Thursday, March 27, 2008

Great Compassion Mantra (continue)

The Chinese Phonetic System (Han-Yu-Pin-Yin) has been adopted to romanise the Chinese texts to serve the needs of devotees, in particular the English speaking Buddhist.

The Great Compassion Heart is vast, great, perfect, full and,
unimpeded in its ability to relieve our suffering and
save us from distress. The Compassion Dharani can
deliver us from suffering.
-The Dharani Sutra-

A devotee was suffering for many days due to a tiny bone lodged in her throat. She was relieved of this unpleasant suffering when she sincerely resolved to reprint the Great Compassion Dharani for free distribution.

The great Compassion Dharani is also known to have healed a cancer patient when his son fervently mantraed a glass of water 108 times for him to drink.

You should know that the reward of blessings
and virtue that accrue to one who accepts
and holds the mantra is inconceivable.
-The Dharani Sutra-

Therefore, devotees should commit to memorize the Great Compassion Heart Dharani. One can conveniently master it by memorizing it line by line. In this way, the whole mantra could be easily remembered and fluently recited. It will become a useful and handy dharma tool which can be put to good use at any time of the day, on any occasion, without any limitation.

To uphold and master the Great Compassion Heart Dharani Dharma-door, one should diligently and sincerely recite this mantra daily. One can recite it 3 times or 5 times, or even 108 times or any number of the times according to one’s convenience and suitability.

.... To recite it a full five times in one evening is to
wipe away your heavy offenses of hundreds, thousands,
tens of thousands of millions of aeons of birth and death.
-The Dharani Sutra-

A thousand eyes observe,
A thousand ears hear all,
A thousand hands help and support
Living beings everywhere.
-Ven. Master Hsuan Hua-

The recollection of one’s thoughts or the concentration or mindfulness one is able to formulate in one’s own mind during one’s recitation is of very great importance. One should single-mindedly perform one’s recitation. A proper understanding of this prerequisite is very essential in order to sincerely maintain a proper frame of mind during the recitation of Sutras and mantras.

As one begins one’s chanting with the Incense Praise or Verse of Salutation to the Triple Jewel, likewise, one should also recite the Verse of Transference as a conclusion to one’s chanting, offerings or performance of meritorious deeds in order to universally share all the merits and virtue accrued there from with all sentient beings throughout the Dharma realms.

“The world is filled with black energy; black karma envelops us. In any place where there are true cultivators, the disasters in that place will be lessened. If many people come together to cultivate, their collective strength can dispel these disasters and counteract the plunders and invisibly eradicate this noxious, evil energy and transform it into harmonious and auspicious energy. But first, both feet must be firmly planted on the ground, and then one must realistically cultivate according to the Buddha’s teachings.

Everyone should bring forth his or her true heart in reciting the Buddha’s name. For every time you recite the Buddha’s name, a ray of light fills up the universe, so that the energy of three thousand great thousand worlds will be auspicious and harmonious and the atmosphere of violence, defilement, and disaster will be dispelled and transformed.”


-Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
Amitabha Buddha Recitation
Session, 1980


E MI TUO FO

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