Preface
1 - The Might and Majesty of this Mantra / 2 - Opening Verse on the Commentary of the Shurangama Mantra
Part One - Talks by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
1 - Explaining the Shurangama Mantra with my blood, with my sincerit / 2 - Recite the Shurangama Mantra to Help the Universe / 3 - Magical Words that Avert Doomsday / 4 - Insincerity Means Ineffectiveness
The Might and Majesty of this Mantra
By Bhikshuni Heng Chih Chinese translated by Lee Yu Sun
How does a Buddhist decide what methods to focus on in cultivation? Which, among all the potential practices, are most appropriate for me? For you? For anyone? What criteria should we use to choose our life’s work?
That is some of what I pondered after I found Buddhism. In this life, my “finding” of Buddhism brought me to the Buddhist Lecture Hall in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late ‘60’s. As I joined the small group meditating in that tiny hall and being guided by the Master, I wondered what had happened in the past that brought me to Buddhism at this point, in this life. More importantly, I began to look at what might need to happen in this life so that I could find Buddhism in my next and future lives. As I sat on that bench hour after hour in that simple hall, I reflected on my initial impression of our wise mentor, Venerable Master Hua. The wisdom of his teaching resonated deep within my psyche, reverberating through my remembered experiences and beyond. He wore virtue humbly; he bestowed kindness graciously; and, although I was aware beyond any doubt that he knew each of us inside out, he allowed us our dignity and nurtured our potential in positive ways.
The Master explained the Shurangama Sutra that summer, en- couraging us to study it diligently. In complement with that study, the Master emphasized the Shurangama Mantra, vegetarianism, and meditation. He told us that besides leaving us a vast legacy of teachings, the historic Buddha, Shakyamuni, advised us that in this world, in the age in which we have been born, the tendency will be for people to bring about the demise of the Dharma.
After that lesson, I returned to my meditation and found that now my vision was expanding to include not only how to direct my future in Buddhism but also what I could do to help ensure Buddhism’s future. That, I guess, was the moment of my initial resolve. I wanted to be Buddhist and to give everyone in the world, now and forever, a chance to be Buddhist too, so that all of us together could advance to full awakening.
Now I knew how I wanted to direct my own cultivation in this life. I wanted to keep alive the very teachings and practices whose disappearance would herald the beginning of the end of Buddhism. The Master had already told us which dharmas those were: The Shurangama Sutra and the Shurangama Mantra. And what could I do to help keep them alive? I could open the sutra text every day and read and study it and even memorize it; I could join in the task of translating it into English; I could memorize the mantra and then chant it as often as possible; I could try to live by the teachings in the sutra and to share those with anyone who wanted to listen.
This is not a perfect world and we are not perfect people. We live in the midst of dualities that place us continually in conflicting situations and force us to make choices that are often the lesser of two evils. Finding resolution within those ceaseless dichotomies requires a sense of daring and a willingness to pick ourselves up and continue on our way each time we fall. To maneuver through the chaos and remain safe and sane is a lifelong challenge that requires the ability to remain on the edge—that point of dynamic tension in the gestalt; to balance at the mid point between every set of options; and more, to be flexible while doing so and yet, to never compromise our principles.
For me, it would be impossible to do all that unaided and that is why I have been faithful to the Shurangama Sutra and the Shurangama Mantra ever since the day I first was introduced to them by the Venerable Master. The sutra’s explanations of what kind of world we live in and how to cope with it and what to do to leave it once and for all are my daily guide. The mantra’s cleansing air and latent power always take me by surprise. From the first syllable to the last, over and over again, it acts as a stabilizing thread, weaving its might and majesty into the warp and woof of my life.
Opening Verse on the Commentary of the Shurangama Mantra
by Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua
The Ultimately Durable King among Samadhis,
With a straight mind practice and study it,
and the Way Place can be reached.
Purify the karmas of body, mouth, and mind;
Sweep clean the thoughts of greed, hatred, and stupidity.
From sincerity comes a response;
clear certification is obtained,
From concentration one accomplishes
spiritual powers which are great.
Endowed with virtue, you have encountered
its magical, wonderful phrases.
At all times, never forget to glorify its magnificence.
The Chinese characters which stand for Shurangama are leng yen; leng means "edge"; yen means "adorned." But, basically, the two characters, leng yen, are transliterations of the Sanskrit, Shurangama. Shurangama means "ultimately firm and solid in all respects."
“The Ultimately Durable King among Samadhis”
This eight line verse will explain the meaning of the commentary on the Shurangama Mantra.
“With a straight mind, practice and study it
One should cultivate and study with a straight-forward mind to arrive at one's aim.
“To reach the Way place.
A straight-forward mind is the field of the Way. If you are devious and use a crooked mind in cultivating the Buddhadharma, you won't be able to obtain any benefit from this mantra.
“Purify the karmas of body, mouth, and mind
When you cultivate this Dharma, you can't speak falsely. You can't always be saying things that aren't true. You must avoid the body karma of breaking the precepts of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. With your mouth, you shouldn't speak irresponsibly, lie, gossip, or use harmful speech. Your thoughts should be devoid of greed, anger, and stupidity. So, "Purify the karmas of body, mouth, and mind." With the three kinds of karma purified, one unites and upholds. That is Dharani.
“Sweep clean the thoughts of greed, hatred and stupidity
You must totally clean up thoughts of greed, thoughts of anger, and thoughts of stupidity. When the mind is totally clean, these are all gone.
“From sincerity comes a response; clear certification is obtained
If you have sincerity, then you will get a great response. You can immediately certify to the power of this mantra. It's inconceivable.
“From concentration, one accomplishes spiritual powers which are great
If you are totally concentrated in your mind, and your thoughts don't wander--if you don't have any extraneous thoughts--then you will be able to realize great spiritual power.
In the Shurangama Mantra there are five major sections, and in these sections there are more than thirty different sub-sections of Dharmas. The five major Dharmas are: 1) the Dharma of Subduing; 2) the Dharma of Hooking; 3) the Dharma of Eradicating Disasters; 4) the Dharma of Increasing Benefit; and 5) the Dharma of Accomplishment and Auspiciousness. There are a lot of different kinds of Dharmas in this mantra.
“Endowed with virtue, you have encountered its magical, wonderful phrases
To study this kind of Dharma you must have virtuous conduct. If your conduct were not virtuous, you basically wouldn't even meet up with it. And, even if you were to meet up with it, you wouldn't understand it. This is an efficacious language; these are subtle, wonderful, profound phrases.
“At all times, never forget to glorify its magnificence
You should never forget to cultivate this Dharma. Be sincere and concentrate and never forget to glorify the Buddhadharma, bringing it to great prosperity, so that the Buddhadharma will constantly remain in the world and be ever protected.
This is my very simple explanation of the general meaning of the Shurangama Mantra. Were I to speak about it in detail, I'd never finish. This is a Dharma that is hard to encounter in hundreds of thousands of kalpas, so don't miss the opportunity! My explanations will be a very simple commentary on the Shurangama Mantra. If you want to understand it, you'll have to study it in detail yourself.
Explaining the Shurangama Mantra with my blood, with my sincerity
Whoever recites it will get a response. Vajra Treasury Bodhisattvas protect anyone who recites this mantra and uses it as a practice.
The Shurangama Mantra is the longest Buddhist mantra. We call it "magical words" because it is extremely efficacious and wonderful, so wonderful it is beyond words. Whoever recites it will get a response. Vajra Treasury Bodhisattvas protect anyone who recites this mantra and uses it as a practice. To do this mantra as a practice, we must, first of all, be sincere and become straightforward. We must cultivate and eliminate our desire for material objects, which means to be free of greed. Being able to eliminate desire and reaching real understanding, being sincere, and cultivating in the proper frame of mind, we would then experience tremendous miraculous results from doing this mantra as our practice.
Some people rashly claim that the Shurangama Mantra is as long as it is because it is composed of many short mantras. People who make such claims are worse than children, who in general, repeat what adults say thinking that will keep them from making mistakes.
The Shurangama Mantra starts by taking refuge with all the Buddhas of the Ten Directions who pervade all of the Dharma Realm, all Bodhisattvas of the Ten Directions who pervade all of space and the Dharma Realm, Arhats, sages of the First Fruit through the Fourth Fruit, and gods.
Taking refuge with gods does not mean that we are committed to emulating them; it just means that we respect them. Actually, monastics do not need to pay homage to anyone, in fact, gods are supposed to pay homage to members of the fully-ordained Sangha. So why should we pay respects to the gods? Gods pay homage to those with virtue and those who have cultivated. No one should be "You know, all the Dharma-protecting gods bow to me!" Even if we were to have perfected our virtues, we should not be conceited and think we are better than anyone else. Even then, we should be as if we have none of whatever it is we have, emptied of what is actually there. We must not be attached to our virtues. We must never be satisfied with the amount of knowledge we have. This way, we are cultivators. Cultivators who recite this mantra and do this mantra as a practice should venerate the gods and good spirits-even the bad spirits. That is, we should curb our habit of arrogance.
The benefits from chanting the Shurangama Mantra as a practice are ineffable. I do not want to tell you what these benefits are and recite it out of greed, exactly, because if I were to tell then what benefit could you possibly earn? You would not be doing it because you really wantto recite and practice this mantra. If you really want to recite and practice the Shurangama Mantra, then regard it as important as eating, putting on clothes, you should regard it as and sleeping. This is what we should do. If not, we can just forget about getting our prayers answered. Once we think about it, it is a false thought. How could we indulge such ideas when we have not perfected our skill? That would be like a child who is already up. thinking about running when he has barely learned to sit cannot even walk, yet he wants to run. Now, why does he think in this way? It is because he does not understand. And then once he knows how to run around, he wants to fly. You think he could do it? Impossible! In the same way, why do you think about what is impossible? You are not a bird; you have not grown wings and yet you want to fly? This is a huge false thought.
The same principle applies to holding the Shurangama Mantra. Cultivation is just cultivation. Do not harbor thoughts of wanting something out of it. "I am definitely going to get something," we think. What are we going to get? "I am not going to die." No, when the time comes, you will die just the same. There is no way to escape death. That was a false thought you had. But, if you you will really end cultivate seriously and certify to sagehood, then birth and death, and that counts! But, if we were to think, "I do not want to die! I do not want to die! I do not want to die! I am going to guard this stinkin' skin bag of mine." We may guard it all we want but when the time comes, we have to say goodbye and go away.
The Shurangama Mantra is a magical language. Each phrase that you recite has its own special effect. But you should not dwell on its effect. Do not think, "Why have I been reciting it for so long without any tangible results?" When you eat, you appease your hunger for the time being; how could you expect to be full forever? When tomorrow comes, you still have to eat. Doing the Shurangama Mantra as a practice is just this way. Do it as a practice every day and you will not have wasted any effort. You will experience its effect eventually.
Whoever recites the Shurangama Mantra as a practice has to his left and right eighty-four thousand Vajra Treasury Bodhisattvas who are always guarding him. That is true. However, when you recite this mantra, it is best that you do not indulge in false you recite, thinking. If you keep on having random thoughts when the Vajra Treasury Bodhisattvas will think, "This person is really useless and has no future. He is wasting my time." You have to be careful because Dharma-protecting Bodhisattvas can get angry and they do.
The most important thing about doing the Shurangama Mantra as a practice is that we observe the precepts purely. If we do not observe the precepts, no matter what we cultivate and however we recite, there will be no response. If we observe the precepts and are free of jealousy, obstructiveness, greed, anger and delusion, then we will enjoy a major response and reap a tremendous amount of benefit when we recite the mantra. I will say this, reciting the Shurangama Mantra and using it as a practice is more valuable than dealing in gold. The Shurangama Mantra, recited once, is as valuable as millions and millions of ounces of gold. But of course, you should not uphold the mantra out of greed.
I cannot say that my way of lecturing the Shurangama Mantra is poor. But But I can say that nobody has ever lectured it in this way before. I composed a four-line verse for every line of the Great Compassion Mantra, which describe the function and power of the given line of mantra. Now, of course, in a four-line verse we can hardly explain all of the power in a given line of the mantra, because the wonderful meaning of the mantra is inexhaustible. Every single syllable and phrase of that mantra has boundless benefits. Obviously this is more than a four-line verse can contain. Although we cannot describe it in its entirety, we can talk about it a bit. But that bit of description will only be a small percentage of all the meaning contained there within. Four-line verses are easy to remember. From the simple, you can enter the profound. From the few, you can enter into the many. From what's near, you can go to what's far. In this way, you can deeply enter the meaning of the mantra.
Actually, one cannot talk about the mantra or try to explain it. But we will try to do it anyway, the purpose being a modest spur to induce someone to come forward with his valuable contribution. That is why I am explaining the Shurangama Mantra now. It should not concern you whether these four lines are meaningful enough, or even totally accurate; just realize that they come from my heart. You can say they are my sweat and blood. I explain the Shurangama Mantra with sincerity. And I hope after listening, will truly understand the meaning of this mantra, even more deeply and more profoundly than I do. I hope the magnitude of your comprehension surpasses mine. That is why I say this is a modest spur to induce other valuable contributions. I hope you discover your wisdom and illumine the Sutra Treasury, so that your wisdom becomes like the sea. People who study Buddhism should always aim for the best. Always try to be better than you were before. You should not say, "I understand it, but I do not know how to cultivate it." It must actually be cultivated! If you do not cultivate, then no matter how much you know, it does not make sense at all. It is of no use. You must cultivate seriously. Put your feet firmly on the ground, and actually put the teaching into practice. Do not be so foolish as to steal a bell with your ears plugged-cheating yourself and cheating others. My wisdom and my mind are introduced in these four-line verses that I authored. I am explaining the Shurangama Mantra sincerely in the hope that all of you will understand more.
Recite the Shurangama Mantra to Help the Universe
If we recite the Shurangama Mantra, we can help heaven and earth, and aid in curing the universe of its violence and ills.
People get sick, the earth gets sick, and so do the heavens. We on the earth may not know it, but there are often sicknesses in the heavens. If we recite the Shurangama Mantra, we can help heaven and earth, and aid in curing the universe of its violence and ills. The recitation has an imperceptibly good effect on heaven and earth and everything in general.
We do not recite only one line of the Shurangama Mantra. It is in sections. Although each line has its individual meaning, the lines are related. The Shurangama Mantra contains little sections. Learn the start and finish of these little segments.
It does not matter what Dharma door you practice, you have to pay attention to your virtue first. If you do not have enough virtue, you will face demonic obstacles. You have to develop merit and virtue. Merit means you protect the Bodhimanda-you work tirelessly and uncomplainingly. Virtue means you do not obstruct other people-you do not bring distress to others. No matter what practice you cultivate, you will gain nothing from it unless you change your temper and stop your worries. We need to develop merit and virtue once we entered monastic life. With that, it will be easier to cultivate any practice. It is said:
Daily and you will fall behind.
Never rush and never dally
And you will get there right on time.
There are various reasons for dangerous states that occur during meditation, not merely one reason. Some people wish to cultivate but they are too selfish, their view of self is too deeply rooted and they never forget themselves. They are always selfish and self- seeking. Selfishness makes it easy to become possessed by a demon. Real cultivation of the Bodhisattva Way is done without anxiety. One does not seek for quick ways to get enlightened and become an "instant" Buddha. Someone likely to become possessed may be curious, wishes to be different, hopes for spiritual powers to experience some states different than others.
If you were concentrating on your meditation and entertaining no other thoughts, then demons would be unable to enter even if you wanted them to possess you. Your ability to significantly diminish your false thoughts and deviant views keeps them at bay. People become possessed because of deviant ideas and views. If you are just, fair, and selfless, if you are not hurry and not trying to surpass others, if just concentrate and work hard on your mind, then no demons will get you. Meditation is not dangerous. I mean, eating is not dangerous, but if you eat too much your stomach may burst or if you eat too little you will not be nourished. You can get sick easily if you are greedy for fine tastes. You do not get sick from eating but from not eating properly. The same applies to meditation.
Unfathomable Mysteries
Endlessly miraculous and mysterious,
these syllables are hard to decipher.
And yet, this vajra secret language wells
forth from our own nature.
The Shurangama Mantra, thus wrought
with stunning efficacy,
Opens access to the Five Eyes and
Six Penetrations for sages and people.
Magical Words that Avert Doomsday
If just one person knows how to recite the Shurangama Mantra, this world will not become extinct nor will be Dharma.
I am now explaining the Shurangama Mantra. In a hundred thousand, myriad cons, no one has explained the Shurangama Mantra even once. It is not easy to lecture it even once. I am lecturing it for you now, but it is not for sure anyone understands it. Some may feel that they understand it, but they do not really understand it. Some may feel they already understand it, so they do not pay attention, but that is just the same as not understanding it. The Shurangama Mantra is a force that sustains heaven and earth. It delays their extinction. It is the very spiritual force which prevents the world from coming to an end. I have said that as long as one person can recite the Shurangama Mantra, the world will not be destroyed and the Dharma will not come to an end. When not a single person can recite the Shurangama Mantra, the Buddhadharma will become extinct.
Demons in the heavens and proponents of externalist ways are now spreading rumors that the Shurangama Sutra and Mantra are false. To destroy people's faith in the Shurangama Mantra, heavenly demons send their demon sons and grandsons to spread rumors. If no one believes in the Mantra, no one will recite it. When no one recites it, the world will quickly come to an end. If we do not want the world to come to an end, we must read and recite the Shurangama Mantra and Shurangama Sutra. By reciting the Shurangama Mantra every day, we are protected from harm. Even dangerous atom bombs and hydrogen bombs cannot touch us. So concentrate on reciting the Shurangama Mantra. I am lecturing the Shurangama Mantra for you and no one necessarily understands it right now. But ten, a hundred, or a thousand years from now someone may come across this very shallow commentary on the Shurangama Mantra and develop a deep understanding of it. Those of you who hear these Shurangama Mantra lectures should not think it is so easy. Although these four-line verses seem very simple, they flow forth from my heart. They are definitely not plagiarized from any other book or commentary. Since you are studying with me, 1 am offering verses, whether good or not, written from my views on and understanding of the Shurangama Mantra. If you really want to understand the Shurangama Mantra, then you should pay close attention while you study it. Do not let this time go by in vain.
Insincerity Means Ineffectiveness
What is sincerity? No doubts. The power from really believing in the mantra is inconceivable. That powerful faith in the mantra will bring success.
In cultivating all Dharma doors, be it reciting sutras or upholding mantras, one must be sincere. Fast, maintain morality, and cleanse the body. Be clear and pure in body and mind. Eradicate all false thinking as you cultivate a Dharma door. That way you will mesh with the Tao like an echo of a sound. If you are not sincere, no matter how efficacious the Mantra is, it will not work for you. So we say: When the mind is sincere, the mantra is effective. If you are not sincere, it will not be magical.
What is sincerity? It means having no doubts and having true faith in the inconceivable power of the Mantra—faith that is power will never fail. If you can truly be sincere, then your cultivation will succeed. Sometimes people may cultivate for a long time and get no response. Then they may start to think, "Is the Buddhadharma ineffective? What is going on? I am not getting any results." It is not that the Mantra is not efficacious. You are not succeeding because you are not sincere. You are merely bumbling your way through it, going through the motions. You have not brought forth true sincerity. So it is most important that those who recite the Shurangama Mantra be sincere.
There are many ghosts, spirits, dragons and gods of the Eightfold Division in the Shurangama Mantra. As soon as you recite a ghost king's name, all his retinue must listen to the teachings; they would not dare to disobey the rules. Therefore monastics recite the Shurangama Mantra every day to help free the world from untimely disasters and calamities, bringing peace to the world. By holding morning and evening ceremonies, monastics imperceptibly enable all beings to be safe, peaceful and happy.
When we recite the Shurangama Mantra, the polluted air in the world is cleansed. Our recitation of the Shurangama Mantra eradicates the contagious diseases in the area. If there is poison in the area, it will be eliminated as soon as the Shurangama Mantra is recited. That is how great the benefit is! Therefore you should not take the Shurangama Mantra lightly. It is best to recite the whole mantra. If you cannot, then just reciting a certain part of it is still very powerful. Do not mistake gold for copper. All of you who study Buddhism must memorize and uphold the Shurangama Mantra.