Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra

The ''Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Dhāraṇī'', sometimes called the ''Pure Land Rebirth Mantra'', is considered an important ''dhāraṇī'' in Pure Land Buddhism and other schools of Buddhism, mainly following the Mahayana tradition. The full name of this ''dhāraṇī'' is the ''Dhāraṇī for pulling out the fundamental cause of karmic obstacles and obtaining rebirth in the Pure Lands'' ( Chinese: 拔一切業障根本得生淨土陀羅尼). It is also known as ''Pure Land Rebirth Dhāraṇī'' ( Chinese: 往生淨土神咒; Wang Sheng Jing Tu Shen Zhou), or ''Rebirth Mantra'' ( Chinese: 往生咒; Wang Sheng Zhou) for short.

In East Asian Buddhism, reciting this dhāraṇī is believed to grant the reciter a peaceful and joyful life, and allow them to be reborn into the Buddha Amitabha's buddha-field of Ultimate Bliss, as well as to have a vision of Buddha Amitabha. It can also be recited to help the spirits of the animals that a person has killed in the past, including poultry, game, aquatic creatures, insects, etc. to ascend to a higher spiritual realm.

Overview

According to Chinese tradition, the ''Pure Land Rebirth Dhāraṇī'' was transmitted and transliterated by Guṇabhadra (Sanskrit; Chinese: 求那跋陀羅, 394–468) and by Narendrayasas (490–589). It was popularized by a certain Dharma Master Xiu of Tianping Monastery in the Northern Qi (550–577) capital of Ye (Hebei). The dhāraṇī was reproduced individually or appended to the end of the '' Amitābha Sūtra'' in some editions of the Chinese Buddhist Canon.

Chinese tradition associates the dhāraṇī with bodhisattva Nagarjuna, who is said to have received the dhāraṇī from Amitabha Buddha in a dream. Traditionally, Nagarjuna is also believed to have attained birth in the Pure Land through this dhāraṇī. The dhāraṇī may have been practiced by Pure Land patriarchs like Lushan Huiyuan, and it was also popularized by Amoghavajra at the Tang court.

According to two texts (possibly from the Six dynasties period), one should bathe and clean one's mouth, light incense before a Buddha image, kneel with palms together and recite the dhāraṇī thirty seven times. This is to be repeated for the six periods of day and night. While the dhāraṇī's name indicates that its main function is rebirth in the pure land of Sukhavati, reciting the dhāraṇī is also said to have many other positive benefits, such as the "pulling out the fundamental cause of karmic obstacles" and also protecting one from evil spirits and influences.

According to the dhāraṇī sutra attributed to Guṇabhadra:

If there is any good man or good woman who is able to recite this dhāraṇī, then Amitābha Buddha will constantly abide above their crown, protecting them day and night, never allowing hostile forces to find opportunity. In this present life they will constantly obtain peace and security. When the moment of death arrives, they will naturally and spontaneously attain rebirth .e. into the Pure LandDhāraṇī for Uprooting All Karmic Obstructions at the Root and Attaining Rebirth in the Pure Land
��一切業障根本得生淨土神呪 Translated by the Tripiṭaka Master Guṇabhadra of the Liu Song Dynasty under imperial decree, Taisho Tripitaka No. 368 (CBETA).

This text also describes the benefits of reciting the dhāraṇī as follows:

the four grave transgressions, the five rebellious acts, the ten evil deeds, and even the sin of slandering the true Dharma—all will be eradicated. One will obtain all that one seeks in this life, and not be disturbed by malevolent spirits and demons. If one recites it up to 200,000 times, one will feel the emergence of the sprout of awakening (bodhi). If one reaches 300,000 recitations, one will behold Amitābha Buddha face to face.

Amoghavajra’s Wuliangshou rulai guanxing gongyang yigui (無量壽如來觀行 供養儀軌 T. 930) contains the standard edition of the long dhāraṇī, known as the fundamental dhāraṇī of Amitāyus Tathāgata ��量壽如來根本陀羅尼 This longer dharani appears in numerous other sources of Tang esoterica. The most common term in the dhāraṇī is the Sanskrit amṛta, which is the term for the nectar of immortality in the '' Ṛg Veda'' and symbolizes eternal life. The term is also a synonym for Amitāyus. It is also connected to the tantric Buddhist idea of great bliss (mahāsukha).

Aaron Proffit explains the benefits of the long version of the dhāraṇī according to Amoghavajra's tradition of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism as follows:Proffitt, Aaron P. (2023). ''Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism,'' p. 83. University of Hawaii Press.

Chanting this dhāraṇī one thousand times is said to purify all past karma, bestow rebirth in the highest level of Sukhāvatī, and produce visions of Sukhāvatī, Amitāyus Buddha, and assemblies of bodhisattvas. From these honored ones, the practitioner will hear all of the sutras and, at the moment of death, attain rebirth in Sukhāvatī, emerging from a lotus blossom at the rank of a bodhisattva. At the end of life, one will certainly attain rebirth in Sukhāvatī, see the Buddha, hear the Dharma, and quickly attain the highest level of bodhi. As in some of the other texts discussed previously, this dhāraṇī text describes a seven-jeweled chariot that transports one to Sukhāvatī. The Sanskrit term amṛta appears several times in this dhāraṇī and others. In the Ṛg Veda this term refers to the elixir of eternal life. The iconography of and texts associated with Amitābha/Amitāyus often describe this buddha as one whose Dharma serves as the ambrosia that grants eternal life. This is also connected to great bliss (mahāsukha), which may refer in particular to the ultimate bliss attained through the practices found in the tantras.

In modern Chinese Buddhism, the dhāraṇī is usually recited 21, 27 or 49 times per day. In one type of group practice, participants usually recite this dhāraṇī three times after reciting the ''Heart Sutra'' or the '' Amitabha Sutra''.

Texts

Short version

Sanskrit:
: namo amitābhāya tathāgatāya
: tadyathā
: amṛtadbhave
: amṛtasaṃbhave
: amṛtavikrānte
: amṛtavikrānta
: gāmine gagana kīrtakare svāhā

English:

Homage to Amitābha ("Infinite Light") Tathagata ("He who has gone to Thusness").

Thus:

O producer of immortality (amrita),

O he whose state of existence is immortality,

O he who transcends immortality,

O he who transcends immortality,

O sky goer, O fame maker (or "O he who moves in the glory of the sky"), Hail!

Some versions have ''amṛtasiddhaṃbhave'' ("O he whose state of existence has accomplished deathlessness") instead of ''amṛtasaṃbhave.''

Alternative Sanskrit versions

Oskar Von Hinuber cites other versions from Central Asia such as:Oskar Von Hinuber.
Dharanis aus Zentralasien
' Von Hinüber, Oskar. 1987/88. “Dhāraṇ īs aus Zentralasien”, Indologica Taurinensia 14: 231–49.

namo amitābhāya tathāgatāya tadyathā amṛ e am��to-bhate amṛtasaṃbhave amitagaganakīrtakare svāhā

and

namo amitābhāya tathāgatāya tadyathā maṛte phu amṛte phu amṛtaviśodhane phu svāhā

Chinese with back-transcription

From CBETA's Gunabhadra edition ( Taisho 0368):

:南無 阿彌多婆夜 哆他伽哆夜
:namo amitābhāya tathāgatāya
:哆地夜他
:tadyathā
:阿彌利都婆毘
:amṛtodbhave
:阿彌利哆悉眈 婆毘
:amṛtasiddhaṃ bhave
:阿彌利哆毘迦蘭諦
:amṛtavikrānte
:阿彌利哆毘迦蘭哆
:amṛtavikrānta
:伽彌膩 伽伽那 枳多迦隷
:gāmine gagana kīrtakare
:莎婆訶
:svāhā

Chinese with corresponding pinyin transcription

From CBETA's Gunabhadra edition ( Taisho 0368):
:南無 阿彌多婆夜 哆他伽哆夜
:námó ēmíduōpóyè duōtāqíeduōyè
:哆地夜他
:Duōdìyètā
:阿彌利都婆毘
:ēmílìdōupópí
:阿彌利哆悉眈 婆毘
:ēmílìduōxīdān pópí
:阿彌利哆毘迦蘭諦
:ēmílìduōpíjiālándì
:阿彌利哆毘迦蘭哆
:ēmílìduōpíjiālánduō
:伽彌膩 伽伽那 枳多迦隷
:qíemínì qíeqíenuó zhǐduō jiālì
:莎婆訶
:suōpóhē

Long version

The Sanskrit titles of this long version is called the ''Dhāraṇī of Amitāyus Tathāgata'' 無量壽如來根本陀羅尼 (Ārya Amitābha nāma dhāraṇī) or the ''Sarvatathāgatāyurvajrahṛdaya-dhāraṇī.''

It is found in various versions. Amoghavajra's ''Wuliangshou rulai guanxing gongyang yigui'' (無量壽如來觀行供養儀軌 T. 930) is "arguably one of the most influential Esoteric Pure Land texts in East Asia" according to Proffit. The Sanskrit of Amoghavajra's version is called ''Ārya Amitābha nāma dhāraṇī'':Proffitt, Aaron P. (2023). ''Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism,'' p. 83. University of Hawaii Press.

Namo ratna-trayāya,

Namaḥ āryāmitābhāyā,

Tathāgatāyārhate samyak-saṃbuddhāya, tad yathā,

Oṃ amṛte amṛtodbhave amṛta-saṃbhave amṛta-garbhe,

Amṛta-siddhe amṛta-teje amṛta-vikrānte,

Amṛta-vikrānta-gāmine amṛta-gagana-kīrti-kare,

Amṛta-dundubhi-svare sarvārtha-sādhane,

Sarva-karma-kleśa-kṣayaṃ-kare svāhā.

The Sanskrit of the dharani in the Stein collection print is:

Namo ratnatrayāya

Nama āryāmitābhāya

tathāgatāyārhate saṃyaksaṃbuddhāya

Tadyathā:

oṃ amṛte amṛtodbhave amṛtasaṃbhave amṛtagarbhe

amṛtasiddhe amṛtateje amṛtavikrānte

amṛtavikrāntagāmini amṛtagaganakīrtikari

amṛtadun-dubhisvare sarvārthasādhani

sarvakarmakleśakṣayaṃkari svāhā
Aum, brum, hum

English:

Homage to the Three Jewels,

Homage to the noble Amitabha (Infinite Light),

to the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the completely and perfectly awakened one ( samyaksambuddha).

Thus:

Oṃ O immortality ( amrta), O maker of immortality! O born of immortality! O essence/embryo (garbha) of immortality!

O immortality perfecting one! O the brilliance (teja) of immortality! O he who goes beyond immortality!

O he who goes beyond immortality and whose glory is infinite as the sky (amṛtagaganakīrtikare)

O sound of the drum of immortality realizing (sadhane) benefit for all.

O he who destroys (ksayam) all karmic afflictions. Hail!

Other versions

An even longer expanded version was discovered in Dunhuang's Mogao Caves by Aurel Stein (1862–1943) which contains the core long version of the dhāraṇī (in the Siddham script) with further additions (such as the mantra of light) and dates to the Five Dynasties (926–975 CE) era.Gergely Hidas (2014)
Two dhāranī prints in the Stein Collection at the British Museum. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
77, pp 105-117 doi:10.1017/ S0041977X13001341

According to Gergely Hidas, the xylograph was likely "produced to serve as amulets". He further adds that "as for the sequence of the incantations, after the prime dhāraṇī dedicated to the depicted deity, further formulas are included most probably to enhance the efficacy of the amulet. The designers of these talismans are likely to have been monastic people with knowledge of Sanskrit and an understanding of the spells used. These objects were probably meant for a Chinese-speaking lay clientele in exchange for donations and must have been folded, wrapped and worn on the body."

Sanskrit

Gergely Hidas' critical edition of the Sanskrit text is as follows:

namo ratnatrayāya , nama āryāmitābhāya tathāgatāyārhate saṃyaksaṃbuddhāya , tadyathā ,

oṃ amṛte amṛtodbhave amṛtasaṃbhave amṛtagarbhe amṛtasiddhe amṛtateje amṛtavikrānte amṛtavikrāntagāmini amṛtagaganakīrtikari amṛtadun-dubhisvare sarvārthasādhani sarvakarmakleśakṣayaṃkari svāhā ,

oṃ amoghavairocanamahāmudrāmaṇipadmajvāla pravartaya hūṃ,

oṃ bhara bhara saṃ bhara saṃbhara indriyaviśodhani hūṃ hūṃ ruru cale svāhā ,

namo bhagavatoṣ ṇīṣāya , oṃ ruru sphuru jvala tiṣ ṭha siddhalocane sarvārthasādhani svāhā ,

ye dharmā hetuprabhavā hetuṃ teṣāṃ tathāgato hy avadat teṣāṃ ca yo nirodha evaṃvādī mahāśramaṇaḥ ,

oṃ vajrakrodhana hūṃ jaḥ ,

oṃ vajrāyuṣe svāhā ,

English

Hidas' English translation (with the titles of each dharani / mantra):

1. ''Obeisance to the Three Jewels and Amitābha, The Sarvatathāgatāyurvajrahṛdayadhāraṇī''

Veneration to the Three Jewels. Veneration to the noble Amitābha, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened One. Namely, Oṃ O Immortality, O the One Arisen from Immortality, O Immortality-born, O Immortality-child, O Immortality-perfect, O Immortality-power, O Immortality-valour, O the One Acting by Immortality-valour, O Immortality-sky-fame-maker, O Immortality-kettledrum-sound, O the One who Accomplishes all Aims, O Destroyer of all Defilements originating from adActions svāhā.

2. ''The Prabhāsa-mantra (Mantra of Light, Chin. Guangming zhenyan, Jap. Komyo Shingon)''

Oṃ O Light of the Jewel-lotus that is the Great Seal of the Unfailing Vairocana advance hūṃ.

3. ''The Mahāpratisarā-upahṛdayavidyā heart mantra''

Oṃ provide, provide, support, support, O Purifier of the Abilities, hūṃ hūṃ ruru cale svāhā.

4. ''Obeisance to Uṣṇīṣa. The Tathāgatalocanā-mahāvidyā''

Veneration to the glorious Uṣṇīṣa. oṃ ruru sphuru shine, stand by, O the One with Accomplished Eyes, O the One who Accomplishes all Aims svāhā.

5. ''The Pratītyasamutpāda-gāthā''

Those dharmas which arise from a cause, the Tathāgata has declared their cause, and that which is the cessation of them. Thus the great renunciant has taught.

6. ''The Ucchuṣma-mantra''

Oṃ O Vajrakrodhana hūṃ jaḥ

7. ''The Āyurvardhanī-vidyā (the formula which increases long life) of Vajrāyus''

Oṃ svāhā to Adamantine Life (Vajrāyus, i.e. Amitayus).

The Chinese text printed on the side of the dhāraṇī states:

This Great Vow pellof the Infinite Life uddhais enormous and extensive.The Wish-fulfilling pellis ikewhatever your heart wishes, it will necessarily follow. The Buddha Eye Mother pellis extraordinarily auspicious. The Consecrated Light pellcan destroy the bad paths f rebirth The dragon-spirits illprotect the place where the Ucchuṣma-mantra is put. As for the Verse of the Dharma-body, those who wear it at the waist will be equal to the Buddhas. The four assemblies are universally encouraged to keep and wear this muletto create a karmic basis or a good futureand it is also avowed that they illascend together to the true and eternal wonderful fruit.

See also

* Amitābha

References

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Buddhist mantras
Mahayana texts
Pure Land Buddhism
Amitābha