How to Practice the Manjushri Method - II

Mantra Recitation: The Five-Syllable Mantra of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva
 
Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva is associated with many mantras, among them the more commonly known ones are the one-syllable, five-syllable, six-syllable, and eight-syllable mantras. Of these, the Five-Syllable Mañjuśrī Mantra is by far the most popular, rendered in Chinese transliteration as "om a ra pa ca na dih" and in Tibetan as "om a ra pa tsa na dhih". According to Tony K. Lin (林光明), a scholar of Sanskrit and Buddhist mantra studies, the syllable count in such designations excludes the opening syllable "om" and is based on the Sanskrit Siddhaṃ script. This explains why Chinese transliterations sometimes yield a slightly higher count.

According to the "Sutra on Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva of the Vajraśekhara Yoga", reciting the Five-Syllable Mañjuśrī Mantra brings immense merit, which includes purifying karmic obstructions, granting unimpeded eloquence, and fulfilling all aspirations. The sutra further states: "All the Dharma taught by the Tathāgatas is contained within this five-syllable dhāraṇī, through which sentient beings may attain the accomplishment of Prajñā Pāramitā." In his "An Introduction to Mantras (咒語漫談)", Tony K. Lin explains that the Five-Syllable Mantra encompasses the entirety of what all Buddhas have taught, and that the accomplishment of Prajñā Pāramitā is, in essence, the accomplishment of wisdom. This is why Buddhists hold that reciting this mantra brings the attainment of wisdom, and that this single mantra carries within it the complete teaching of all Tathāgatas. In fact, it is said that the door of wisdom will gradually open if the mantra is practiced regularly.
 
The Five-Syllable Mañjuśrī Mantra is equally widespread in Tibet, where Mañjuśrī is revered as the embodiment of wisdom—in much the same way as Avalokiteśvara is of compassion. This renders it a mantra that nearly every Tibetan practitioner knows by heart. Associate Professor Liao Bensheng (廖本聖) of Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts notes that while anyone may recite the Mañjuśrī mantra, it is best to first receive an oral transmission: that is, to have a qualified teacher who holds the lineage recite it aloud while the practitioner listens with full attention. After all, it is through this that one receives the blessings of both Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva and the lineage masters.

Sutra Study: Seven Essential Scriptures on Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva
 
Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva appears in well over a hundred texts within the Taishō Tripiṭaka, though the more commonly known ones include the Mañjuśrīparipr̥cchā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra, the Sutra on the Parinirvāṇa of Mañjuśrī, the Inquiry into Bodhicitta Sutra, and the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti. Of all these, the text most familiar to general readers is the Vimalakirti Sutra, in which the lay practitioner Vimalakīrti falls ill. None of the great disciples of the Buddha dare visit him, until the Buddha sends Mañjuśrī over. From their exchange springs the non-dual teaching that afflictions and enlightenment are one. Another pivotal text is the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, which recounts how the Buddha sent Mañjuśrī to protect Ānanda. The Buddha teaches him the Śūraṅgama Dhāraṇī to shield him from the enchantments of Mātaṅgī. The sutra then unfolds as the Buddha untangles Ānanda's confusion, after which twenty-five great bodhisattvas each recount the path of their own realization, with Mañjuśrī offering the final summation.

In Tibetan Buddhist practice, the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti is considered essential for anyone who undertakes Mañjuśrī practice. The great master Tsongkhapa is said to have recited it from childhood and is himself regarded as a manifestation of Mañjuśrī. Composed primarily in verses and often paired with the esoteric methods transmitted by a teacher, the text is commonly woven into daily liturgical practice. Tibetan Buddhists hold that reciting it deepens wisdom, and in particular, opens a more profound realization of emptiness.



Related articles:

​How to Practice the Manjushri Method - I

​How to Practice the Manjushri Method - II

​How to Practice the Manjushri Method - III



Resource: Issue 337 of Humanity Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photo: Nung Chan Monastery (農禪寺)
Translation: Claire
Editing: Keith Brown, Patricia Yang