Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra
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Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra
The BlueNature Samadhi
[Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra]
(Translated version of Master Buddhapala during the Tang Dynasty)
Thus I have heard, at one time, the Bhagavan (World HonoredOne) was dwelling in the city of Shravasti at the Jeta Grove, in theGarden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary (Ananthapindada), together with his regular disciples of twelve hundred and fiftygreat Bhikshus and twelve thousand Maha Bodhisattvas Sangha in all.At that time the devas in Trayastrimsha Heaven were also havinga gathering in the Good Dharma Hall. Among them was a devaputra bythe name of Susthita who, together with the other great devaputras,was frolicking in the garden and courtyard, enjoying in the supremelywonderful bliss of heavenly life. Surrounded by devis they wereextremely happy - singing, dancing and entertaining themselves.Soon after nightfall, Devaputra Susthita suddenly heard a voicein space saying, "Devaputra Susthita, you have only seven days leftto live. After death, you will be reborn in Jambudvipa (Earth) as ananimal for seven successive lives. Then you will fall into the hellsto undergo more sufferings. Only after fulfilling your karmicretribution will you be reborn in the human realm, but to a humbleand destitute family, while in the mother's womb you will be withouteyes and born blind."On hearing this, Devaputra Susthita was so terrified that hishair stood on end. Tormented and distressed, he rushed over to thepalace of Lord Sakra. Bursting into tears and not knowing what elseto do, he prostrated himself at the feet of Lord Sakra, telling LordSakra of what had happened."As I was enjoying the frolic of dance and songs with theheavenly devis, I suddenly heard a voice in space telling me that Ihad only seven days left, and that I would fall into Jambudvipaafter death, remaining there in the animal realm for seven successivelives. Following that, I would fall into the various hells to enduregreater sufferings. Only after my karmic retribution had been fulfilledwould I reborn as a human, and even then I would be born without eyesin a poor and disreputable family. Lord of Heaven, how can I escapefrom such sufferings?"
Lord Sakra immediately calmed his mind to enter Samadhi and madecareful observations. Instantly, he saw that Susthita would undergoseven successive evil paths in the forms of a pig, dog, jackal, monkey, python, crow and vulture, all feeding on filth and putrescence.Having seen the seven future rebirth forms of Devaputra Susthita, LordSakra was shattered and was filled with great sorrow, but could notthink of any way to help Susthita. He felt that only the Tathagata,Arhate, Samyak-sambuddha could save Susthita from falling into thegreat sufferings of evil destines.Thus, soon after nightfall that very day, Lord Sakra preparedvarious types of flower wreaths, perfume and incense. Adorning himselfwith fine Deva garments and bearing these offerings, Lord Sakra madehis way to the garden of Ananthapindada, abode of the World HonoredOne. Upon arrival, Lord Sakra first prostrated himself at the Buddha's feet in reverence, then circumambulated the Buddha seven timesclockwise in worship, before laying out his great Puja (offerings).Kneeling in front of the Buddha, Lord Sakra described the futuredestiny of Devaputra Susthita who would soon fall into the evil pathswith seven successive rebirths in the animal realm with details of hissubsequent retribution.
Instantly, the usnisa (crown of the head) of the Tathagataradiated multiple rays of light, illuminating the world in all tendirections, the light then returned, circling the Buddha three timesbefore entering His mouth. Then the Buddha smiled and said to LordSakra, "Lord of Heaven, there is a Dharani known as the 'Usnisa VijayaDharani'. It can purify all evil paths, completely eliminating allsufferings of birth and death. It can also liberate all miseries andsufferings of beings in the realms of hell, King Yama and animal,destroy all the hells, and transfer sentient beings onto the virtuouspath.""Lord of Heaven, if one hears this Usnisa Vijaya Dharani once,all the bad karma incurred from his previous lives that should causehim to fall into hells will be destroyed altogether. He will insteadacquire a fine and pure body. Wherever he is reborn, he will clearlyremember the Dharani - from one Buddhahood to another, from oneheavenly realm to another heavenly realm. Indeed, throughout theTrayastrimsha Heaven, wherever he is reborn, he will not forget.""Lord of Heaven, if someone at death's door recalls thisdivine Dharani, even for just a moment, his lifespan will be extendedand he will acquire purification of body, speech and mind. Withoutsuffering any physical pain and in accordance with his meritoriousdeeds, he will enjoy tranquility everywhere. Receiving blessings fromall the Tathagatas, and constantly guarded by devas and protected byBodhisattvas, he will be honored and respected by people, and allthe evil hindrances will be eradicated.""Lord of Heaven, if anyone can sincerely read or recite thisDharani even for a short period of time, all his karmic retributionwhich would lead him to suffer in the hells, the animal realm, therealm of King Yama and the hungry ghost realm, will be completelydestroyed and eradicated without leaving any trace. He will be freeto go to any of the Buddhas' Pure lands and heavenly palace; allgateways leading to the Bodhisattvas' abode are open to himunobstructed."After hearing the above discourse, Lord Sakra immediatelyappealed to the Buddha, "For the sake of all sentient beings, may theWorld Honored One kindly give a discourse on how one's lifespan canbe lengthened."
The Buddha was aware of Lord Sakra's intention and hiseagerness to hear His discourse on this Dharani and so immediatelyproclaimed the Mantra thus:
"NAMO BHAGAVATE TRAILOKYA PRATIVISISTAYA BUDDHAYA BHAGAVATE.TADYATHA, OM, VISUDDHAYA-VISUDDHAYA, ASAMA-SAMA SAMANTAVABHASA-SPHARANA GATI GAHANA SVABHAVA VISUDDHE, ABHINSINCATU MAM. SUGATAVARA VACANA AMRTA ABHISEKAI MAHA MANTRA-PADAI. AHARA-AHARA AYUHSAM-DHARANI. SODHAYA-SODHAYA, GAGANA VISUDDHE. USNISA VIJAYAVISUDDHE. SAHASRA-RASMI, SAMCODITE, SARVA TATHAGATA AVALOKANI,SAT-PARAMITA, PARIPURANI, SARVA TATHAGATA MATI DASA-BHUMI,PRATI-STHITE, SARVA TATHAGATA HRDAYA ADHISTHANADHISTHITA MAHA-MUDRE.VAJRA KAYA, SAM-HATANA VISUDDHE. SARVAVARANA APAYA DURGATI,PARI-VISUDDHE, PRATI-NIVARTAYA AYUH SUDDHE. SAMAYA ADHISTHITE.MANI-MANI MAHA MANI. TATHATA BHUTAKOTI PARISUDDHE. VISPHUTA BUDDHISUDDHE. JAYA-JAYA, VIJAYA-VIJAYA, SMARA-SMARA. SARVA BUDDHA ADHISTHITASUDDHE. VAJRI VAJRAGARBHE, VAJRAM BHAVATU MAMA SARIRAM. SARVASATTVANAM CA KAYA PARI VISUDDHE. SARVA GATI PARISUDDHE. SARVATATHAGATA SINCA ME SAMASVASAYANTU. SARVA TATHAGATA SAMASVASAADHISTHITE, BUDDHYA-BUDDHYA, VIBUDDHYA-VIBUDDHYA, BODHAYA-BODHAYA,VIBODHAYA-VIBODHAYA. SAMANTA PARISUDDHE. SARVA TATHAGATA HRDAYAADHISTHANADHISTHITA MAHA-MUDRE SVAHA."(This Usnisa Vijaya Dharani is the improved version with someadditions to the original Sanskrit transliteration)
Then the Buddha told Lord Sakra, "The above Mantra is known asthe 'Purifying All Evil Paths' Usnisa Vijaya Dharani'. It caneliminate all evil karmic hindrances and eradicate the suffering ofall evil paths.""Lord of Heaven, this great Dharani is proclaimed together byby Buddhas as numerous as eighty-eight kotis (hundred million) of thegrains of sand of the Ganges River. All Buddhas rejoice and uphold thisDharani that is verified by the wisdom seal of the Maha VairocanaTathagata. This is because in the evil paths, to liberate them frompainful retribution in hell, animal and King Yama's realms; to deliverbeings facing immediate danger of falling into the sea of birth anddeath (samsara); to assist helpless beings with short life spans and poor fortune and to deliver beings who like to commit all kinds of evildeeds. Moreover, because of its dwelling and being upheld in the Jambu-dvipa world, the power manifested by this Dharani would cause all beingsin hells and other evil realms; those with poor fortune and revolvingin the cycles of birth and death; those not believing in the existenceof good and evil deeds and are deviated from the proper path, to attaindeliverance."
Again Buddha reminded Lord Sakra, "I now entrust this divine Dharanito you. you should in turn transmit it to Devaputra Susthita. In addition, you yourself should receive and uphold it, recite, contemplate and treasureit, memories and revere it. This Dharani Mudra should be widely proclaimedto all beings in the Jambu-dvipa world. I also entrust this to you, for thebenefit of all heavenly beings, that this Dharani Mudra should be proclaimed.Lord of Heaven, you should diligently uphold and protect it, never letting itto be forgotten or lost."
"Lord of Heaven, if someone hears this Dharani even for just a moment,he will not undergo karmic retribution from the evil karma and severehindrances accumulated from thousands of kalpas ago, that would otherwisecause him to revolve in the cycles of birth and death - in all kinds of lifeforms in the evil paths - hell, hungry ghost, animal, realm of King Yama,Asuras, Yaksa, Raksasa, ghosts and spirits, Putana, Kataputana, Apasmara,mosquitoes, gnats, tortoises, dogs, pythons, birds, ferocious animals,crawling creatures and even ants and other life forms. Owing to the meritsaccrued from hearing for a moment this Dharani, once this very life is over,he will be reborn in the Buddha lands, together with all the Buddhas andEkajati-pratibaddha Bodhisattvas, or in a distinguished Brahmin or Ksatriyafamily, or in some other wealthy and reputable family. Lord of Heaven, thisman can be reborn in one of the above-mentioned prosperous and reputablefamilies simply because he has heard this Dharani, and hence be reborn in apure place.""Lord of Heaven, even acquiring the most victorious Bodhimanda is aresult of praising the meritorious virtues of this Dharani.
Hence, thisDharani is also known as the Auspicious Dharani, which can purify all evilpaths. This Usnisa Vijaya Dharani is like a Treasury of Sun Mani Pearl -pure and flawless, clear as space, its brilliance illuminating and all-pervading. If any beings uphold this Dharani, likewise will they be brightand pure. This Dharani is similar to the Jambunada gold - bright, pure, andsoft, can not be tainted by filth and well-liked by all who see it. Lordof Heaven, beings who uphold this Dharani are just as pure. By virtue ofthis pure practice, they will be reborn in the good paths.""Lord of Heaven, where this Dharani dwells, if it is written fordistribution, propagated, received and upheld, read and recited, heard andrevered, this will cause all evil paths to be purified; miseries andsufferings in all hells will be completely eradicated."
Buddha again told Lord Sakra cautiously, "If someone could writethis Dharani and place It on the top of a tall banner, high mountain orin a tall building or even keep It in a stupa; Lord of Heaven! If thereare bhiksus or bhiksunis, Upasakas or Upasikas, laymen or laywomen whohave seen this Dharani atop the above structures; or if the shadows ofthese structures should fall on beings who come near to the structures,or particles of dust from the written Dharani are blown onto their bodies;Lord of Heaven: Should the accumulated evil karma of these beings causethem to fall into the evil paths such as realms of hell, animal, King Yama,hungry ghost, Asura and other, they will all be spared from the evil paths,and they will not be tainted with filth and defilement. Lord of Heaven!Instead, all Buddhas will bestow predictions (Vyakarana) onto these beingswho will never regress from the path to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (completeenlightenment).""Lord of Heaven, let alone if one makes various offerings of flowerwreaths, perfumes, incense, banners and flags, canopies decorated withgems, clothing, necklaces of precious stones, etc, to adorn and honor thisDharani; and at major routes, if one builds special stupas to house thisDharani, then most respectfully with palms together circumambulates thepagoda, bowing and taking refuge, Lord of Heaven, those who make suchofferings are called the great Mahasattvas, Buddha's true disciples, andthe pillars of Dharma. Such stupas will be regarded as the Tathagata'scomplete body sharira-stupa."At that time, in the early part of the night, the ruler of the HellRealm - King Yama. came to the abode of the Buddha. First, using variousDeva garments, beautiful flowers, perfumes and other adornments, he madeofferings to the Buddha, then circumambulated the Buddha seven times beforeprostrating himself at the feet of the Buddha in reverence, saying, "I heardthat the Tathagata was giving a discourse in praise of upholding thepowerful Dharani; I have come with the intention to learn and cultivateit. I shall constantly guard and protect those who uphold, read and recitethis powerful Dharani, not allowing them to fall into hell because theyhave followed the teachings of the Tathagata."
At this time, the four Guardians of the world - the Caturmaharajas(Four Heavenly Kings) circumambulated the Buddha three times, and mostrespectfully said, " World Honored One, may the Tathagata kindly explainin detail the way to uphold this Dharani."The Buddha then told the Four Heavenly Kings, "Please listenattentively, for your benefit as well as for the benefit of all beingswith short life spans, I will now explain the method to uphold this Dharani.On a full-moon day - the 15th day of the lunar month, one should firstbathe oneself and put on new clothes, uphold the profound precepts andrecite this Dharani a 1000 times. This will cause one to lengthen one'slifespan, and be permanently free from the sufferings of illness; all one'skarmic hindrances will be completely eradicated. One will also be liberatedfrom suffering in hell. If birds, animals and other sentient beings hearthis Dharani once, they will never again be reborn in these impure andgross body forms once their lives have ended."The Buddha continued, "If someone from a serious disease hears thisDharani, he will be free from the disease. All other illnesses will also beeradicated, so too will the evil karma that will cause him to fall into theevil paths. He will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss after the end ofhis life. From then onwards he will no longer be born from the womb. Instead, wherever he is reborn, he will be born transformed from the lotus flowerand would always remember and uphold this Dharani and gain knowledge ofhis past lives."
The Buddha added, "If someone has committed all the severe evildeeds before his death, according to his sinful deeds, he ought to fallinto one of these realms of hell, animals, King Yama or hungry ghosts, oreven into the big Avichi Hells, or be reborn as an aquatic creature, or inone of the many forms of birds and animals. If someone could obtain partof the skeleton of the deceased, and holding a fistful of soil, chant thisDharani 21 times before scattering the soil over the bones, then thedeceased will be reborn in heaven."The Buddha further added, "If one can chant this Dharani 21 timesdaily, one is worthy of accepting all the immense worldly offerings andwill be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss after one's death. If onechants this Dharani constantly, one will attain Maha Parinirvana and beable to lengthen one's lifespan besides enjoying the most extraordinarybliss. After one's life is over, one will reborn in any of the wonderfulBuddha lands, in constant company of the Buddhas. All Tathagatas will alwaysgive discourses on the profound and wonderful truth of Dharma and all WorldHonored Ones will bestow predictions of enlightenment upon one. The lightilluminating from one's body will pervade all Buddha lands."
The Buddha further explained, "To recite this Dharani, one shouldfirst, in front of the Buddha's image, use some clean soil to constructa square Mandala, the size according to one's wish. On top of the Mandalaone should spread different kinds of grass, flowers and burn differentkinds of quality incense. Then kneeling down with the right knee on thefloor, mindfully reciting the Buddha's name and with the hands in theMudrani symbol, (i.e. each hand bending the forefinger before and pressingit down with the thumb and placing both palms together before the chest)in reverence, one should recite this Dharani 108 times. The showers offlowers would rain down from the clouds and would thus be universallymade as offerings to Buddhas as numerous as the grains of sand of eighty-eight million Ganges Rivers. These Buddhas will simultaneously praise,"Excellent! Rare indeed! A Buddha's true disciple! " One will instantlyattain Unobstructed Wisdom Samadhi and the Great Bodhi Mind AdornedSamadhi. Thus is the way to uphold this Dharani."
The Buddha again exhorted Lord Sakra, saying, "Lord of Heaven,the Tathagata uses this expedient means to deliver beings who wouldotherwise have fallen into hells; to purify all evil paths and to lengthenthe life-spans of those who uphold this Dharani. Lord of Heaven, pleasego back and transmit this Dharani to Devaputra Susthita. After seven days, come to see me with Devaputra Susthita."
Thus, at the abode of the World Honored One, the Lord of Heavenrespectfully received this Dharani practice and returned to his heavenlypalace to convey it to Devaputra Susthita."Having received this Dharani, Devaputra Susthita kept to thepractice as instructed for six days and six nights, after which all hiswishes were completely fulfilled. The karma which should have led him tosuffer in all the evil paths were all eradicated. He would remain on theBodhi Path and increase his lifespan for an immeasurable period of time.Thus, he was extremely delighted, exclaiming aloud in praise,"Extraordinary Tathagata! What a rare and wonderful Dharma! Its efficacyexplicity verified! Rare indeed! Truly I have thus obtained deliverance!"When the seven days were over, Lord Sakra brought DevaputraSusthita, together with other heavenly beings, respectfully bearingexcellent and wonderful adornment of flower-wreaths, perfumes, incense,jeweled banners, canopies decorated with gemstones, Deva-garments andgarland of precious stones, approached Buddha's abode and presented theirgrand offerings. Using heavenly garments and various garlands of preciousstones to make offerings to the World Honored One, they then respectfullycircumambulated the Buddha a hundred thousand times, paid homage to theBuddha, then happily took their seats and listened to the Buddha preachthe Dharma.
The World Honored One then extended his golden arm and touchedthe crown of Devaputra Susthita, to whom He not only preached the Dharmabut bestowed a prediction of Devaputra Susthita's attainment to Bodhi.Finally, the Buddha said, "This Sutra shall be known as the 'PurifyingAll Evil Paths' Usnisa Vijaya Dharani'. You should diligently uphold it."
On hearing this Dharma, the entire assembly was extremely happy.They faithfully accepted and respectfully practiced it. -
Please recite onto this ..and put it on top of your doorway.Prevent demonic power from entering your house
Promote harmony in the house
print into namecard size put into a plastic casing .wear it along when going to dirty place(army training in jungle) .protect you from spirit harassing
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nice post...
I think I am a deva enjoying my free time during weekends... and a hell being suffering during workdays.... neverending cycle
LOL
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Usnisha Vijaya Dharani with Casket Seal
Please Print it out and hold it at a higher than head place
Prevent demonic spirit harassing practitioner