Throughout the six periods of the day and the six periods of the night, you should continually recite the mantra — the entire Śurāṅgama Mantra — while circumambulating the place for awakening.... You’re not thinking of anything else; you’re reciting single-mindedly.... Each time you recite, go through the mantra one hundred and eight times without stopping. (VI, 80–1)
The mantra won’t work if any one of the people involved is impure, that is, if they haven’t followed the precepts strictly. One is not supposed to kill, but they have killed; or one is not supposed to steal, but they have stolen; one is not supposed to commit acts of sexual misconduct, but they have done so; one is not supposed to lie, but they have lied. The Buddha taught us not to lie, but they dispense with the “not” and just hold to the lie. If that is how it is, then all their work of spiritual cultivation, all the mantras they recited, will come to nothing. (VI, 83)
“After the three weeks, the practitioners should remain sitting upright and peacefully for a hundred days. If their roots in the Dharma are deep and strong, they will not rise from their seats during that time, and they will become Arhats at the first stage. Even if they do not reach the level of a sage in body and mind, they will be certain that in the future they will become Buddhas.
One sits in meditation, but not like some people who sit still for two hours and consider it a superb feat. They consider themselves to be outstanding people, but actually, if we compare that to what is described here, they are like kittens compared to a lion. “Sitting upright” means that one does not lean to the left or right, or lean forward or back, or get up or stretch out one’s legs. “Sitting peacefully” means that one is not troubled by anything. Sitting for a hundred days means one does not sleep and does not get up to eat or even to relieve oneself. One simply sits for one hundred days. (VI, 84)
“You asked how to establish a place for awakening. This is how it should be done.”
The Śūraṅgama Mantra
Ānanda bowed at the Buddha’s feet and said to him respectfully, “Ever since I entered the monastic life, I have presumed upon the Buddha’s affection. I have sought merely to be learned, and as a result, I have not yet gained freedom from conditioned phenomena.18 I was ensnared by the evil Brahma-Heaven spell and could not escape, though my mind remained aware. Fortunately, Mañjuśrī arrived to rescue me with the efficacious mantra spoken by the Buddha at the crown of the Thus-Come One’s head. But I benefi ted from its hidden power without actually hearing it myself. I sincerely hope that the Buddha will proclaim the mantra again out of his great kindness and out of his compassion for all the practitioners in this great assembly, as well as for beings of the future who will be bound to the cycle of death and rebirth, so that the esoteric sounds of the mantra may set their bodies and minds free.”
Everyone in the great assembly thereupon bowed to the Buddha. They waited to hear the sections and sub-sections of the esoteric mantra.
The sections of the esoteric mantra mentioned here are the five main divisions of the Śūraṅgama Mantra. The sub-sections are smaller parts consisting of several lines each, such as the opening lines, “Na mo sa dan tuo, su qie duo ye, e la he di, san miao san pu tuo xie.” (VI, 89)
The five sections of the mantra correspond to five regions: north, south,
east, west, and center.... There are five sections because there are five great demonic armies in this world. Buddhas occupy the five regions to suppress the demons. If there were no Buddhas, the demons could appear openly in the world.
Within the five sections of the mantra there are some thirty Dharmas, and within these are more than a hundred further Dharmas that can be discussed in detail. Five of the major kinds of these Dharmas are as follows:
Dharmas for accomplishment: These cause people who recite the mantra to have success in their endeavors and to fulfill their vows and wishes.
Dharmas that bring benefit: Reciters of this mantra bring benefit to themselves and to other people as well.
Dharmas of hooking and summoning: These Dharmas allow the reciter to summon weird beings, demons, and ghosts and to capture them no matter how far away from the reciter they may be.
Dharmas of subduing: Demons also make use of spiritual powers and mantras. When you recite your mantras, they recite their mantras. But the Śūraṇgama Mantra can defeat all their mantras. The Mātaṅga woman’s spell that got Ānanda into trouble lost its power as soon as the Śūraṅgama Mantra was recited, particularly because of the great five-line heart of the mantra:
chi tuo ni
e jia la
mi li zhu
bo li dan la ye
ning jie li.
This is the mantra for destroying the mantras and spells of celestial demons and followers of wrong paths.
Dharmas that prevent disasters: Any calamity that is to occur can be prevented by this mantra. For instance, someone who is about to fall into the ocean and drown can avoid catastrophe by reciting the Śūraṅgama Mantra. He might fall into the ocean, but he won’t drown. Perhaps you are in a boat that by any measure ought to sink, but you recite this mantra and the boat does not go down. Maybe you’re in an airplane that is destined to crash, but you recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra and the plane lands without incident.... Usually what happens is that there is alarm but no danger.
In general, the mantra contains Dharmas of auspiciousness. This means that when you recite the mantra, everything goes just as you would like. There are so many advantages to the mantra that in several years one could not even get close to expressing them all. (VI, 92–4)19
Then from the prominence at the crown of the World-Honored One’s head20 there welled forth a magnificent light, radiant as hundreds of precious gems, and a magnificent thousand-petal lotus welled forth from within that light. The Thus-Come One made appear a Buddha who was seated at the center of the magnificent flower, and from the crown of that Buddha’s head, ten beams of light shone forth as if from hundreds of precious gems. Everywhere throughout space there appear, from within those beams of light, ten times as many vajra-warriors as there are sand-grains in the River Ganges. Some of them held aloft a mountain, while others brandished a vajra-implement. All in the great assembly gazed upward, overwhelmed by awe and wonder. Hoping to receive the Buddha’s compassionate blessing, they listened intently as the Buddha who sat invisible to ordinary sight amidst a blaze of light at the crown of the Thus-Come One’s head proclaimed this spiritual mantra:21
I.
na mo sa dan tuo
su qie duo ye
e la he di
san miao san pu tuo xie
na mo sa dan tuo
fo tuo ju zhi shai ni shan
na mo sa po
bo tuo bo di
sa duo pi bi
na mo sa duo nan
san miao san pu tuo
ju zhi nan
suo she la po jia
seng qie nan
na mo lu ji e luo han duo nan
na mo su lu duo bo nuo nan
na mo suo jie li tuo qie mi nan
na mo lu ji san miao qie duo nan
san miao qie bo la
di bo duo nuo nan
na mo ti po li shai nan
na mo xi tuo ye
pi di ye
tuo la li shai nan
she po nu
jie la he
suo he suo la mo tuo nan
na mo ba la he mo ni
na mo yin tuo la ye
na mo po qie po di
lu tuo la ye
wu mo bo di
suo xi ye ye
na mo po qie po di
nuo la ye
na ye
pan zhe mo he san mu tuo la
na mo xi jie li duo ye
na mo po qie po di
mo he jia la ye
di li bo la na
qie la pi tuo la
bo na jia la ye
e di mu di
shi mo she nuo ni
mo dan li qie
na
na mo xi jie li duo ye
na mo po qie po di
duo tuo qie duo ju la ye
na mo bo tou mo ju la ye
na mo ba she la ju la ye
na mo mo ni ju la ye
na mo qie she ju la ye
na mo po qie po di
di li cha
shu la xi na
bo la he la na la she ye
duo tuo qie duo ye
na mo po qie po di
na mo e mi duo po ye
duo tuo qie duo ye
e la he di
san miao san pu tuo ye
na mo po qie po di
e chu pi ye
duo tuo qie duo ye
e la he di
san miao san pu tuo ye
na mo po qie po di
bi sha she ye
ju lu fei zhu li ye
bo la po la she ye
duo tuo qie duo ye
na mo po qie po di
san bu shi bi duo
sa lian nai la la she ye
duo tuo qie duo ye
e la he di
san miao san pu tuo ye
na mo po qie po di
she ji ye mu nuo ye
duo tuo qie duo ye
e la he di
san miao san pu tuo ye
na mo po qie po di
la dan na ji du la she ye
duo tuo qie duo ye
e la he di
san miao san pu tuo ye
di piao
na mo sa jie li duo
yi tan po qie po duo
sa dan tuo qie du shai ni shan
sa dan duo bo da lan
na mo e po la shi dan
bo la di
yang qi la
sa la po
bo duo jie la he
ni jie la he
jie jia la he ni
ba la bi di ye
chi tuo ni
e jia la
mi li zhu
bo li dan la ye
ning jie li
sa la po
pan tuo nuo
mu cha ni
sa la po
tu shai jia
tu xi fa
bo na ni
fa la ni
zhe du la
shi di nan
jie la he
suo he sa la ruo she
pi duo beng suo na jie li
e shai zha bing she di nan
na cha cha dan la ruo she
bo la sa tuo na jie li
shai zha nan
mo he jie la he ruo she
pi duo beng sa na jie li
sa po she du lu
ni po la ruo she
hu lan tu xi fa
nan zhe na she ni
bi sha she
xi dan la
e ji ni
wu tuo jia la ruo she
e bo la shi duo ju la
mo he bo la zhan chi
mo he die duo
mo he di she
mo he shui duo she po la
mo he ba la pan tuo la
po xi ni
e li ye duo la
pi li ju zhi
shi po pi she ye
ba she la mo li di
pi she lu duo
bo teng wang jia
ba she la zhi he nuo e zhe
mo la zhi po
bo la zhi duo
ba she la shan chi
pi she la zhe
shan duo she
pi ti po
bu shi duo
su mo lu bo
mo he shui duo
e li ye duo la
mo he po la e bo la
ba she la shang jie la zhi po
ba she la ju mo li
ju lan tuo li
ba she la he sa duo zhe
pi di ye
qian zhe nuo
mo li jia
ku su mu
po jie la duo nuo
pi lu zhe na
ju li ye
ye la tu
shai ni shan
pi zhe lan po mo ni zhe
ba she la jia na jia bo la po
lu she na
ba she la dun zhi zhe
shui duo zhe
jia mo la
cha che shi
bo la po
yi di yi di
mu tuo la
jie na
suo pi la chan
jue fan du
yin tu na mo mo xie
II.
wu xin
li shai jie na
bo la she xi duo
sa dan tuo
qie du shai ni shan
hu xin du lu yong
zhan po na
hu xin du lu yong
xi dan po na
hu xin du lu yong
bo la shai di ye
san bo cha
na jie la
hu xin du lu yong
sa po yao cha
he la cha suo
jie la he ruo she
pi teng beng sa na jie la
hu xin du lu yong
zhe du la
shi di nan
jie la he
suo he sa la nan
pi teng beng sa na la
hu xin du lu yong
la cha
po qie fan
sa dan tuo
qie du shai ni shan
bo la dian
she ji li
mo he suo he sa la
bo shu suo he sa la
shi li sha
ju zhi suo he sa ni
di li e bi ti shi po li duo
zha zha ying jia
mo he ba she lu tuo la
di li pu po na
man cha la
wu xin
suo xi di
bo po du
mo mo
yin tu na mo mo xie
III.
la she po ye
zhu la ba ye
e qi ni po ye
wu tuo jia po ye
pi sha po ye
she sa duo la po ye
po la zhao jie la po ye
tu shai cha po ye
e she ni po ye
e jia la
mi li zhu po ye
tuo la ni bu mi jian
bo qie bo tuo po ye
wu la jia po duo po ye
la she tan cha po ye
nuo qie po ye
pi tiao dan po ye
su bo la na po ye
yao cha jie la he
la cha si jie la he
bi li duo jie la he
pi she zhe jie la he