[Introduction Part 2]: Cundi Mantra Q&As

The Cundi Mantra is well-known for "fulfilling all wishes," but why is it so effective? This article clarifies five questions about the Cundi Mantra to increase faith when reciting it.

■ Editorial Office
 
Q1: Why do Buddhist temples recite the Cundi Mantra during morning and midday meals?
 
According to the "Daily Recitations for Chan Monasteries", the procedures and mind-focusing guidelines observed in Buddhist monasteries when taking meals in the morning and midday are collectively referred to as the "Liturgy of Morning and Noontime Meals". Upon completion of the meal, the "Closing Meal Gatha" is recited, within which the Cundi Mantra is included.

The origin of this practice can be traced back to the "Cundi Dharani Sutra", translated by Divakara. The sutra records the following teaching:

"There is another method: when one goes out to receive alms and continually recites this mantra, one will not be harmed by evil people, vicious dogs, or similar dangers."

In ancient times, when members of the monastic community, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, went on alms rounds, they recited this mantra while walking. Through this practice, they were safeguarded from the harm caused by malicious individuals or dangerous dogs.

Toward the conclusion of the sutra, it further states:

"When the Buddha expounded this great Cundi Dharani, countless beings removed defilements, obtained the merit of the Great Bright Mantra, Cundi Dharani, and were able to behold the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and noble beings of the ten directions."
Accordingly, the recitation of the Cundi Mantra also functions as a means of dedicating merit and blessings to those benefactors.

After the transmission of the Cundi Mantra to China, monastics no longer relied on alms rounds with begging bowls. Nevertheless, the tradition continued of reciting the mantra after meals as an expression of gratitude and as a practice of dedicating blessings to all benefactors and sentient beings.

"Daily Recitations for Chan Monasteries" was compiled during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, a period in which the Cundi Mantra enjoyed widespread popularity. Many scholars and practitioners organized "Cundi Societies" for mantra recitation group practice. As a result, the mantra was formally incorporated into the daily liturgical recitations, accompanied by a clearly defined Gatha:

"Those who practice generosity will certainly receive benefit. If one gives for the sake of joy, one will ultimately attain peace and happiness. Having completed this offering, one should give rise to an aspiration: may all beings accomplish their endeavors and fully realize the teachings of all Buddhas."
 
Q2: When reciting the Cundi Mantra, should the Mantra Opening Gatha also be recited?
 
A four-line gatha is chanted before reciting the Cundi Mantra:

I prostrate and take refuge in Susiddhi; with my head at your feet, I pay homage to the seven kotis of Buddhas. I now praise the Great Cundi, and pray that your compassion and mercy descend to protect me.

This four-line gatha is traditionally written by Nagarjuna Bodhisattva and is called the Cundi Opening Mantra Gatha. It is about taking refuge in the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha).
 
I prostrate and take refuge in Susiddhi:
It means perfect fulfillment and marvelous accomplishment. It denotes the complete fulfillment of all wholesome aspirations and the skillful accomplishment of all principles and practices. This line, therefore, represents taking refuge in the Dharma Jewel.

with my head at your feet, I pay homage to the seven kotis of Buddhas:
Seven koti Buddhas refers to seventy million Buddhas. Cundi, the Mother of Buddhas, is surrounded by these seventy million Buddhas. This line thus signifies taking refuge in the Buddha Jewel.

I now praise the Great Cundi:
This line expresses praise for the immeasurable merits and virtues of Cundi Bodhisattva and signifies taking refuge in the Sangha Jewel.

pray that your compassion and mercy descend to protect me:
This line expresses a sincere supplication for the compassion of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) to safeguard and to protect those who recite the mantra and bestow blessings and purification upon them.
 
Mantra scholar Lin Guangming (Tony K. Lin, 林光明) has suggested that these four lines were likely later additions. For example, in the "Collection of Essentials for the Perfect Penetration of the Exoteric and Esoteric to Buddhahood", there is no indication that recitation of this verse is required. Accordingly, reciting the opening mantra verse is beneficial but not obligatory.
 
However, Master Sheng Yen offered an alternative viewpoint. He taught that each recitation of the four-line verse constitutes taking refuge in the Three Jewels once and one invocation of their blessing. In this way, practitioners of the Cundi Mantra remain constantly aligned with the Three Jewels in body and mind and continuously receive their blessings. Moreover, such practice encourages the arousing of bodhicitta and the cultivation of compassion. For these reasons, Master Sheng Yen emphasized that the more complete the recitation, the more beneficial it becomes.
 
Q3: How can reciting the Cundi Mantra fulfill all the wishes?
 
Numerous scriptures related to Cundi Bodhisattva, translated during the Tang dynasty, state that for the general public, recitation of the Cundi Mantra may fulfill aspirations such as the cultivation of wisdom, the resolution of calamities and obstacles, the attainment of spiritual abilities, and the accumulation of merit and blessings.
 
For practitioners, recitation of this mantra serves as a means of self-protection: harmful spirits, ghosts, and demonic forces dare not approach; all karmic offenses are gradually purified; and practitioners are safeguarded by countless Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the Eight Legions of divinities. Through such practice, one may progress toward the realization of Buddhahood.
 
In the Liao-dynasty text, the "Collection of Essentials for the Perfect Penetration of the Exoteric and Esoteric to Buddhahood", authored by Dao Zhen (道㲀), the foremost excellence of the Cundi Mantra is described as follows:

"Cundi encompasses all True Words. Cundi contains all mantras, whereas other mantras do not contain Cundi. It is like the great ocean, which receives all rivers, while the rivers cannot contain the ocean."

Because this mantra relies upon the great compassionate vows and blessings of countless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, those who uphold the Cundi Mantra are said to be capable of accomplishing all supreme and wholesome undertakings.
 
The "Collection of Essentials for the Perfect Penetration of the Exoteric and Esoteric to Buddhahood" also states that recitation of the Cundi Mantra brings about various forms of worldly benefit. These include the enhancement of intelligence and wisdom; success in debate and discourse; mutual respect and harmony between spouses; the ability to inspire respect and goodwill in others; the improvement of interpersonal relationships; the attainment of offspring; the extension of lifespan; the healing of illness; the elimination of karmic offences; the invocation of timely rainfall; release from confinement; and, lastly, protection from harm caused by malevolent spirits, thieves, and other dangers. All these benefits can be attained through the recitation.
 
Why does recitation of the Cundi Mantra often feel particularly efficacious? When lay practitioners or disciples encountered illness or obstacles in their practice and sought guidance, Master Sheng Yen frequently recommended reciting the Cundi Mantra as the resolution. This is because mantra recitation requires focus, and thus functions as a method of meditative concentration. From concentration arises wisdom. With wisdom, one can respond skillfully to adversity or to transform one's perspective. Regardless of whether outcomes appear favorable or unfavorable, they can be embraced as complete and meaningful.

However, Master Sheng Yen also reminded us that if one recites the mantra while focusing solely on personal afflictions or problems-- essentially chanting while dwelling on distress-- the practice is unlikely to be effective. During mantra recitation, the mind should be relaxed and expansive, recalling others who are likewise afflicted by suffering and illness, and sincerely wishing for their liberation from hardship. When the mind is broadened, stabilized, and fully collected in recitation, compassion and wisdom naturally arise, like a flowing spring, and Cundi Bodhisattva is naturally present with the practitioner.
 
Q4: Can reciting the Cundi Mantra minimize karmic obstacles?
 
According to the Cundi Dharani Sutra, translated by Divakara, it is explicitly stated:

"Those who receive, uphold, read, and recite this Dharani for a total of eight hundred thousand repetitions will completely extinguish all offenses--including the five heinous crimes and all other offenses caused by innumerable eons."

Other Cundi Dharani Sutra scriptures translated by eminent masters such as Amoghavajra, Vajrabodhi, and Shubhakarasimha likewise affirm that this mantra is capable of eradicating the ten evil actions and the five heinous crimes, and all forms of karmic obstruction. Through such practice, practitioners may swiftly attain supreme perfect enlightenment. These scriptures further describe signs that indicate the purification and dissolution of karmic impediments.
 
All of our behaviors and actions, whether expressed through body, speech, or mind, are collectively referred to as karma. Thus, every intention, every word, and every movement constitutes the creation of karma. It is impossible for human beings not to create karma; however, it is possible to avoid giving rise to karmic obstacles.

The term obstacle refers to our own actions of body, speech, and mind that cause distress to others or create problems for oneself. In other words, when one's conduct leads to the loss of time, energy, or resources, either for others or for oneself, and thereby hinders the smooth unfolding of events, such actions are considered obstacles.

How can one avoid generating karmic obstacles? Master Sheng Yen taught:

"As long as our intentions and actions are beneficial to others and to ourselves, obstacles will not arise."

When we uphold and recite the Cundī Mantra, focusing the mind single-pointedly on the mantra and abiding in one-pointed concentration, this practice integrates the functions of observing precepts and cultivating meditative concentration, thereby purifying our body, speech, and mind. As a result, opportunities for creating unwholesome karma are greatly reduced. At the same time, compassion and wisdom are cultivated, helping practitioners to release attachment. Consequently, whether in daily affairs or in spiritual practice, obstacles are correspondingly diminished.
 
Q5: Why did the Patriarchs of the Pure Land School also encourage the recitation of the Cundi Mantra?
 
In the "Buddha Pronounces the Sūtra of the Great Cundī Dhāraṇī: The Heart of the Mother of Seven Koṭi Buddhas (Cundidevidharanisutra)", translated by Vajrabodhi, it is stated:
 
"If one circumambulates the image of the Buddha clockwise and recites this Dharani one million times, one will be able to personally behold the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats teaching the Dharma. If one aspires to follow the Bodhisattvas in practice, one's wish will be fulfilled accordingly, and all aspirations will be realized. One may even, in this very lifetime, attain the state of a great mantra adept, and be able to travel to the pure lands in the ten directions, drawing close to the Buddhas and hearing the Dharma."

This passage indicates that the recitation of the Cundi Mantra can assist practitioners in attaining rebirth in a Pure Land. Which Pure Land one is reborn into depends upon the specific vows and aspirations of the practitioner.
 
Many patriarchs and eminent masters who practiced the Pure Land method, in addition to diligently reciting the Buddha's name, also practiced the Cundi Mantra. For example, Master Lianchi (蓮池大師) practiced the Cundi method for over three years. During the Ming dynasty, the Green Lotus lay practitioner Xie Yu-jiao (謝于教) compiled "Purification Practice of Cundi" in three volumes, integrating the Cundi Mantra with the Pure Land teachings of Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. In the early Republic period, Master Yinguang (印光大師), in addition to reciting the Buddha's name, also regarded the Cundi Mantra as a supportive method to strengthen his practice.

Related articles:

Let Us Together Uphold the Cundī Dhāraṇī

The Cundī Dhāraṇī: Purifying the Mind and Fulfilling Aspirations

[Introduction Part 1] What is the "Cundi Mantra" about?

[Introduction Part 2]: Cundi Mantra Q&As

[Sharing Session] Venerable Guo Jun: A Lifetime Never Parted from the Cundi Mantra


Resource: Issue 465 of Humanity Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photo: 王育發 
Translation: Brenda
Editing: Keith Brown, Patricia Yang