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Shurangama Mantra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Shurangama Mantra is a dharani or long mantra of East Asian Mahayana and Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhistorigin that is popular in China, Japan, and Korea, although relatively unknown in modern Tibet, even though there are several Shurangama Mantra texts Sadhana, Shastra in the Tibetan Buddhist canon. The Mantra was, according to the opening chapter of theShurangama Sutra,[1] historically transmitted by theBuddha Shakyamuni to Manjushri Bodhisattva to protectBhikshu Ananda before he had become an Arhat. It was again spoken in the Shurangama Sutra,[1] Volume 6) by Shakyamuni before an assembly of Buddhas,Bodhisattvas, Arhats, devas and others of the Eightfold Division of Dharmapalas. Like the popular six-syllable mantra Om mani padme hum, and the Great Compassion Mantra (Nlakantha dhran) it is a popular mantra synonymous the practice of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The Shurangama Mantra also extensively references Buddhist deities (ishtadevata) such as Bodhisattvas Manjushri, Mahakala, SitatapatraVajrapani and the Five Dhyana Buddhasespecially Medicine Buddha (Akshobhya orVajradhara) in East Asia. It is often used for protection or purification for meditators and is considered to be part of Tantric Buddhism orVajrayana or Shingon Buddhism in Japan.[2]
Contents [hide] 1 Names 2 Original Canonical Sources of the Shurangama Mantra 3 Introduction to the Shurangama Mantra 4 The History of the Shurangama Mantra Transmission and Translations 5 The Actual Siddham Words Shurangama Mantra 6 Story of transmission 7 Structure and comparison with other works 8 Notes 9 See also 10 References 10.1 Shurangama in romanized Sanskrit 10.2 Siddham Sanskrit Mantra Sources 10.3 Sanskrit Source Documents 10.4 Sanskrit Dictionaries used to verify Sanskrit Mantra Word Wikipedia Links 11 Further reading 12 External links

Names

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Possible spellings and their romanizations include: Also called the: Sittapatra-mah-pratyagir dhran Mandarin Chinese: leng yan jou or, 2) Sanskrit: Surangama Mantra or Sittapatra-mahpratyagir dhran The title is variously rendered in English as Great White Canopy Mantra, Great White Umbrella Mantra, or Mantra of Achala. [Pronunciations] Mandarin Chinese Pinyin Fdng d bisngi tulun jng Mandarin Chinese Wade-Giles Fo-ting ta pai-san-kai t'o-lo-ni-ching
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Korean Hangul [hg] [mc] Buljeong daebaeksangae darani gyeong [mr] Pulchng tae paeksangae tarani kyng Japanese katakana [hb] Butch dai byakusankai darani ky Vietnamese [qn] Pht nh i bch tn ci la ni kinh Mandarin Chinese [py] D fdng rli fnggung xddubd tulun [wg] Ta fo-ting ju-lai fang-kuang hsi-ta-tuo-po-ta t'o-lo-ni Mandarin Chinese [hg] [mc] Dae buljeong yeorae banggwang sildaldabaldal darani [mr] Taepulchng yrae panggwang sildaldabaltal tarani [kk] [hb] Dai butch nyorai hk shittatahattara darani [qn] i pht nh nh lai phng quang tt t a bt t la ni [Basic Meaning:] Dhra of ittapatra, Great Corona of All Tathgatas, Radiating Light [The Great Queen of Vidy called Aparjit] Sources: Ron Epstein, Buddhism A to Z, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2003: pp. 191 192; Buddhist ChineseSanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa), p. 0118, Fo Guang Dictionary, p. 2724.

Original Canonical Sources of the Shurangama Mantra

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According to the Buddhist Tripitaka of Chinese and Tibetan versions, we find the Shurangama Mantra and its Sutra found as: The Da foding rulai fangguang Xidaduobodaluo tuoluoni; Skt. Sarvatathgataoaittapatr-nmparjitmahpratyangir-mahvidyrj-nma-dhra; Tibetan ('phags pa) De bshin gshegs pa'i gtsug tor nas byung ba'i gdugs dkar po can gshan gyi mi thub pa phir bzlog pa chen mo mchog tu grub pa shes bya ba'i gzungs; A dhra for avoiding disasters, evil spirits, etc. There are five Chinese translations: 1 fasc. Taisho T 944b.19.102-105) Great Dhrai of the Great Buddha-Corona , tr. unknown. In the esoteric Srangama Stra (T 945), tr.Paramiti . 1 fasc. (T 944a.19.100-102) Dhra of the Light-Emitting ittapatra, Great Corona (Ushnisha) of All Tathgatas , tr. Amoghavajra . 1 fasc. (T 976.19.401-404) Dhra of the Great White Parasol Buddha-Corona , translated from a separate Tibetan version [To.590/985, P.202/610] ['phags pa] De bshin gshegs pa thams cad kyi gtsug tor nas byung ba gdugs dkar po can shes bya ba gshan gyis mi thub ma phyir zlog pa'i rig sngags kyi rgyal mo chen mo) by Zhwa lu pa . 1 fasc. (T 977.19.404-407) Dhra of the Great White Parasol , tr. Zhenzhi . For an English translation from Khotanese, see Hoernle (1911). [To.591, P.203; To.592/986, P.204/611; To.593, P.205] BGBT4/96-100. [cmuller - Charles Muller; source(s): YBh-Ind]
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Within the Shurangama Sutra's contents, the Siddham Sanskrit incantation (variously referred to as dharani or mantra) contained therein, known in Chinese as the "Lengyan Zhou" (, "Shurangama Mantra"), is well-known and popularly chanted in East Asian Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the dharani is known as the "Sittapatroa-dhra" (Chinese: ; see nos. 944a/b, 976 and 977 in the Taisho Tripitaka). This is sometimes simplified in English to "White Canopy" "White Parasol" Dharani or more commonly in the Vajrayanatradition the Tibetan "Dug kar" is rendered into English as White Umbrella Deity Mantra. The dharani is not only extant in the Chinese text, but also in Sanskrit and Tibetan versions as well.

Introduction to the Shurangama Mantra

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The Shurangama Mantra spoken by the Buddha Shakyamuni in the Shurangama Sutra. In the Shurangama Sutra, regarding the Great White Canopy Sheetatapatra line of the Shurangama Mantra, Shakyamuni Buddha states: "If there are people who cannot put an end to their habits from the past, you should teach them to single-mindedly recite my light atop the Buddhas summit (Ushnisha) unsurpassed spiritual mantra, syi dan dwo bwo da la (the Central Asian rendering of the Sanskrit Sitatapatra) Shurangama Sutra, Volume 6, 2002: p. 67 http://www.bttsonline.org/product.aspx?pid=165 . The Shurangama Mantra, the longest in the Buddhist canon (Tripitaka), contains 5 major Section and 554 lines of Siddham Sanskrit of somewhat disparate topics, though with some overarching themes: The devotional Bhakti section. The Manjushri section (section 5) containing a large section on Ayurvedic MedicineSanskrit medical terms for diseases and the seed syllable bija mantra secret words to prevent or diminish the effects of these ailments. Source: http://www.uwest.edu/sanskritcanon/dp/index.php?q=node/108

The History of the Shurangama Mantra Transmission and Translations

In 168-179 A.D. Buddhist Monk Bhikshu Shramana Lokasema arrives in China and translates into Chinese the Surangama Sutra.

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The currently popular version of the Shurangama Sutra and Mantra were translated andtransliterated from Sanskrit to Chinese Hanzi during the Tang Dynasty by Bhikshiu Paramitifrom Central India and reviewed by Shramana Meghashikara from Udyana, after Empress Wu Tsai Tian retired, in the first year of the Shen Lung Dynasty Reign period. Shurangama Sutra, Volume I, Ukiah, California: Buddhist Text Translation Society andDharma Realm Buddhist Association, 2009: p. 70

The Actual Siddham Words Shurangama Mantra

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The Shurangama Mantra is available in two versions, Siddham Romanized Sanskrit andDevanagari Romanized Sanskrit. The classical outline for the Shurangama Sutra was compiled by Dharma Master Yuan Ying (Shurangama Sutra, Volume I, page xii) and categorizes the various parts of the Sutra text consisting of over 2,700 paragraphs to 1,676 entries. Shakyamuni Buddha explains the key points of the Mantra in the Shurangama Sutra: Ananda, this cluster of light atop the crown of the Buddhas head, the secret gatha, Syi Dan Dwo Bwo Da La, with its subtle, wonderful divisions and phrases, gives birth to all the Buddhas of the ten directions. Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions use this mantra-heart, they realize unsurpassed, proper, and all-pervading
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knowledge and enlightenment. Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua of the City of 10000 Buddhas says in his Volume 6, 2002, pp. 115116 of his Shurangama Sutra Commentary first lectured in 1968: Ananda, this cluster of light atop the crown of the Buddhas head, the Secret Gatha, Syi Dan Dwo Bwo Da La, is again, the Great White Canopy, which can cover over the entire system of three thousand great thousand worlds to protect all the living beings in it. Gatha is a Sanskrit term which means repetitive verses. The Mantra is secret, and since some of its lines are repeated, it is referred to as the secret gatha. These divisions and phrases which comprise the Mantra are extremely rare and miraculous. In the Shurangama Sutra the Buddha says of the Shurangama Mantra: "Ananda, let any living being of any country in the world copy out this mantra in writing on materials native to his region, such as birch bark, pattra, plain paper, or white cotton cloth, and store it in a pouch containing incense. If that person wears the pouch on his body, or if he keeps a copy in his home, then you should know that even if he understands so little that he cannot recite it from memory, he will not be harmed by any poison during his entire life." Sources: Buddhist Text Translation Society ([1] )

Shurangama Sutra, Volume 6, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2002: p. 113 Shurangama Sutra, Volume 6, 2002, pp. 8991; pp. 91103 (text); 113; TT 124-126;Shurangama Mantra Commentary, Volume I (intro), San Francisco, California: Dharma Realm Buddhist University, 1981, pp. 3233, pp. 97101, (ISBN 0-917512-69-3); Shurangama Mantra Commentary, Volume III: p. 34;

Story of transmission

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According to Master Hsuan Hua, Arya Nalanda Monastery Abbot Bhikshu NagarjunaBodhisattva brings it in his Samadhi from the Nga Dragon Realm. Then the Indian translatorBhikshiu Paramiti from India secretly brings the Sutra to China.

Structure and comparison with other works

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Based on Sanskrit comparative research by Nalanda Tradition (source:http://www.Shurangama.com ) Shramanera Losang Jinpa from the Alex Wayman 1977Delhi Motilal Banarsidass Publishers book "Yoga of the Guhyasamaja Tantra - The Arcane Lore of Forty Verses" (ISBN 81-208-0872-X), the Shurangama Mantra contains all of the major 32 Tantric deities of the Nagarjuna introduced practice of the Guhyasamaja Highest Yoga Tantra Sadhana contained in the Geluk tradition of Tibetan Vajrayana Tantric BuddhismBuddhism. Thus, in many ways one could say the Shurangama Mantra is Highest Yoga Tantra Vajrayana Buddhism buried within the Chinese Chan and Pure Land traditions including references to many Iha-devats Avalokiteshvara as Mahakala, Ganapati,Vajrayogini and Heruka Chakrasamvara in the form of Umapati and Rudra. Because of its vastness of deities including Brahma, Indra, Rudraya and his consort Uma, Narayana,Varuna, and Ganesh as Ganapati the Shurangama Mantra acts as a Buddhist bridge to devotional Hinduism.

Notes

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]; Bhikshuni Rev. Heng Chih, Bhikshuni Rev. Heng Hsien,

1. ^ a b [Gold Mountain Shramana Tripitaka Master Hsuan the Venerab le Master Hsuan Hua - First Edition 88139-949-3., Volume 1, pp. 135-136 2. ^ Hsuan Hua, Volume 1, pp. 135-136
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David Rounds, Ron Epstein, et al (2003). The Shurangama Sutra - Sutra Text and Supplements with Commentary b y . Burlingame, California: Buddhist Text Translation Society. ISBN 0-

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Surangama Sutra: A New Translation http://www.amazon.com/Surangama-Sutra-Translation-CommentaryVenerable/dp/0881399620/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326821208&sr=1-1

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