Manjushri Chant

[Karlyn Hemmerling]

Thesyllables between Om and the concluding Dhih are the first syllables of a syllabary called the arapacana because it begins with the syllables A, RA, P,A CA, and NA. (A syllabary is like an alphabet, but made up of syllables).

Manjushri is a Bodhisattva who represents wisdom. Along with Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani, he is one of a trinity of family protectors. The family that Manjushri protects is known as the Tathagata family, which includes the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, as well as Vairochana, the central figure in the Five Buddha Mandala.

Of all the Bodhisattvas, Manjushri has perhaps the closest association with the Buddha, and could be said to represent his genius (in the sense of his attendant deity) or daimon (attending spirit or inspiring force).

Manjushri is depicted as a beautiful young prince, usually said to be sixteen years old. His freshness and beauty represent the fresh way that the awakened mind sees the world. While the unelightened mind typically sees life as being ordinary, to those who are awakened life is magic, extraordinary, and full of potential.

Like most Bodhisattva figures, he is seated on a lotus flower. Because the lotus grows from mud in often foul water, and yet remains unstained, it is considered to represent the purity of wisdom, which can exist in the midst of delusion without being affected by it.

Here in Chengdu is The WenShu Monastery, or The Manjusri Monastery. The back building is The Manjusri Pavillion wherein is the library on the second floor and on the third floor is where you can find the Manjusri Statue with 4 arms. His lower right hand holds an arrow [knowledge], his upper right hand the sword of wisdom of course, his upper right hand the bow of compassion, and all of these 3 hands are extended while his fourth hand is at his heart with The Prajnaparamita on its palm.

Hi Bodhipaksa. Escuse me for this belated intevention. The question about the dharanis (a mahayana development) is an important topic. It was possible to learn a few in this post. Id like ask you a favour: I was reading The Ushnisha Vijaya Vushid Dharani. However, nor in english version nor in spanish version was put its translation,

Thanks for sharing this mantra. This mantra is used along with a traditional Tibetan medicine Lhophel Dhutse (for either enhancing or even repairing impaired concentration and intelligence). When I searched for the Manjushri Mantra, your page was among the first links in Google and your chanting is very helpful in understanding the way to say it.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has asked for the recording of the prayer to be made available for anyone to listen to while walking, driving a car, etc., and he recommended playing it loudly so that animals and others can hear it and thereby benefit from it as well.

"The numberless hungry ghosts, from whom I receive all my numberless past, present, and future happiness, are most precious and most kind. I must free them from all their suffering and its causes and bring them to full enlightenment by myself alone.

"The numberless animals, from whom I receive all my numberless past, present, and future happiness, are most precious and most kind. I must free them from all their suffering and its causes and bring them to full enlightenment by myself alone.

"The numberless human beings, from whom I receive all my numberless past, present, and future happiness, are most precious and most kind. I must free them from all their suffering and its causes and bring them to full enlightenment by myself alone.

"The numberless asuras, from whom I receive all my numberless past, present, and future happiness, are most precious and most kind. I must free them from all their suffering and its causes and bring them to full enlightenment by myself alone.

"The numberless suras, from whom I receive all my numberless past, present, and future happiness, are most precious and most kind. I must free them from all their suffering and its causes and bring them to full enlightenment by myself alone.

"The numberless intermediate state beings, from whom I receive all my numberless past, present, and future happiness, are most precious and most kind. I must free them from all their suffering and its causes and bring them to full enlightenment by myself alone.

It also then becomes part of the four types of charity. Dharma charity is there, but there is also the charity of fearlessness, because your giving Dharma to sentient beings purifies their negative karma and liberates them from the lower realms, from samsara, and from the lower nirvana and brings them to enlightenment. The charity of loving kindness, wishing them happiness, is also there. Miscellaneous charity involves giving food, drink, medicine, or other material things. You can also practice miscellaneous charity while the recitation is happening; otherwise, just practice the three other charities.

The fourth unimaginable thing is that nectar beams are emitted from the numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas to purify your negative karmas collected from beginningless rebirth, as well as those of the numberless other sentient beings.

Eyes viewing all the infinite scriptures,

Supreme gateway for the fortunate traveling to liberation,

Engaging with skillful means moved by love:

To the illuminating spiritual friends, I make requests.

You can then visualize that Shakyamuni Buddha sends beams through his pores, with a buddha on the tip of each beam. A buddha descends onto the crown of every sentient being: every one of the numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts, numberless animals, numberless human beings, numberless asuras, numberless suras, and numberless intermediate state beings. Each and every sentient being is then purified.

While you are doing that, chant TADYATHA OM MUNE MUNE MAHA MUNAYE SVAHA. Then think that you have enlightened all of the sentient beings; they all become buddha. All the buddhas then absorb back into Guru Shakyamuni Buddha.

Visualize that you are giving teachings to all sentient beings in their own language, and think that they are hearing the teaching in their own language. We just think like that, but Buddha actually does it. Remember the verse in King of Prayers, the prayer of Samantabhadra:

"Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me and the three-time merits collected by others, may bodhicitta, the source of all happiness and success for us and for all sentient beings, be actualized within my own heart and in the hearts of my family members, in the hearts of all the people around me, and in the hearts of all sentient beings without the delay of even a second. And may those in whose hearts bodhicitta has been generated have it increase.

"Due to all the three-time merits collected by me and by others, may bodhicitta be generated in the hearts of all the leaders of the world, so that all the millions of people in every country will have perfect peace and happiness and be led in the correct path to peace."

"Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me and the three-time merits collected by others, may I be able to actualize in this very lifetime the entire meaning of the whole path to enlightenment and then liberate the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment as quickly as possible.

"Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me and the three-time merits collected by others, may the negative karmas of all sentient beings, including me and those connected to me, who are living in this universe, world, country, place, or house, be purified. Just by that, may they be free from all sicknesses, spirit harms, and so forth and never ever be reborn in the lower realms. May they find faith in refuge and karma, actualize bodhicitta, complete the path, and achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible."

"Due to all the past, present, and future merits collected by me and the three-time merits collected by others, may the war, famine, disease, torture, poverty, sickness, dangers of fire, water, air, and earth, and all the other undesirable things happening in any part of the world be stopped immediately, and may nobody in this world ever experience any of these things again.

CHOM DN D DE ZHIN SHEG PA DRA CHOM PA YANG DAG PAR DZOG PI SANG GY NAM PAR NANG DZ KYI GYL PO LA CHHAG TSHL LO (1x)

To Bhagavan, Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly Complete Buddha, Vairochana, King of Light, I prostrate. (1x)

CHOM DN D DE ZHIN SHEG PA DRA CHOM PA YANG DAG PAR DZOG PI SANG GY NGO WA DANG MN LAM [THAM CH RAB TU DRUB P GYL PO LA CHHAG TSHL LO (1x)

To Bhagavan, Tathagata, Arhat, Perfectly Complete Buddha, Vairochana, King Fully Accomplishing All Dedications and Prayers, I prostrate. (1x)

Due to the blessings of the eminent victorious ones and the bodhisattvas,

The truth of infallible dependent arising,

And the power of my pure special attitude taking responsibility,

May all the aims of my pure prayers be accomplished immediately.

The practices of Bodhisattva Manjushri enable you to improve your skills of learning, debating, scripting, memorizing, and the intellect. A sacred Tibetan tradition emphasizes that the mantra should be chanted 100, 21, or no less than 7 times to get the benefits. During the last time the mantra is recited, the final Dhi syllable must be recited several times; as many as possible.

Guru Rinpoche (the Precious Guru), also known as Guru Padmasambhava (Lotus born), is a seminal figure in Buddhism, instrumental in the establishment of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th Century CE. Praying to Guru Rinpoche is believed to help in the development of inner power, and the removal of bad karma and suffering.

This morning we began the sitting with chanting practice, and we recited the Ten Proclamations which included the names of Bodhisattvas -- legendary figures that are symbols for different aspects of Awakened activity. The Sanskrit word "bodhisattva" is sometimes translated as "one who is unfolding wisdom" or "one who is learning wisdom".

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