Great Compassion Mantra - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The also known as , popularly known as the Great Compassion Mantra in English, and known as the Dàbēi Zhòu in Mandarin Chinese, is a dharani

Dharani

A ' is a type of ritual speech similar to a mantra. The terms dharani and satheesh may be seen as synonyms, although they are normally used in distinct contexts....

of Mahayana

Mahayana

Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...

Buddhist origin. It was spoken by the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara

Avalokitesvara

Avalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....

before an assembly of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, devas and kings, according to the Mahakarunikacitta Sutra. Like the now popular six-syllable mantra Om mani padme hum

Om mani padme hum

is the six syllabled mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara , the bodhisattva of compassion...

, it is a popular mantra synonymous with Avalokitesvara in East Asia. It is often used for protection or purification.

Origins

Twelve scrolls of (lit. "blue-necked Lord of the world") texts were found in the Dunhuang

Dunhuang

Dunhuang is a city in northwestern Gansu province, Western China. It was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. It was also known at times as Shāzhōu , or 'City of Sands', a name still used today...

stone cave along the Silk Road

Silk Road

The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...

in today's Gansu

Gansu

' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...

province of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. The text was translated in Khotan

Khotan

Hotan , or Hetian , also spelled Khotan, is the seat of the Hotan Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. It was previously known in Chinese as 于窴/於窴 and to 19th-century European explorers as Ilchi....

in Tarim Basin

Tarim Basin

The Tarim Basin is a large endorheic basin occupying an area of about . It is located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China's far west. Its northern boundary is the Tian Shan mountain range and its southern is the Kunlun Mountains on the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The...

, Central Asia by Śramaṇa Bhagavaddhrama. The text of the was translated into Chinese by three masters in the seventh and early eighth centuries, first by Chih-t'ung ( Zhitōng) twice between 627

627

Year 627 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 627 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* December 12 – Battle of...

-649

649

Year 649 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 649 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Arabs conquer Cyprus* Soga no Kurayamada no...

AD (T. 1057a and T. 1057b, Nj. 318), next by Bhagavaddharma between 650

650

Year 650 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 650 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Khazars conquer the Great Bulgarian Empire...

-660

660

Year 660 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 660 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Slavic principality of Carantania is first...

AD (T. 1059 and T. 1060, Nj.320), and then by Bodhiruci in 709

709

Year 709 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 709 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Saelred becomes king of Essex.* Ceolred...

AD (T. 1058, Nj. 319).

The Siddhaṃ script of Chinese Tripitaka (T. 1113b, 20.498-501) was corrected by a comparison with the Chih-t'ung version, which is found in the Ming Tripiṭaka. All the Sanskrit texts in the Ming Tripiṭaka were collected together by Rol-pahi Rdorje in the quadrilingual collection of dhāraṇī which bears the title: Sanskrit Texts from the Imperial Palace at Peking. The prime objective was to restore the Sanskrit text with the help of the Tibetan texts. The Rol-pahi rdorje’s reconstruction (STP. 5.1290-6.1304) of the Nīlankanthaka as transcribed by Chih-t'ung during 627-649 (T. 1057b, Nj. 318) is longer than that of Amoghavajra

Amoghavajra

Amoghavajra was a prolific translator who became one of the most politically powerful Buddhist monks in Chinese history, acknowledged as one of the eight patriarchs of the doctrine in Shingon lineages.-Life:Born in Samarkand of an Indian father and Sogdian mother, he went...

and is a remarkable effort at textual reconstruction, undertaken as early as the first half of the 18th century. However, Chih-t'ung's version is rarely mentioned in the Mahayana tradition.

The Nīlankantha Dhāraṇī was translated into Chinese by Vajrabodhi

Vajrabodhi

Vajrabodhi was an Indian buddhist monk and Esoteric Buddhist teacher in Tang China. He is one the eight patriarchs in Shingon Buddhism....

, twice by his disciple Amoghavajra (worked 723-774 AD, T. 1111, T. 1113b) and in the 14th century by Dhyānabhadra (worked 1326-1363 AD, T. 1113a). Amoghavajra's version (T. 1113b) was written in Siddhaṃ script in the Chinese Tripiṭaka (T. 1113b, 20.498-501). This version is the most widely accepted form today.

Difference between Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese versions

Hanyu Pinyin	Korean version	Japanese version	Vietnamese version
nā mò, hē lá dá nà	na-mo-ra da-na	na mu ka ra ta no	nam mô hắc ra đát na
duō lá yè yē	da-ra ya-ya	to ra ya ya	đa ra dạ da
nā mò, ā lī yē	na-mak ar-ya	na mu o ri ya	nam mô a rị da
pó lú jié dì	ba-ro-gi-je	bo ryo ki chi	bà lô yết đế
shuò bō lá yē	sae-ba-ra-ya	shi fu ra ya	thước bát ra da
pú tí sà duǒ pó yē	mo-ji sa-da-ba-ya	fu ji sa to bo ya	bồ đề tát đỏa bà da
mó hē sà duǒ pó yē	ma-ha sa-da-ba-ya	mo ko sa to bo ya	ma ha tát đỏa bà da
mó hē jiā lú ní jiā yē	ma-ha ga-ro-ni-ga-ya	mo ko kya ru ni kya ya	ma ha ca lô ni ca da
om, sà pó luó fá yè	om sal-ba-ba-ye	en sa ha ra ha ei	án tát bàn ra phạt duệ
shǔ dá nà dá xiě	su da-ra-na ga-ra-ya da-sa-myong	shu ta no ton sha	số đát na đát tỏa
nā mò, xī jí lī duǒ	na-mak-ka-ri-da-ba	na mu shi ki ri to	nam mô tất kiết lật đỏa
yī měng ā lì yē	i-mam ar-ya	i mo o ri ya	y mông a rị da
pó lú jí dì	ba-ro-gi-je	bo ryo ki chi	bà lô kiết đế
shì fó lá lèng tuó pó nā mò, nà lá jǐn chí	sae-ba-ra da-ba i-ra gan-ta na-mak	shi fu ra rin to bo na mu no ra kin ji	thất phật ra lăng đà bà nam mô na ra cẩn trì
xī lī mó hē, pó duō shā miē	ha-ri-na-ya ma-bal-ta i-sa-mi	ki ri mo ko ho do sha mi	hê rị ma ha bàn đa sa mế
sà pó ā tā, dòu shū péng	sal-bal-ta sa-da-nam su-ban	sa bo o to jo shu ben	tát bà a tha đậu du bằng
ā shì yùn	a-ye-yom	o shu in	a thệ dựng
sà pó sà duō, nā mò pó sà duō, nà mó pó jiā, mó fá tè dòu	sal-ba bo-da-nam ba-ba-mar-a mi-su-da-gam	sa bo sa to no mo bo gya mo ha te cho	tát bà tát đa (na ma bà tát đa)na ma bà dà ma phạt đạt đậu
dá shí tā	da-nya-ta	to ji to	đát điệt tha
om, ā pó lú xī, lú jiā dì	om a-ro-gye a-ro-ga ma-ji-ro-ga	en o bo ryo ki ru gya chi	án a bà lô hê lô ca đế
jiā luó dì, yí xī lī	ji-ga-ran-je hye-hye-ha-rye	kya rya chi i ki ri	ca ra đế di hê rị
mó hē pú tí sà duǒ sà pó sà pó mó lá mó lá mó xī mó sī, lī tuó yùn	ma-ha mo-ji sa-da-ba sa-ma-ra sa-ma-ra ha-ri-na-ya	mo ko fu ji sa to sa bo sa bo mo ra mo ra mo ki mo ki ri to in	ma ha bồ đề tát đỏa tát bà tát bà ma ra ma ra ma hê ma hê rị đà dựng
jù lú jù lú jié měng	gu-ro-gu-ro gal-ma sa-da-ya sa-da-ya	ku ryo ku ryo ke mo	cu lô cu lô yết mông
dù lú dù lú, fá shé yē dì	do-ro-do-ro mi-yon-je	to ryo to ryo ho ja ya chi	dộ lô đồ lô phạt xà da đế
mó hē, fá shé yē dì	ma-ha mi-yon-je	mo ko ho ja ya chi	ma ha phạt xà da đế
tuó lá tuó lá	da-ra da-ra	to ra to ra	đà ra đà ra
dì lī ní	da-rin na-rye	chi ri ni	địa rị ni
shì fó lá yē	sae-ba-ra	shi fu ra ya	thất phật ra da
zhē lá zhē lá	ja-ra-ja-ra	sha ro sha ro	giá ra giá ra
mó mó fá mó lá	ma-ra-mi-ma-ra a-ma-ra	mo mo ha mo ra	mạ mạ phạt ma ra
mù dì lì yī xī yī xī shì nà shì nà ā lá shēn, fó lá shè lì	mol-che-ye hye-hye ro-gye sae-ba-ra ra-a mi-sa-mi na-sa-ya	ho chi ri yu ki yu ki shi no shi no o ra san fu ra sha ri	mục đế lệ y hê di hê thất na thất na a ra sâm phật ra xá lợi
fá shā fá shēn fó lá shè yē	na-bye sa-mi sa-mi na-sa-ya mo-ha ja-ra mi-sa-mi na-sa-ya	ha za ha za fu ra sha ya	phạt sa phạt sâm phật ra xá da
hū lú hū lú mó lá hū lú hū lú xī lì	ho-ro-ho-ro ma-ra-ho-ro ha-rye ba na-ma-na-ba	ku ryo ku ryo mo ra ku ryo ku ryo ki ri	hô lô hô lô ma ra hô lô hô lô hê rị
suō lá suō lá	sa-ra sa-ra	sha ra sha ro	ta ra ta ra
xī lī xī lī	shi-ri shi-ri	shi ri shi ri	tất rị tất rị
sū lú sū lú pú tí yè, pú tí yè	so-ro so-ro mot-cha mot-cha	su ryo su ryo fu ji ya fu ji ya	tô rô tô rô bồ đề dạ bồ đề dạ
pú tuó yè, pú tuó yè	mo-da-ya mo-da-ya	fu do ya fu do ya	bồ đà dạ bồ đà dạ
mí dì lì yè	mae-da-ri-ya	mi chi ri ya	di đế rị dạ
nà lá jǐn chí	ni-ra-gan-ta	no ra kin ji	na ra cẩn trì
dì lì sè ní nà, pó yè mó nà, sā pó hē	ga-ma-sa nal-sa-nam ba-ra-ha-ra-na-ya ma-nak-sa-ba-ha	chi ri shu ni no ho ya mo no so mo ko	địa rị sắc ni na bà dạ ma na ta bà ha
xī tuó yè sā pó hē	shit-ta-ya sa-ba-ha	shi do ya so mo ko	tất đà dạ ta bà ha
mó hē xī tuó yè sā pó hē	ma-ha-shit-ta-ya sa-ba-ha	mo ko shi do ya so mo ko	ma ha tất đà dạ ta bà ha
xī tuó yù yì	shit-ta-yu-ye	shi do yu ki	tất đà dũ nghệ
shì pó lá yè sā pó hē	sae-ba-ra-ya sa-ba-ha	shi fu ra ya so mo ko	thất bàn ra dạ ta bà ha
nà lá jǐn chí sā pó hē	ni-ra-gan-ta-ya sa-ba-ha	no ra kin ji so mo ko	na ra cẩn trì ta bà ha
mó lá nà lá sā pó hē	ba-ra-ha mok-ka	mo ra no ra so mo ko	ma ra na ra ta bà ha
xī lá sēng, ā mù qū yē sā pó hē	shing-ha mok-ka-ya sa-ba-ha	shi ra su o mo gya ya so mo ko	tất ra tăng a mục khê da ta bà ha
sā pó mó hē ā sī tuó yè sā pó hē	ba-na-ma ha-ta-ya sa-ba-ha	so bo mo ko o shi do ya so mo ko	ta bà ma ha a tất đà dạ ta bà ha
shě jí lá ā xī tuó yè sā pó hē	ja-ga-ra yok-ta-ya sa-ba-ha	sha ki ra o shi do ya so mo ko	giả kiết ra a tất đà dạ ta bà ha
bō tuó mó, jié xī duō yè sā pó hē	sang-ka som-na-nye mo-da-na-ya sa-ba-ha ma-ha-ra gu-ta da-ra-ya sa-ba-ha	ho do mo gya shi do ya so mo ko	ba đà ma kiết tất đà dạ ta bà ha
nà lá jǐn chí pó jiā lá yē sā pó hē	ba-ma-sa gan-ta i-sa-shi che da ga-rin-na i-na-ya sa-ba-ha	no ra kin ji ha gya ra ya so mo ko	na ra cẩn trì bàn đà ra dạ ta bà ha
mó pó lì, shèng jié lá yè sā pó hē	mya-ga-ra jal-ma ni-ba sa-na-ya sa-ba-ha	mo ho ri shin gya ra ya so mo ko	ma bà rị thắng yết ra dạ ta bà ha
nā mò hē lá dá nà, duō lá yè yē	na-mo-ra da-na-da-ra ya-ya	na mu ka ra tan no to ra ya ya	nam mô hắc ra đát na đa ra dạ da
nā mò ā lì yē	na-mak ar-ya	na mu o ri ya	nam mô a rị da
pó luó jí dì	ba-ro gi-je	bo ryo ki chi	bà lô kiết đế
shuò pó lá yè	sae-ba-ra-ya	shi fu ra ya	thước bàn ra dạ
sā pó hē om, sī diàn dōu màn duō lá bá tuó yē		so mo ko en shi te do mo do ra ho do ya	ta bà ha án tất điện đô mạn đà ra bạt đà gia
sā pó hē	sa-ba-ha	so mo ko	ta bà ha

Sanskrit versions

oṃ namo ratnatrayaya. namah arya avalokitesvaraya bodhisattvaya mahasattvaya mahakarunikaya sarva bandhana chedana karaya. sarva bhava samudram sosana karana. sarva vyadhi prasamana karaya. sarva mrtyu upa-drava viansana karana. sarva bhaye su trana karaya. tasmat namas – krtva idam arya avalokitesvara bhastinam nilakantha pi nama hrdayam avarta isyami sarvartha-sadhanam subham ajeyam sarva bhutanam bhava marga visuddhakam tadyatha, om aloke aloka-mati lokati krante. he hare arya avalokitesvara maha bodhisattva, he boddhisattva, he maha bodhisattva, he virya bodhisttva he mahakarunika smara hradayam. hi hi, hare arya avalokitesvara mahesvara parama maitra-citta mahakarunika. kuru kuru karman sadhaya sadhaya vidyam. ni hi, ni hi varnam kamam-game. vitta-kama vigama. siddha yogesvara. dhuru dhuru viryanti, maha viryanti. dhara dhara dharendresvara. cala cala vimala amala murte arya avalokitesvara jina krsna jata-makutavalam ma pra-lamba maha siddha vidya dhara. vara vara maha vara. bala bala maha bala. cala cala maha cala krsna-varna nigha krsna – paksa nirghatana. he padma-hasta cara cara desa caresvara krsna – sarpa krta yajnopavita ehyehi maha varaha-mukha, tripura-dahanesvaranarayana va rupa vara marga ari. he nilakantha, he mahakara, hala hala visa nir-jita lokasya. raga visa vinasana. dvesa visa vinasana. moha visa vinasana huru huru mala, huru huru hare, maha padmanabha sara sara, sri sri, suru suru, bhu ruc bhu ruc buddhaya buddhaya, boddhaya boddhaya maitri nilakantha ehyehi vama shitha simha-mukha hasa hasa, munca munca mahattahasam ehiyehi pa maha siddha yogesvara bhana bhana vaco sadhaya sadhaya vidyam. smara smaratam bhagavantam lokita vilokitam lokesvaram tathagatam dadahi me drasana kamasya darsanam pra-hia daya mana svaha. siddhaya svaha. maha siddhaya svaha siddha yogesvaraya svaha nilakanthaya svaha varaha-mukhaya svaha maha-dara simha-mukhaya svaha siddha vidyadharaya svaha padma-hastaya svaha krsna-sarpa krta yajno pavitaya svaha maha lakuta daharaya svaha cakra yuddhaya svaha sankha-sabdani bodhanaya svaha vama skandha desa shitha krsna jinaya svaha vyaghra-carma nivasa naya svaha lokesvaraya svaha sarva siddhesvaraya svaha namo bhagavate arya avalokitesvaraya bodhisattvaya maha sattvaya mahakarunikaya. sidhyanthu me mantra-padaya svaha.

Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāranī (The Blue Necked Dhāranī)

I. Initial Salutation

II. Name of Avalokiteśvarā

III. śloka enunication of the merit of the hrdaya-dhāranī

IV. Dhāranī

V. Final Salutation

Mahā Karuna Dhāranī (大悲咒)

Worked from 723-774 AD, Amoghavajra (大廣智不空) transliterates Siddham’s script from Chinese Tripitake (大正新修大藏經 Taisho Edition T.1113b, 20.498-501 cf.1111-1113A), as transcribed below (a reconstructed Sanskrit text). Nīlakantha (Blue-Necked), the title of Avalokitesvara is substituted by Nīlakandi in Amoghavajra's translation (T. 1113b). It is a central Asian form: Uigur nominative singular ending in “-i” and has come to mean the virtuous one.

I. Initial Salutation (前行)

II. Name of Avalokite-śvarā (觀音名)

III. Śloka Enunication of the Merit of the Hrdaya-Dhāranī (功德迴向)

IV. Dhāranī (咒文)

V. Final Salutation (結分)

Avalokiteśvaraikadaśamukha Dhāraṇī (Eleven Faced Avalokitesvara Dhāranī)

This dharani stems from the Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra

Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra

The is a Buddhist text first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese on the 28th day of the third lunar month of 656 CE, by Xuanzang. The title in Tibetan language is Spyan-ras-gzigs-dbang-phyug-shal bcu-gcig-pa, while the Sanskrit title recovered from the Tibetan translation is...

and is often somewhat incorrectly referred to as the Great Compassion Mantra, e.g. in popular recordings by Imee Ooi

Imee Ooi

Imee Ooi is a Malaysian music producer, composer, arranger and vocalist who brings traditional Buddhist chants, mantras and dharanis into sung...

and Ani Choying Dolma

Ani Choying Dolma

Ani Choying Drolma , also known as Choying Drolma and Ani Choying , is a Buddhist nun and musician from the Nagi Gompa nunnery in Nepal...

. More specific denominations of this dharani are Avalokiteśvaraikadaśamukhadhāraṇī or Ārya Ekādaśa-mukha Dhāraṇī in Sanskrit, and Eleven Faced Avalokitesvara Dharani in English.

Namo Ratna Trayāya Namaḥ Ārya Jñāna Sāgara Vairocana Vyūha Rājāya Tathāgatāya Arhate Samyak Sambuddhaya Namah Sarva Tathagatebyah Arhatebyaḥ Samyaksaṃbuddhe Byaḥ Namaḥ Arya Avalokite Śvarāya Boddhisattvāya Mahāsattvāya Mahākāruṇikāya Tadyathā Oṃ Dhara Dhara Dhiri Dhiri Dhuru Dhuru Ite Vatte Cale Cale Pra Cale Pra Cale Kusume Kusume Vare Ili Mili Citijvala māpanāye Svāhā

Great Compassion Mantra in Chinese

In Mandarin (Hanyi pinyin), transliterated from Siddham text.
The Great compassion mantra (大悲咒) is a Siddham-Sanskrit mantra. It is a mantra uttered by Arya Avalokiteśvarā (the noble Kuan Yin Pu Sa in Chinese) in the Sutra of the Dharani of Great Compassion Mantra. The Chinese version is transliterated from a Siddham script in the Chinese Tripitaka (T. 1113b).

Namo Ha La Da Nuo Duo La Ya Ye namo ah li yeh po lu jie di shwo bo la ye pu ti sa tuo po ye, mo he sa tuo po ye mo he jia lu ni jia ye.
OM! Sa pan na fa ye, xu da nan da xie namo xi ji li tuo, yi meng a li ye po lu jie di, shi fo la leng tuo po Namo nuo la kin ji.
xi li mo he pan dwo sa mie sa po a tuo do shu peng, oh shi yun sa po sa duo namo po sa duo namo po qie, mo fa de dou dan chi dha
OM! o po lu xi lu jia di jia lou di yi xi li mo he pu ti sa duo sapo sapo mola mola moxi moxi li tuo yun jilu jilu jie meng, dulu dulu fa she ye di mo he fa she ye di, tuo la tuo la di li ni shi fo nai ye, che la che la mo mo fa mo la mudili yi xi yi xi, se nuo se nuo oh la shen fa she fa shen fo lai she ye Hulu hulu mola, hulu hulu xili, sala sala xili xili, sulu sulu, putiye putiye potuoye potuo ye midiliye nolakinji dilisherninuo poyemono sapohe xiduoye sapohe, mohexiduoye sapohe, xiduoyuyishipan na ye sapohe, nolakinji sopohe, molanola sopohe, xilasengomoquye sapohe sapomo oh shituoye sapohe jejina oshi tuoye sapohe botuomoye sapohe nolakinji pan qi laye sapohe, mo po sheng qi la ye sapohe
Namo ha la da na tuo la ya yeh namo ohliye poluji shwo pan la ye sa pohe. OM! xidantuo man tuo la patuo ye sapohe.

In Sanskrit:

Namo ratna-trayāya
Namo āriyā-valokite-śvarāya
Bodhi-sattvāya Maha-sattvāya Mahā-kārunikāya
Om sarva-raviye sudhanadasya
Namo skritvā imam
āryā-valotite-śvara ramdhava
Namo narakindi hrih Mahā-vat-svāme
Sarva-arthato-śubham ajeyam
Sarva-sat Namo-vasat Namo-vāka mavitāto
Tadyathā
Om avaloki-lokate-krate-e-hrih Mahā-bodhisattva
Sarva sarva
Mala mala
Mahi Mahi ridayam
Kuru kuru karmam
Dhuru dhuru
vijayate Mahā-vijayati
Dhara dhara dhrini
śvarāya cala cala
Mama vimala muktele
Ehi ehi śina śina
ārsam prasari
viśva viśvam prasaya
Hulu hulu mara
Hulu hulu hrih
Sara sara siri siri suru suru
Bodhiya Bodhiya Bodhaya Bodhaya
Maitreya narakindi dhrish-nina bhayamana svāhā
Siddhāya svāhā
Maha siddhāya svāhā
Siddha-yoge-śvaraya svāhā
Narakindi svāhā
Māranara svāhā
śira simha-mukhāya svāhā
Sarva mahā-asiddhaya svāhā
Cakra-asiddhāya svāhā
Padma-kastāya svāhā
Narakindi-vagalāya svaha
Mavari-śankharāya svāhā
Namo ratna-trāyāya
Namo āryā-valokite-śvaraya svāhā
Om Sidhyantu mantra padāya svāhā

Glossary

Avalokiteśvarā: Avalokita (ava+lokita: 'ava' preverb meaning down, upon; lokita a past-participle of lok 'to see') observed, looking [down] upon) + īśvara (Lord) i.e. Lord of the Observed World. (with sandhi a + ī > e) Chinese 觀自在 (Kwan tzu-tsai). The Tibetan translation སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་དབང་ཕྱུག་ pronounced chenrezig wangchug, where chenrezig refers watching out over, and wangchug is the translation for ishvara, Lord. In early texts also Avalokitasvara where svara means sounds: Chinese 觀音 (Kwan Yin, also spelt Guān Yīn, and in Japanese: Kannon). The latter is the name more commonly used in China.

cakra: pronounced 'chakra', means wheel, as in wheel of life (bhava-cakra) or wheel of law.

mahāsiddha: the attainment of extraordinary abilities (siddhi).
maitri: kindness, benevolence.

mālā: (lit.) "garland", symbolize "immaculate".

Māra: death, the devil. Embodiment of the selfish attachments and temptations that bind one to the cycle of birth and death.

namo, namah, namas (variations caused by [sandhi]: homage, salutation, adoration, greeting!

[oṃ]: means oneness with the Supreme, the merging of the physical being with the spiritual. The most sacred syllable, the first sound of Almighty. This sacred syllable appears as a mystic sound, regarded as the basis of every other mantra. It is the sound not only of origination but also for dissolution.

Nīlakandi: nominative singular of 'Nīlakantha' in Uigur, a central Asian form.

External links

http://www.nalanda-university.com/buddhist-ayurveda-encylopedia/SKT335_Avalokiteshvara_42-Hands-and-Eyes_Mantra_of_Great-Compassion-Dharani-Sutra_GuanYin_Chenrezig.doc A Line by Line Commentary on the Great Compassion Mantra and its 42 Hands and Eyes Mantras of the "Sutra of the Vast, Great, Perfect, Full, Unimpeded Great Compassion Heart Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Who Regards the World’s Sounds"
Text online
Mandarin Chinese text online
The English translation of Great Compassion Dharani Sutra
Dharma Sound: Nīlakaņţha Dhāraņī - 7,02 Mb

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