Usnisa Vijaya Dharani
Sutra
The BlueNature Samadhi
[Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra]
(Translated version of Master Buddhapala during the Tang
Dynasty)
Thus I have heard, at one time, the Bhagavan (World HonoredOne) was
dwelling in the city of Shravasti at the Jeta Grove, in theGarden
of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary (Ananthapindada),
together with his regular disciples of twelve hundred and
fiftygreat Bhikshus and twelve thousand Maha Bodhisattvas Sangha in
all.At that time the devas in Trayastrimsha Heaven were also
havinga gathering in the Good Dharma Hall. Among them was a
devaputra bythe name of Susthita who, together with the other great
devaputras,was frolicking in the garden and courtyard, enjoying in
the supremelywonderful bliss of heavenly life. Surrounded by devis
they wereextremely happy - singing, dancing and entertaining
themselves.Soon after nightfall, Devaputra Susthita suddenly heard
a voicein space saying, "Devaputra Susthita, you have only seven
days leftto live. After death, you will be reborn in Jambudvipa
(Earth) as ananimal for seven successive lives. Then you will fall
into the hellsto undergo more sufferings. Only after fulfilling
your karmicretribution will you be reborn in the human realm, but
to a humbleand destitute family, while in the mother's womb you
will be withouteyes and born blind."On hearing this, Devaputra
Susthita was so terrified that hishair stood on end. Tormented and
distressed, he rushed over to thepalace of Lord Sakra. Bursting
into tears and not knowing what elseto do, he prostrated himself at
the feet of Lord Sakra, telling LordSakra of what had happened."As
I was enjoying the frolic of dance and songs with theheavenly
devis, I suddenly heard a voice in space telling me that Ihad only
seven days left, and that I would fall into Jambudvipaafter death,
remaining there in the animal realm for seven successivelives.
Following that, I would fall into the various hells to
enduregreater sufferings. Only after my karmic retribution had been
fulfilledwould I reborn as a human, and even then I would be born
without eyesin a poor and disreputable family. Lord of Heaven, how
can I escapefrom such sufferings?"
Lord Sakra immediately calmed his mind to enter Samadhi and
madecareful observations. Instantly, he saw that Susthita would
undergoseven successive evil paths in the forms of a pig, dog,
jackal, monkey, python, crow and vulture, all feeding on filth and
putrescence.Having seen the seven future rebirth forms of Devaputra
Susthita, LordSakra was shattered and was filled with great sorrow,
but could notthink of any way to help Susthita. He felt that only
the Tathagata,Arhate, Samyak-sambuddha could save Susthita from
falling into thegreat sufferings of evil destines.Thus, soon after
nightfall that very day, Lord Sakra preparedvarious types of flower
wreaths, perfume and incense. Adorning himselfwith fine Deva
garments and bearing these offerings, Lord Sakra madehis way to the
garden of Ananthapindada, abode of the World HonoredOne. Upon
arrival, Lord Sakra first prostrated himself at the Buddha's feet
in reverence, then circumambulated the Buddha seven timesclockwise
in worship, before laying out his great Puja (offerings).Kneeling
in front of the Buddha, Lord Sakra described the futuredestiny of
Devaputra Susthita who would soon fall into the evil pathswith
seven successive rebirths in the animal realm with details of
hissubsequent retribution.
Instantly, the usnisa (crown of the head) of the Tathagataradiated
multiple rays of light, illuminating the world in all
tendirections, the light then returned, circling the Buddha three
timesbefore entering His mouth. Then the Buddha smiled and said to
LordSakra, "Lord of Heaven, there is a Dharani known as the 'Usnisa
VijayaDharani'. It can purify all evil paths, completely
eliminating allsufferings of birth and death. It can also liberate
all miseries andsufferings of beings in the realms of hell, King
Yama and animal,destroy all the hells, and transfer sentient beings
onto the virtuouspath.""Lord of Heaven, if one hears this Usnisa
Vijaya Dharani once,all the bad karma incurred from his previous
lives that should causehim to fall into hells will be destroyed
altogether. He will insteadacquire a fine and pure body. Wherever
he is reborn, he will clearlyremember the Dharani - from one
Buddhahood to another, from oneheavenly realm to another heavenly
realm. Indeed, throughout theTrayastrimsha Heaven, wherever he is
reborn, he will not forget.""Lord of Heaven, if someone at death's
door recalls thisdivine Dharani, even for just a moment, his
lifespan will be extendedand he will acquire purification of body,
speech and mind. Withoutsuffering any physical pain and in
accordance with his meritoriousdeeds, he will enjoy tranquility
everywhere. Receiving blessings fromall the Tathagatas, and
constantly guarded by devas and protected byBodhisattvas, he will
be honored and respected by people, and allthe evil hindrances will
be eradicated.""Lord of Heaven, if anyone can sincerely read or
recite thisDharani even for a short period of time, all his karmic
retributionwhich would lead him to suffer in the hells, the animal
realm, therealm of King Yama and the hungry ghost realm, will be
completelydestroyed and eradicated without leaving any trace. He
will be freeto go to any of the Buddhas' Pure lands and heavenly
palace; allgateways leading to the Bodhisattvas' abode are open to
himunobstructed."After hearing the above discourse, Lord Sakra
immediatelyappealed to the Buddha, "For the sake of all sentient
beings, may theWorld Honored One kindly give a discourse on how
one's lifespan canbe lengthened."
The Buddha was aware of Lord Sakra's intention and hiseagerness to
hear His discourse on this Dharani and so immediatelyproclaimed the
Mantra thus:
"NAMO BHAGAVATE TRAILOKYA PRATIVISISTAYA BUDDHAYA
BHAGAVATE.TADYATHA, OM, VISUDDHAYA-VISUDDHAYA, ASAMA-SAMA
SAMANTAVABHASA-SPHARANA GATI GAHANA SVABHAVA VISUDDHE, ABHINSINCATU
MAM. SUGATAVARA VACANA AMRTA ABHISEKAI MAHA MANTRA-PADAI.
AHARA-AHARA AYUHSAM-DHARANI. SODHAYA-SODHAYA, GAGANA VISUDDHE.
USNISA VIJAYAVISUDDHE. SAHASRA-RASMI, SAMCODITE, SARVA TATHAGATA
AVALOKANI,SAT-PARAMITA, PARIPURANI, SARVA TATHAGATA MATI
DASA-BHUMI,PRATI-STHITE, SARVA TATHAGATA HRDAYA ADHISTHANADHISTHITA
MAHA-MUDRE.VAJRA KAYA, SAM-HATANA VISUDDHE. SARVAVARANA APAYA
DURGATI,PARI-VISUDDHE, PRATI-NIVARTAYA AYUH SUDDHE. SAMAYA
ADHISTHITE.MANI-MANI MAHA MANI. TATHATA BHUTAKOTI PARISUDDHE.
VISPHUTA BUDDHISUDDHE. JAYA-JAYA, VIJAYA-VIJAYA, SMARA-SMARA. SARVA
BUDDHA ADHISTHITASUDDHE. VAJRI VAJRAGARBHE, VAJRAM BHAVATU MAMA
SARIRAM. SARVASATTVANAM CA KAYA PARI VISUDDHE. SARVA GATI
PARISUDDHE. SARVATATHAGATA SINCA ME SAMASVASAYANTU. SARVA TATHAGATA
SAMASVASAADHISTHITE, BUDDHYA-BUDDHYA, VIBUDDHYA-VIBUDDHYA,
BODHAYA-BODHAYA,VIBODHAYA-VIBODHAYA. SAMANTA PARISUDDHE. SARVA
TATHAGATA HRDAYAADHISTHANADHISTHITA MAHA-MUDRE SVAHA."(This Usnisa
Vijaya Dharani is the improved version with someadditions to the
original Sanskrit transliteration)
Then the Buddha told Lord Sakra, "The above Mantra is known asthe
'Purifying All Evil Paths' Usnisa Vijaya Dharani'. It caneliminate
all evil karmic hindrances and eradicate the suffering ofall evil
paths.""Lord of Heaven, this great Dharani is proclaimed together
byby Buddhas as numerous as eighty-eight kotis (hundred million) of
thegrains of sand of the Ganges River. All Buddhas rejoice and
uphold thisDharani that is verified by the wisdom seal of the Maha
VairocanaTathagata. This is because in the evil paths, to liberate
them frompainful retribution in hell, animal and King Yama's
realms; to deliverbeings facing immediate danger of falling into
the sea of birth anddeath (samsara); to assist helpless beings with
short life spans and poor fortune and to deliver beings who like to
commit all kinds of evildeeds. Moreover, because of its dwelling
and being upheld in the Jambu-dvipa world, the power manifested by
this Dharani would cause all beingsin hells and other evil realms;
those with poor fortune and revolvingin the cycles of birth and
death; those not believing in the existenceof good and evil deeds
and are deviated from the proper path, to attaindeliverance."
Again Buddha reminded Lord Sakra, "I now entrust this divine
Dharanito you. you should in turn transmit it to Devaputra
Susthita. In addition, you yourself should receive and uphold it,
recite, contemplate and treasureit, memories and revere it. This
Dharani Mudra should be widely proclaimedto all beings in the
Jambu-dvipa world. I also entrust this to you, for thebenefit of
all heavenly beings, that this Dharani Mudra should be
proclaimed.Lord of Heaven, you should diligently uphold and protect
it, never letting itto be forgotten or lost."
"Lord of Heaven, if someone hears this Dharani even for just a
moment,he will not undergo karmic retribution from the evil karma
and severehindrances accumulated from thousands of kalpas ago, that
would otherwisecause him to revolve in the cycles of birth and
death - in all kinds of lifeforms in the evil paths - hell, hungry
ghost, animal, realm of King Yama,Asuras, Yaksa, Raksasa, ghosts
and spirits, Putana, Kataputana, Apasmara,mosquitoes, gnats,
tortoises, dogs, pythons, birds, ferocious animals,crawling
creatures and even ants and other life forms. Owing to the
meritsaccrued from hearing for a moment this Dharani, once this
very life is over,he will be reborn in the Buddha lands, together
with all the Buddhas andEkajati-pratibaddha Bodhisattvas, or in a
distinguished Brahmin or Ksatriyafamily, or in some other wealthy
and reputable family. Lord of Heaven, thisman can be reborn in one
of the above-mentioned prosperous and reputablefamilies simply
because he has heard this Dharani, and hence be reborn in apure
place.""Lord of Heaven, even acquiring the most victorious
Bodhimanda is aresult of praising the meritorious virtues of this
Dharani.
Hence, thisDharani is also known as the Auspicious Dharani, which
can purify all evilpaths. This Usnisa Vijaya Dharani is like a
Treasury of Sun Mani Pearl -pure and flawless, clear as space, its
brilliance illuminating and all-pervading. If any beings uphold
this Dharani, likewise will they be brightand pure. This Dharani is
similar to the Jambunada gold - bright, pure, andsoft, can not be
tainted by filth and well-liked by all who see it. Lordof Heaven,
beings who uphold this Dharani are just as pure. By virtue ofthis
pure practice, they will be reborn in the good paths.""Lord of
Heaven, where this Dharani dwells, if it is written
fordistribution, propagated, received and upheld, read and recited,
heard andrevered, this will cause all evil paths to be purified;
miseries andsufferings in all hells will be completely
eradicated."
Buddha again told Lord Sakra cautiously, "If someone could
writethis Dharani and place It on the top of a tall banner, high
mountain orin a tall building or even keep It in a stupa; Lord of
Heaven! If thereare bhiksus or bhiksunis, Upasakas or Upasikas,
laymen or laywomen whohave seen this Dharani atop the above
structures; or if the shadows ofthese structures should fall on
beings who come near to the structures,or particles of dust from
the written Dharani are blown onto their bodies;Lord of Heaven:
Should the accumulated evil karma of these beings causethem to fall
into the evil paths such as realms of hell, animal, King
Yama,hungry ghost, Asura and other, they will all be spared from
the evil paths,and they will not be tainted with filth and
defilement. Lord of Heaven!Instead, all Buddhas will bestow
predictions (Vyakarana) onto these beingswho will never regress
from the path to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi
(completeenlightenment).""Lord of Heaven, let alone if one makes
various offerings of flowerwreaths, perfumes, incense, banners and
flags, canopies decorated withgems, clothing, necklaces of precious
stones, etc, to adorn and honor thisDharani; and at major routes,
if one builds special stupas to house thisDharani, then most
respectfully with palms together circumambulates thepagoda, bowing
and taking refuge, Lord of Heaven, those who make suchofferings are
called the great Mahasattvas, Buddha's true disciples, andthe
pillars of Dharma. Such stupas will be regarded as the
Tathagata'scomplete body sharira-stupa."At that time, in the early
part of the night, the ruler of the HellRealm - King Yama. came to
the abode of the Buddha. First, using variousDeva garments,
beautiful flowers, perfumes and other adornments, he madeofferings
to the Buddha, then circumambulated the Buddha seven times
beforeprostrating himself at the feet of the Buddha in reverence,
saying, "I heardthat the Tathagata was giving a discourse in praise
of upholding thepowerful Dharani; I have come with the intention to
learn and cultivateit. I shall constantly guard and protect those
who uphold, read and recitethis powerful Dharani, not allowing them
to fall into hell because theyhave followed the teachings of the
Tathagata."
At this time, the four Guardians of the world - the
Caturmaharajas(Four Heavenly Kings) circumambulated the Buddha
three times, and mostrespectfully said, " World Honored One, may
the Tathagata kindly explainin detail the way to uphold this
Dharani."The Buddha then told the Four Heavenly Kings, "Please
listenattentively, for your benefit as well as for the benefit of
all beingswith short life spans, I will now explain the method to
uphold this Dharani.On a full-moon day - the 15th day of the lunar
month, one should firstbathe oneself and put on new clothes, uphold
the profound precepts andrecite this Dharani a 1000 times. This
will cause one to lengthen one'slifespan, and be permanently free
from the sufferings of illness; all one'skarmic hindrances will be
completely eradicated. One will also be liberatedfrom suffering in
hell. If birds, animals and other sentient beings hearthis Dharani
once, they will never again be reborn in these impure andgross body
forms once their lives have ended."The Buddha continued, "If
someone from a serious disease hears thisDharani, he will be free
from the disease. All other illnesses will also beeradicated, so
too will the evil karma that will cause him to fall into theevil
paths. He will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss after the
end ofhis life. From then onwards he will no longer be born from
the womb. Instead, wherever he is reborn, he will be born
transformed from the lotus flowerand would always remember and
uphold this Dharani and gain knowledge ofhis past lives."
The Buddha added, "If someone has committed all the severe
evildeeds before his death, according to his sinful deeds, he ought
to fallinto one of these realms of hell, animals, King Yama or
hungry ghosts, oreven into the big Avichi Hells, or be reborn as an
aquatic creature, or inone of the many forms of birds and animals.
If someone could obtain partof the skeleton of the deceased, and
holding a fistful of soil, chant thisDharani 21 times before
scattering the soil over the bones, then thedeceased will be reborn
in heaven."The Buddha further added, "If one can chant this Dharani
21 timesdaily, one is worthy of accepting all the immense worldly
offerings andwill be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss after
one's death. If onechants this Dharani constantly, one will attain
Maha Parinirvana and beable to lengthen one's lifespan besides
enjoying the most extraordinarybliss. After one's life is over, one
will reborn in any of the wonderfulBuddha lands, in constant
company of the Buddhas. All Tathagatas will alwaysgive discourses
on the profound and wonderful truth of Dharma and all WorldHonored
Ones will bestow predictions of enlightenment upon one. The
lightilluminating from one's body will pervade all Buddha
lands."
The Buddha further explained, "To recite this Dharani, one
shouldfirst, in front of the Buddha's image, use some clean soil to
constructa square Mandala, the size according to one's wish. On top
of the Mandalaone should spread different kinds of grass, flowers
and burn differentkinds of quality incense. Then kneeling down with
the right knee on thefloor, mindfully reciting the Buddha's name
and with the hands in theMudrani symbol, (i.e. each hand bending
the forefinger before and pressingit down with the thumb and
placing both palms together before the chest)in reverence, one
should recite this Dharani 108 times. The showers offlowers would
rain down from the clouds and would thus be universallymade as
offerings to Buddhas as numerous as the grains of sand of
eighty-eight million Ganges Rivers. These Buddhas will
simultaneously praise,"Excellent! Rare indeed! A Buddha's true
disciple! " One will instantlyattain Unobstructed Wisdom Samadhi
and the Great Bodhi Mind AdornedSamadhi. Thus is the way to uphold
this Dharani."
The Buddha again exhorted Lord Sakra, saying, "Lord of Heaven,the
Tathagata uses this expedient means to deliver beings who
wouldotherwise have fallen into hells; to purify all evil paths and
to lengthenthe life-spans of those who uphold this Dharani. Lord of
Heaven, pleasego back and transmit this Dharani to Devaputra
Susthita. After seven days, come to see me with Devaputra
Susthita."
Thus, at the abode of the World Honored One, the Lord of
Heavenrespectfully received this Dharani practice and returned to
his heavenlypalace to convey it to Devaputra Susthita."Having
received this Dharani, Devaputra Susthita kept to thepractice as
instructed for six days and six nights, after which all hiswishes
were completely fulfilled. The karma which should have led him
tosuffer in all the evil paths were all eradicated. He would remain
on theBodhi Path and increase his lifespan for an immeasurable
period of time.Thus, he was extremely delighted, exclaiming aloud
in praise,"Extraordinary Tathagata! What a rare and wonderful
Dharma! Its efficacyexplicity verified! Rare indeed! Truly I have
thus obtained deliverance!"When the seven days were over, Lord
Sakra brought DevaputraSusthita, together with other heavenly
beings, respectfully bearingexcellent and wonderful adornment of
flower-wreaths, perfumes, incense,jeweled banners, canopies
decorated with gemstones, Deva-garments andgarland of precious
stones, approached Buddha's abode and presented theirgrand
offerings. Using heavenly garments and various garlands of
preciousstones to make offerings to the World Honored One, they
then respectfullycircumambulated the Buddha a hundred thousand
times, paid homage to theBuddha, then happily took their seats and
listened to the Buddha preachthe Dharma.
The World Honored One then extended his golden arm and touchedthe
crown of Devaputra Susthita, to whom He not only preached the
Dharmabut bestowed a prediction of Devaputra Susthita's attainment
to Bodhi.Finally, the Buddha said, "This Sutra shall be known as
the 'PurifyingAll Evil Paths' Usnisa Vijaya Dharani'. You should
diligently uphold it."
On hearing this Dharma, the entire assembly was extremely
happy.They faithfully accepted and respectfully practiced it.
