The Inconceivable Powers of the Mantra
“Ananda, it is from the esoteric lines of this Mantra, with its profound energy emanated from the light atop the crown of the Buddha, that all the Buddhas throughout the ten directions come forth. By means of this Mantra, they subdue all the demons and heretics, and they realize the supreme, all-encompassing knowledge and wisdom.
“Sitting upon jewel-adorned lotus flowers, employing the inconceivable powers of this Mantra, all the Tathagatas in the ten directions respond to the needs of all beings, turning the Dharma wheel, and transmitting wisdom through the crowns of beings in all the worlds as countless as dust modes. They can also bestow predictions upon those who have yet to come to fruition in their practice. And they can rescue beings from all kinds of suffering – in the hells, as hungry ghosts, as animals, being blind, deaf or mute, from hatred, from separation, from unsatisfaction, from the raging fire of the five conditions, from accidents great or small, from misfortunes brought by theft, wars, authority, imprisonment, wind, fire, flood, hunger, thirst, or poverty.
“Relying on the inconceivable powers of this Mantra, all the Tathagatas can help good teachers throughout the ten directions, with all aspects of majestic comportment facilitating their work to perfection. They are chosen as Great Dharma Princes among countless Tathagatas, and by putting the essence of this Mantra into practice, they can gather and protect those with whom they have strong affinities or those of the Lesser Vehicle, ensuring that all these beings can remain fearless hearing the esoteric teachings.
“Sitting beneath the Bodhi trees, through reciting the essence of this Mantra, all the Tathagatas in the ten directions realize the Unsurpassable Enlightenment and enter the Perfect Nirvana. And through transmitting the essence of this Mantra, the Tathagatas in the ten directions pass on the Buddha Dharma, so that after their nirvana the Dharma can continue to live on, and all those who are strictly upholding the precepts can attain perfect purity.
“If I were to continue expounding on all the virtues of this Supreme Mantra,
I could carry on infinitely without repeating myself. This Mantra is also called ‘The Crown of The Tathagata’. All of you who are still learning and have not yet ended the cycle of death and rebirth, who have vowed with great sincerity to realize Samadhi, if you don’t uphold this Mantra, you will not be able to steer clear of demonic influences while sitting in meditation.
阿難是佛頂光聚悉怛多般怛羅祕密伽陀微妙章句。出生十方一切諸佛。十方如來因此呪心。得成無上正遍知覺。十方如來執此呪心。降伏諸魔制諸外道。十方如來乘此呪心。坐寶蓮華應微塵國。十方如來含此呪心。於微塵國轉大法輪。十方如來持此呪心。能於十方摩頂授記。自果未成亦於十方蒙佛授記。十方如來依此呪心。能於十方拔濟群苦。所謂地獄餓鬼畜生盲聾瘖瘂。怨憎會苦愛別離苦。求不得苦五陰熾盛。大小諸橫同時解脫。賊難兵難王難獄難。風水火難飢渴貧窮應念銷散。十方如來隨此呪心。能於十方事善知識。四威儀中供養如意。恒沙如來會中推為大法王子。十方如來行此呪心。能於十方攝受親因。令諸小乘聞祕密藏不生驚怖。十方如來誦此呪心。成無上覺坐菩提樹入大涅槃。十方如來傳此呪心。於滅度後付佛法事究竟住持。嚴淨戒律悉得清淨。若我說是佛頂光聚般怛羅呪。從旦至暮音聲相連。字句中間亦不重疊。經恒沙劫終不能盡。亦說此呪名如來頂。汝等有學未盡輪迴。發心至誠趣向阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。不持此呪而坐道場。令其身心遠諸魔事無有是處。
“Ananda, if anyone of any country in any world writes out this Mantra on birch bark, papyrus, tree leaves, white cloth, or whatever material available, puts it in a fragrant pouch, and keeps it in home or brings it along wherever they go, then even if they can neither recite nor memorize the Mantra, they will be safe from any poison or harm for the rest of their lives.
阿難若諸世界隨所國土。所有眾生隨國所生。樺皮貝葉紙素白疊。書寫此呪貯於香囊。是人心惛未能誦憶。或帶身上或書宅中。當知是人盡其生年。一切諸毒所不能害。
“Ananda, now I will tell you more about how this Mantra can rescue beings, help them become fearless and attain transcendent wisdom. After my nirvana, in the Dharma-ending Age, anyone who can recite this Mantra and teach others to recite will never get burned or drowned or be harmed by anything poisonous. Further, no evil spell cast by gods, dragons, ghosts or spirits of all sorts can have any power over them. All the myriad kinds of venomous substances in whatever forms, be it metals, herbs, insects, snakes, or vapors, anything at all, will all turn into honeydew if ingested by any person who recites this Mantra. No evil spirit or ghost can harbor malice on people who recite this Mantra. Vinayaka and all other ghost kings, as well as their retinues, will always safeguard and protect these people.
“Ananda, you should know that day and night this Mantra is attended by countless Vajra-Treasure-King Bodhisattvas, as well as their descendants and followers, whose number is eighty-four thousand ten billion trillion times the number of sands in the Ganges River. These Vajra Kings will always stay near the beings who recite this Mantra, protecting even those whose minds are scattered, not entering Samadhi, but only reciting the Mantra from memory with their mouths. Let alone those who are truly resolved to attain Bodhi! All the Vajra-Treasure-King Bodhisattvas will secretly, attentively spur the diligent practitioners on, speeding up their progress towards realization. In response, these practitioners may suddenly become able to recall everything happened in countless past lifetimes and understand it all, thoroughly and completely, with no more doubts. From then on, until the last rebirth, they will never be born in lower realms where there are any kinds of hungry ghosts or evil spirits.
“Anyone who reads, recites, or copies this Mantra, wears it on their bodies, keeps it in their homes, or makes offerings to it, they will never be poor, lowly, or unhappy, throughout all future lifetimes. Even if these beings have not earned any merits themselves, the Buddhas in the ten directions will give them blessings, and because of that they will always be born where the Buddhas are present, throughout all future lifetimes. Their blessings are so great that they will get to stay close to the Buddhas, cultivating their spiritual practice with the teachings of the Buddhas, never being separated from the Buddhas.
“Therefore, this Mantra can help those who have broken precepts to regain purity, lead those who have not received precepts to receive them, spur those who have not been diligent on becoming diligent, enlighten those who are unwise, purify those who are impure, enable those who cannot follow a pure diet to become vegetarians easily.
“Ananda, once good people start upholding this Mantra, all their past violations of the precepts, whether grave or minor, will be erased. If in the past they have consumed alcohols, pungent plants or other impure foods, the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, vajra deities, gods, immortals, ghosts, and spirits will not count it as transgression. Even if they wear dirty and tattered clothes, they are still considered pure in their mind, body and speech. Even if they do not set up an altar or a place specially for practice, or not follow the practice regimen, still their merits will be identical to those derived from proper practice, as long as they recite and uphold this Mantra. Even if they have committed the Five Most Heinous Sins (i.e., killing of father, killing of mother, killing of Arhat, causing a Buddha’s body to bleed, sabotage the harmony of a Sangha), or if they are monks or nuns who have violated the parajikas and should be expulsed, as soon as they start reciting and upholding this Mantra, all their grave and heavy karma will be wiped clean, like a sand dune dispersed in a gale of wind, without any particle remaining.
阿難我今為汝更說此呪。救護世間得大無畏。成就眾生出世間智。若我滅後末世眾生。有能自誦若教他誦。當知如是誦持眾生。火不能燒水不能溺。大毒小毒所不能害。如是乃至龍天鬼神。精祇魔魅所有惡呪。皆不能著心得正受。一切呪咀魘蠱毒藥。金毒銀毒草木蟲蛇萬物毒氣。入此人口成甘露味。一切惡星并諸鬼神磣毒心人。於如是人不能起惡。毘那夜迦諸惡鬼王并其眷屬。皆領深恩常加守護。阿難當知。是呪常有八萬四千那由他恒河沙俱胝金剛藏王菩薩種族。一一皆有諸金剛眾而為眷屬。設有眾生於散亂心。非三摩地心憶口持。是金剛王常隨從彼諸善男子。何況決定菩提心者。此諸金剛菩薩藏王。精心陰速發彼神識。是人應時心能記憶八萬四千恒河沙劫。周遍了知得無疑惑。從第一劫乃至後身生生不生。藥叉羅剎及富單那。迦吒富單那鳩槃茶。毘舍遮等并諸餓鬼。有形無形有想無想。如是惡處是善男子。若讀若誦若書若寫。若帶若藏諸色供養。劫劫不生貧窮下賤不可樂處。此諸眾生縱其自身不作福業。十方如來所有功德悉與此人。由是得於恒河沙阿僧祇不可說不可說劫。常與諸佛同生一處。無量功德如惡叉聚。同處熏修永無分散。是故能令破戒之人戒根清淨。未得戒者令其得戒。未精進者令得精進。無智慧者令得智慧。不清淨者速得清淨。不持齋戒自成齋戒。阿難是善男子持此呪時。設犯禁戒於未受時。持呪之後眾破戒罪。無問輕重一時銷滅。縱經飲酒食噉五辛種種不淨。一切諸佛菩薩金剛。天仙鬼神不將為過。設著不淨破弊衣服。一行一住悉同清淨。縱不作壇不入道場。亦不行道誦持此呪。還同入壇行道功德若造五逆無間重罪。及諸比丘比丘尼四棄八棄。誦此呪已如是重業。猶如猛風吹散沙聚。悉皆滅除更無毫髮。
“Ananda, for beings who have never repented all the major or minor sins they have committed in countless past lifetimes, if they read, recite, or copy this Mantra, bringing it along wherever they go or keeping it in their homes, then all those accumulated karma will melt away like snow in hot water, and before long they will attain the state of Patient Endurance with no more arising of mental objects.
阿難若有眾生。從無量無數劫來。所有一切輕重罪障。從前世來未及懺悔。若能讀誦書寫此呪身上帶持。若安住處莊宅園館。如是積業猶湯銷雪。不久皆得悟無生忍。
“Furthermore, for women who don’t have children and want to conceive, if they memorize and recite this Mantra sincerely, or wear it on their bodies, they will give birth to children blessed with fortune, virtue, and wisdom. Through reciting this Mantra, those who wish for longevity will have longevity, those who wish for accomplishment will have accomplishment. In the same way, people can acquire health, wealth, beauty, and strength. At the end of life, they will be reborn in whatever country in the ten directions as they wish, and they will surely not be reborn into poverty, inferiority, or deformity.
“Ananda, in the event that famine, plague, war, riot, disorder or calamity of any kind occurs in a district, a province, or the whole country, then this holy Mantra should be copied out and placed on all the city gates, as well as on temples or banners. All citizens of the country should come to welcome and worship the Mantra, sincerely make offerings to it, wear it on their bodies or place it in their homes. Then all the calamities and disasters will vanish.
復次阿難若有女人。未生男女欲求生者。若能至心。憶念斯呪。或能身上帶此悉怛多鉢怛羅者。便生福德智慧男女。求長命者速得長命。欲求果報速圓滿者速得圓滿。身命色力亦復如是。命終之後隨願往生十方國土。必定不生邊地下賤。何況雜形。阿難若諸國土州縣聚落饑荒疫癘。或復刀兵賊難鬪諍。兼餘一切厄難之地。寫此神呪安城四門。并諸支提或脫闍上。令其國土所有眾生奉迎斯呪。禮拜恭敬一心供養。令其人民各各身佩。或各各安所居宅地。一切災厄悉皆銷滅。
“Ananda, anywhere and everywhere, as long as the people living there uphold this Mantra, the celestial dragons will be pleased, the weather will be clement, the agricultural harvests will be abundant, all the people will be peaceful and joyful, all ominous forces will be suppressed, no calamities will arise, and people will sleep well, without nightmares, not die untimely deaths, nor will they be shackled, fettered or imprisoned.
“Ananda, in this Saha world, there are eighty-four thousand inauspicious stars which may potentially bring about disasters, with twenty-eight among them being more forceful, and eight among them being the most powerful. They appear in various forms, indicating disasters or unexpected occurrences will be inflicted upon living beings. But wherever this Mantra exists, within a radius as far as eighty-four miles, no evil power will ever be able to enter, and all the calamities can be prevented.
“Therefore, the Tathagata has proclaimed this Mantra, in order to protect all beginners in the future, so that they can enter Samadhi with peaceful mind and body, without any trouble or harm from any demon, ghost, spirit, enmity, or old karma. If in the assembly or in the future, anyone who is learning can establish the practice and uphold the precepts accordingly – suppose they have received the precepts from a Sangha master whose mind is truly pure, and suppose they have no doubts in mind while upholding the Mantra – then they will surely be able to attain spiritual awakening in their own bodies that were given to them by their parents. If not so, then the Tathagatas in the ten directions have been lying!”
阿難在在處處國土眾生隨有此呪。天龍歡喜風雨順時。五穀豐殷兆庶安樂。亦復能鎮一切惡星。隨方變怪災障不起人無橫夭。杻械枷鎖不著其身。晝夜安眠常無惡夢。阿難是娑婆界。有八萬四千災變惡星。二十八大惡星而為上首。復有八大惡星以為其主。作種種形出現世時。能生眾生種種災異。有此呪地悉皆銷滅。十二由旬成結界地。諸惡災祥永不能入。是故如來宣示此呪。於未來世保護初學。諸修行者入三摩提。身心泰然得大安隱。更無一切諸魔鬼神。及無始來冤橫宿殃。舊業陳債來相惱害。汝及眾中諸有學人。及未來世諸修行者。依我壇場如法持戒。所受戒主逢清淨僧。持此呪心不生疑悔。是善男子於此父母所生之身。不得心通。十方如來便為妄語。
Buddha Mind 