Pure Land Practitioners Can Also Recite the Great Compassion Mantra

We need to develop a deeper understanding of the merits of the Great Compassion Mantra. Each day we recite the Great Compassion Mantra, which appears in the Sūtra of the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva—a scripture belonging to the esoteric teachings.

In this scripture, the place where the Dharma was taught is described as "in the Avalokiteśvara Palace, a jewel-adorned and majestic bodhimaṇḍa on Mount Potalaka." At that time, Śākyamuni Buddha was about to "expound the Dhāraṇī of Total Retention." Just then, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva emitted light and displayed auspicious signs, and a golden hue suffused the worlds of the ten directions. Among the assembly was a Bodhisattva named Dhāraṇī King, who questioned the Buddha in verse form about the reason for these auspicious manifestations. The Buddha then told Dhāraṇī King Bodhisattva: "There is Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, who possesses a divine mantra he wishes to proclaim." It was Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva who emitted the light and displayed these rare auspicious signs.

Thus Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva rose from his seat, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and addressed Śākyamuni Buddha: "I now wish to proclaim the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī." The Great Compassion divine mantra he wished to proclaim is none other than this Great Compassion Heart Dhāraṇī.

What is its purpose? This purpose truly flows forth from the mind of great compassion: to bring the supreme benefit of peace and joy to all sentient beings.

All sentient beings dwell in fear and anxiety. The proclaiming of this Great Compassion Mantra serves the following purposes: first, to bring sentient beings peace and joy; second, to eliminate the sickness and suffering of all sentient beings; third, to grant all sentient beings long life and abundance of wealth, and to extinguish the karmic offenses accumulated over countless lives and eons—grave evil deeds—enabling sentient beings to part from obstacles throughout the path of cultivation, to increase all wholesome dharmas and numerous merits, to perfect all roots of goodness of the past and present, to be free from all terror, fear, and dread, and to swiftly fulfill all their wishes and aspirations.

You see, this divine mantra of great compassion can accomplish so many purposes.

Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva implored the World-Honored One to "compassionately grant permission"—hoping He would allow it—out of compassionate pity for sentient beings—to permit Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva to proclaim it. As for the origin of this mantra, it involves immeasurable causal conditions! It is not a mantra that Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva created on his own.

Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva himself recounted that, countless kalpas ago, he sat beneath the Thousand-Light King Quietly-Abiding Tathāgata, who proclaimed this mantra. At that time, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, who was then a first-ground Bodhisattva, upon hearing this divine mantra immediately advanced to the eighth ground. Nor was this mantra created by the Thousand-Light King Quietly-Abiding Tathāgata himself; rather, it was proclaimed by the Buddhas of past kalpas numbering ninety-nine billion Ganges' sands.

Therefore, this mantra is one of supreme inconceivability. Having received the wondrous Dharma benefit of advancing from the first to the eighth ground, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva made a vow out of the desire to benefit sentient beings: "If in the future I can bring benefit and peace to all sentient beings, may I now manifest a thousand hands and a thousand eyes." Upon making this vow, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva truly did manifest a thousand hands and a thousand eyes.

When reciting and upholding this mantra—because its nature is that of the great compassionate mind, and the characteristics of that mind are the mind of great equality, the mind of conscience and shame, and the mind of gratitude, all of which are minds of wisdom—one must arouse compassion toward all sentient beings and make the following great vows of bodhicitta: to penetrate all dharmas, open the eye of wisdom, attain Buddhahood, and liberate sentient beings.

One should make these vows, and after making them, single-mindedly recite the name of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva also said that one should likewise "single-mindedly recollect my original teacher, Amitābha Tathāgata," reciting his name. Then one should recite this mantra five times a day.

Reciting it five times brings numerous Dharma benefits: healing all diseases, opening all wisdom, receiving the mindful protection of the Buddhas of the ten directions, and at the moment of death, being reborn in a pure land according to one's vow. Indeed, since ancient times, very many practitioners who have upheld and recited this mantra have obtained miraculous responses.

Last time someone said: "I need to spray pesticides in my orchard; if I don't spray, it won't work. What should I do?" In fact, this very sūtra states that if one uses pure sand, pure water, or pure ashes while reciting the Great Compassion Mantra twenty-one times, and then sprinkles them on the fruit trees or around the four sides of the field, all poisonous insects and vermin will refrain from causing harm. The sūtra explicitly teaches such methods. In fact, some lay practitioners today have done this and have indeed produced such results. Yet for one to obtain these benefits, the text particularly emphasizes that one must have unshakeable faith in this mantra. If you harbor doubt, the mantra will not be effective. Whether the mantra is effective depends entirely on the degree of your faith. This was proclaimed by Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva at this Dharma assembly with the permission of Śākyamuni Buddha, and it was also taught by the Buddhas of past kalpas numbering ninety-nine billion Ganges' sands.

Therefore, when reciting and upholding the Great Compassion Mantra, one not only receives the "invisible blessings" of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in the present moment, but also the empowerment of the Buddhas of past kalpas numbering ninety-nine billion Ganges' sands, enabling us to attain auspiciousness and fulfillment in both our cultivation and worldly affairs. Hence, we who are Pure Land practitioners may also additionally recite the Great Compassion Mantra.