MahaCundi Dharani
MahaCundi Dharani
MahaCundi Dharani
Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in the Tang Dynasty by The Tripiaka Master Divkara At one time the Buddha was dwelling in the Anthapiika Garden of Jetavana Park in the city kingdom of rvast. The World-Honored One meditated, observing sentient beings of the future. Feeling sympathy with them, He expounded the Dharma of the Cund Dhra, the heart of the mother of seven koi Buddhas. The Buddha then pronounced the mantra:
canopies, food, drink, lamps, and candles. To mark the boundary, recite the mantra to perfumed water in a vessel and sprinkle it in all four directions, also up and down. Then place a vessel of perfumed water in the center and in each of the four corners of the maala. You, the mantra reciter, staying inside the maala, should face east, kneel on your right knee, and recite the mantra 1,080 times. Afterward, the vessels of perfumed water should turn by themselves. Next, hold a bunch of flowers in both hands, recite the mantra 1,080 times, and scatter them all on the face of a mirror. Looking straight into the mirror in front of you, recite the mantra 1,080 times, and then you should see the images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the mirror. Again, recite the mantra 108 times to another bunch of flowers and scatter them around as offerings to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Then you should receive answers to any questions you ask. To treat illness caused by a ghost, brush the patient with kua grass to which you have recited the mantra. Then he should be cured. For a child possessed by a ghost, have a young maiden twist five threads of different colors into a string. Recite the mantra once each time you tie a knot in the string as you tie twenty-one knots. Tie the knotted string around the neck of the child. Recite the mantra seven times to a few mustard seeds and sprinkle them at his face. Then the condition should be removed. Another dharma is to draw a picture of the patient on a piece of paper. Strike it in front of the patient with a willow branch to which you have recited the mantra. This should also remove the condition. Another dharma is for a possessed patient who lives far away. Recite the mantra seven times to a willow branch. Send the willow branch to someone to strike the picture of the patient in his presence. This should also remove the condition. Another dharma is to recite the mantra as you travel. Then you should be free from fear of bandits and ferocious animals. Another dharma is to keep reciting this mantra in order that you will win any disputes or lawsuits. In crossing a river or an ocean, continuous recitation of the mantra will keep you safe from aquatic animals. Another dharma is for a person who is in shackles or in prison. If he keeps reciting the mantra, he will be freed. Another dharma is for a country troubled by flood, drought, or ongoing epidemics. You should mix some butter, sesame seeds, and white rice. Take a pinch of the mixture with three fingers, recite the mantra once to it, and then throw it in the fire. Repeat this procedure continuously day and night in the six periods for seven days and seven nights. All catastrophes or epidemics should thus be eliminated. Another dharma is to imprint with a stamp on riverbanks or sandy beaches the image of a pagoda. Recite the mantra 600,000 times, imprinting a pagoda each time. You will then see Avalokitevara Bodhisattva, Tara Bodhisattva, or Vajrapi Bodhisattva. Any one of them can fulfill your wishes, give you divine medicine, or bestow upon you the
prophecy of future enlightenment. Another dharma is to circle the picture of the bodhi tree clockwise as you recite the mantra 10,000,000 times. You should then have a vision of a [holy] Bodhisattva teaching you the Dharma, and you may choose to follow him. Another dharma is to recite the mantra as you beg for food. Then you will not be harmed or harassed by villains, vicious dogs, and so forth. Another dharma is to recite the mantra 300,000 times in front of a pagoda, the image of a Buddha, or a pagoda containing holy relics. Furthermore, on the fifteenth day of a waxing moon, make a large offering and recite the mantra mindfully without eating food for one day and one night. You will even be able to see Vajrapi Bodhisattva, and he can take you to his palace. Another dharma is to go to the pagoda where the Buddha first turned the Dharma wheel, the pagoda at the Buddhas birthplace, the pagoda where the Buddha descended the jeweled steps from Trayastria Heaven, or a pagoda containing holy relics. If you recite the mantra as you circle the pagoda clockwise, then you should see Aparjit Bodhisattva and Hrit Bodhisattva. They can grant your wishes, give you divine medicine if you need it, and show you the Bodhisattva Way by teaching you the Dharma. Whoever recites this dhra, though he is not yet in a bodhimaa, will have all Bodhisattvas as his beneficent friends. Moreover, this Great Cund Dhra, the great illumination mantra, has been pronounced by all Buddhas of the past, will be pronounced by all Buddhas of the future, and is pronounced by all Buddhas of the present. I too now pronounce it for the benefit of all sentient beings, helping them to attain the unsurpassed bodhi. There are sentient beings with a meager store of merits, without roots of goodness, without the right capacity, and without the [Seven] Bodhi Factors. If they are so fortunate as to hear the Dharma of this Cund Dhra, they will quickly attain anuttara-samyaksabodhi. If a person always remembers to recite this mantra diligently, he will develop immeasurable roots of goodness. As the Buddha was expounding this Dharma of the Great Cund Dhra, innumerable sentient beings discarded their defilements and gained the virtue of the Great Cund Dhra, the great illumination mantra. They were able to see Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and other holy beings in the ten directions. [The listeners] made obeisance to the Buddha and departed.
Buddha Pronounces the Stra of the Great Cund Dhra Heart of the Mother of Seven koi Buddhas Translated from the Chinese Canon (CBETA, T20n1077)