next cast the great spell oṁ vajrakīli kīli kīlaya sarvaduṣṭam hūṁ phaṭ
on a rosewood stake that
is eight fingers long. After reciting it seven times, one should visualize it as a vajra
stake and plant one in the center and at the four corners of the demarcated area. If
done in that way, one will be protected from all humans and nonhumans, unless their
actions are the result of the ripening of previous karma. The rosewood stake should
remain in the ground where the clay for the caitya is located and should not be removed
for any reason until the clay is taken.

After that, cast the spell oṁ amṛte hana hana hūṁ
phaṭ
on sesame seeds and white mustard
seeds. It should be recited seven times, and the seeds should be scattered over the
site. By doing so, this specific area will become the immeasurable seat of the
tathāgatas.

Once the area has been blessed as the seat of the
tathāgatas, the boundary against ill-intentioned obstructing spirits should be set by
offering incense, flowers, oblations, and the like to the devas, nāgas, and asuras who
reside in the area and then dedicating the merit. The area will be auspicious and blessed after the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī has been recited.

Next, when digging up the clay for the caitya, one should dig while reciting
oṁ vajra khana khana hūṁ phaṭ.
Digging while reciting this and visualizing the area as composed of the five precious
substances will transform it into the pure body of the Tathāgata.

The clean earth that has been excavated should then be placed in a purified
area, and the rite of pounding the earth should be performed. One should form the
gesture of Amṛtakuṇḍalin over a mallet, press it with a three-pronged vajra, and cast the great spell
vajramudgara ākoṭaya ākoṭaya hūṁ phaṭ
while pounding the earth. After pounding
the earth while reciting this seven times and visualizing the mallet as a vajra mallet,
all afflictions and habitual tendencies will be purified and defeated.

Next comes the kneading of the clay. After touching scented water with the
gesture of Amṛtakuṇḍalin, one should imagine the nature of reality as a white
syllable a within the scented water.
A bright moon disk appears from the syllable, shining with intense rays of light that
pervade the scented water. Imagining that the scented water has taken on the nature of
nectar, recite the great spell oṁ amṛte hūṁ phaṭ.
After blessing it with seven recitations, the scented water will be like a stream of
great nectar.

One should then recite the following great spell for kneading the clay:
oṁ vajra pramardanaya hūṁ phaṭ.
After reciting it seven times, the clay will become the body of the Tathāgata. Now that
the clay has been blessed as the inconceivable body of the
Tathāgata, one should form the gesture of Amṛtakuṇḍalin over it while reciting the
following great spell: namo ratnatrayāya tadyathā sūkṣme
sūkṣme śānte śānte dānte dānte nirākule yaśo yaśovati tejo śuddhe viśuddhe
sarvatathāgata adhiṣṭhāna adhiṣṭhite ā namaḥ te hite svāhā. Once one
has recited this great spell in three sets of seven, totaling twenty-one times, and
blessed the clay with the great mantra spell, five kinds of
wisdom-light rays will radiate from the clay into the ten directions and tame all beings
as needed. The rays of light then return, causing the clay to take on the nature of the
five precious substances and endowing it with the causes and conditions for the
inconceivable body of the Tathāgata. This is what one should imagine.

The following great spell should then be recited seven times while preparing
balls of clay: oṁ vajra āyuṣe svāhā. Once
blessed in this way, clouds of wisdom-light rays will
radiate from the clay balls, pervade the limitless realms of the ten directions, and fulfill
the aims of many beings. The clouds of light rays will then gather back into the clay
balls, purifying them so that they are like crystals with the nature of precious wisdom.
This is what one should imagine.

Next, the seal of the vimaloṣnīṣa essence mantra is pressed into the clay balls, or the mantra is
written on birch bark, cloth, paper, or any bark and inserted into them. The essence
mantras of each of the five families—oṁ hūṁ trāṁ hrī
āḥ
—should be incorporated into the vimaloṣṇīṣa mantra so that they are joined as a pair, and then either
affixed as a seal or inserted as a written mantra as appropriate. The ball of clay will
then possess the wisdom mind of the Tathāgata. When inserting the spell, one should
recite the mantra oṁ vajragarbhe svāhā. Once recited, the wisdom mind
of all the tathāgatas will be gathered within it and fixed. This is what one should
imagine.

After that, one should recite the great spell for anointing the interior of
the caitya mold with the oil of white mustard seed or sesame oil: oṁ araje viraje svāhā. Once this has been recited three times and the
blessing conferred, the caitya will become a dharmadhātu caitya through the union of
means and wisdom. This is what one should imagine.

Then, when pressing the caitya, one should recite the great spell oṁ vajramudgara ākoṭaya ākoṭaya hūṁ phaṭ. Once it has been recited and the caitya pressed, it will
become a dharmakāya caitya through the union of space and nondual wisdom. Because the
caitya is made using the vimaloṣṇīṣa
essence mantra in whichever form,
it will become an infinite dharmakāya caitya through the union of space and nondual
wisdom.

One should next extract the caitya while reciting the great spell for removing
it from the mold: oṁ dharmadhātuye svāhā dharmadhātugarbhe
svāhā. The caitya is extracted after reciting this seven times, at which
point it emerges as an infinite dharmakāya caitya through the union of space and nondual
wisdom. It will fulfill, in an extraordinary manner, the aims of all beings in this world until
saṃsāra is empty. This is what one should imagine.

Once the caitya has been removed from its container, one should recite the
great spell for the ring. After reciting oṁ pramāṇaye svāhā
and setting
the ring, it should be adorned with a precious parasol, precious pinnacle, precious
banner, silk streamers, and other ornaments. Ornamented with the various qualities of
nirvāṇa, it will benefit beings according to their wishes. This is what one should
imagine.

If the maṇḍala of prepared caityas consists of five caityas, one should draw a
maṇḍala with a central space and spaces in the four directions, totaling five. When
making any number of caityas—be it a hundred or a thousand—construct a stone base with a
number of maṇḍala squares corresponding to the number of caityas. It should be a square maṇḍala made of
earth, stone, wood, and so forth. The throne beneath it can be a lion throne, a jewel
throne, or a lotus throne. Once this base has been made, it should be sprinkled with cow
dung mixed with scented water.

Water infused with saffron and sandalwood should be smeared in a circle to
encompass the entire area where the central caitya and caityas in the four directions
will be placed. Use thread to demarcate and then draw the maṇḍala. When drawing a maṇḍala for five caityas, draw a maṇḍala with five
spaces—a central space and spaces in the four directions. In the same way, the lines of
the vajra grid should be used to demarcate the space into maṇḍala squares corresponding
to the number of caityas, be they one hundred or one thousand. An eight-petaled lotus should
be drawn in each of the spaces where a caitya is to be placed.

Then, once the caitya maṇḍala has been set up, the request to remain is made
using the mantra spell oṁ supratiṣṭha stūpe
svāhā. After reciting this three times and
setting out the caitya, it will function extraordinarily to serve the aims of oneself
and others. The sequence for arranging the caityas is as follows: the first is placed in
the center, then one proceeds sequentially to set one in the east, south, west, and
north. The great spell to be recited while placing them is oṁ
vajrapadmasamaye svāhā. After reciting it three
times, say, “please be seated on the vajra and lotus seat” while imagining that
everything—the ground, the expanse of the sky, and the depths of the sea—is filled with
caityas. Alternatively, one offers incense, flowers, and the rest of the fivefold
offering and makes the request to remain after each caitya is made and placed in the
maṇḍala.

The color of the caityas and other features are painted observing the
following correspondences: white for pacification, yellow for increasing, red for
magnetizing, and green for protection. The cloth should follow the same scheme. This is what one should
imagine.

Next, the maṇḍala of caityas should be blessed. One
should recite the mantra of the great spell hūṁ raṃ
svāhā, which has emerged from the red syllable raṃ located above the maṇḍala. After reciting it three
times, a great flame of the wisdom of suchness will burn fiercely, purifying the
concepts in those places so that the
very foundation of the maṇḍala will be made of the five precious substances. This is
what one should imagine.

After that, when performing the maṇḍala rite one should face either east or
west, whichever is easier, and use one’s samādhi to transform oneself into the great
seal, the form of Vajradhara.

Above a moon disk at the heart, one should create a five-pronged vajra that
emits an effulgence of wisdom light. These rays of wisdom light radiate from every pore
on one’s body, spreading infinitely like cloud banks of buddhas and their maṇḍalas. They
bless all the realms of beings, fulfill their aims, and then dissolve back into one’s
body. This is what one should imagine.

Next is the generation of the caitya palace. One should form the vajradhātu
gesture over the caitya placed in
the maṇḍala, touch the top of the caitya, and then recite the mantra for the great
spell: oṁ vajradhātu adhitiṣṭha hūṁ. Through this blessing, the caitya will be established in the
center of a moon seat upon a dharmadhātu maṇḍala and a ground made of precious
substances, all within a palace composed of various precious materials. This
is what one should imagine.

Once each caitya has been prepared in this way, set out, and presented with
different kinds of offerings, one should recite the spell for purifying different kinds
of offerings, including lion banners, cooked rice, arrangements of fine foods and the like,
canopies, streamers, parasols, garlands, fragrances, lamps, and incense:
oṁ sarvapūja puṣpe svāhā. After it has been recited, its blessings will cause the
offerings to amass as marvelous Samantabhadra offering clouds and fall like rain. This is
what one should imagine.

The five kinds of offerings to a caitya should be presented one by one, and
they should be offered as individual gifts to the extent one is able, even if the cloth
is small, the canopies are frayed and so forth, and the parasols are small. While the
rite is being performed, one should clarify one’s samādhi, one’s continuity of
experience. To do this one should recognize and imagine that the five caityas—those in
the center and four directions—share the extraordinary colors, ornaments, attributes,
and retinues of the buddhas of the five families. One visualizes that those caityas,
which are made of the five wisdoms, are pure and clear by nature, and that each letter
of the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī and the
essence mantra of each of the five families in the center of those caitya vessels is brilliant and uniquely dazzling, like
refined gold. The five families, in the form of infinite and multicolored rays of wisdom
light, spread throughout the ten directions, adorning the infinite sky and the entirety
of the dharmadhātu with clouds of tathāgata bodies. Having accomplished that, they bless
all the realms of the world, serve the aims of all beings there, and fulfill their
hopes. The rays of wisdom light return, strike the top of one’s head and heart, and
purify anything that obscures awakened activity and so forth. One should imagine that
one now has the nature of vajra body, speech, and mind.

Next perform the reception using offering water consisting of scented water
mixed with various fragrances. Form the gesture of the offering water, place the conch
shell on it, and imagine that a white syllable a in the scented water transforms into a moon disk from which shine rays of
light that grant the scented water the nature of wisdom nectar. One should then recite
the great spell for making offerings:
oṁ amṛte arghaṃ pratīccha svāhā. After reciting it, one should scent the
pinnacles of the caityas three times by pouring the water. The noble ones will be pleased with this offering. This
should be expressed with the words “May all noble ones be pleased.” Then, using the
oceanic cloud gesture, the water should be sprinkled over the pinnacles, after which
one imagines that it gathers in the wisdom body and all the marvelous initiations are
conferred. After this, the vimaloṣṇīṣa
dhāraṇī should be read aloud an appropriate number of times, the merit should be
dedicated, and extensive aspirations should be made.

If one finds it difficult to complete this rite as prescribed, one should
transform one’s body using the samādhi of one’s personal deity and not let that
intention weaken. One should recognize that the caityas and articles of worship are the
nature of the dharmadhātu in their pure aspect. If one makes caityas in this way, it is
the same as the extensive rite. There is no contradiction. If even this is not possible,
one can make a caitya by reciting the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, keeping it in mind, writing it down, and carrying it
with one. If one does this, it is in fact the extensive rite. Those caityas will be
transformed into the body of the Tathāgata and will serve to benefit oneself and others
in an extraordinary way. If one does not recite the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, even when offerings are made and power
invested, no power will be conferred. This is also said in scripture:

“When the nature of a mantra is not clear

For any spell or mantra,

And when the samādhi of realization is not clear,

All forms, including caityas and the like,

Will not be complete even when constructed.”

The qualities of a caitya and other images made by one who possesses secret
mantra and realization are described as follows:

In this sublime caitya rite,

Casting a single caitya incanted with this dhāraṇī,

Which is distinct for its generation of merit,

Is the same as making ten million.

The five acts with immediate retribution and the mass of evil

Of those long in saṃsāra

Will all be cleansed,

So that they will have a miraculously long life.

In all their lives to come,

They will be born into sublime and exalted families,

Possess supreme enjoyments,

And be born as universal monarchs.

They will know all their past and future lives,

And in all worlds throughout the three times

Will never be separated from the Three Jewels.

Unshaken by obstacles and harms,

They will succeed in their intentions

And in the end reach perfect awakening.

This completes “The Vimaloṣṇīṣa
Dhāraṇī.”

Notes

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

offering water
ar+g+ha
ཨརྒྷ།
argha
Water used ritually to receive or welcome deities and other
beings into the ritual environment. It parallels the practice of offering washing
water to a guest when they first arrive in one’s home.

nāga
klu
ཀླུ།
nāga
A semidivine class of beings who live in subterranean aquatic
environments and are known to hoard wealth and esoteric teachings. Associated with
snakes and serpents, they can both obstruct and protect human life.

caitya
mchod rten
མཆོད་རྟེན།
caitya
A general term for any structure or site that is deemed worthy
of veneration. In Tibetan, the term can be literally translated as “a basis of
worship.” Such a site can be naturally occurring but is more typically a structure
erected for the purpose of worship. This can be a mound, a shrine, or other
generically shaped structure, but in most Buddhist contexts is identified with the
domed structure also known as a stūpa. Both caitya and
stūpa are translated into Tibetan
with the term mchod rten, but a
stūpa is a subcategory of caitya that specifically contains a relic of the Buddha,
another tathāgata, or another sacred person.

great seal
phyag rgya chen po
ཕྱག་རྒྱ་ཆེན་པོ།
mahāmudrā
An important and polyvalent term in esoteric Buddhist
literature, it is used here to refer to the form of Vajradhara as a “seal” of
ultimate reality that one adopts in one’s meditative practice.

ten unwholesome deeds
mi dge ba bcu
མི་དགེ་བ་བཅུ།
daśākuśalakarman
The ten negative actions to be avoided. Traditionally these
are listed according to the threefold distinction of body, speech, and mind. The ten
are (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual misconduct, (4) lying, (5) slanderous
speech, (6) harsh speech, (7) meaningless speech, (8) covetousness, (9) ill will,
and (10) wrong views.

five acts with immediate retribution
mtshams med pa lnga
མཚམས་མེད་པ་ལྔ།
pañcānantaryakarman
These are five acts that, due to the severity of their
transgression, will cause immediate rebirth in Avīci, the deepest of hells. The acts
classically listed that lead to such rebirth are (1) killing one’s father, (2)
killing one’s mother, (3) killing an arhat, (4) shedding a buddha’s blood with
malicious intent, and (5) causing a schism in the saṅgha.

five wisdoms
ye shes lnga
ཡེ་ཤེས་ལྔ།
pañcajñāna
The five wisdoms each express a distinct quality of awakened
cognition associated with one of the buddhas of the five families. The five are (1)
the wisdom of the dharmadhātu (dharmadhātujñāna; chos kyi
dbyings kyi ye shes), (2) mirror-like wisdom (ādarśajñāna; me long
lta bu’i ye shes), (3) the wisdom of equality (samatājñāna; mnyam nyid ye shes), (4) the wisdom of thorough
discrimination (pratyavekṣaṇājñāna;
so sor rtog pa’i ye shes), and
(5) the wisdom of accomplishing activities (kṛtyānuṣṭhānajñāna; bya ba grub
pa’i ye shes).

five families
rigs lnga
རིགས་ལྔ།
pañcakula
The tathāgata, vajra, jewel, lotus, and karma families. Each
of these families is associated with a specific direction, type of activity, and
mode of awakened wisdom, and each is headed by a specific tathāgata. When displayed
in maṇḍala formation, Vairocana heads the tathāgata family at the center, and
Akṣobhya presides over the vajra family in the east, Ratnasambhava over the jewel
family in the south, Amitābha/Amitāyus over the lotus family in the west, and
Amoghasiddhi over the karma family in the north. In maṇḍalas associated with the
Mahāyoga tantras, Vairocana and Akṣobhya switch places.

śrīvatsa
dpal gyi be’u
དཔལ་གྱི་བེའུ།
śrīvatsa
One of the eighty minor marks of a great being, it is a swirl
of hair in the center of the chest, a symbol shared by the Brahmanical deity Viṣṇu.
It is often symbolically referred to as an “endless knot.”

Four Great Kings
rgyal po chen po bzhi
རྒྱལ་པོ་ཆེན་པོ་བཞི།
Cāturmahārāja
The four divine kings who preside over the lowest of the god
realms, which are located on the slopes of Mount Meru: Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the east,
Virūḍhaka in the south, Virūpākṣa in the west, and Vaiśravaṇa in the north.

Brahmā
tshangs pa
ཚངས་པ།
Brahmā
One of the primary deities of the Brahmanical pantheon, in
which he is considered a creator god. Brahmā occupies an important place in Buddhism
as one of two deities (the other being Śakra) who are said to have first exhorted
Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. He is also considered to be the “lord of the Sahā
world” (our universe).

Śakra
brgya byin
བརྒྱ་བྱིན།
Śakra
An alternative name for Indra, one of the most important gods
in the Vedic pantheon. Śakra retains his role as the “Lord of the Gods” in Buddhist
literature, where he presides over the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

Vajrapāṇi
lag na rdo rje
ལག་ན་རྡོ་རྗེ།
Vajrapāṇi
Vajrapāṇi appears throughout Buddhist literature in the
overlapping roles of a yakṣa, bodhisattva, and esoteric deity. As the latter, he is
frequently an interlocutor in and transmitter of tantric scripture.

.