The Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha Sūtra (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

: 佛說十一面觀世音神咒經;

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: 十一面神呪心經 Jūichimen-jinshushin-gyō) is a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

text first translated from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

into

on the 28th day of the third

lunar month In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month. Variations In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Eur ...

of 656 CE, by

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

. The title in

Tibetan language Tibetan language may refer to: * Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard * Lhasa Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dialect * Any of the other Tibetic languages See also * Old Tibetan, the languag ...

is ''Spyan-ras-gzigs-dbang-phyug-shal bcu-gcig-pa'', while the Sanskrit title recovered from the Tibetan translation is ''Avalokiteśvara ikadaśamukha dhāraṇī''. Alternatively, the sutra's title has been translated as the ''Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra'' by Professor Ryuichi Abe. There are several versions, which are often confused with each other. It is generally believed that this dhāraṇī has no direct relationship with the ''Great Compassion Mantra'' in Mahayana Buddhism. However, it is often falsely named as ''Tibetan Great Compassion Mantra'' (藏傳大悲咒) or ''The Great Compassion Mantra in Sanskrit'' (梵音大悲咒) in Chinese-speaking regions and in Vietnam, many people unduly conflating the two texts. This sutra contents the dhāraṇī ''Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha'' (Chinese:聖十一面觀自在菩薩根本咒). In the text, the Buddha introduces and talks about the benefits and the incredible power of this dhāraṇī. There is a sung version of the dhāraṇī which is very popular among Buddhists in Southeast Asia being performed by famous religious or lay artists.

Several versions

We can refer to at least three sources to study this sutra, whose respective versions do not coincide exactly. The scholar Nalinaksha Dutt wrote in his book ''Gilgit manuscripts'' (1939): It should be kept in mind that until the discovery of the

Gilgit manuscripts Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a ...

in 1931, the ''Ekadaśamukha-sūtra'' was known only from the Chinese and Tibetan versions, which in turn were retranslated into Sanskrit. This means that the original language text could only be studied from 1931. Unfortunately, the manuscripts found dating from the 5th or 6th century are deteriorated or incomplete, and it is often difficult to reconstruct the exact text. Hence the differences mentioned (at best), or (at worst), the near impossibility of reconstructing the text in its entirety. The Indian scholar Nalinaksha Dutt carried out, between 1939 and 1943, a considerable work of reconstitution of the Sanskrit manuscripts, without however translating them into English.

The Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha Sūtra

The text introduces the heart

dharani Dharanis ( IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the B ...

of the

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

, Avalokitesvara, as the following lines, translated by Prof. Abe indicate: Later, the Bodhisattva states: The sutra is used in various Buddhist ceremonies, including the famous

Shuni-e The is a ceremony held each year at certain Buddhist temples in Japan. The name comes from its observance in the second month of the lunisolar calendar. Today, the service is usually held in either February or March, depending on temples. One of ...

ceremony at

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

Temple in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

, Japan. There is no full English translation.

Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha

''The Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha'' (Chinese:聖十一面觀自在菩薩根本咒/十一面觀音心咒) is the dhāraṇī introduced in ''Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha Sūtra''. Below is the romanized Sanskrit from indian monk

Amoghavajra Amoghavajra ( sa, अमोघवज्र ; , 705–774) was a prolific translator who became one of the most politically powerful Buddhist monks in Chinese history and is acknowledged as one of the Eight Patriarchs of the Doctrine in Shingon ...

(around 750 AD) version, Taishōbr>T20n1069_001

Ekadaśamukha-sūtra

A third version must also be mentioned here. It differs slightly from that of Amoghavajra's quoted above. Here is the romanised version in Sanskrit IAST. In fact, the Devanagari text is identical to that of Dutt , completed by the IAST transcription : Clevelandart 1959

Relationship to the Great Compassion Mantra

It is generally believed that this dhāraṇī has no direct relationship with the ''Great Compassion Mantra'' , or Nīlakantha dhāranī in Mahayana Buddhism. However, it is often falsely named as ''Tibetan Great Compassion Mantra'' (藏傳大悲咒) or ''The Great Compassion Mantra in Sanskrit'' (梵音大悲咒). In Chinese-speaking countries and in Vietnam, the ''Eleven-Faced Avalokiteśvara Heart dhāraṇī Sutra'' is as popular as the

Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī The , also known as the , or Great Compassion Dhāraṇī / Mantra (Chinese: 大悲咒, ''Dàbēi zhòu''; Japanese: 大悲心陀羅尼, ''Daihishin darani'' or 大悲呪, ''Daihi shu''; Vietnamese: ''Chú đại bi'' or ''Đại bi tâm đà l ...

, so much so that they are often confused with each other. The confusion probably arises from the fact that the two dhāraṇī, though distinct, are also referred to by the same alternative title: ''Great Compassion Mantra''. Their respective texts are very different, having only their reference to Avalokitesvara in common. Some people believe that the dhāraṇī is told by the ''Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara'', an

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...

bodhisattva in

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

, and that it is the equivalent Tibetan version of ''The Great Compassion Mantra'' in Mahayana Buddhism. This is why it is often being referred to as ''Tibetan Great Compassion Mantra'', while the sung text currently discussed is in Sanskrit. However, this opinion is not accepted by most Mahayana Buddhists. The title ''Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra'' is due to the Japanese historian Ryuichi Abe. The dhāraṇī is also known with the title ''Tibetan Great Compassion Mantra'' (藏傳大悲咒), which suggests a Tibetan.

In Buddhist music

About the text

The sung version presents several variants between the three known versions in Sanskrit, in Chinese and Tibetan, as already mentioned (see section "Several versions"). The text of the sung version of the dhāraṇī (only in Sanskrit) appears in N. Dutt's ''Gilgit Manuscripts, volume I'' p. 148 of the digitized version accessible via archive.org , the Chinese is that of Amoghavajra already mentioned, and the Tibetan is by an unidentified translator. The lyrics of this sung version are always interpreted in Sanskrit, regardless of the countries and interpreters.

One Song Two titles

There are several musical scores, whose

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

varies (slow or fast) depending on the performers. The chanting of this dhāraṇī is one of the most popular and famous piece of Buddhist music in Chinese-speaking countries and in Vietnam. Its popularity is probably due to the fact that it sung by famous Asian performers among Buddhists, such as the Nepalese-Tibetan

bhikkhunī A bhikkhunī ( pi, 𑀪𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀔𑀼𑀦𑀻) or bhikṣuṇī ( sa, भिक्षुणी) is a fully ordained female monastic in Buddhism. Male monastics are called bhikkhus. Both bhikkhunis and bhikkhus live by the Vinaya, a set ...

Ani Chöying Drölma, or the Malaysian-Chinese singer

Imee Ooi Imee Ooi FRSA ( ; ) is a Chinese-Malaysian record producer, composer, and singer who composes and arranges music for classic Buddhist chant, mantra and dharani. She performs her compositions in Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan and Mandarin. In 1997 ...

. However, many recordings of this chant is falsely named ''Tibetan Great Compassion Mantra'' (藏傳大悲咒) or ''The Great Compassion Mantra in Sanskrit'' (梵音大悲咒) by Chinese-language publishing brands. Following the development of the internet in recent decades, the number of online postings by religious organisations is constantly increasing. Tens of thousands of sites offer the same interpretation, sometimes choreographed, some of which have several million views. The fact that a dharani including in its title: ''Avalokiteśvara with eleven faces'' is the subject of a real craze to the point of being assimilated to the "''Nīlakaṇṭha''" can easily be understood. Indeed, the scholar Lokesh Chandra wrote:

English translation

Here is the English translation of the most popular sung text in Chinese speaking countries and in Vietnam , realized from the romanized Sanskrit (or IAST) Amogavajra's version. The numbers in brackets have been added, as the sentences (or verses) in the original are not numbered: #Namo Ratna Trayāya (''Homage to the

Triple Gem In Buddhism, refuge or taking refuge refers to a religious practice, which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Since the period of Early Buddhism until present time, all Theravad ...

'') # Namaḥ Ārya Jñāna Sāgara (''Homage to the ocean of noble wisdom'') # Vairocana (''The Luminous One or The Illuminator'') # Vyūha Rājāya (''To the King of the Manifestations''.) # Tathāgatāya (''To the

Tathāgata Tathāgata () is a Pali word; Gautama Buddha uses it when referring to himself or other Buddhas in the Pāli Canon. The term is often thought to mean either "one who has thus gone" (''tathā-gata''), "one who has thus come" (''tathā-āgata''), o ...

'') # Arhate (''To the

Arhat In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...

'') # Samyaksam Buddhāya (To the perfectly awakened one) # Namo Sarwa Tathātebhyaḥ (''Homage to all Tathāgatas'') # Arahatabhyah (''To the Arhats'') # Samyaksam Buddhebhyaḥ (''To the fully and perfectly awakened ones '') # Namo Arya Avalokiteśvarāya (''Homage to Noble

Avalokiteśvara In Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being Padmapāṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, ...

'') # Bodhisattvāya (''To the

'') # Mahasattvāya (''To the Great'') # Mahakarunikāya (''To the Greatly Compassionate one'') # Tadyathā. Ōṃ (''Thus. Om'') # Dhara Dhara, Dhiri Dhiri, Dhuru Dhuru (''Sustain us'' , ''Sustain us'', ''Sustain us'' ) # Iṭṭe vitte ('' May we have the strength '') # Cale Cale (or Itte cale) ('' To move forward, to move forward '') # Pracale Pracale ('' To move forward further, to move further along the path '') # Kusumē, Kusumavare ('' Where to pick the fruits ''.) # Ili Milli Citi jvalam Apanāye. Svāhā. (''Who bring the blazing understanding. Hail!'').
Ani Chöying Drölma 2011 (cropped).jpg, Ani Chöying Drölma Imee Ooi黄慧音.jpg,

*Ani Chöying Drölma is a Nepalese-Tibetan Buddhist

. In concert and recordings, she performs the sung version of the ''Eleven-Faced Avalokiteśvara Heart dhāraṇī Sutra'', in Sanskrit, but entitled ''Namo Ratna Great Compassion Mantra''. *Imee Ooi is a Malaysian-Chinese singer, who has recorded the ''Eleven-Faced Avalokiteśvara Heart dhāraṇī Sutra'' in Sanskrit, but entitled Arya Ekadasa-Mukha Dharani which she also performs in concert. Imee Ooi. Arya Ekadasa-Mukha Dharani (十一面观自在菩萨真言)
sung in Sanskrit, with embedded IAST text, repeated 3 times, duration: 7 mn 10s.

Several versions

The Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha Sūtra

Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha

Ekadaśamukha-sūtra

Relationship to the Great Compassion Mantra

In Buddhist music

About the text

One Song Two titles

English translation

Notes

References

Works cited

External links