The Sovereign Ritual of Amoghapāśa
Part 2

Noble Avalokiteśvara,80 the great bodhisattva being, rose from his seat, draped his upper garment over one shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, and bowed with folded hands in the direction of the Blessed One, whose body blazed with thousands of light rays of different colors, bright as the sun. [F.7.a] He smiled, his face resembling the orb of the full moon, and, reflecting on the power of loving kindness and compassion, he addressed the Blessed One for the benefit of and to show compassion to the members of the four castes and for the sake of obtaining all the supreme accomplishments of vidyā holders, such as the accomplishments of the true nature, and obtaining the boons that these accomplishments bestow.

“This Amogharāja,81 O Blessed One, [A.4.b] is the quintessence of my sovereign ritual. In it, there is a very secret, quintessential part that teaches the secret samaya practice of the great maṇḍalas, mudrās, and mantras that together constitute an ultimate maṇḍala of liberation. It brings the realization of reality that arises out of the great essence of reality itself by the means of the great lotus maṇḍala. I will now proclaim these teachings before the Blessed One.

“I will proclaim these teachings here, in the midst of this great assembly, before the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, and before the circle of the accomplished vidyā deities. I will proclaim them before the deities such as Īśvara, Maheśvara, and Brahmā, before Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera, the hosts of ṛṣis, Candra, Sūrya, stars and stellar constellations, siddhas,82 and celestial vidyādharīs. I will proclaim them before the Blessed One, who embodies the transcendent accomplishment of the true essence of reality that is won through the successful practice of recitation and visualization. I will proclaim them before the retinue-hosts of the great vidyādharas. I will teach the supreme secret of the essence of reality.”

The blessed Tathāgata Śākyamuni, adorned with hundreds of thousands83 of merits and splendorous with the major and minor marks of perfection, extended his golden arm, [F.7.b] which was fragrant like a rutting elephant and haloed with many light rays, [Ti.22] placed his hand on the head of Noble Avalokiteśvara, the great bodhisattva being, and stroked him, saying, “Please speak, O great compassionate, supremely pure being! You are blessed by the tathāgatas, and now also by me. Teach the most secret samaya that is delighted in and blessed by all the tathāgatas in the ten directions as numerous as atoms in the universe or the hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of sand grains in the Gaṅgā river. They rejoice and cheer you on.”

Blessed84 Avalokiteśvara, the great bodhisattva being, looked in the ten directions, and then, facing the Blessed One, spoke the following mantras that are his own secret reality and essence:

This mantra is the essence and innate nature of Amoghapāśa; it is a secret heart mantra of Noble Avalokiteśvara, the great bodhisattva being. As soon as it was spoken, Potala, the king of mountains, quaked in six different ways, along with all the mountains, forests, and groves, including Mount Sumeru with its inner and outer encircling ranges. All the palaces of gods swayed, as did the dwellings of nāgas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas. The great oceans swelled with waves, and the bodies of water shook.

The buddhas throughout the ten directions applauded: “Good! Good it is, O son of the victors! The secret heart mantra of Amogha was beautifully presented. If it is recited, it will bring supreme accomplishments.” [F.8.a]

The blessed Tathāgata Śākyamuni said, “Good! Good it is, Avalokiteśvara! When recited, this secret amogha mantra will bring the realization of reality.”86

Avalokiteśvara replied, “It is so, O Blessed One! This secret heart dhāraṇī, even if it is repeated just once, will cause each and every single tathāgata everywhere in the ten directions, [A.5.a] equal in number to millions of billions times the number of sand particles in the Gaṅgā river, to extend his arm and hold the reciter’s head, giving him comfort. The reciter will perceive every tathāgata.87 By merely pronouncing this mantra, he will be freed from disease88 for hundreds of thousands of eons. Hells will no longer exist for him, and his wrongdoings will be purified.89 All his diseases and ailments will cease, as will all wickedness. Wicked beings, enemies, and adversaries will perish; there is no doubt about this. [Ti.23] Noble Avalokiteśvara will grant him boons and appear to him continually.

“For this vidyā, there is the following worship procedure and the samaya of conduct.90

“The vidyā holder should purify himself, bathe thoroughly, and put on clean clothes. He should give rise to loving kindness and compassion and be solely motivated by kindness for all beings. He should make offerings before a cloth painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara, with flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, scented oils, and lamps, on either the eighth or the fifteenth day of the bright fortnight. The recitation procedure requires the vidyā holder to recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa one hundred and eight times while sitting in a cross-legged posture in front of the painting and refraining from other talk. He should then recite the mantra of Krodharāja one hundred and eight times, while sprinkling the painting with water and mustard seeds and forming his mudrā twenty-one times in succession. One thus performs the mantra and mudrā empowerments of the painting. [F.8.b]

“After that, he should recite the heart mantra of the secret amogha samaya91 one thousand and eight times. When this mantra is thus repeated one hundred thousand times together with the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa and the mantra of Krodharāja, the recitation procedure is complete. Upon its completion, the cloth painting will blaze with light and the earth will quake. Light rays of various colors will radiate from the body of Noble Avalokiteśvara. The noose held in Amoghapāśa’s hand92 will also blaze with light. The vidyā holder will be thrilled, his body hair will bristle, and the top of his head will emit light. This is the sign of success‍—the ritual seal of the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa has been accomplished.

“Subsequently, all activities and all tasks will be accomplished by merely pronouncing the mantra. Hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of tathāgatas, as numerous as the grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river, will simultaneously appear before the vidyā holder and place their golden hand on his head.93 Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear in his body of secret essence, which is by nature completely pure, without stains or blemishes. Standing before the vidyā holder, he will grant all desirable things and all accomplishments, including the accomplishment of the ritual seal of the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa. They will protect the vidyā holder as their heart son, until he has attained the awakening of a buddha.

“A vidyā holder who wishes to see the world system named Sukhāvatī in its entirety, adorned with perfect buddha fields, and to see Noble Amitābha, the best of victors, with the retinue-hosts of bodhisattvas and [A.5.b] [Ti.24] sitting on a lion seat in an ornamented palace, his body ablaze with hundreds of thousands of billions of light rays as he teaches the Dharma, [F.9.a] should purify himself as required for a vidyā holder, keep his heart and mind completely pure,94 and cultivate, throughout the prātihāra fortnight,95 thoughts of loving kindness, faith, respect, a heart of compassion, and regard for his master. He should offer to the great cloth painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara whatever articles are available, such as flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, unguents, scented powders, robes, cloth, and banners. From the eighth day of the bright fortnight through the thirteenth, he should live on the three ‘white’ foods and recite daily,96 and he should recite the secret heart mantra of Amoghapāśa twenty-one97 times in front of the painting. He should refrain from other talk. He should likewise recite the heart and the auxiliary heart mantras of Krodharāja one hundred and eight times in front of the painting.98 A welcome offering of water,99 placed in front of the painting, should be offered at the three junctions of the day. The vidyā holder should, at that time, ‘wake up’ the deity using the incense of agarwood, sandalwood, olibanum, and bdellium, together with essential flower-oils and musk, and recite the summoning mantra one thousand and eight times.100

“If one uses the supreme king of incense101 called unfailing purity in the three worlds,102 all the world systems in the ten directions of the great trichiliocosm will fill, as soon as the incense is lit, with great clouds of incense, including all the buddha fields where all the buddhas and bodhisattvas dwell and the realms of the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and other human and nonhuman beings. As soon as the incense reaches them during the performance of the incense worship with this great king of fragrances, all diseases will cease, and all nightmares and bad dreams will be completely pacified.103 Even animals [F.9.b] who smell the fragrance of the incense will have the wrongdoings and karmic obscurations that lead to rebirth in the lower realms completely purified. All disputes, quarrels, famines, wars, riots, public unrest, nightmares‍—all such misfortunes, calamities, and annoyances, including all diseases and ailments‍—will be completely pacified. So will all hurricanes, hailstorms, heat, and cold waves. All nonvirtue will be destroyed, including all the mantras that employ kākhordas and kiraṇas, and all poisons both liquid and powdered. All grahas, apasmāras, fevers, indigestion, eating disorders,104 and evil eye105 will be cleared up or dispelled when they smell the fragrance of the incense. They will disappear and will never recur [Ti.25] up until the final attainment of the seat of awakening. One should always use this king of incense.

“Then, on the fourteenth lunar day, the vidyā holder should fast for the whole day and night,106 recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa one hundred and eight times, and recite the mantra of Krodharāja the same number of times. He should offer a bali of three ‘white’ foods, as available, and burn a lamp with fragrant oil while reciting the heart and auxiliary heart mantras of Krodharāja. He should sleep in front of the painting until, at dawn, he sees golden treasures in his dreams. He will see the world system of Sukhāvatī with its palaces, jeweled trees, [A.6.a] and jeweled mountains, and also Puṣkiriṇī with its residences, temples, palaces, and all [F.10.a] its magical and marvelous displays. He will see the Tathāgata Amitāyus sitting inside his palatial temple, surrounded by the retinue-hosts of bodhisattvas, and also the congregations of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas.

“The blessed Tathāgata Amitāyus, a worthy, fully realized buddha, will, for his part, encourage and applaud the vidyā holder by saying, ‘Great! It is great, O good man! You have performed many honorable acts, O vidyā holder, and planted many roots of virtue. By performing what is worth performing, you have acquired much authority. You have accomplished, O vidyā holder, the essence of Amoghapāśa, the maṇḍala of liberation, the great seal, the essence of the mantra speech, and buddhahood itself. This is your last birth from a womb; when this birth runs its full course,107 you will be reborn in a buddha field and will pass on from one buddha field to another, until you finally attain the seat of awakening.’ Amitāyus will then place his right hand on the vidyā holder’s head, granting him all the mundane accomplishments and the accomplishment of the path that leads beyond this world.

“This is the supreme practice, whereby the vidyā holder, thrilled with joy, will see for himself that he is fully realized. With all his karmic obscurations dispelled, he will be completely pure. Noble Avalokiteśvara, in the garb of a brahmin, will remain in front of him and provide all desirable things. The cloth painting will blaze and emit light. He will also obtain hundreds of thousands of other benefits and worldly splendor. [Ti.26] [F.10.b] All people, kings, ministers, brahmins, and householders will remain in his thrall, and he will be greatly venerated. In return, he will receive great amogha accomplishment from monks and brahmins. To bring this about, he should form the mudrā three times a day, and then, on the fourteenth day, he should make whatever offerings of money and food are available to monks and brahmins, and only then should he himself eat.

“If the vidyā holder seeks to see a buddha, a bodhisattva, or a deity, he should incant the king of incense twenty-one times with the mantra of summoning and offer the incense to the blessed Buddha. The summoned being will show itself as the result of merely burning the incense. It will explain what is auspicious and what is not, and what will bring loss and what will bring gain. It will explain everything, including the duration of the vidyā holder’s life and its own death and rebirth.

“I will now teach, as is proper, the mantra procedures for the successful performance of aim-specific rites:

“This is the auxiliary heart mantra to the heart mantra called Amogharāja.

“This is the impelling mantra. One should incant mustard seeds with it twenty-one times, mix them with water, and throw the water in the ten directions. All the tathāgatas, bodhisattvas, devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and other human and nonhuman beings everywhere will become aroused when fumigated with the king of incense and sprinkled with this water. [A.6.b]

“This is the summoning mantra. One should incant bdellium incense with it one hundred and eight times, mix the incense with water and flowers, and throw the water in the ten directions. This is supremely effective in summoning from anywhere.

“This is the invitation mantra‍—a vidyā of invitation from anywhere‍—for all the tathāgatas, bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas, for all the deities who dwell in the maṇḍalas, and for the devas, nāgas,112 and so forth. One should fumigate the vase, the water, the flowers, and the tooth sticks with the king of incense incanted with this mantra one hundred and eight times. [Ti.27]

“This is the mantra of securing the maṇḍala on the ground. One should incant water and mustard seeds with this mantra one hundred and eight times and cast them to the ground. This will consecrate a circular maṇḍala on the ground, one hundred leagues115 in diameter, so that the ground is composed of vajras, everything there is protected, and the beings there become stable minded. The vidyā holder will become invisible to all the enemies‍—to all the vighnas, vināyakas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, piśācas, and apasmāras, and to the ḍākinīs who can assume any shape at will. He will become invisible and as inviolable as vajra.

“Using this mantra for the seat, one should incant some mustard seeds one thousand and eight times and cast them at the ground. This will magically create a great lotus and consecrate it as a seat. The seat, made of the seven precious jewels and blessed by all the tathāgatas, [F.11.b] is a supreme offering.117 The vidyā holder should also sprinkle his own seat with water and mustard seeds incanted twenty-one times with this mantra. This will purify the seat, making it into a lotus seat of an accomplished vidyā holder.118

“With this mantra the vidyā holder can completely purify the entire maṇḍala, including houses, forests, pleasure groves, monasteries, shelters, walking areas, and secret retreat places in the forest. He can completely purify all places by sprinkling them with perfumed water and mustard seeds incanted one hundred and eight times. All the wicked vighnas,120 vināyakas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, and bhūtas will be warded off. This mantra is for purifying the place.

“The vidyā holder should wind a five-colored thread onto five iron stakes that are eight fingers long, incant them with this mantra one thousand and eight times, and drive them into the ground in the four corners, with the center being the fifth. This will create an enclosing outer boundary at the distance of seven leagues. This great boundary will remain until the stakes are pulled out. [A.7.a]

“This is the mantra for securing the maṇḍala. One should incant water and mustard seeds with it one hundred and eight times and sprinkle the entire maṇḍala, including above and below. [Ti.28] This will secure a great outer maṇḍala. No vighnas, vināyakas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, or piśācas will be able to cross it. All the wicked beings there are, such as wicked gods or nāgas, [F.12.a] will be prevented from coming.123 All worldly or unwholesome activities, defective mantras, and the vile acts of wicked beings will be completely eradicated.

“The vidyā holder should use this mantra to incant, one thousand and eight times, water prepared with the five products of the cow, and then sprinkle the entire area, whether it is a monastery, a forest hermitage, a secret cave, a hidden place in a thicket, a walking area, a grove, a tended garden, a pleasure grove, a residence, a shelter, or a house. All swamps and cesspools, whether filled on not, will be cleared of any bhūtas, piśācas, pretas, and so forth who feed on refuse, as well as any savages. They will be expelled, and the area will become pure.

“If the vidyā holder sprinkles himself with the same water, he will be free from problems such as indigestion, eating disorders,125 or the evil eye. Unhealthy residences and dwelling places will become pure. Those who are dirty will become clean, the impure will become pure, the sexually incontinent will become continent, and those who do not fast will begin to do so. All the deities will stand by to guard, protect, and defend the vidyā holder. Īśvara, Maheśvara, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara,126 Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera, and so forth will remain attentive in guarding, protecting, and defending him. He will be loved and venerated by the entire world, and his speech will be treated as command. All his diseases will clear up, and he will be freed from his nonvirtue, obscurations, wrongdoings, and so forth.

“If the vidyā holder sprinkles all four quarters, [F.12.b] all quarrels, disputes, fights, disagreements, famines, and pestilence‍—all such misfortunes, calamities, and troubles‍—will be completely pacified. If he sprinkles himself or sips the water every day, he will obtain great success in the rites involving vidyās, mudrās, and maṇḍalas. He will obtain great amogha accomplishment. Wherever he goes, he will be honored and his progress never obstructed. Every night he will have splendorous dream-visions of great places and many extraordinary things.

“The vidyā holder will obtain great boons on all occasions. All monks, brahmins, kṣatriyas, householders, kings, ministers, royal harems, and attendants will fall under his thrall. Always maintaining perfectly pure conduct, he will be greatly venerated. [Ti.29] He will be able to see Noble Avalokiteśvara any time, whenever he wishes, and will obtain all the most desirable boons. In his sleep he will perceive the Tathāgata Amitābha, [A.7.b] the worthy, fully realized Buddha. When he dies, he will be reborn in the world system of Sukhāvatī.

“This is the mantra of the secret great samaya.

“This is the mantra of entry.

“This is the mantra of the disciple.

“This is the mantra for binding the topknot. It should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for tossing the water. It should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the water pitcher. It should be recited one hundred and eight times.

“This is the mantra for containing water. It should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the hands. One should incant both hands with it one thousand and eight times and commence whatever activities need to be accomplished that involve maṇḍala, mantra, and mudrā procedures. This procedure will make all practices successful, and it should always be included in all rites.

“This is the mantra for purifying the tongue. The vidyā holder should incant perfumed water with it one thousand and eight times and rinse the front of his mouth. It will remove all impurities from the tongue, which will then become delicate like the petal of a pink or red lotus. Similarly, it will purify the teeth, the palate, and the throat.

“With this mantra, the vidyā holder should prepare a fragrant pill to be kept at the front of the mouth. He should grind sandalwood, nalada,141 fenugreek, water lily, saffron, and musk into a fine powder and, [Ti.30] adding honey, make a pill the size of an eyeball. Reciting the above mantra with full voice, he should place the pill in a copper container, place the container in the mouth, and keep it there until he completes one thousand and eight recitations. After a while, the pleasant fragrance of a water lily will continually issue forth from his mouth for hundreds of yards. There is no doubt about this.

“All the tathāgatas and bodhisattvas will rejoice, and Noble Avalokiteśvara, the boon-granting lord, will be extremely pleased. [B2] This142 supreme vidyā of Amoghapāśa will be easily accomplished through recitation. [F.13.b] The vidyā holder who recites it will always be free from bad odor, bile, phlegm, and nasal mucous, which will all be swiftly cleared away, and divine fragrance143 will issue forth from his mouth. Whomever he targets with this formula will quickly be enthralled. All the gods including Śacī’s husband Indra, Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, the Four Guardians of the World, Candra, and Sūrya will remain in his thrall.

“If the vidyā holder keeps this pill in his mouth, Sarasvatī will dwell at the tip of his tongue. His words will become clear, and his voice will be like that of kinnaras. He will always be free from dirt and blemish, and he will be able to memorize one thousand verses after the first recitation. [A.8.a] If he utters the syllable hūṁ, all the deities will arrive, including those who dwell within the maṇḍala. With the syllable phaṭ, all the wicked vighnas and vināyakas will perish, and all yakṣas, rākṣasas, pretas,144 apasmāras, bhūtas, and guhyakas will immediately flee and fall with their faces down. If he holds the pill in his mouth, he will be a scholar at all times. He will swiftly obtain all accomplishments, including long life. While carrying the pill in this way, his speech will be endearing, sweet, and soft. The magical accomplishment of this pill is called the lotus-like amogha purity.

“The vidyā holder should take some bark of nāgapuṣpa,146 the root of khas-khas,147 sandalwood, lotus filaments, cloves, the kākolaka plant, spikenard, tagara148 powder, saffron, white lotus root, and cardamom and mix them together with an equal amount of ugrasugandhi.149 He should grind all this into a fine powder, make it into a pill,150 and incant the pill151 with this mantra one thousand and eight times. [F.14.a] He should then wash the pill well and mix it with rainwater.152 [Ti.31] By simply heating up and then bathing153 in this water, he will be released from previously accumulated terrible karma, remove all diseases, and effectively destroy all ailments. He will be freed from terrible afflictions, desire, hatred, and the darkness of ignorance; they will be removed. All impurities will be pacified by merely bathing; there is no doubt. Divine splendor will shine forth, and his store of merit will increase. The vidyā holder will always glow with an abundance of vital energy, a radiance resembling the sun.154 His body will be radiant and pure.

“An unclean vidyā holder will become clean; an impure one, pure. One who is sexually incontinent will become continent, and one who breaks one’s vow of silence will restore it.155 The vidyā holder’s hair will never turn grey,156 and he will never fall ill. His body will emit a divine fragrance that will precede him by the length of an arrow;157 there is no doubt. The body will emit a divine fragrance of sandalwood and will be as lovely as lotuses or water lilies. He will always fall asleep with ease and wake up with ease. No wicked beings such as yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, asuras, miscreant vināyakas, and vighnas will be able to harm him. There will be no dread of enemies.

“The vidyā holder should therefore purify his body in this way and perform the recitation well, as this will accomplish the activities. The vidyā holder will accomplish them with ease and will be able to see the truth exactly as it is. All the tathāgatas and bodhisattvas will swiftly arrive, as will all the deities, including those that inhabit the maṇḍala. The vidyā holder will accomplish whatever he desires. Having thus completed the procedure for the purification of the body, he should commence the preliminary mantra practices.

“The vidyā holder should prepare realgar, bovine bezoar, bones of cuttle fish,159 lotus, and honey into a mixture that can be applied with an eye brush.160 He should incant them by reciting this mantra one thousand and eight times, thrice. The tathāgatas praise this eye ointment as divine. It161 is the lord of the world [A.8.b] and the auspicious granter of boons. With it, the vidyā holder will pacify all eye diseases. He will experience divine visions in his dreams, he will never see unpleasant sights or anything ugly, and his vision will never be distorted. He will never see cruel murderers or savages. All spirits that cause dyspepsia, [Ti.32] overeating, indigestion, eating disorders, or unhealthy complexion, and all yakṣas, rākṣasas, and pannagas, will stay away all day and night; there is no doubt. One will perceive what is auspicious with one’s physical eyes and will dream auspicious dreams. Within one month of practice, one will obtain the divine eye.162 This mantra is for the purification of the eyes.

“The vidyā holder should incant bovine bezoar one thousand and eight times with this vidyā, twenty-one times with the Amogharāja, seven times with the Krodharāja, and one hundred and eight times each with the heart and auxiliary heart mantras of Amoghapāśa. When still reciting, he should take the bezoar and make a single bindi mark on the forehead between the eyebrows. Above it on the forehead he should make another bindi in the form of a star. All wicked beings will come under his control, and all yakṣas, bhūtas, rākṣasas, vighnas, and vināyakas will perish; there is no doubt. Unable to bear the power of the bindi, all these beings with evil intentions will disappear together. Like a moth to a flame, kings will fall under the control of the vidyā holder, along with their attendants, retinues, ministers, priests, and harems. [F.15.a] They will all remain in his thrall. Also, all ordained monks, brahmins, kṣatriyas, and śūdras will come under his control, and he will be greatly revered. All the vidyā deities, including those who dwell within the maṇḍala, will abide by their samayas and, guarding the ten directions, will protect beings. They will grant the supreme accomplishment.

“The vidyā holder should apply this bindi when imperiled on merchant trips.166 All dangers will disappear‍—there is no doubt‍—as will all thieves, robbers, mercenaries, skirmishes, and fights. All ferocious and frightening lions, tigers, wolves,167 elephants, jackals, and other troublesome creatures, as well as all snakes, such as āśīviṣa snakes and vipers, and other venomous creatures, will hide and not appear again. Lightning, fires, downpours, danger from weapons, floods, kākhordas, and house collapses will all pass without causing harm to one’s body, if one wears the bindi. All the undertakings and endeavors of the vidyā holder will be accomplished auspiciously and in full; there is no doubt.

“As168 soon as the vidyā holder remembers the essence of Amogharāja, I will, O Blessed One, immediately appear before him [Ti.33] and fulfill all his hopes and wishes, grant all the boons previously described, and accomplish all his activities. I will grant him the amogha accomplishment and faithfully protect the samaya. I have been authorized to do this, O Blessed One, by the Tathāgata’s words and blessings. I will deliver all this. [A.9.a] [F.15.b]

“If,169 O Blessed One, the vidyā holder performs the ritual practices as described, and displays the dhiṇi170 mudrās, he will, because of the way the mudrās function, accumulate a lot of merit. He will be blessed by all bodhisattvas, who will prophesy his future awakening. He will be protected by all deities, be worshiped as unique by the entire world, and become the one and only teacher of every living being. He will obtain the samaya for all rites and for their maṇḍalas and mudrās. Furthermore, he will obtain long life and amogha accomplishments. His words will be heeded, and he will develop good memory, intelligence, and fearlessness. The power of his intellect will be invincible.

“Noble Avalokiteśvara will confer boons upon the vidyā holder‍—he will appear to him whenever wished for and grant boons generously. He will grant him victory in every way, so that the vidyā holder will always be victorious over all his enemies, opponents, and adversaries and over all wicked beings. He will be invisible to all yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, piśācas, vighnas, vināyakas, asuras, and nāgas. He will become fearless like all noble ones. All kings and royal ministers with their harems and retinues will come under his control. He will be universally idolized and be treated as everyone’s favorite teacher. He will live a long life free of disease and all the impurities of hatred, envy, and jealousy. His memory will be excellent and his body pure.

“At the time of death, he will really see the tathāgatas. Noble Avalokiteśvara will also appear to him. They will all comfort him, saying, ‘Come son, follow us to the realm of Sukhāvatī!’ He will thus die fully aware of where he is going. The gates of all the hells will be closed, he will be saved from all unhappy destinies, and his current birth will be his last. He will have complete recall of his successive past births. [Ti.34] Wherever he steps, a lotus will spring up under his shoe. He will pass from one buddha field to another until he reaches ultimate and final awakening. [Ti.35]171

“However,172 if someone has failed to accomplish the practices of a vidyā holder, it is not me who will be at fault. For this reason, as a vidyā holder, one should engage in the formal practice that involves the mantra and the mudrā according to the ritual procedure as described. One will then magically accomplish all one’s tasks; there is no doubt about this.

“One should repeat the following mantras:

“This is the mantra of the sacred thread. One should incant a thread spun by a young girl with this mantra one hundred and eight times and wind it around one’s neck three times.174

“This is the mantra for the garments; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for casting off clothes; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for bathing; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for ablutions; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“The vidyā holder should perform the protection of his body by sprinkling it with mustard water incanted twenty-one times.

“This is the samaya mantra; it should be repeated seven times.

“One should perform the protection of disciples and assistants by marking a bindi on their forehead with ashes incanted with this mantra seven times.

“This is the mantra for positioning the feet in a stride; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“One should incant a five-colored thread seven times with this mantra and wind the thread.185

“This is the mantra for the banner; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the arrow; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the gate; it should be recited twenty-one times. By merely passing through this gate, one enters the gate of heaven. All wrongdoings and obscurations become completely purified.

“This is the mantra for the full jar; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the sacrificial incense vessel; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the bali offered in a water jar; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the pot with a lid; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the water basin;196 it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the water vessel with a long neck;198 it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the vase; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the paints; it should be recited seven times.

“One should recite this mantra twenty-one times and then do the dividing.203

“One should draw the relevant emblems and recite the mantra seven times.

“This is the mantra for the thread. One should recite it one hundred and eight times and use the incanted thread to surround the maṇḍala, cloth painting, [F.16.b] or anything to be enclosed within an area.

“This mantra should be recited twenty-one times over each of the gates when mapping out their locations. The gates will then become well arranged and auspicious.207

“This mantra210 should be recited seven times.211

“This mantra should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the welcome offering; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the perfume; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the scented oils; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the scented powders; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the unguents;218 it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the pitcher with scented water; it should be recited one hundred and eight times.

“This is the mantra of the many-flavored bali; it should be recited twenty-one times. [A.10.b]

“This is the mantra for the food; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra of the three ‘white’ foods and other foods offered as bali; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for fruit; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the flowers; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the flowering vines; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the incense; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the fire; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the adornments; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for the añjali gesture; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra of salutation; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra for clockwise circumambulation; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the handheld implements;234 it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the bell; it should be recited either twenty-one or one hundred and eight times.

“This is the mantra for the lamp; it should be recited one hundred and eight times.

“This is the mantra for summoning. It should be recited one hundred and eight times while burning agarwood incense.

“This is the samaya mantra; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the rosary; it should be recited one hundred and eight times.

“This is the mantra of the garland; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra of summoning;243 it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for dismissing; [F.17.b] it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the monk’s staff; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the alms bowl; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra of the bed of darbha grass; it should be recited twenty-one times.

“This is the mantra for the homa offering; it should be recited one hundred and eight times.

“This is the mantra for the river and lake; it should be recited seven times.

“This is the mantra of taking;252 it should be recited one hundred and eight times.

“This is the mantra of empowerment; [Ti.39] it should be recited twenty-one times.

“The vidyā holder should employ all these mantras individually, one after the other, as part of his practice. They must be performed according to procedure, following in detail the practice rules prescribed for the individual rites. After he has done so, great powers and riches will manifest, such as great jewel palaces, various colorful jewel objects, flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, and scented oils. Various divine flowers, streamers,254 and banners will appear, as will the choicest foods of hundreds of exquisite flavors and various oblatory articles. There will appear palaces fit for tathāgatas, [F.18.a] bodhisattvas, devas, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas; these palaces will manifest to suit each particular class. All the palaces and fine foods will manifest exactly as appropriate for humans’ individual needs.

“All the ritual tasks need to be performed as specified for accomplishing reality. The mantra practices must be done according to the correct procedure, and only then will the vidyā holder obtain the full range of supreme accomplishments. If he performs all the ritual tasks in full, then I will appear before him in person as soon as he recites the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa. I will completely fulfill all his hopes and wishes, remove all his wrongdoings, obscurations, and negativity, and purify his body so that it becomes a divine, completely pure form.

“I will grant the vidyā holder the supreme accomplishment of Amogharāja’s maṇḍala of liberation255‍—the maṇḍala that constitutes the essence of Amogharāja’s rites with their mudrās and mantras. I will consecrate him as the great vidyādhara emperor and grant him the accomplishment of the true nature of things. I will grant him the worldly and supramundane accomplishments of the practice of great Amoghapāśa. I will likewise grant him the fearlessnesses256 in all their vastness. I will make him most distinguished among all people, who will worship and greatly respect him. I will grant him wealth and divine splendor. This should not be doubted or called into question.

“The vidyā holder should not be preoccupied with other things [F.18.b] but should feel love and compassion for all beings with all his heart, rejoicing at their happiness and treating them with equanimity. He should treat each and every being with the same care that he has for his only son. Delighting in truth, he should speak the truth, and his words should be pleasant to hear. Having developed the heart of compassion, he should memorize the heart essence of Amoghapāśa,257 [Ti.40] perform recitation according to procedure, and employ both the mudrās and the mantras. He should contemplate all the tathāgatas in the buddha fields in the ten directions. He should recollect the Buddha and pay homage to him and all the bodhisattvas. [A.11.b] He should also visualize Noble Avalokiteśvara in front of himself and pay homage to him. He should sit cross-legged on a bed of darbha grass in front of a cloth painting of Noble Lord Avalokiteśvara and recite the mantra without saying anything else, as this will bring the realization of secret reality.

“I will now teach the mudrā and mantra that bring true accomplishment of the essence of Amoghapāśa, which is imbued with the blessing of the accomplishment of the essence of Amoghapāśa as it really is. This practice was empowered by the compassionate protector of the world who affectionately cares for beings, the pure being with the lotus in his hand and a kind heart for all beings. It was blessed by all the tathāgatas258 in the ten directions. The devas, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, asuras, guhyakas, and world protectors, as well as Brahmā, Rudra, Viṣṇu, Kumāra,259 and so forth, and Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera, the hosts of ṛṣis, Candra, Sūrya, the nakṣatras,260 Īśvara, and Maheśvara, will all swiftly arrive as soon as the mudrā is formed.

“As soon as this mudrā and mantra are employed, [F.19.a] the seven stars261 will arrive, as will the Pāramitās. So too will Nīlakaṇṭhī, Pāṇḍaravāsinī, Padma­narteśvarī, Jayā, Vijayā, Śaṅkalī, Vajraśaṅkalī, Māmakī, the goddess Bhṛkuṭī, Anaupamyā, Dyuti, Bhīmā, Śrī, Sarasvatī, Padmakoṣṭhī, Utpalī, Puṣpadantī, Kailāsa­śikhara­vāsinī, Hārītī the mother of bhūtas, and the ten mahābalā goddesses who attend upon Vajrapāṇi. The great Vajradhara will arrive with the other lords of vidyādharas and the chief god of the realm of Thirty-Three, together with the remaining thirty-two gods from his realm.262 They will all arrive together, as soon as the vidyā holder employs the mudrā and mantra. All the tathāgatas will notice him and appear to him. At the same time, the bodhisattvas will also notice him and grant him boons. They will always appear before him whenever he wishes them to.263

“As soon as the vidyā holder displays the mudrā, Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear before him in his form of a thousand-armed and thousand-eyed protector holding different implements. There is no doubt about this. [Ti.41] Or,264 he may appear in the form of Brahmā, Amoghapāśa, Nīlakaṇṭha, Hayagrīva, or Vaḍabāmukha. The Lord may appear in his eleven-faced or four-faced form. The inconceivable Lord Avalokita, who removes the eight types of fear, can thus show himself in all these different forms, representing various illusory samādhis. He can display all these as soon as the vidyā holder forms this mudrā of the Lord.

“The Lord may instantly appear as the victorious guide Amitābha in his realm of Sukhāvatī, surrounded by a retinue of bodhisattvas. The vidyā holder will also see thousands of other buddha fields, as numerous as the grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river. He will see hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of tathāgatas there, surrounded by hosts of bodhisattvas, [F.19.b] as soon as he displays the mudrā of the Lord. Every day he will see many other great things, such as the seat of awakening, the Dharma wheel, the vajra seat, and the defeat of Māra.265 He will see them in his dreams at night; one should not harbor any doubts about this or call it into question.

“Those who display this mudrā will not be decried by the buddhas, even if they were destined for rebirth in the Avīci hell because they committed the five acts of immediate retribution, obstructed the great bodhisattva lords out of wickedness, reviled the noble ones, disputed the true Dharma, or rejected the teachings of the victors. Even all those trapped in the sixteen terrible hells for millions of eons will be instantly liberated. [A.12.a]

“As soon as the vidyā holder employs this mudrā and mantra and focuses on Amoghapāśa’s name, all his wrongdoings will be purified; there is no doubt about this. Seeing this heart mudrā of Amoghapāśa is the same as seeing Lord Amoghapāśa himself. Furthermore, he will see thousands of billions of buddhas equal to the number of water drops in hundreds of thousands of Gaṅgā rivers, all of them sitting on the seat of awakening and turning the wheel of Dharma. This mudrā, no different from the heart essence of Amogharāja, is a visual representation of his mantra. Upon seeing it, the vidyā holder will accumulate a lot of merit,266 its store ever increasing. His lifespan will increase infinitely; there is no doubt about this.

“In preparation for the rite, the vidyā holder should purify himself ritually, put on clean clothes, and, remaining pure, practice pure conduct at all times. He should smear his body with various fragrances, anoint his arms and hands with fragrant unguents, and perfume it with various types of incense. Sitting in a cross-legged posture [Ti.42] in a clean place on a clean seat of spread grass, he should engender thoughts of loving kindness and the true spirit of compassion. He should continuously salute the buddhas of the ten directions and the three times [F.20.a] and make offerings to the Lokeśvara267 and to his master, his thoughts focused on the Dharma. Refraining from speaking, the vidyā holder who is acquainted with the procedure should then perform the rite of protection. In the spirit of reverence for the master, he should follow the rules impeccably, speak the truth, speak pleasantly, feel compassion for all beings, and always practice kindness.

“The vidyā holder should then form the mudrā as follows. Making his hands into the shape of a lotus, with the thumbs268 aligned and touching each other, he should make the shape of the moon with the index fingers, positioning them against his chest. This mudrā is the heart essence of Amogharāja. Being his root mudrā, it brings the realization of the Buddha. To summon the lokeśvara Lord, one should recite the following mantra:

“Immediately, the king of mudrās present throughout the three times will magically manifest the open, blazing amogha lotus, one that is perceived throughout the three times. The surrounding buddha fields, as numerous as the atoms in the universe, will quake violently. The blessed buddhas of the three times who dwell there will send forth many hundreds of thousands of millions of multicolored rays of light. Each of these tathāgatas, thrilled with joy and filled with great compassion, will extend his golden arm and, with buddha-like care, place it upon the head of the vidyā holder. Each of them will grant him the supreme accomplishment and give him the blessings that arise from the miraculous amogha manifestation. The gods Īśvara, Maheśvara, and Brahmā, and other deities such as Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera, Vāsava, and Sanatkumāra, will stand by to guard, protect, and defend him. This mudrā, through merely being displayed, can remove all negativity and obscurations and deliver the vidyā holder [F.20.b] from the eight great fears.270 With the obscurations gone, the desired accomplishment will follow. This mudrā, supreme in every respect, is said to accomplish every activity.

“Formed in the shape of an open lotus, this mudrā is known as the main amogha samaya mudrā. [A.12.b] [Ti.43] When the middle fingers and the thumbs are made to resemble lotus goads, with the nails positioned evenly, this mudrā is called equanimity,271 and it makes for a full maṇḍala of liberation. While forming this mudrā, the vidyā holder should recite the mantra:

“Immediately after the vidyā holder forms the mudrā and pronounces the mantra, the blessed buddhas of the three times will applaud him. All the tathāgatas, uplifted with joy, pleased, and with great compassion swelling in their hearts, will grant the vidyā holder the supreme accomplishment. They will appear to him again and again, bestow upon him every boon, and grant him the accomplishment of the amogha samaya. Once he comprehends the maṇḍala of liberation consisting in the rites, mudrās, mantras, and dhāraṇīs274 of secret maṇḍala of all the tathāgatas, he will enter into the samaya. He will then understand this secret maṇḍala of Noble Avalokiteśvara in every respect and will fully accomplish the mantras for the necessary tasks. Noble Avalokiteśvara will become the giver of boons, appearing to him and granting his wishes.

“The vidyā holder should form the shape of the lotus with the palms of his hands. The middle fingers and the thumbs should be joined, forming a vajra point, and the little fingers should be outstretched. While forming this mudrā, he should offer incense, flowers, perfume, garlands, [F.21.a] unguents, scented powders, silken clothes, and adornments to the lotus bearer.275 He should offer a bali and a welcome offering including jars filled with perfume276 and so forth. He should also use the five-colored threads and various food articles. This mudrā is always supreme, supreme for conveying the articles of offering. This mudrā, empowered by Padmapāṇi, is for making amogha offerings.

“The same mudrā, but with a jewel enclosed between the hands, is the mudrā of the precious lotus-like fearlessness. It is the best mudrā for successful summoning.277 The accompanying mantra is:

“This mantra is for supplicating and inviting279 the buddhas who appear throughout the three times. It is for supplicating all bodhisattvas and for inviting Padmahasta. It is also for summoning all the gods and maṇḍala deities. [Ti.44] When this mudrā is displayed, all the buddhas who dwell in the ten directions will arrive together, as will the bodhisattvas, devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. They will all arrive instantaneously to offer protection; there is no doubt about this.

“When the hands form the shape of the vajra, the small fingers mark the edges of the lotus, and the middle fingers are contracted, this is the mudrā for demarcating the boundary.280 This mudrā is effective in the rites of binding the directions, securing the maṇḍala, and protection. By merely forming this mudrā and reciting the mantra one thousand times, the boundary will be set with the radius of seven leagues; the maṇḍala will be secured, and the protection applied. The mantra to recite is:

“Now I will teach the amogha mudrā that produces accomplishments, with particular regard to bringing benefit to all sentient beings. [F.21.b] The vidyā holder should form the vajrāñjali gesture, enclosing a hollow space between the palms. The fingers, aligned against each other lengthwise, should curve toward the center, and the small fingers and the thumbs should be outstretched. The index fingers should be folded in.282 This great amogha mudrā is known as the royal universal lotus.283 It is suitable for all activities and can be safely employed in any rite. It is said to be the best mudrā for effecting entry into any maṇḍala.284 The vidyā holder will receive supreme protection if he merely displays this mudrā and recites the mantra. He will obtain the supreme accomplishment of the maṇḍala of liberation of the three times.285 The mantra that belongs with this mudrā is:

“When this mudrā is displayed, the buddha fields in the ten directions, inhabited by those who realized the true nature, will quake six times;288 there is no doubt. The body of Padmapāṇi will blaze up, and an intense joy will be felt. Padmapāṇi will certainly appear to the vidyā holder with a smiling face and will stand before him. He will open the heavenly doors to all buddha fields for him. The gods of the realm of Thirty-Three will keep the doors of their realm open. All the doors to the Sukhāvatī, and all the palaces there, will be open for him as well. He will be able to enter them as soon as he displays the mudrā.

“The mudrā will remove all nonvirtue and destroy all afflictions. The vidyā holder will thus be free from all suffering [Ti.45] and vice. He will be saved from the sixteen hells and the eight great fears. As soon as this mudrā is displayed, all his wrongdoings will be destroyed, the doors of hells will be closed, and he will be saved from fear and terror. By merely displaying this mudrā, all the wrongdoings of the vidyā holder289 will be purified, including the five acts of immediate retribution. [F.22.a] He will be loved by all beings and blessed by all the tathāgatas.

“The vidyā holder should fold the thumbs in while holding their tips, make the middle fingers into the shape of a lotus braid, and position the hands at his topknot. This is the mudrā of the lotus braid called amogha hand.290 For the good of all beings, he should recite the mantra:

“Placing this mudrā at his head, the vidyā holder should perform ablutions with clean water incanted with the mantra one hundred and eight times. Once the ablutions are performed, the mudrā and mantra will have the power to make the unclean clean, and the impure pure.292 Vows of celibacy or silence will be mended in those who have broken them. The vidyā holder’s heap of merit will shine as bright as the sun and the moon. He will be loved by the whole world and will certainly win the supreme mantra accomplishment‍—the accomplishment of Amoghapāśa that comes from realizing the amogha nature. All the deities will arrive to protect him; there is no doubt. He will certainly obtain all kinds of boons from Noble Lord Avalokiteśvara, the giver of boons to pure beings, and will see him every day. His lifespan will increase,293 and he will be forever free from ailments as he never has been before. He will be happy and prosperous. He will be successful in every activity and free from all disease. [A.13.b] With all the obscurations cleared away, everything will be supremely auspicious. This ablution is very special; it is a supreme amogha ablution.

“Clasping his hands firmly, the vidyā holder should form the shape of the downward-pointing precious lotus. The index fingers294 should be folded in, and the other fingers surrounding them should be brought together. He should sit in the cross-legged posture, as if practicing samādhi. While displaying this mudrā, he should recite the mantra while fully focused. [F.22.b] When this mudrā is formed, his cross-legged posture will become as stable as Mount Sumeru. He will be surrounded with armor that will make him invisible to all the vighnas, vināyakas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, asuras, and garuḍas. They will all [Ti.46] flee far away, disappearing into the cardinal and intermediate directions. Free of obstacles, he will be able to accomplish his activities that depend on the mantra recitation; there is no doubt. The mantra to recite with this mudrā is:

“The vidyā holder should join his hands evenly in the añjali gesture, pressing the index fingers between the palms.296 The front portions of the thumbs should form the shape of an open lotus. This mudrā should be formed in front of Noble Avalokiteśvara while reciting the following mantra of Lord Amogharāja:297

“The vidyā holder should first recite this mantra twenty-one times. Then, forming the mudrā, he should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa with one-pointed concentration, immersed in its reality. If the mantra is repeated mindfully just one time, the earth will quake. Hundreds of thousands of millions of buddhas of the three times‍—the tathāgatas, the worthy, fully realized buddhas equaling the grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river‍—will applaud the vidyā holder and give him comfort.299 They will bathe him in multicolored light. Noble Lord Avalokiteśvara will appear before him as soon as he thinks of him.

“By merely displaying this mudrā, the vidyā holder will master the six perfections. He will become fully endowed with the ten perfections, the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha, and the ten strengths of a tathāgata. He will also obtain the four types of fearlessness. His practice of the noble eightfold path will be completely pure. [F.23.a] As soon as he forms this mudrā and recollects the heart mantra of Amogharāja, the vidyā holder will obtain great qualities and benefits.

“If the vidyā holder performs a ritual fast for one day300 while reciting the mantra one hundred and eight times and displaying the mudrā as many times, Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear before him in person, in his true form, and will applaud him, saying, ‘Good! It is good, vidyā holder, that you have performed this supreme recitation!’ He will then extend his right arm, place his hand on the vidyā holder’s head, and encourage him, saying, ‘Come, son, I will grant you magical boons, the best that you may wish for! Accept them and become, through my blessing, my eldest vidyādhara-son. You have accomplished a maṇḍala of liberation that is the essence of Amoghapāśa. You should steadfastly uphold this sovereign rite that involves his mudrā.301 May your thoughts be suffused with great compassion for all beings. This is your last birth from a womb; when you die you will go to the realm of Sukhāvatī, where you will be spontaneously born from a lotus flower. [A.14.a] [Ti.47] You will be adorned with every ornament and graced with the major and minor marks of perfection. Your lifespan will be inexhaustible, continuing until you finally ascend the seat of ultimate awakening.’

“If the vidyā holder recites the mantra one thousand and eight times and displays the mudrā one hundred and eight times without engaging in other talk, he will ascend through space after the one thousand and eight recitations are complete. He will become a wheel-turning monarch in the magically created, pure amogha maṇḍala, where his lifespan will be infinite and he will be attended upon by a retinue of eighteen hundreds of thousands of millions of billions302 of vidyādharas. He will obtain the magical power called the great and wide amogha splendor, [F.23.b] whereby he will be able to visit303 any realm in the great trichiliocosm in the time it takes to extend and contract one’s arm.

“If the vidyā holder recites the mantra one hundred thousand times and displays the mudrā as many times, he will become like Noble Avalokiteśvara in this very life. Transformed through the samādhi of the illusory nature of phenomena, he will obtain the completely pure, divine amogha vision. He will thus be able to see gods such as Īśvara, Maheśvara, and Brahmā, and also Rudra, Vāsava, Soma, Āditya, Kumāra, Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera, and so forth, up to and including the different nāga kings with their various forms. He will see the forms of different beings according to their level of development. This worldly sādhana requires one hundred thousand repetitions of the mantra. If the vidyā holder recites the mantra one hundred thousand times as part of a transcendent sādhana, he will be able to see, face-to-face, all the tathāgatas in all the buddha fields in the ten directions. He will obtain a prophecy of his own future awakening from each of them, and he will be established on the level from which he will not turn back until ultimate awakening is attained.

“The vidyā holder should sit in the cross-legged posture and form the mudrā. Assuming an attitude of kindness, love, and compassion for all sentient beings, he should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa a single time. If this recitation is done in combination with the mudrā, it will be the same as reciting the mantra eighty-eight times.304 He will receive comfort from all the tathāgatas, who will grant him intelligence and good memory and will charge his body with energy. By reciting only the words of the mantra, [F.24.a] he will accomplish the six perfections. Rays of light will issue forth from the form of Noble Avalokiteśvara in the painting.

“When the vidyā holder is asleep, Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear to him in his pure body and grant him every boon as requested. All the vidyā holder’s karmic obscurations will be completely purified. The obscurations caused by his wrongdoings will diminish and completely go away. All his diseases will end. The practices undertaken to fulfill worldly duties [Ti.48] will be fully accomplished. He should continually maintain the recollection of the Buddha. [B3]

“The vidyā holder should join his hands firmly, aligning them in the añjali gesture. The tips of the fingers should be slightly bent and held at the level of the mouth. The little and the middle fingers should be positioned to resemble an open lotus.305 The mantra to recite is:

“This is the mudrā of amogha accomplishment. It brings success in all activities. When this mudrā is displayed, [A.14.b] the vidyā holder will swiftly attain omniscience. Amoghapāśa will appear to him and grant him the amogha accomplishment that is difficult to obtain, as well as every boon, both mundane and supramundane. He will be freed from all his wrongdoings, his store of merit will ever increase, his speech will confer happiness, and he will always be protected by the devas.

“The vidyā holder should carefully form a vajra knot while maintaining a firm and steady mind. He should place the knot at the heart,307 with the index fingers folded in. This mudrā, called amogha lotus, is the heart essence of the lotus maṇḍala. It is the mudrā of the lotus lord that fulfills the aims of all activities. It should be formed while first reciting the following mantra and then the mantra of Amogharāja.

“This mudrā activates the heart essence of the lotus holder.309 It effectively actualizes the amogha essence as it really is; there is no doubt about this. [F.24.b] It accomplishes, without a doubt, all activities in every way. The vidyā holder should display this mudrā in secret and recite the mantra in utter secrecy. He should be well washed, wear clean clothes, have pure thoughts, feel compassion for all beings, and have devotion for his master. With complete faith, he should always delight in the worship of Padmapāṇi. He will swiftly accomplish the activities and attain buddhahood. He will swiftly become a lokeśvara and will have the capacity to benefit all beings.

“The vidyā holder should extend his left arm, keeping it at the level of his mouth, and form his hand into the shape of a lotus with the ring finger310 pointing upward and the thumb bent. The right arm should be extended, with the fingers forming the round shape of a lotus. With the thumb and the middle finger bent, the hand should appear as if holding the noose. Assuming the great, peaceful amogha vision, nurturing thoughts of loving kindness, and with the heart filled with compassion for all beings, [Ti.49] the vidyā holder should recite the following mantra:

“This mudrā should be displayed and the mantra recited twenty-one times. After that, the vidyā holder should make the casting movement with the right hand‍—the one that displays the noose mudrā‍—while reciting the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa, and then bring it back to the same position. The mantra should be recited, and the casting movement repeated, seven times. The vidyā holder should recite the Amogharāja312 and maintain a pure heart. As soon as the mudrā of the noose is displayed‍—the great unfailing noose‍—it will elicit complete awakening and effect an instant realization of buddhahood. Whatever other tasks the vidyā holder may have in mind, the mudrā will elicit instant and complete success in them that cannot be matched. Devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, [F.25.a] asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas will all arrive that very moment in order to see the vidyā holder. All the buddhas in the ten directions will direct their gaze at him and appear to him in person. The bodhisattvas, too, will arrive in order to honor him. Noble Avalokiteśvara, the boon-granting lord, will place his hand on the vidyā holder’s head. He will instantly manifest before the vidyā holder in his pure body. [A.15.a]

“If any beings‍—such as those destined to be reborn in the Avīci hell because of committing the five acts of immediate retribution, criticizing the noble ones, or rejecting the true Dharma‍—see this mudrā displayed and employed, all their wrongdoings will be quashed, and they will instantly behold the Guide. All their tasks will be accomplished as soon as the mudrā is formed. When the vidyā holder displays this mudrā while reciting the mantra, it is the same as if he were displaying the face of Noble Avalokiteśvara. By merely displaying or seeing this mudrā, all his wrongdoings and karmic obscurations accumulated over hundreds of thousands of births, eon after eon, will be purified; there is no doubt about this.

“The wise vidyā holder should form the shape of a lotus by firmly joining his hands with the fingers arranged symmetrically. His index fingers should form the shape of a jewel, and the middle fingers should be folded. His arms should be extended upward, forming a banner topped by the great wish-fulfilling jewel. The vidyā holder should consecrate the crown of his head while reciting the mantra:

“With this mudrā and mantra alone, the vidyā holder is consecrated by all the tathāgatas. He is consecrated by Noble Avalokiteśvara’s own hand, [F.25.b] becomes the great king of vidyādharas, and accomplishes all vidyās. All his afflictions and obscurations are purified, and he becomes the most exalted person in the world.

“The vidyā holder should form a vajra lotus on his head with the tips of his extended fingers. His index fingers should form the shape of a hook, and he should knit his eyebrows. This is the mudrā of Krodharāja that accomplishes all activities; it brings all accomplishments. Recollecting this supremely efficacious mantra is the ultimate way of accomplishing everything.

“It is sufficient to merely recollect this mantra while displaying the mudrā, as it has great power. The vidyā holder will be able to destroy all wicked beings and even shatter Mount Sumeru. When this mudrā is displayed, all miscreants and evil beings will perish, and all the wicked nāgas, vighnas, and vināyakas will be pacified. As soon as the mudrā is formed, they all come under the vidyā holder’s control and will remain so. All devas, humans, monks, brahmins, śūdras,315 and kṣatriyas will fall under his thrall and will remain so; there is no doubt about this.

“The well-focused vidyā holder should join his thumbs together, so that they are evenly aligned, and stretch out his middle fingers while bending them upwards. This is the great lotus mudrā of the goddess Tārā that is supreme in every respect. It brings unexcelled accomplishments.

“If he shapes the mudrā like a lotus bud with only his thumbs outstretched and his little fingers folded in, he makes the divine mudrā of Mahāśvetā, an unexcelled mudrā that brings every accomplishment.

“The wise vidyā holder should firmly lock his hands in a vajra-shaped añjali gesture, close his right hand, and put a frown on his face. This is the great mudrā of Bhṛkuṭī that grants all wishes.

“The great mudrā is formed when the vidyā holder makes the añjali gesture with his hands outstretched, [F.26.a] then forms the shape of conjoined316 lotuses by straightening his thumbs317 and folding them between his hands318 with his small fingers outstretched, and then positions his hands at his heart. [A.15.b] [Ti.51] This is the mudrā of all the deities dwelling in the maṇḍala. When this mudrā is formed, all the maṇḍala deities will rejoice, and they will all arrive together and offer protection; there is no doubt.

“The same mudrā, if formed with the palms outstretched and joined in the añjali gesture to create the shape of a lotus positioned at the heart, is known as the mudrā of dūtīs and yakṣiṇīs.

“The vidyā holder should form a tightly clenched vajra fist with his middle fingers folded in. His remaining fingers, including the thumbs, should form the shape of a lotus close to his mouth.319 This mudrā is known as the seven stars.320 It will produce unexcelled accomplishment in every respect. It will cause all evildoers to perish and will remove all afflictions and diseases; there is no doubt. It will accomplish all the rites and will bring the supreme amogha accomplishment.

“The vidyā holder should align his hands to form the shape of a vajra lotus. His index fingers should be curled in so that they press on the thumbs. This is the mudrā of Hayagrīva, supreme in all rites.321

“The vidyā holder should join his hands in the añjali gesture to form the shape of a lotus. His middle fingers, formed into hooks, should touch the joints of his index fingers. His ring fingers should be extended as one.322 This is the mudrā of Amoghapāśa‍—the mare’s mouth. With it, one can bite diamond. This mudrā is said to accomplish all activities and grant all unexcelled accomplishments.323

“The same mudrā formed at the heart, but with the index fingers and thumbs joined and the remaining fingers folded to form the shape of a lotus, is the mudrā of Nīlakaṇṭha; it grants proficiency in all the rites.

“If the vidyā holder forms the ‘lotus fist’ with both his left and right hands and assumes a gentle expression with a loving pair of eyes, he forms the mudrā of the eleven-headed Avalokiteśvara; it is completely inviolable.

“If he aligns his thumbs [F.26.b] symmetrically with the fingertips folded in and the index fingers positioned to form the shape of a lotus, it is the mudrā of Īśvara.324

“The same mudrā formed with the middle fingers contracted to form the shape of the moon and the left index finger extended is the mudrā of Maheśvara;325 it destroys all the bhūtas.

“If the hands are firmly interlocked to form a chain, then extended out, and then brought back close to the heart, this is the mudrā of Yama.

“If the left hand is extended out with the fingers bent upward, and the right hand placed near the heart with the thumb and the small finger folded in and the remaining fingers extended, this is the great mudrā of Varuṇa. It has the power to summon nāgas.

“If the hands are firmly joined so that the fingers of each hand are wrapped around the opposite hand‍—the fingers of the right hand wrapped around the left and vice versa‍—and the hands are then folded at the heart, this is the mudrā of Kubera. It has the power to destroy all the yakṣas.

“If the right hand is raised326 [Ti.52] with the index finger and thumb folded, and the left hand extended with the fingers327 pointing upward, this is the mudrā of Brahmā. It can accomplish all activities in every way.

“The same mudrā formed with the little finger of the right hand folded is the mudrā of the hosts of ṛṣis. It is used for paying homage to the gods.

“If the hands are firmly joined to elegantly form the shape of a discus, this is the mudrā of Viṣṇu. It has the power to destroy328 all asuras.

“If the right hand is made into the shape of a citron, and the left into the shape of a trident with the thumbs329 and the small fingers folded, this is the mudrā of Rudra. It has the power to destroy all bhūtas.

“If the right hand [A.16.a] is made into a fist with the index finger extended330 toward the left, and the fist is placed on the hip331 while the vidyā holder assumes an angry look, this is the mudrā of Kumāra,332 the general of the army of gods. [F.27.a]

“If the hands are extended upward with three fingers outstretched and the index fingers squeezing the thumbs,333 this is the mudrā of Āditya; it releases thousands of light rays.

“The same mudrā formed with three fingers squeezed and the remaining two extended is said to be the mudrā of Soma adorned with a multitude of stars.

“For these mudrās, there are the following great mantric formulas that make the practice effective and accomplish the aims of all activities. They remove all wrongdoings and afflictions and are used to purify all the obscurations and exhaust all karma. They bring the amogha accomplishment and fulfill the amogha activity:334

“These are the mantras for the mudrās that have been taught, with each mudrā having a corresponding mantra.362 The vidyā holder should always perform each rite in full as instructed. He should follow the rules of ritual purity, be clean and well washed, and wear clean clothes. He should anoint his arms and hands with fragrant unguents and practice the mudrās one at a time. [F.27.b] If he mindfully repeats a mantra when displaying its corresponding mudrā, it will be the same as displaying this mudrā hundreds of thousands of millions upon millions of times.

“The vidyā holder who displays a mudrā acquires a great amount of merit and receives a prophecy from all the buddhas363 and bodhisattvas of his future awakening, as well as their blessing. He is protected by all deities, receives unparalleled worship from the entire world, and becomes the favorite teacher of all beings. He enters the samaya bond required for the entire range of mudrā-based rites in every maṇḍala. His lifespan becomes infinite, and he becomes a vidyādhara whose accomplishment cannot fail and whose speech is always heeded. He also acquires the powers of recollection, intelligence, and confidence. [A.16.b] His intelligence becomes perfect.

“Such a vidyā holder will receive boons from Noble Avalokiteśvara. The noble Lord will appear according to the vidyā holder’s wish and generously grant boons. All his enemies, opponents, ill-wishers, and wicked beings, including the very wicked, will be defeated. Victory will follow the vidyā holder everywhere. All yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, piśācas, vighnas, vināyakas, asuras, and nāgas will want to see him. He will possess the great fearlessness of all noble beings, and all kings, royal ministers, royal harems, and retinues will remain under his thrall. He will always be their most cherished idol and favorite teacher. His lifespan will be long, and he will be totally free from all disease. His faults, defilements, jealousy, and envy will be purified, [Ti.54] his memory will be good, and his body will be completely pure. [F.28.a]

“At the time of death, the vidyā holder will be able to see the great tathāgatas and Noble Avalokiteśvara. They will all comfort him, saying, ‘Come, dear son! Follow us to the realm of Sukhāvatī!’ He will retain his lucidity at the time of dying. The doors to all the hell realms will be closed, and he will be delivered from all unhappy destinies. This birth will be his last birth from a womb. Retaining the full memory of his previous birth, he will be spontaneously reborn from a lotus flower. He will in this manner move from one buddha field to another until he finally attains the seat of awakening. [Tii.89]

“Now I will explain the emblems and mudrās that are lokeśvara emanations. The vidyā holder should draw their handheld implements‍—which delight and thrill when merely seen‍—around the rim of the maṇḍala.364 The viewer will be freed from all wrongdoings and attain true accomplishment, whereby he will be continually protected by armor. He will continually shine with the blazing armor of the Dharma365 and will obtain the accomplishment consistent with each rite, the supreme accomplishment of each mantra.366

“When the mudrās are drawn in the maṇḍala and the mantras recited,367 the yakṣas and rākṣasas will flee, and all grahas will perish at the mere sight of the drawings; there is no doubt. The vidyā holder will be freed from all diseases and ailments. Unassailable by enemies, he will always be virtuously victorious, whether over an enemy army or while leading his own. He will always have the ability to successfully destroy rākṣasas.368 He will truly attain the accomplishment whereby he can experience the supreme pleasures of the vidyādharas.

“These mudrā signs and implements of Noble Avalokiteśvara all have their respective forms, and they serve as mudrās according to their respective purpose. [F.28.b] Each of them should be drawn adorned with the petals of the so-called369 open lotus and be surrounded by a halo of light.370 All these mudrās are endowed with life, and all produce results. They are as follows:371 the result vajra,372 the three-pointed vajra, the javelin vajra, the maṇḍalin,373 the lotus vajra, the garland of lotuses, the vajra mark, the lotus pedestal, the lotus gesture of giving comfort,374 the pair of lotuses, the lotus gesture of applauding, the lotus fist, [A.17.a] the lotus threatening-gesture, the opening lotus, the lotus-goad añjali, the lotus cage, the lotus chain that always brings accomplishment,375 the lotus wish-fulfilling jewel,376 the jeweled lotus, that which is called auspicious vajra, the amogha lotus, the lotus bell, the lotus sword, that which is called trident, the pestle holder,377 the jeweled staff, the flower staff, the holder of the seven nooses, the holder of the sea monster, the half circle, the conch, the citron, the pomegranate, the moon holder, [Tii.90] the sun holder, the hammer holder, the tooth stick, the flower pot, the rosary of beads, the five-pointed vajra, the unfailing noose, and the amogha accomplishment.378 All these are drawn resting on a lotus.

“The hand symbols above should be drawn at their respective locations, as appropriate. These forty379 symbols should be drawn as being held in the hand, radiating light in all directions, and adorned with jeweled ornaments. They380 should be drawn on a cotton cloth in a circle. Alternatively, they can be drawn on a wall or wherever appropriate. By merely seeing them, the vidyā holder will be instantly purged of his wrongdoings, including the five acts of immediate retribution that warrant rebirth in the Avīci hell. All his wrongdoings will be purged in an instant, and the vidyā holder will become a so-called pure being. He will be established on the ten bodhisattva levels, irreversibly established on the path to awakening. This irreversible state is attained by seeing the circle of the mudrās. Noble Avalokiteśvara, the boon giver, will always keep his hand on the vidyā holder’s head. [F.29.a] The boon-granting Lokeśvara will always appear to the vidyā holder directly, face-to-face.

“Whichever mudrā-symbol the vidyā holder looks at, he will attain the corresponding excellence. He must memorize the following thirty-five381 mantric formulas. He will then be successful at everything at all times. He will not follow unhappy destinies; rather, with the maṇḍala of liberation in sight, he will swiftly attain buddhahood. He will become the eldest son of Amitābha and of the Lord of the World without a doubt.382 He will always be the foremost among the heart sons of the Lord of the World. The Guide will prophesy his future birth as a dharmatā buddha.383 Being near the tathāgata, the worthy, fully realized Buddha, the vidyā holder will sow thousands of millions of billions of roots of virtue, equal to the grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river. Transformed by this, he will obtain a vast amount of merit that is immeasurable and incalculable.

“When these mudrās384 are displayed with the hands in combination with the following mantras, they will bring, it is declared, great benefits.385

“These mantras should be combined with their corresponding hand gestures and recited just once while displaying the mudrā. This will instantly remove all wrongdoings and will swiftly bring [Tii.92] buddhahood. One will swiftly accomplish the ritual and the supreme maṇḍala of liberation of Amoghapāśa.

“The symbolic implements that belong there429 are the precious jewel, the flower, the lotus, the water jar, the jewel rosary, the rudrākṣa rosary, the conch, the discus, the club, the spear, the vajra scepter, the trident, the paṭṭiśa spear, the horizontal vajra,430 the axe, the double trident,431 the jewel vajra,432 the jewel spear, the vajra of activity, the wish-fulfilling jewel, the knife, the staff, the mace, the trident of Maheśvara, the sword, the noose, the goad, the serpent, the tree, the coral tree, the axe, the discus,433 the axe-mace,434 the hand, the topknot, the jewel lamp, the light, light rays, the pestle, the naula,435 the axe, the water pot, the water pitcher, the rock, the mountain, [F.30.a] Mount Sumeru, the coil of a snake, the parasol, the banner, the sea monster, the fish, the tortoise, the auspicious diagram,436 the vidyā circle,437 the vidyā mudrā,438 the trident, the circle, the scimitar, the dagger, the lotus garland, that which is called trident, musuṇḍi,439 the javelin, the sling, the fang,440 the four mudrās, the four fangs, the gulaka,441 the conch, the wheel, the vajra conch,442 the conch that is called trident,443 the jewel conch, the lotus conch, the rudhā,444 the cloth, the lion’s face,445 the partridge, the cuckoo, the goose, the swan, the curlew, the peacock, Yama’s rod, the four-faced,446 the four small circles,447 that which is called trident, the full jar, the half-moon, the sun disk, moonlight, the four lotuses,448 the three lotuses, the ocean, the vase with flowers,449 the book, the deer skin, the thunderbolt, the chain,450 the vajra chain, the archway, the bowl, the robe, the mendicant’s staff, the braid of hair, the vedika,451 the sash, the topknot, the sacred thread, the garland of banyan flowers,452 the triangle, and the samanta vajra.453

“The above are the symbolic implements, as taught by the guides of the world, known as the secret maṇḍala of liberation that belongs to the ritual of Amoghapāśa. [A.18.a] They should be drawn on cotton cloth, a tablet, a wall, or wherever is convenient. The vidyā holder should select the paints and apply them carefully, skillfully combining the colors. All these symbols should be drawn resting upon lotuses, radiating light in all directions. All of them are endowed with life. [Tii.93] They accomplish the aims of all activities and instantly remove all wrongdoings, always bringing the desired results.

“All these symbols are empowered by the lokeśvara-guides.454 They have also been empowered by all the tathāgata-buddhas, including the king of the Śākyas. For this reason, the wise vidyā holder [F.30.b] should practice them with great effort. As a result, he will be loved by the buddhas as their eldest son; there is no doubt. The vidyā holder who practices this collection of mudrā symbols, which are the heart essence of Amoghapāśa and together constitute his secret maṇḍala of liberation, will become the eldest son of the Lord of the World.455 He will swiftly obtain the supreme accomplishment of Amoghapāśa’s dhāraṇīs, mudrās, and mantras.456

“Now I will teach the seven nooses applicable to all amogha rites, and how to follow the right procedure so the practice will be truly effective. The vidyā holder should learn the complete ritual for each noose individually and how to practice them effectively according to their individual characteristics. For the successful performance of the noose sādhana, the vidyā holder should prepare five required threads. He will obtain instant success by merely holding457 the noose; there is no doubt. The five threads are cotton thread,458 lotus thread,459 giant milkweed thread,460 aśoka thread,461 and thread made from tree bark. These threads should each be spun and made into a noose, meeting the procedural requirements for the practice to take effect. They should all be spun using the cotton thread as the measure.

“The vidyā holder should fast, wear clean clothes, be washed clean, observe celibacy, live on the three ‘white’ foods, and stay in a clean place with clean surroundings. In short, he should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa with thoughts of loving kindness. Then he should take the separate threads and, fully focused, twist them together into a string of eight strands.

“He should prepare an effigy462 of the upper body of Amogharāja with his hands joined in the añjali gesture and holding a blossoming lotus. The figure should be four fingers in height, crowned with a diadem463 upon his topknot, and adorned with all ornaments. The vidyā holder should use silver or gold to make three forms of the effigy‍—one peaceful, one frowning, and one in the form of Krodharāja. He should attach a noose that is sixteen cubits long to one side of the effigy,464 and a trident465 with a myrobalan fruit to the other side. [F.31.a]

“Then, on the fifteenth day, the day of the full moon, or on the eighth, the vidyā holder should fast466 for one day and one night and then bathe and put on clean clothes. Sitting cross-legged, he should worship the Buddha with offerings as prescribed. Without uttering other words, he should incant the noose with the mantra one thousand and eight times. When the number of recitations is complete, [Tii.94] he should arrange a divine seat, place the noose on it, and consecrate it with the mudrā of Amoghapāśa. He should perform a pūjā fit for the gods, offering flowers, incense, fragrances, garlands, unguents, scented powders, cloth, and so forth. He should burn incense of agarwood, sandalwood, and olibanum and light lamps.

“He should then incant mustard seeds twenty-one times and cast them upon the noose, and he should worship a cotton painting of Avalokiteśvara with whatever offerings are available. Sitting cross-legged and undistracted in front of the noose, [A.18.b] he should perform worship in the morning and then recite the mantra. Incanting the mustard seeds just once, he should throw them on the noose one thousand and eight times. He should do this every day as much as he can, reciting the mantra in the morning and performing worship. He should avoid spoiled or leftover food and wear clean clothes.

“When the vidyā holder has reached the number one thousand and eight, the noose will blaze with light. If the accomplishment that he has won is worldly, the noose will blaze with the light of a fire; if the accomplishment is supramundane, the noose will blaze with multicolored light. The body of Amoghapāśa will likewise emit light, and he will utter the following words: ‘Good! Good it is, O vidyā holder! You have attained a supramundane accomplishment. With the noose of bodhicitta, [F.31.b] you have drawn to yourself the supreme bodhicitta. You have fully developed the six perfections and are endowed with the ten perfections.’

“From then on, the wishes of the vidyā holder will be fulfilled, and his worldly practice will become like a wish-fulfilling jewel. Any requests he may have will be realized as soon as he flings his hand.467 Everything desirable will be drawn to him. If he casts the noose in any direction while reciting the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa seven times, anything he wants from that direction will instantly be brought to him. Even if he has committed the five acts of immediate retribution and is destined to be reborn in the Avīci hell, this practice will effectively nullify it. There should be no doubt or uncertainty in this regard.

“Wherever the vidyā holder casts the noose attached to the frowning effigy,468 all devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, [Tii.95] and other nonhuman and human beings will certainly be pulled before the vidyā holder and will remain his servants for as long as he lives. All the kings and royal ministers with their harems and retinues will remain in his thrall, and he will be much venerated by the entire world. Whatever his purpose for casting the noose, that purpose will be realized.

“If the vidyā holder incants the Krodharāja469 twenty-one times and casts the noose attached to him,470 then, as soon as it is cast, all the vighnas, vināyakas, and other wicked beings will be bound by the noose and will remain so, according to the vidyā holder’s wish, for a year, a hundred years, a thousand years, or a hundred thousand eons. When he feels pity and love for them, he should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa three times to free them. If he casts the noose of Krodharāja into the thick of a battle, [F.32.a] all weapons and arms, such as bows, arrows, spears, swords, clubs, musuṇḍis, discuses, lances, shields, and armor, will be bound by the noose. He can free them by casting onto the, water and mustard seeds incanted seven times. He should make offerings to the noose every day according to his means, to succeed in whatever venture he undertakes. This ritual procedure to be thus performed is called the unfailing noose.

“If the vidyā holder wants to become invisible, he should do as follows. He should form his right and left hands into the mudrā of Amoghapāśa as previously described. He should then hold the noose and recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa one hundred and eight times. If he recites the mantra one hundred and eight times twice, he will be able to travel through space and will become the great emperor of the unfailing noose vidyādharas471 with a retinue of one hundred thousand million. [A.19.a] He will live one hundred million years. His hair will become wavy and curly, and his strength, energy, and valor can never be impaired.

“If there is need for rain, the vidyā holder can perform the appropriate pūjā, and it will rain as much as necessary. If it rains too much, he can perform the pūjā for stopping the rain, and the rain will stop. If there is need to pacify any misfortune, disasters, calamities, or deadly pestilences, the vidyā holder should bathe, clean himself, and put on clean clothes. [Tii.96] He should climb to an elevated spot with the noose in his hand and hold the noose while displaying the mudrā of Amoghapāśa. [F.32.b] He should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa seven times into each of the four directions while casting the noose. As soon as the mantra is recited, all quarrels, disagreements, disputes, and lawsuits will cease, and armies, whether one’s own or those of the enemy, and all opponents and adversaries will be appeased. All fears, hostilities, misfortunes, deadly pestilences, famines, and other dangers will be pacified. Excessive or untimely rains, cold spells, strong winds, heat waves, and all similar dangers will not arise, and a protective boundary will be created with the radius of one hundred leagues. The vidyā holder will accomplish whatever wishes come to his mind.

“He should perform a pūjā, recite the Amogharāja, and pay homage to him. By merely performing the pūjā and making the requests, everything will instantly turn out favorably. He should not question or have any doubts about this. He should perform any of the ritual activities that have been taught in this manual, any of the procedures and practices, and so obtain instant success in everything.

“He should cultivate loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. He should be wholly motivated by pity for all sentient beings. He should worship Noble Avalokiteśvara and feel respect for the Three Jewels. He should contemplate all the tathāgatas and respect his master. He should maintain pure conduct and have pure morality. By its very nature, the prescribed practice of Amoghapāśa, whereby one attracts the principle of bodhi, is like a wish-fulfilling jewel.

“I will now teach vidyā holders the ritual practice of the wheel noose,472 the nature of which allows them to enter passages to subterranean paradises.473 [F.33.a] This practice for entering all passages is the supreme means to this effect. The vidyā holder will be able to enter the palaces of asuras, kinnaras, gandharvas, and devas. He will be able to travel through space and enter the realm of Thirty-Three and even travel as far as the realm of Akaniṣṭha. He will also gain entry to the palaces of the nāga kings and their subterranean realms, as well as the abodes of the sun, the moon,474 the stars, and the nakṣatras. Whether it be forests, mountains, or great rivers, the vidyā holder will be able to enter any place he directs his thoughts, both in this world and beyond. The ritual procedure of the noose can accomplish this with little effort and little practice. He should not harbor any questions or doubts about this.

“The vidyā holder [Tii.97] should be clean, bathe well, wear clean clothes, and live on the three ‘white’ foods. He should chant the Buddhānusmṛti Gāthā475 in the true spirit of devotion and faith, cultivating thoughts of loving kindness, the heart of compassion, and a pure mind. He should start on the thirteenth lunar day and follow the procedure until the full moon,476 as is auspicious. He should offer a pūjā according to his means three times a day [A.19.b] and always recite the mantra one hundred and eight times, three times a day. He should do this at the three junctions of the day and the three junctions of the night.

“He should procure three types of thread‍—cotton thread, lotus thread, and giant milkweed thread‍—and make the supreme wheel-noose. He should twine them into a string with three strands exactly thirty-six cubits long. He should also make a wheel four fingers in diameter with three parts‍—hub, rim, and spokes‍—distributed in a circle. The wheel should be made of gold, silver, and copper. He should place the wheel on a divine seat adorned as the Dharma seat. [F.33.b] It should be strewn with the fragrant maṇḍūka477 flowers and adorned with full jars. The vidyā holder should also provide bowls with an argha offering, placing them opposite the cotton painting.478

“He should then place the noose on the Dharma seat and, at the three junctions of the day, make offerings of whatever articles he chooses while reciting the mantra one hundred and eight times. Then, on the fifteenth lunar day when the moon is full, having fasted for one day and one night without speaking, he should make offerings to the cotton painting of Avalokiteśvara. He should burn three types of incense‍—agarwood, sandalwood, and bdellium. Sitting opposite the painting in front of the Dharma seat, he should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa one thousand and eight times, each time incanting a single mustard seed and casting it upon the noose.

“When he has reached the number one thousand and eight, the noose will blaze with light. The wheel will stay suspended in the air479 and revolve, ablaze with light. The body of the vidyā holder will radiate light, with rays emerging from his head. Words of approval will then issue forth from the cotton painting, and the vidyā holder will know that he has accomplished the great rite of the wheel noose that employs the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa.

“The vidyā holder should then offer a large pūjā [Tii.98] and recite the mantra of Amogha­krodha­rāja. After incanting the noose one thousand and eight times, he should grasp it. With the left hand displaying the mudrā of the wheel he should grasp the wheel. With the right hand displaying the mudrā of the noose he should hold the noose.480 He should then cast the noose in each of the four directions while reciting the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa. Afterward, he should cast the noose in the ten directions, each time reciting the mantra of Krodharāja twenty-one times. [F.34.a] He should then swing the noose seven times to consecrate his body. He will be consecrated as the great emperor of the vidyādharas as soon as the noose is swung and the mudrā displayed.

“Subsequently, he will obtain the supremely great accomplishments. The king Sudarśana with his great army481 will appear before him in person, bow his head to his feet, and say, ‘Speak, vidyā holder! I will carry out whatever you command me to do.’ The vidyā holder should then specify what he needs, and Sudarśana will do it all. He will become a servant who performs all the tasks.

“Whenever the vidyā holder wishes to enter a particular residence,482 he should fast for three days and nights and then display the noose mudrā with his hand. He should swing the noose483 three times in the direction of the entrance or opening, and cast it while reciting the Amogharāja. As soon as the noose is cast, the entrances or openings to any residence will open. All the locks and bolts will unlock and fall away, and all the paths under the great rivers or up the mountains that are made difficult by the yakṣas and rākṣasas will become gentle meanders. [A.20.a] The bolts and door locks will break into pieces, and chains will break, split, and fall off. They will deteriorate and disintegrate.

“Subsequently, the vidyā holder will see huge magical palaces that are immaculate and pure. He will see palatial residences constructed from the seven types of jewels and adorned with various bright jewels and different species of jeweled trees, all enveloped in the fragrance from flower gardens with various species of flowers. At that time, he should hold the noose with the hand that displays the mudrā, place the wheel before him,484 [F.34.b] recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa, and enter. As soon as he enters the palatial compound of the vidyādharas, [Tii.99] the compound will shake in six different ways. It will move and quake, make rattling and booming sounds, and be awash in a great divine light. He should now enter.

“When he enters, a medicinal goddess named Immaculate Amogha Purity will arrive in a female form adorned with celestial ornaments, clothes, and adornments, magnificent in her pure golden splendor and endowed with great divine beauty, and will hold out a citron. Upon seeing the female form of this medicinal goddess, vitality and strength will be granted to everyone within a radius of one league. The vidyā holder should, at that time, hold up the noose with the wheel of Amoghapāśa. As soon as she sees it, all his485 vitality and strength will be taken away, and he will feel weak. The female being will laugh.

“At that moment, the vidyā holder should suppress her with the sound of the syllable oṁ and recite the mantra of Krodharāja. She will fall on her face and ooze water. He should not sprinkle himself with this water but recite the Amogharāja. She will cast amorous glances. The vidyā holder should tie her with the noose, whereupon she will ooze the water of immortality. He should collect this water and sprinkle himself. As soon as he does this, he will rise into the air. At first, he will travel upon the wind. If he anoints his eyes with the water, he will be able to see everything in the ten directions, including all the tathāgatas with their retinues of bodhisattvas and all their marvelous palatial compounds in the respective buddha fields. He will see them as if in the palm of his hand. He will see the buddhas who are presently alive and those who have entered final nirvāṇa. [F.35.a] He will see all the buddhas of the past, the present, and the future, as well as the great caityas with relics in the inner sanctums and wooden posts486 in the pinnacles.487 He will see them all as houses and retinues.488

“He should rub his entire body with the water. As soon as he rubs himself with the water from the pot, his skin will turn a divine golden color. His hair will be of deep blue color with nice, wavy locks. His eyes will turn deep blue, like exquisite celestial lotuses. His lifespan will increase to one hundred thousand celestial eons, and he will have a retinue of eighteen million vidyādharas and hundreds of thousands of vidyādhara emperors. In his immediate proximity there will be seventy-two489 apsarases, kinnarīs, and vidyādharīs [Tii.100] and hundreds of thousands of millions of gods. His retinue will be as numerous as the grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river.

“Whatever he wishes for490 will materialize as soon he thinks of it. [A.20.b] Divine food of one hundred exquisite tastes will appear in front of him, and the best divine beverages tasting of nectar will appear. King Sudarśana with his great army491 will advance ahead of him, crushing all the enemies and all vighnas and vināyakas‍—breaking, cutting, tearing, stopping, piercing, and destroying them‍—right up to the moment of the vidyā holder’s ultimate realization of bodhi. All medicinal goddesses will pull out their hair to make it into sashes that will turn whatever is bound with them into the seven precious jewels. The vidyā holder will enter any place invisibly. All deities will be his close attendants, and all nāgas, asuras,492 kinnaras, and vidyādharas will come under the vidyā holder’s control. They will all, along with their retinues, attach themselves to him and follow close behind him [F.35.b] until the time of his ultimate realization of bodhi.

“If he wants to enter a residence and come out again, he should neither speak to the medicinal goddess nor touch her but instead form the mudrā of the noose493 with his hands and enter the grand residence. Afterward, all the inhabitants of this residence‍—women, men, boys, and girls‍—will come outside and stand before the vidyā holder. Some will hold full jars in their hands; some, parasols; some, divine clothes; some, great celestial jewels; some, perfume; some, flowers; some, garlands; some, ornaments and adornments of various kinds; some, unguents; some, scented powders; some, perfumed water; some, platters filled with the seven types of jewels; some, various divine fruits; and some will hold various divine flowers such as white, pink, and blue lotuses and water lilies, mandārava, great mandārava, mañjūṣaka, great mañjūṣaka, rocaka, great rocaka, atimuktaka,494 champak,495 jasmine, nīla, great nīla,496 laran, sumanas, yūthikā,497 nāgapuṣpa,498 kontagandha,499 and vārṣika.500 Some will hold divine [Tii.101] incense such as the incense of gośīrṣa, uragasāra, candana,501 agarwood, olibanum, or tamāla502 leaves.

“Some of the inhabitants will hold peacock feathers503 in their hands; some, a sword; some, a spear; some, a diamond axe; some, a javelin; some, a spear; some, a club; some, a trident; and some will hold a musuṇḍi.504 Some will arrive and stand nearby to provide protection with armor, coats of mail, metal shields, and cuirasses.505 Some will hold plates with various jewels, [F.36.a] golden plates, silver plates, and also flowers made entirely of jewels, gold, or silver. They will all respectfully offer these things to the vidyā holder, who, for his part, should visualize himself as Avalokiteśvara in the form of Amoghapāśa. He should feel intense compassion and loving kindness and remember the Buddha. Wholly motivated by compassion, attentive, and silent, he should give them comfort and consolation and cause them to embark on the right path.506

“Then, standing in front of a lion seat, the vidyā holder should place the amogha wheel-noose on it and sit down. [B4] [A.21.a] He should bow to all the tathāgatas above and to Noble Avalokiteśvara, the boon granter, and so bring defeat upon all his enemies. If he bows to those who walk upside down,507 the heads of his opponents will be chopped off with the wheel.

“As soon as the vidyā holder sits down, the residence will shake in six different ways, and a loud sound will be heard. There will be cries of joy and the divine sounds of the five types of instruments. Deities will emerge from space in a great aerial palace and consecrate the vidyā holder’s head, investing him with a silk turban.508 As soon as he is consecrated, a rain of seven types of jewels will fall, as will a rain of gold, riches, and clothes and a rain of golden, silver, and various other types of celestial flowers and celestial adornments. Apsarases will then arrive and offer plates with seven types of jewels and the elixir of longevity. [F.36.b] The vidyā holder should accept the offerings while reciting the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa and touch509 the elixir to his lips. [Tii.102] As soon as the vidyā holder sips it, he will obtain a divine, completely pure body with a golden complexion. His hair will turn deep blue, his eyes will be like celestial lotuses, and he will obtain divine, pure vision. His lifespan will increase to hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of celestial eons.

“If the vidyā holder wants never to return, he should take as much of that supreme elixir as he wishes, step into510 rainwater perfumed with sandalwood, and bathe in it. As soon as he has bathed, he will find himself at an entry passage.511 He will look as beautiful as Maheśvara and be the sole, foremost object of worship in the entire world. Worshiped with offerings and honored as master, he will be like Noble Avalokiteśvara. If in this situation he sprinkles himself with the supreme elixir, his body will be as pure as the gold from the great river Jambu. If he sprinkles a house, mountain, pillar, tree, vessel, pitcher, pot, pill, missile,512 or clod of earth, it will become refined gold like that from the great river Jambu. Things will materialize as needed.

“If the vidyā holder wants a vidyādhara girl, a nāga girl, an apsaras, or perhaps a young kinnarī to arrive, he should be clean, wear clean clothes, and wash carefully. On the eighth, the fourteenth, or the fifteenth lunar day, he should make offerings to Noble Avalokiteśvara in the cotton painting and fast for one day and one night. He should place the great wheel-noose upon the divine seat adorned as the Dharma seat and perform a pūjā before it while refraining from talking. [F.37.a] He should recite the mantra one thousand and eight times, incant a single mustard seed with each recitation, and throw it at the noose. When he has reached the number one thousand and eight, the noose will coil up like a snake, and the wheel will assume the shape of the snake’s hood. At that moment, the vidyā holder should grasp the noose, stand next to a cleft513 leading to a palace of nāgas, kinnaras, or apsarases, [A.21.b] and recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa. He should cast the noose inside the palace and immediately draw it back. [Tii.103] He will catch any girl he has in mind with the noose, and she will do whatever he wishes.

“He should cast the noose at anything else he may wish for, be it money, gold coins, gold bullion, jewels, pearls, beryl stones, conch-like stones, coral, silver, gold, clothes, ornaments, adornments, or other things such as celestial palaces. He can pull anything from anywhere. The objects will manifest wherever he casts the noose. Whatever objects he wishes for will manifest in full, and nothing else will manifest.

“Whoever the vidyā holder wishes to attract‍—a woman, man, boy, or girl from a royal, brahmin, or kṣatriya family‍—will be pulled in as soon as he utters their name and casts the noose. They will be bound by the noose and brought into his presence. He may also attract deer, birds, lions, tigers, elephants, and buffalo. If he casts the noose in the middle of a village while uttering someone’s name, that person will be bound by the noose and brought before him. All his wishes will be realized.

“If he wants the moon or the sun to descend to earth,514 [F.37.b] he should stand facing them and recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa seven times. He should then cast the noose toward the moon or the sun and draw it in again. Bound by the noose, the moon and the sun will be pulled down and descend from the sky and stand before the vidyā holder. They will perform whatever tasks he wants them to. If he wants to visit their respective palaces, he should grasp the noose with the hand that forms the noose mudrā and recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa; he will then rise up through space, share the seat with the moon or the sun for as long as necessary, and descend back to earth in good health, uninjured, unharmed, and unaffected.

“If he wants to enter a passage leading to a secret grove, he should be clean, wear clean clothes, and bathe well. He should recite the mantra near the opening of the passageway into the grove twenty-one times and cast the noose. As soon as the noose is released from his hand, all the nāgas that dwell in the palatial residence behind the passageway515 will come out and stand before the vidyā holder. They will say,516 ‘Please enter, vidyā holder, into this supreme, great palace.’ At that point, the vidyā holder should recite the Amogharāja. [Tii.104] Displaying the noose mudrā with his hand, he should enter the passageway in the grove. As soon as he enters, the residence in the grove will shake in six different ways. In the center of the area toward the end of the grove there will be a lotus pond, built with the seven types of jewels, whose water will have the divine fragrance of sandalwood and will be neither too cold nor too hot. It will taste sweet when used for rinsing the mouth and will have the properties of the elixir of longevity.

“The vidyā holder should incant some mustard seeds with the heart mantra of Amogharāja twenty-one times and cast them into the center of the lotus pond. [F.38.a] As soon as they are cast, a girl resembling the jewel of a woman517 will emerge from the pond, revealing the upper half of her body, [A.22.a] holding a jar filled with the seven types of jewels, and adorned with divine flowers of various colors. She will offer the jar to the vidyā holder. With her head bowed low, she will say coyly, ‘May the venerable vidyā holder please enter the house without further delay!’ The vidyā holder can request three types of magical accomplishment‍—entry into the world beyond, the state of a vidyādhara, or the worldly accomplishments with their attendant pleasures.518 He can request the girl to be either his mother, sister, or servant. He should say, ‘I would like to enter the other world. Please grant it, sister, so that I may enter.’ She will say, ‘Accept it, vidyā holder, and enter the house!’

“He should then display the noose mudrā with his hands and enter, reciting the heart mantra of Amogharāja. The supreme great palace‍—constructed from the seven types of jewels and adorned with divine wind chimes, lattices, golden hangings, silken hangings, and garlands‍—will be open to view. The girl will offer the vidyā holder a great precious jewel, saying, ‘Accept this great precious gem, O vidyā holder, if you wish to enter the world beyond.’ The vidyā holder should accept it and request a seat.519 Arranging the noose nicely into a circle, he should place it on the seat and place the great precious jewel on top of that. He should offer flowers and incense and then recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja.

“As soon as the mantra is recited, the noose and the great precious jewel will emit light. The jewel will also ooze milk. [Tii.105] The vidyā holder should scoop the milk and sprinkle himself with seven handfuls of it. As soon as he sprinkles the milk, [F.38.b] his entire body will become pure and immaculate. It will acquire a glow that is called the wide circular aura of the effulgent amogha light. He will be irreversibly established on the supreme path to awakening and progress through the ten bodhisattva levels. He will obtain the mirage-like samādhi of Noble Avalokiteśvara with its magical displays.

“Avalokiteśvara himself will appear before the vidyā holder in his completely pure true form wearing the attire of Amoghapāśa, place his right hand on his head, and give him comfort by saying, ‘You are my eldest son who has attained the state of vidyādhara with a completely pure body of a buddha in the great maṇḍala of liberation.’ The vidyā holder will see all the tathāgatas in the ten directions, who will all applaud him, saying, ‘Good! Good it is, O great being, that you have entered and definitively established yourself on the path to awakening.’

“This practice is known as the path to liberation.

“If the vidyā holder wants to become a vidyādhara instead,520 he should offer golden flowers by taking them and placing them on the head of the girl while suppressing her with the syllable oṁ. As soon as the syllable is positioned upright and its sound clearly pronounced, the girl’s beautiful eyes will overflow with tears. The vidyā holder should collect the teardrops and sprinkle himself. As soon as he does, he will become an emperor of the vidyādharas. His hair will become curly, and he will travel through space with the wheel noose in his hand, surrounded by a retinue of one trillion eight hundred billion vidyādharas.521 He will be able to recall seven thousand of his former births.

“This is the vidyādhara practice.522 [A.22.b]

“Alternatively, the girl may offer the vidyā holder the procedure for worldly practice, in which case she will say, ‘Accept my hair, vidyā holder.’ She will then cut off her topknot and [F.39.a] give it to him. He should take all of it and use it to make a plait with three strands. He should make twenty-one knots in it and tie the plait around his head. Whatever he thinks about will manifest as a magical display. He will be able to conjure at will all the [Tii.106] flowers and fruits he desires, and he will cause whatever he desires to appear in reality. If he ties the plait around his neck, he will become invisible. All yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, piśācas, kumbhāṇḍas, mahoragas, and humans523 will come under his control. If he ties the plait around his forehead, all devas and nāgas will come under his control. If he ties it around his right arm, he will have the strength of ten elephants and be unassailable by armies or any wicked opponents and adversaries.524

“If he ties the plait around his left arm, all the members of the four castes will come to him and remain under his thrall. If he ties the plait around his left hand, whomever he touches will fall under his thrall and place themselves and their wealth at the vidyā holder’s disposal. If he ties the plait around his right hand and knocks at the eastern gate of the city three times, he will bring the king, his harem, and his retinue, as well as the capital city with all its women, men, boys, and girls, under his thrall. They will place themselves and their wealth at the vidyā holder’s disposal. All animals and birds, both carnivorous and herbivorous, venomous snakes, and other venomous creatures that are in his vicinity will come under his control. If he ties the plait around his right thigh, all medicinal substances and herbs, and all the deities that live in the forests, crevices, mountain wildernesses, caves, or forest dwellings that he enters will appear before him in their respective forms as soon as he enters there. [F.39.b]

“If he ties the plait around his right foot or right calf, he will cross the great ocean by foot,525 not to mention the great rivers. The water will be just knee-deep. If he ties the plait around his left foot, he will be able to travel one hundred leagues every single day and return without getting tired. If he ties it around his left thigh and subsequently enters a great charnel ground, all the beings who live there will become naked and remain under his thrall.526

“If he wants to have sex right there in the palace, he should grasp the full jar with his left hand, and the girl with the right, and enter this great supreme dwelling. That supreme place will have a lotus pond in the center that is strewn with flowers. They both should bathe in that lotus pond and splash527 in the water. As soon as he has bathed and performed his ablutions, the vidyā holder will become the emperor of vidyādharas with the wheel and the noose. He will have a retinue of seven billion vidyādharas and will live ten thousand eons. [Tii.107] His hair will become wavy and curly, and he will be the master of eight hundred forty palatial dwellings in the grove.528

“If he requests the girl to be his mother, she will care for him as if for her own son, and will procure money,529 grain, clothes, ornaments, precious stones, pearls, coral, silver, and gold for him. If he requests her to be his sister, [A.23.a] she will provide all supplies and services without any hesitation and will not neglect any detail. Every single day she will procure a divinely-adorned celestial woman and arrange for heavenly delights in palatial mansions. She will provide a heavenly residential palace. When dispatched, she will go wherever she is asked to go, [F.40.a] whether it is to the palaces of the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, or bhūtas. She will perform whatever other tasks come to the vidyā holder’s mind and are assigned to her.

“This was the practice procedure of the grove.

“If the vidyā holder wants to enter subterranean paradises, he should clean himself, bathe, put on clean clothes, and draw a four-sided maṇḍala in a hidden place on a clean patch of ground. He should smear the maṇḍala with various fragrances, arrange a bali offering of various tastes, and burn agarwood incense. After fasting for three days and three nights, he should recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja one thousand and eight times while displaying the hand mudrā of the wheel noose. When he has reached the number one thousand and eight, incense smoke will issue forth from the center of the maṇḍala. He should then recite the mantra of Krodharāja seven times. When this is done, a huge, black-colored man will emerge from inside the maṇḍala, exposing the upper half of his body. He will be grimacing, bearing his fangs, and his hair will flow upward from his blazing head. He will have red eyes, a red tongue and lips, red fingernails, blue hair, firm and taut arms, and a protruding belly. He will wear a white sacred cord, have a five-headed venomous snake above his head, and have a lolling tongue. He will be clad in a tiger’s skin and hold an axe and a bell in his hands. He will cast glances in the ten directions.

“The vidyā holder should not be afraid at this time, but should remain steadfast and recite the Krodharāja. He should cast the wheel noose and cut off the head of the black-colored man. A lot of blood will gush out, which he should smear all over his body. As soon as he does this, his body will turn into an unbreakable and infrangible vajra. [Tii.108] Having gouged out the eyes from the severed head, the vidyā holder should anoint his own eyes by rubbing them with the gouged eyeballs. He will then obtain the divine eye. Having extracted the bone marrow from the corpse, he should sprinkle it over himself; his lifespan will increase to ten thousand eons. He will become an ocean-like receptacle of sacred knowledge. [F.40.b] He will remember his former births stretching back for hundreds of thousands of eons. If he eats530 a little bit of the corpse’s heart, he will travel through space. If he makes a bindi on his chest with the blood from the corpse, he will become invisible. If he cuts out the corpse’s tongue, it will turn into a sword that can be used to destroy all enemies.

“If the vidyā holder wants to enter subterranean paradises,531 he should incant the wheel noose with the Krodharāja one hundred and eight times, grasp the noose with the hand displaying the mudrā, and strike the earth three times with the wheel.532 The gates to the subterranean paradise will fall open,533 and he should enter as if he were entering his own house. He will be able to visit it repeatedly and perform any other task.534 All the inhabitants of the paradise535 will fall under his thrall.

“If, after that, he wants to travel through space, he should direct his gaze upward and recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja one thousand and eight times. He should smear his body with mustard oil incanted just as many times. By forming the hand mudrā of the noose, he will ascend to the firmament of the sky and remain there suspended in space. If he wishes to enter the palace of a god, he should go to a temple, [A.23.b] stand by the side of the god, and tie the noose around the god’s neck.536 He should recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja one thousand and eight times. The god whom he ties and whose name he recalls will descend to earth and stand before him. Whether it is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, or Maheśvara, he will say to the vidyā holder, ‘I will grant whatever you wish for, O vidyā holder.’ The vidyā holder should reply, ‘I intend to visit the god’s palace.’ That god will also grant any other boons he might wish for.

“The vidyā holder will then go to the abode of the god. Held by the hand, he will, by the god’s magical power, ascend through space up to the god’s abode, and he will enjoy himself to his heart’s content in the great celestial mansion. When he has had enough, [F.41.a] he can leave the god’s abode and descend back to earth. Any other wishes that he may have or tasks that he wants performed will be accomplished in full; one should not harbor any doubts or uncertainties about it. [Tii.109]

“These are the ritual procedures for the practice of the wheel noose.

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the practice of the lotus noose, he should bathe, put on clean clothes, and fast for either three, five, or a single day and night. He should procure the right type of thread for the noose‍—either cotton or lotus thread dyed the color of beryl and cut to the measure of twenty-one cubits. The lotus537 should be made from the three types of precious material, and its petals should be open and measure four fingers.538 The material to be used for the petals539 should be gold plate or silver plate. Its kernels should be made of either beryl or sapphire and surrounded by pearl. The lotus should then be attached to the noose, and the hand at the opposite side should display the noose mudrā.

“The vidyā holder should then prepare a divine seat adorned as the Dharma seat and draw a circle with cow dung. Above the circle he should visualize a lotus rich in fragrance and place the Dharma seat within the circle. He should adorn the circle with full jars, strew it with flowers, and burn incense of agarwood, sandalwood, and olibanum in front of it. He should also set out argha water for the feet. The lotus noose should be placed on the Dharma seat.

“The vidyā holder should sit cross-legged in front of the painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara and recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa ten thousand times, incanting with each recitation a single mustard seed and throwing it on the noose until he has reached the number ten thousand. On the fifteenth lunar day, the day of the full moon, after fasting for one day and one night, he should make offerings to Noble Avalokiteśvara and to the noose. [F.41.b] Then, displaying the mudrā of Amoghapāśa, he should recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja one hundred and eight times and, after that, the heart mantra of Krodharāja one hundred and eight times. He should recite at the three junctions of the day and make offerings. The lotus noose will then blaze with light of various colors, and the words ‘Good! It is good!’ will be heard. The painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara will also radiate light of various colors. At that time, the vidyā holder, displaying the mudrā, should sit in the cross-legged posture without blinking, with a smiling countenance and his heart filled with great compassion. [Tii.110] Looking at Noble Avalokiteśvara’s face, he should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa three times.

“After this, Noble Avalokiteśvara [A.24.a] will appear before the vidyā holder in his true divine nature. He will extend his right arm, place his hand on the vidyā holder’s head, and applaud and comfort him, saying, ‘You, a vidyā holder, are my eldest son and very close to me. This great ritual procedure of recitation and offerings constitutes my ultimate worship. This is the supreme way of reciting, and the supreme practice. You have accomplished the heart mantra of Amogharāja and mastered the practice of the great lotus-noose. You have obtained the desired boons and fulfilled all your wishes. You are freed from the dreadful prison of saṃsāra. You are freed from the terrible fears of birth, old age, death, and despair. You are saved from the sixteen great and terrible hells. You are saved from the eight great fears and from terrible suffering and pain. This is your last birth from a womb with its dreadful suffering. [F.42.a] After you die, O vidyā holder, you will proceed to the realm of Sukhāvatī, where you will be spontaneously born from a lotus flower. This will continue until you attain the ultimate and final awakening. You have planted roots of great virtue in the presence of eighty-four billion tathāgatas equal in number to the grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river. Your store of merit, O vidyā holder, is huge. You have performed many acts of respectful service. You, O great vidyā holder, are prophesied to attain liberation. You are saved from all the terrors of the hells and cleansed of all your past obscurations. You may request whatever boon comes to mind.’

“At this point the vidyā holder will obtain a boon according to his wish. He should grasp the lotus noose and, in a clean place, make copious offerings with reverence. Whenever a task needs to be performed, he should grasp the noose with his hand; he will then be able to perform any task. He should place the lotus540 in the left hand of Noble Avalokiteśvara, grasp the noose with the right hand, and recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja one hundred and eight times. [Tii.111] Whatever being or deity’s name he focuses on while reciting the mantra, that being will arrive in front of the bodhisattva541 when the number one hundred and eight has been reached. The bodhisattva will grant that being all the desired boons.

“If the vidyā holder wants his future awakening to be prophesied, he should be well bathed and clean and wear clean clothes. After fasting for one day and one night, he should offer a large pūjā to the blessed Buddha Śākyamuni542 and place the lotus noose in the blessed Buddha’s hand. He should tie the other end of the noose to his own neck and recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja the full one thousand and eight times. When this number is reached, the blessed Buddha will arrive before the vidyā holder in his golden body [F.42.b] and place his hand on the vidyā holder’s head. He will comfort him, prophesy his future awakening, and make all his wishes come true. He will remove all his wrongdoings and obscurations accumulated over hundreds of thousands of his former births; they will be exhausted completely.

“The body of the vidyā holder will become completely pure. His stains will be removed, and his envy and jealousy will be gone. His current birth will be his last birth from a womb. He will experience the splendor of the celestial realms.543 All beings will treat him as their unique master and offer due worship.544 The tathāgatas in the ten directions will think about him at the time of his death, [A.24.b] offer him comfort, and show him the right path. Noble Avalokiteśvara, too, will appear before him and give him comfort, placing his right hand on his head. He will leave his body while facing Noble Avalokiteśvara, who will be aware of his presence. As soon as he dies he will, as is his destiny, proceed to the realm of Sukhāvatī, where he will be spontaneously born from a lotus flower. His body will be adorned with all the ornaments, including the major and minor marks of perfection. He will recover the memories of his former births, going back in time hundreds of thousands of eons, and this Heart Essence of Amoghapāśa545‍—this maṇḍala of liberation, the ritual text complete with its collection of mudrās‍—will remain prominent in his memory.546 He will be irreversibly established on the ten bodhisattva levels, from where there is no turning back. [Tii.112] Until the moment of his ultimate and final awakening, he will travel through all the buddha fields in the ten directions, from one to another, living in supremely great residences and celestial palaces that have been miraculously created through great magical power.

“If the vidyā holder wants to see the realm of Sukhāvatī [F.43.a] just as he sees this temporal world, he should draw a four-sided maṇḍala in a clean place in a house, forest, park, garden pavilion, or a walking area, on a mountaintop, or in a hut. It should be drawn in a clean spot on the ground with a smooth, well-swept surface. The maṇḍala should be one or two547 cubits across, regular in shape, and with four corners and four sides. It should be daubed with a mixture of clay and cow dung, have a smooth surface, and be adorned with green and tender medicinal grass.548 Using thread, the skilled vidyā holder should demarcate the sections of the maṇḍala, the perimeter, and the central area. In the central area he should use paints of vivid colors to expertly draw a lotus with one hundred petals and one hundred and eight kernels.549

“Around the perimeter of the lotus he should draw various circular motifs and lotuses in a variety of colors, each four fingers in size. He should draw beautiful blue lotuses in the inner corners of the main lotus and a circular jeweled platform around it. He should draw a surrounding ocean filled with divine water and palaces made of various jewels.550 The ocean’s waters should be strewn with various flowers and contain many nesting birds such as geese, cranes, curlews, cakravāka birds, jīvaka birds, cuckoos, and various other birds. It should be filled with fish, crocodiles, and dolphins. On the ocean’s shore he should draw various jewel trees, blossom-bearing trees, and fruit trees provided with benches.551 Outside the circular platform, he should draw hand mudrās and implements. The Four Great Kings should stand at the four gates. A divine seat should be depicted on the lotus in center of the maṇḍala, with the blessed Amitābha seated upon it. The vidyā holder should also draw Noble Avalokiteśvara and Mahā­sthāma­prāpta.552 [F.43.b]

“The maṇḍala should be adorned with full jars, strewn with flowers, smeared with scented oils, and adorned with various divine banners. The vidyā holder should offer a bali consisting of ‘white’ foods, drinking water, argha water for the feet, and a row of lamps. [Tii.113] He should place the lotus at the end of the lotus noose in Amitābha’s hand. Clean, well washed, and wearing clean clothes, [A.25.a] he should sprinkle himself with the five products of the cow. On the day of the full moon, after fasting for one day and night, he should sit cross-legged with his face toward the east while displaying the noose mudrā with his hand and reciting the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa. Dedicated to caring and feeling pity for all beings, he should cultivate loving kindness and compassion. He should thus carry on reciting the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa until, in the last watch of the night, Amitābha will blaze with light. The great maṇḍala will also emit light. The body of the vidyā holder will move and blaze with golden light.553

“At dawn, the noble Tathāgata Amitābha, a worthy, fully realized buddha, will appear before the vidyā holder in his golden tathāgata body, place his right hand on the vidyā holder’s head, and comfort him. He will make all his wishes come true and then disappear. The vidyā holder will subsequently have a dream called stainlessly pure light. As soon as he goes to sleep and closes his eyes, he will see the realm of Sukhāvatī with its palatial dwellings. He will see all the inhabited places in the world and the full assembly of bodhisattvas. He will see the Tathāgata Amitābha teaching the Dharma and giving comfort to everyone in the assembly. [F.44.a] He will see miraculous creations appearing through the power of magic. His current birth will be his last birth from the womb, and when he dies he will, as is his destiny, be reborn in the realm of Sukhāvatī. He will retain his memories from one birth to another and be able to recall seven thousand of his former births.

If after waking from the dream the vidyā holder incants the noose with the mantra one thousand and eight times and grasps it with his right hand, he will ascend into the sky. He will live for ten thousand years and become an emperor of the vidyādharas, all of them the masters of the noose. His retinue will number eighteen thousand.554

“This was the procedure for the practice of the lotus noose. [Tii.114]

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the practice of the vajra noose, he should make a thread twenty-one cubits long that combines equal measures of tree-bark fibers, cotton, and silk. He should make a vajra555 that is four fingers long from white sandalwood. The vajra should be five-pronged and bound with a rope made of a nāga with a head.556 It should be garlanded by flames like the nāga king Nandopananda. The vidyā holder should attached the vajra to the noose.

“He should be clean, wear clean clothes, bathe thoroughly, and sprinkle himself with the five products of the cow. He should sit on a seat of grass opposite the painting. Pressing down on the noose with his right hand, he should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa ten thousand times and, afterwards, the mantra of Krodharāja one thousand times. The noose will blaze with light. If he then grasps it, he will ascend into the sky. All the deities of the vajra, tathāgata, jewel, and lotus families will meet him face-to-face. He will possess beauty, strength, diligence, [F.44.b] and valor similar to that of Vajrapāṇi. He will live twelve thousand celestial years.

“The vajra noose can accomplish all tasks and destroy all enemies. [A.25.b] Wherever the vidyā holder casts this noose, whether up or down, he will bind any being he has in mind and bring it into his presence. If he casts the noose into the cardinal or intermediate directions557 while reciting the Krodharāja, he will quickly bind and draw any woman or man, or any other being, whoever it is, with the noose. There is no doubt about this. Whether it is a deva, a nāga, a yakṣa, a rākṣasa, a gandharva, an asura, a garuḍa, a kinnara, a bhūta, or a mahoraga, he can swiftly summon any of them, bound by the noose. There is no doubt.

“If the vidyā holder incants the noose with the Krodharāja twenty-one times on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, during a dark night, and casts it in the four cardinal directions, all the vighnas, vināyakas, wicked yakṣas, and rākṣasas will be bound and brought into the presence of the vidyā holder as soon as the noose is cast. They will perform all his tasks and remain in his thrall as his servants for the rest of their lives. All grahas will leave him alone if they merely see the noose. [Tii.115]

“If the vidyā holder incants the noose with the Krodharāja one hundred and eight times and then enters a charnel ground while holding it in his hand, he will be invisible. The gates to all palaces will be open for him, and if he approaches any secret passage and strikes its opening with the vajra noose, it will open. All the locks and bolts will split. All the dangers of the road, bad people, nonhuman beings, and river crossings will vanish,558 and venomous aśīviṣa and gonāsa snakes [F.45.a] will become lifeless. Walking straight on a straight path, the vidyā holder should enter the passage as if entering his own house. Once he has accomplished all his intended tasks there, he can leave the dwelling again.

“This was the practice procedure of the vajra noose that accomplishes all activities.

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the practice of the jewel noose, he should procure a suitable jewel. It could be a diamond, beryl, natural crystal, emerald, or sapphire the size of a finger joint. Having cleaned it thoroughly with utmost care, the vidyā holder should set it in a golden setting shaped like a flower and surround it with pearls. He should prepare a thread, cut to the measure of exactly twenty-one cubits, from divine cotton the beautiful orange color of champak blossoms559 bristling with filaments. At one end, the vidyā holder should attach the jewel, which should be the size560 of the middle finger, and at the other, a hook made of precious stone or gold.561

“The vidyā holder, ritually pure and wearing clean clothes, should then perform ablutions and sprinkle himself with the five products of the cow. He should prepare a maṇḍala in front of a painting562 with four sides of equal length, smear it with every fragrance, and put out full jars.563 He should arrange incense bowls around it,564 offering incense of agarwood, sandalwood, and olibanum. In the center of the maṇḍala, the vidyā holder should arrange a divine seat the size of a Dharma seat.565 The maṇḍala should be surrounded by various banners,566 well adorned, strewn with flowers, and perfumed, and it should have musical instruments placed around it.

“The vidyā holder should live on the three ‘white’ foods and avoid bad food and drink, food and drink that has been inappropriately stored, and leftovers. He should then recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja twenty-one thousand times. The noose [F.45.b] should be placed on the Dharma seat and pressed down with the right hand. [Tii.116] When the vidyā holder has completed twenty-one thousand recitations, he should recite the mantra of Krodharāja a full one thousand and eight times. With each repetition of the Krodharāja, he should cast a single mustard seed onto the noose. When the number one thousand and eight has been reached, he should offer a large pūjā in front of the cotton painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara. [A.26.a] He should likewise offer a large pūjā to the blessed Amitābha and the Tathāgata Śākyamuni.

“During the full moon on the fifteenth lunar day, after fasting for one day and one night, he should worship the noose with elaborate offerings, fully completing each stage of the ritual exactly as required. He should incant the offerings with the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa twenty-one times and offer them. Then, sitting in a cross-legged posture all day and all night, he should recite the same mantra one thousand and eight times, casting, with each recitation, a single mustard seed onto the noose. When the number one thousand and eight has been reached, there will be a great earthquake, and Noble Avalokiteśvara in the cotton painting will emit multicolored light. This light will make the jewel noose blaze with light, and the body567 of the vidyā holder will blaze too. The vidyā holder should grasp the noose with the right hand as soon as it blazes, whereupon a loud sound will be heard.

“At that time, Noble Avalokiteśvara and the tathāgatas Amitābha and Śākyamuni will appear before the vidyā holder in their true divine forms. They and the sovereign lord Avalokita will,568 through their magical power, remain suspended in space in their golden tathāgata-bodies and will applaud the vidyā holder. Extending their golden arm, each of them will place his hand upon the vidyā holder’s head [F.46.a] and comfort him, saying, ‘Good! Good it is, vidyā holder! You have accomplished the pure practice of the great wish-fulfilling, unfailing jewel-noose. You have accomplished the supreme procedure of this ritual practice that has both worldly and supramundane applications. Noble Avalokiteśvara will fulfill all the wishes of the vidyā holder who holds the great wish-fulfilling jewel-noose that brings amogha accomplishments. You should strive, O vidyā holder, with all your being, to demonstrate569 the successful performance of the required tasks that are based on worldly and supramundane procedures. You should display, through your magical power, various magical creations according to your wish. [Tii.117] When you die, O vidyā holder, you will proceed to the realm of Sukhāvatī.’

“If the vidyā holder wants to see the realm of Sukhāvatī and worship the tathāgatas, the worthy ones,570 with heaps of divine offerings suitable for them‍—offerings such as divine flowers, fragrances, garlands, scented oils, scented powders, clothes, parasols, banners,571 flags, ornaments, adornments, and fabrics‍—he should prepare a fragrant maṇḍala at a prominent spot572 and offer flowers and incense. With his left hand he should press down on the great unfailing noose attached to the wish-fulfilling jewel and grasp the wish-fulfilling amogha jewel with his right hand. He should place his right knee on the ground and, in the spirit of great sincerity, bring to mind whatever heartfelt wishes he may have. He should recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja seven times while bowing to the great wish-fulfilling jewel. Then, as his heart overflows with great loving kindness and compassion, he should recite the following heart mantra of Noble Avalokiteśvara, which promotes great amogha activity, one hundred and eight times, [F.46.b] wholly motivated by a sense of care for all beings. [B5] The mantra is:

“Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas established throughout the three times, comparable to the expanse of the ocean! Homage to all the pratyekabuddhas and the hosts of the noble śrāvakas, those of the past, present, and future! Homage to those who follow the right path and have the right understanding! [A.26.b] Homage to Śāradvatīputra, the great lord of charity!573 Homage to the great inhabitants of the supreme abode of Tuṣita, headed by Noble Maitreya, together with the eminent hosts! Homage to the noble Tathāgata Amitābha, who dwells in the realm of Sukhāvatī! Homage to the Three Jewels! Homage to Noble Avalokiteśvara, the great and most compassionate bodhisattva being! Homage to Avalokita who manifests all forms, including those of the divine sons headed by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, and Īśvara!’574

“The part of the mantra to be repeated is:

“Immediately after incanting the great unfailing jewel-noose with this mantra one hundred and eight times, the vidyā holder’s entire body will blaze will light. If he then presses down on the unfailing noose with his hand, he will magically fly into the sky. Through his great magical power, he will display illusion-like580 miraculous creations. He will be able to see the realm of Sukhāvatī, [Tii.119] where he will behold the Tathāgata Amitābha with his retinue and the great gathering of bodhisattvas in their palatial estates, surrounded by magical creations. Great clouds of offerings will appear, raining down.

“Through the power of the Tathāgata Amitāyus, great clouds of offerings will continuously rain down offerings upon all the inhabitants of Sukhāvatī. [A.27.a] [F.47.b] The Tathāgata Amitāyus and all the inhabitants of Sukhāvatī will congratulate the vidyā holder, who will hear all their words and will see the clouds of offerings raining down. If he wants to descend back to earth,581 he will descend as soon as he thinks of it. If he does not want to, he can remain there in the sky and become the great emperor of all the siddhas that live throughout the expanse of space, and of the vidyādharas who hold in their hands the great wish-fulfilling jewel that grants the vast amogha accomplishments. He will live there for eight billion great eons and then descend to earth.

“On earth, he will live ten thousand years and be a unique celebrity throughout the world, receiving offerings and great respect like a lokeśvara. The devas will descend to earth with him and will make bountiful, excellent offerings to him. All beings will joyfully welcome him as if he were their only son and will honor him. All the deities will protect him and praise him. He will become an ocean-like receptacle of great learning.

“If the vidyā holder wants to make offerings to all the tathāgatas of the three times and the ten directions, who are surrounded by retinue-hosts of bodhisattvas and the congregations of pratyekabuddhas and noble śrāvakas, along with the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas who are favorably disposed to the teachings of the Buddha; if he wants to accumulate great merit equal to that of all the tathāgatas of the three times and the ten directions; [F.48.a] if he wants to plant the roots of great virtue; if he wants to satiate all the tathāgatas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, and the hosts of noble śrāvakas with the divine elixir of immortality and the best of food and drink; [Tii.120] if he wants to make large donations or offer worship every single day with clouds of offerings, he should bathe, purify himself ritually, put on clean clothes, and prepare a four-sided maṇḍala as is practicable.582 The vidyā holder should then offer flowers and burn incense in front of the painting of the Blessed Lord, Noble Avalokiteśvara. Kneeling down, he should hold the noose with his hands folded in the añjali gesture. Keeping all the tathāgatas in his heart, he should offer a large pūjā to the great wish-fulfilling amogha jewel583 and recite the heart mantra of Noble Avalokiteśvara seven times. He should visualize large and extensive clouds of offerings and offer gifts consisting of food, drink, perfume, garlands, scented oils, scented powders, robes, parasols, banners, flags, clothes, ornaments, adornments, jewelry, song, music, and the sound of tāḍāvacaras.584 He should visualize jewel trees, fruit trees, blossoming trees,585 lamp trees, and wish-fulfilling trees.

“While reciting this dhāraṇī mantra, he should swing the noose in the ten directions and wish for the visualized things to manifest. Consequently, all useful items will manifest, just as he wanted and in perfect condition, in front of the tathāgatas of the three times who dwell in the ten directions together with their retinues. Great clouds of offerings will appear, raining down offerings. [F.48.b] All useful items will manifest in perfect condition as great clouds of offerings. This very powerful dhāraṇī that produces vast clouds of precious amogha offerings is the heart essence of Noble Avalokiteśvara. [A.27.b]

“If the vidyā holder recites this dhāraṇī three times at each of the three junctions of the day every day, the tathāgatas of the three times together with their retinues will be pleased with him. If he thus worships and venerates them, he will accumulate a great deal of merit and plant many roots of virtue. All the tathāgatas of the three times together with their retinues will grant him excellent memory, intellect, strength, energy, and vitality. All the tathāgatas will appear to him in person every day and will always think of him. He will always have a bond with Noble Avalokiteśvara, [Tii.121] who will appear to him in person and grant him boons.

“In this very life, they will pacify all the vidyā holder’s suffering and fear of saṃsāra, which is so frightening and terrifying. He will never fall ill again and will not succumb to fever or come into contact with poison or toxins. His body will not be harmed by weapons, fire, or water. He will face no danger from enemies, foreign soldiers and armies, opponents, or adversaries. He need not fear devas, yakṣas, [F.49.a] gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, rākṣasas, ḍākinīs, or shapeshifting yoginīs. They will not be able to approach him within the radius of one league and will flee far away. No obstacles will arise for him.

“Any being who has committed the five acts of immediate retribution and is destined to be reborn in the Avīci hell, any being who criticizes the noble ones and rejects the true Dharma, and any being whose body is beset with karmic obscurations accumulated over hundreds of thousands of eons will exhaust all his negativities and win liberation in this very life.

“If the vidyā holder recites the dhāraṇī one thousand and eight times without speaking any other words‍—if he performs this recitation even once during a fast‍—the recitation will free him from the karma he accumulated over hundreds of thousands of millions of births, and he will leave saṃsāra. His evil deeds accumulated over thousands of eons will be purified, and he will no longer be defiled by saṃsāra’s faults, just as a lotus is not defiled by mud.586 Like a lotus587 he cannot be defiled by any wrongdoings or obscurations, and he will obtain the fifth bodhisattva stage in this life. Through his practice, which adheres to the rules of the recitation procedure, he will attain the level of not turning back. Merely through recitation, he will accomplish the six perfections and live in accordance with the ten perfections.

“If the vidyā holder recites the dhāraṇī every day one hundred and eight times, he will attain the state of Samantabhadra in this very life. He will gain access to all mantra rites, maṇḍalas, and mudrās. He will enter all the samayas and will be in accord with the way everything comes together.588 [F.49.b] By merely seeing it,589 all the vidyā holder’s wrongdoings that would otherwise lead to rebirth in the Avīci hell will be eradicated.

“At the very least, when the vidyā holder enters a charnel ground and his shadow falls on a corpse’s bones, [Tii.122] flesh, or rotten remains, or even just a deceased person’s discarded shroud,590 their garlands, or a painting on a wall,591 those beings on whose remains the shadow falls will be instantly liberated and will ascend to the realm of Sukhāvatī, even if they were destined to be reborn in hell. This should not be doubted or questioned. How much more is this the case for those for whom the vidyā holder performs dedicated rites.

“If any son or daughter of noble family, a monk or a nun, a male or a female lay practitioner, [A.28.a] or any person with faith upholds this dhāraṇī, propagates it, recites it, memorizes it, contemplates it, meditates on it, makes offerings to it, writes it down, or commissions it to be written, they will never again turn back from supreme, perfect awakening. They will obtain hundreds of thousands of great qualities in this very life. By means of this dhāraṇī, they will, in this very life, accumulate the roots of every virtue. By applying the six perfections, their accumulation will become complete.

“As this dhāraṇī, when accomplished, brings every possible benefit, what is the point of the vidyā holder exhausting himself with too many undertakings if, once he has accomplished the wish-fulfilling amogha jewel-noose, he can accomplish every activity he sets out to do? Any tasks that need to be carried out will be accomplished. Just as he can obtain boons and a prophecy about his future awakening when seeing Noble Avalokiteśvara face-to-face, so too can he obtain the same when seeing this wish-fulfilling amogha jewel-noose. [F.50.a] He should not harbor doubts about this.

“If the vidyā holder puts the noose around his neck and takes the jewel and goad into his right and left hands respectively, he will become invisible and will be able to enter any place he wants. The light emanating from the jewel will make the night become as bright as day. He can enter any place, including the abodes of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. Entrances to caves, mountains, forests, and subterranean paradises592 will fall open. The vidyā holder can enter and exit anywhere without being seen [Tii.123] and do whatever he pleases. He will live among humans for one hundred celestial years. All his afflictions, impurities, and faults will be pacified.

“If the vidyā holder wants to know how to accomplish the required tasks, he should, on the full moon,593 eighth day, or fourteenth day of the waxing moon, bathe, purify himself ritually, and put on clean clothes. In a clean place, he should smear the ground with cow dung and purify it with the five products of the cow.594 In the center of that space, he should prepare a small perfumed maṇḍala, strewing it with flowers and arraying it with full jars. It should be made fragrant with various scents and various types of incense. Then, in front of the painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara, he should prepare a divine seat and place upon it the noose, neatly coiled like a snake so that the jewel595 ends up right in the center.

“The vidyā holder should then perform the rite of worship, reciting the heart mantra of Amogharāja twenty-one times, the mantra of Krodharāja twenty-one times, and the heart mantra of the wish-fulfilling jewel-noose of Amogha one hundred and eight times. Then, he should offer incense of agarwood, sandalwood, [F.50.b] and olibanum. If he watches the jewel attentively, he will see everything within the noose-surrounded jewel, including tathāgatas, bodhisattvas, devas, and nāgas. He will see yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. He will see battles and military conflicts. He will see a person’s lifespan, when it will be exhausted, and their transition between lives. He will see if someone will obtain a kingdom, a village, a province, or a city. He will see the locations of raw or smelted gold, jewels, pearls, beryl stones, mother-of-pearl, coral, silver, wrought gold, clothes, jewelry, ornaments, and decorations.

“He will receive information about metallurgy, magical displays, fields, [A.28.b] treasure troves, and grain stores. He will see how to obtain a girl, accomplish a rite or a mantra, enthrall someone, or obtain majestic power. [Tii.124] He will see all this inside the jewel. He will see everything, both the auspicious and the inauspicious. He will see rains and drought, all misfortunes, calamities, and catastrophes such as deadly plagues and pestilences, and the dying of animals such as cows, horses, and elephants. He will see great dangers and terrors, whether due to local or foreign armies. He will see all this as if reflected in the mirror. He will see whatever he thinks of or requests, and he will see whether it is possible to accomplish it or not and whether it is auspicious or not. This should not be doubted, dismissed, or questioned. No result other than the one desired will come about.

“If during excessive rain596 the vidyā holder places the jewel in a pool inhabited by nāgas, the clouds will give off the desired amount of rain. If during a heavy downpour [F.51.a] he displays the jewel to the sky, the downpour will stop. If at sunrise he displays the jewel to the rising sun, the god of the sun will descend and grant the vidyā holder every boon. If he displays the jewel to the new moon, the youthful god of the moon will descend and grant him every boon he desires. If he displays it to the middle of a great river, fine jewels will appear. If he displays it in a clearing in the forest, all the medicinal substances and herbs will manifest before him in their own forms so that he can take whichever one he needs. If he displays it to a cleft in a mountain, all the herbs there will begin to glow, and he can then collect whichever ones he wants. If he displays the jewel to a heap of grain, all the grain will be transported wherever he desires.

“If the vidyā holder shows the jewel to Mahākāla in a place frequented by mātṛs and places it on his head, Mahākāla will arrive in person before him surrounded by a host of mātṛs, fall under his thrall, and carry out all the tasks assigned to him. If he displays the jewel to a king, the king will fall under his thrall along with his best troops in their four divisions, horses, ministers, ladies of the harem, and entire retinue. They will be at the vidyā holder’s disposal along with their gold, gold bullion, jewels, pearls, beryl stones, mother-of-pearl, coral, silver, wrought gold, clothes, jewelry, adornments, ornaments, palaces, and other wonderful things. They will attend upon the vidyā holder for the rest of their lives.

“If the vidyā holder casts the noose into a crowd of people while reciting the dhāraṇī of the wish-fulfilling amogha jewel, he will bring forth a rain of flowers, fruits, and palaces597‍—anything he may wish for or think of.

“The vidyā holder who follows the noble eightfold path can mount the jewel on the tip of a banner and set it up in the hall of the house of an anointed kṣatriya. [Tii.125] While feeling compassion for all beings, he should recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja twenty-one times, the mantra of Krodharāja twenty-one times, [F.51.b] and then the dhāraṇī of the wish-fulfilling amogha-jewel one hundred and eight times in a loud voice. When he has reached the number one hundred and eight, a rain of whatever he has in mind will fall, whether it is money, grain, clothes, adornments, and so forth, along with flowers and fruits. All quarrels, arguments, contests, disputes, famine, the dangers that one meets with in the wilderness, and misfortunes will cease through the power of Noble Avalokiteśvara. They will all be pacified. All beings will be granted fearlessness and released from all enmity and fear. All wicked beings, even wild animals, will become friendly. All beings will be content, and all their wishes will be fulfilled.

“This was the practice of the wish-fulfilling jewel-noose.

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the practice of the vidyādhara sword-noose,598 [A.29.a] he should forge a sword of heavy iron that is sixteen fingers long. The handle should be made of silver and inlaid with shining gold. He should commission a thread made from tree bark, a thread made from giant milkweed, and a thread made from silk, each sixteen cubits long and prepared following the full procedure as required. These threads of equal length should be aligned lengthwise and twisted together.

“The vidyā holder, ritually pure, bathed, and wearing clean clothes, should then attach the noose to the sword, place it inside a circular maṇḍala, and grasp the sword with his right hand while angrily knitting his eyebrows and making a fierce expression. Sitting in a cross-legged posture in front of a painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara, the vidyā holder should recite the Krodharāja one thousand and eight times. When the mantra has been recited the full one thousand and eight times, the sword will blaze with light, and the vidyā holder will ascend into the sky. [F.52.a] He will become the powerful emperor of all the sword-wielding vidyādharas and siddhas,599 will possess irresistible power and valor, and will live eighteen thousand years.

“The vidyā holder will become invisible if he grasps the noose with his left hand, [Tii.126] the sword with his right, and angrily pronounces the syllable hūṁ. He will become a powerful king, an emperor of all the invisible siddhas and vidyādharas with their noose-swords,600 and he will live for ten thousand years.

“If the vidyā holder swings the sword angrily, he will cut down all the vighnas, vināyakas, wicked yakṣas and rākṣasas, and all wicked bhūtas. If he swings the sword just once in the midst of a battle, he will shatter all the weapons of the warriors. They will all be brought to a halt and will flee in the ten directions. If he swings the sword in the middle of a charnel ground, he will cut down all its wild inhabitants601 so that their houses are emptied out. If he swings the sword at any gate, all its locks and panels will split, and the door bolts will break. All the wicked nonhumans who roam around creating obstacles will be cut down and completely annihilated, while others will carry out whatever tasks the vidyā holder wants them to.

“This was the practice procedure of the sword.

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the practice of the snake noose, he should prepare five threads, dye them in the five colors, cut them to an appropriate length, and join them together so that they can be effectively used as part of the practice. He should then take some pure food that has been powdered, madhupuṣpa,602 rasapuṣpa,603 realgar, lotus filaments, nāgapuṣpa,604 and the sap of giant milkweed, blend them with asafetida605 into a single compound [F.52.b] of smooth consistency, and glue it firmly to the end of the cord.606 He should incant it with the mantra of Amogharāja one thousand and eight times, arrange it like a coiled snake‍—one with three heads, each with a hood‍—cover it with gold, and join them together.607 The supreme noose has six coils.608

“The vidyā holder, ritually pure, bathed, and wearing clean clothes, should then use cow dung to make a four-sided maṇḍala of appropriate size. He should perfume it with fragrances, strew it with flowers, array it with full jars, and adorn it with banners. In the center of the maṇḍala, he should make a divine seat and place the snake noose on it, arranged in a circle with the central snake’s hood facing east. [Tii.127] He should present a bali offering of the three ‘white’ foods, including argha water for the feet, and burn incense of sandalwood, [A.29.b] agarwood, and olibanum. He should sprinkle the maṇḍala with parched grain and mustard seeds.

“Placing the noose in front of the painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara, the vidyā holder should make abundant offerings. He should then sit in a cross-legged posture and follow the extensive recitation procedure, starting with the one thousand and eight recitations of the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa. When this is complete, he should recite the Krodharāja, which is the supreme recitation, one thousand and eight times. With each recitation, he should cast a single mustard seed on to the snake’s head. When all the parts of the rite have been completed, the snake will invariably blaze with light, and the noose will move from its seat, rising to the height of four fingers.

“If the vidyā holder grasps the noose at that time, he will become invisible. If he visits the abode of the nāgas, or stands in a nāga pond, the doors to the nāga dwelling will fall open. He should enter while mindfully reciting609 the Amogharāja and swing the snake noose three times. [F.53.a] The nāga king will then arrive with his harem and retinue to welcome the vidyā holder, saying, ‘Come in, vidyā holder!’ The vidyā holder should then grasp the snake noose and enter while swinging it. The nāgas’ malice will entirely disappear; he will experience none of it. Locks and doors will split and fall away. As soon as the vidyā holder enters, divine nāga girls will arrive, beautiful in form, kind, adorned with every ornament, and wearing garlands. They will bow to the vidyā holder.

“The vidyā holder should grab one of the nāga girls and place her on his head. As soon as he does that, he will fly up into the sky together with the girl, her two breasts oozing milk. If the vidyā holder takes some of the milk and drinks it, he will live twelve thousand years. His hair will form into curls, and he will become an emperor-like overlord of all the nāga kings. He will be powerful, bold, and valorous.

“If the vidyā holder mindfully repeats the heart mantra of the nāga noose [Tii.128] and anoints himself with a sprig of oleander, he can summon whomever he has in mind, and in an instant they will be brought together.610 If, at the time of a drought, he swings the noose from an elevated place just once, a heavy rain will fall the instant he swings the noose. If it rains too much, he should descend from that elevated place with snake noose,611 and the excessive rain will stop. If it is cold, windy, or hailing, the vidyā holder should swing the nāga noose in the four directions before dawn, and hail will not fall612 for a radius of one hundred leagues, and the cold wind will cease.613

“If, the vidyā holder recites the heart mantra of Amogharāja twenty-one times every day while winding the noose with his right hand and holding it back614 with his left, [F.53.b] then every day all kinds of divine food, drink, and pleasure will appear from the nāga realm and be given to thousands upon thousands of beings. All snake venom will be neutralized just by seeing it.615

“When there are clouds616 in the sky during the spring or autumn, the vidyā holder should grasp the nāga noose with his right hand while holding a snake617 with his left, swing the noose while repeating the Krodharāja, and then cast it into the air. Any flowers or fruits that are normally harvested when ready will fall from the sky down to earth, perfectly ripe and ready to eat.618

“If the vidyā holder swings the nāga noose twenty-one times while reciting the Krodharāja, the nāgas’ palaces,619 ornaments, clothes, jewelry, and adornments will all fall to earth. If he swings the noose once more while bringing to mind the Krodharāja,620 the nāgas, along with their retinues and palaces, will fall to earth. If the vidyā holder wants to enthrall a king together with his harem and retinue,621 he should set the noose down and throw mustard seeds at it one thousand and eight times, [A.30.a] each time reciting the Amogharāja. He should then grasp the noose and swing it specifically in the direction of the royal household. The king, together with his harem and retinue, will fall under his thrall and will remain so for as long as he lives.

“If during an armed conflict the vidyā holder casts the noose into the thick of the battle while reciting the Krodharāja, a great venomous serpent will appear with huge eyes and a flicking tongue. At the mere glance of its eyes, glowing like embers, all four divisions of the enemy army will flee in all directions. The vidyā holder can also perform any other necessary tasks, whatever he may have in mind. [F.54.a]

“This was the practice procedure of the nāga noose. [Tiii.13]

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the practice of the noose of the lord of bhūtas,622 he should twist the long hairs from the tail of a female yak into a single strand and attach it to an iron trident that is four fingers long. Having fasted for one day and one night, he should recite the heart mantra of Amogharāja one thousand and eight times, and the mantra of Krodharāja one thousand and eight times. Ritually pure, bathed, and wearing clean clothes, he should do this practice on the fourteenth day and night of the dark fortnight. Then, when he grasps the trident noose, he will become identical in form with the lord of bhūtas. As the lord of all the bhūtas, he will live eight thousand years and rule over the palaces of the bhūtas.

“If the vidyā holder enters a charnel ground with the noose in his hand, all the dwellers therein will gather before him. The doors to all their dwellings will be open, and they will invite him to enter and do what he pleases. If the vidyā holder ties the noose around the neck of a corpse and pulls it623 while bringing to mind the Krodharāja mantra, the corpse will attend to him, tell him whatever he wants to know, and do whatever the vidyā holder commands. When the animating spirit is released, the dead body will be discarded.

“If the vidyā holder ties the noose around the neck of a yakṣa and pulls him angrily while mindfully repeating the Krodharāja mantra, the yakṣa will approach the vidyā holder and say, ‘Command me, sir! I will follow your orders.’ The vidyā holder should say, ‘Be my servant and messenger for as long as I live!’624 The yakṣa will reply, ‘So be it!’ From then on, every single day, the yakṣa will do whatever the vidyā holder commands.

“If the vidyā holder ties the noose around the neck of a yakṣiṇī and brings to mind the Krodharāja mantra, the yakṣiṇī will approach and stand before him. Staring at the vidyā holder without blinking, [F.54.b] she will ask, ‘What would you like me to do, vidyā holder?’ The vidyā holder should say, ‘Perform one of the three roles for me: either that of a mother, a wife, or a sister!’ If she becomes his mother, she will care for him as if he were her son, looking after his food, drink, bed, clothes, money, and grain. As a wife, she will furnish him with everything he needs, grant him masculine power,625 and join him in pleasure. If she becomes his sister, she will fulfill all his desires and make his wishes come true. She will do everything that needs to be done. She will go everywhere and return, day after day, bringing jewelry, clothes, ornaments, and adornments. [Tiii.14] Every day she will procure celestial girls for his pleasure.

“If the vidyā holder ties the noose around the neck of Vaiśravaṇa and pulls him angrily while reciting the mantra of the lord of wrath, Vaiśravaṇa will come every day to offer one thousand dinars and one thousand pieces of gold. The vidyā holder should give it away every day as gifts, thus accumulating merit.

“The vidyā holder should tie the noose around the neck of Mahākāla and recite the Krodharāja seven times while holding the noose with his right hand and slapping Mahākāla angrily. [A.30.b] The vidyā holder should not be afraid when Mahākāla shrieks, but instead angrily threaten him further. When Mahākāla starts shedding tears, the vidyā holder should collect a tear and apply it to his forehead as a bindi. When he does so, he will become invisible and will be able to see all hidden treasures. He should slap Mahākāla again, causing him to vomit blood. If the vidyā holder touches it, he will fly up into the sky and become the great lord of the yakṣas.

“If the vidyā holder offers bdellium incense while mindfully repeating the Krodharāja mantra, Mahākāla will come before him in his true form and grant him every boon he desires. [F.55.a] His host of mātṛs will remain in the vidyā holder’s thrall, and he will perform all the tasks that need to be performed or that the vidyā holder wants performed.

“This was the practice procedure of the trident noose.

“Now I will explain how to use the painting when performing the noose practice. It is an unsurpassable method for mastering reality.

“This pertains to the practice procedures of the noose that involve the painting.

“Now I will teach a homa procedure that accomplishes the aims of all amogha activities. It instantly removes every evil and destroys all obstacles. It crushes all enemies, destroys all vighnas, and repels all wicked beings. It is the best way to eradicate any vice. It saves from the sufferings of the sixteen hells. [F.56.a] It continuously removes the eight unbearable fears. It obliterates adversaries and is the best means for repelling foreign armies. It instantly removes all diseases and pacifies every argument, quarrel, and dispute. It prevents famines and other misfortunes and calamities, and it attracts divine pleasures and happiness.

“The homa rite can truly accomplish buddhahood. It is the best means to effect every accomplishment, including the supreme awakening of the Buddha. It is accessible to all beings, granting them the best of boons that are difficult to obtain. It always pleases the deities and brings joy to the nāgas. The tathāgatas will, without a doubt, watch over the vidyā holder day and night, and the bodhisattvas will rejoice. The vidyā holder, constantly focused, will always receive boons from the Lokeśvara;633 there is no doubt about this. The Four Great Kings together with their retinues and ministers will always look after him, affording him every kind of protection.

“A wise vidyā holder should therefore perform the homa. He should go to a place that is clean, choose an area on the ground that is clean and well concealed, and perform the activities of pacifying, nourishing, or assaulting, all while free from distraction. Pacifying should be performed for the sake of all beings to remove all their negativity. Through the rites of nourishing, the vidyā holder will obtain complete well-being without any deficiencies. If the vidyā holder is afraid of enemies or vināyakas, or wicked yakṣas, rākṣasas, and guhyakas, he should perform the rite of assault with a wrathful mind in order to frighten and tame them. This homa is an unsurpassable means to accomplish the mantra. It is performed for worldly aims, as well as those that relate to the hereafter. It can be used to summon the god of fire, devas,634 nāgas, and vidyādharas.

“The vidyā holder should dig a pit shaped like a lotus and draw a lotus there as always, with filaments in the center. The pit should be dug according to procedure as a [F.56.b] square or circular pit. It should be carefully wiped, completely white,635 well concealed, well proportioned, and perfect. [Tiii.17] The day and the stars should be auspicious. He should make an extensive bali offering with fine articles636 and place divine incense and flowers all around.

“He should first summon the god of fire and thereafter perform the homa rite. Then, ritually pure, bathed, and wearing clean clothes, he should recite the mantras according to the procedures necessary for the setting of the boundaries, performing self-protection, tying his hair in a topknot,637 establishing the sacred area for the protection of others, and creating protection for his assistants. For fuel, he should always use sticks of giant milkweed and fragrant wood. He should cast ghee, mustard seeds, and parched grains twenty-one times for the fire to consume, and he should summon the god of fire with the mantra:

“The vidyā holder should magnify Agni with this mantra,643 repeating it seven times while offering seven handfuls of bdellium and mustard seeds smeared with ghee into the fire. A welcome offering of argha water for the feet644 should be offered by hand. [Tiii.18] The skilled vidyā holder645 should also offer perfume, scented oils, incense, and a handful of fruits. He should then sprinkle himself with water. Following the prescribed order for the specific deity rite, he should take a sip of the water and commence the homa ritual, using clean sticks of fragrant wood from bodhi tree, cluster fig, great flowering jasmine, champak,646 or karnikara.647 One may also use white and blue lotuses, cedar, surabhi,648 and sandalwood.

“For the rites of pacifying, a skilled vidyā holder, peacefully disposed,649 should use sticks of bodhi tree, or other fragrant sticks or slats of wood,650 and the darbha651 grass of the best quality.652 Having lit the fire with them, he should continue with the homa ritual, using parched rice, sandalwood powder, agarwood, olibanum or frankincense, fenugreek, spikenard, and beautyberry.653 He should mix these ingredients together, adding ghee and654 freshly churned butter to the mixture. He should recite the mantra of Amogharāja one hundred and eight times and offer the mixture to the fire. He should offer it as one thousand and eight655 oblations in front of the painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara.656

“When the vidyā holder has thus reached the number one thousand and eight, the god of fire will appear in person at midnight. Blazing steadily, he will look in the ten directions, examine everything, and applaud the vidyā holder: ‘Good! This is good, vidyā holder! I am pleased that you, the vidyā holder, have successfully performed the supreme homa procedure. I will give you everything you ask for.’ The vidyā holder should request whatever boons he desires, and he will be given whatever he requests. The vidyā holder should then offer argha water for the feet657 and make a ritual bali offering. [F.57.b]

“Next, he should offer a large sacrificial cake smeared with ghee into the fire while feeding the fire with sticks of a fruit tree658 and reciting the heart mantra of Amogharāja one thousand and eight times. When this number has been reached, a man will emerge halfway from the middle of the fire pit and will present the vidyā holder with a silver dish filled with food, holding it up at the level of the vidyā holder’s thighs.659 If the vidyā holder takes this dish, he will fly up into the sky, as soon as he grasps it, as bright flames issue from his body. [Tiii.19] Upon eating the food, his lifespan will extend to ten thousand years, and he will become an emperor of celestial vidyādharas. He will recover memories of his former births as far back as ten eons, and this maṇḍala of liberation of the sovereign amogha ritual will remain prominent in his memory.

“If the vidyā holder does not grasp the silver dish but instead offers another twenty-one oblations, the earth will shake violently, and Noble Avalokiteśvara [A.32.a] will appear before him in person. He will comfort him by saying, ‘Good! It is good, vidyā holder, that you have performed the homa ritual successfully. I will give you whatever you ask for.’ The vidyā holder should then request whatever boons he desires, and all will be granted. Noble Avalokiteśvara will take the dish from the man in the middle of the fire pit and hold it out to the vidyā holder with his own hands. The vidyā holder should take some of the food and eat it. As soon as he does, he will magically rise into the sky, his light-filled body blazing with multicolored rays. He will become an amogha emperor of vidyādharas. [B6]

“His retinue of vidyādhara emperors will number ninety-two hundred thousand million billion, [F.58.a] matching the number of grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river. The palatial amogha-founded estates that manifest will number, again, ninety-two hundred thousand million billion, matching the number of the grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river. All the palaces will be made of the seven types of jewels and will be furnished with mountains, forests, and gardens with flowers and fruit-bearing trees. The trees will have a variety of unusual vines, shoots, leaves, and root growths.660 Some will have golden flowers; others, silver; and still others will have flowers of different types made of seven types of jewels. Some will have a variety of auspicious and unusual celestial flowers.

“Each palace will be adorned with pleasant, landscaped gardens and parks that provide fuel661 and are the homes of sal trees, tamāla trees,662 champak,663 latātāla,664 vārṣika, sumanas, yūthika,665 taraṇa,666 and kupyaka667 both charming and pleasant. The palaces, made from the seven types of jewels, will be graced with divine brooks, lakes, tanks, and lotus ponds, all filled with divine water scented with sandalwood and adorned with divine white, pink, and blue lotuses and water lilies. Golden sand will spread throughout the water. [Tiii.20] The palaces will be made pleasant by the celestial apsarases, goddesses, kinnarīs, and gandharvīs playing there in groups. They will be filled with groups of devas, dānavas, gandharvas, nāgas, vidyādharas, and kinnaras and furnished with divine pleasure houses. The vidyā holder will play and enjoy himself there, roaming freely668 until his complete and final awakening. He will sit under the Bodhi tree and subsequently turn the wheel of Dharma until he enters final nirvāṇa. [F.58.b] All of this will occur during a single lifetime. This constitutes the great, unsurpassed accomplishment. He will always have a connection with Noble Avalokiteśvara until complete and final awakening.669

“Such is the practice procedure of the sacrificial cake, which is extremely difficult to find. The vidyā holder will travel to meet with all the tathāgatas of every buddha field in all ten directions, and he will listen to Dharma discourses in their presence. He will fill the great trichiliocosm with blazing light and illuminate the world systems. This Amoghapāśa,670 the heart essence of Noble Avalokiteśvara honored by all the bodhisattvas, a collection of mantras and mudrās that constitute a maṇḍala of liberation with a complete set of practice procedures, this entire huge collection of rites, will remain prominent in his memory. Tens of thousands of millions of nāga kings will remain permanently in its thrall, as will all devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas.671 The gods up to the Akaniṣṭha realm will remain bound to the vidyā holder as his great retinue. Palaces with varieties of the choicest food and drink of divine taste will spontaneously [A.32.b] manifest for him, as will the palaces furnished with various pieces of clothing, ornaments, and adornments.

“This homa rite and other amogha practices bring accomplishment that is plain to see.672

“If a vidyā holder who lacks the seed of the buddhas and bodhisattvas due to his ill fortune grasps the dish, he will, as soon as he grasps it, acquire the might of a king and enjoy celestial and human splendor. [F.59.a] By merely touching it, [Tiii.21] his lifespan will extend to eighty-four thousand god-years, he will not suffer again from any disease, and he will be free of every evil, obscuration, and affliction. All his opponents and adversaries, and all wicked and corrupt beings, will disappear. He will likewise be saved, once and for all, from rebirth in the hell realms, the animal realm, the world of Yama, and the preta realm. He will become the sole object of worship for all beings. All beings‍—women, men, boys, and girls‍—will long to see him, and he will be victorious673 in all things. He will obtain amogha speech that is pleasant to hear.

“At the time of his death, all the tathāgatas will wish to see the vidyā holder, and he will behold Noble Avalokiteśvara directly. At death, he will be in a state of stable awareness, and after he dies, he will, as is his destiny,674 be spontaneously reborn from a lotus flower in the realm of Sukhāvatī. He will remember all his previous lives and will never again fall into the lower realms or be born from a mother’s womb. Instead, he will move from one buddha field to another, where he will see all the tathāgatas and bodhisattvas.

“If the vidyā holder marks his forehead with a bindi,675 he will become invisible. As soon as he recalls the god of fire, the god will appear in person before him, grant him every boon, and perform all duties on his behalf.

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the practice of the amogha oblation cake, he should mix rice with barley, cook it into a mush, blend it with ghee, molasses, sugar, and honey, and make it into balls the size of bilva fruits.676 Then, after making a fire with oleander, [F.59.b] he should offer the balls one by one into the fire, incanting each of them seven times. He should offer one hundred and eight of them at each of the three junctions of the day over the period of three days.677 Then, he should combine mustard seeds with whatever flowers are available, incant them twenty-one times, and cast them into the fire. He should also sprinkle678 parched rice and mustard seeds incanted seven times with the Krodharāja.679

“The god of fire will then appear in the middle of the fire, exposed from the waist up. He will offer up sacrificial cakes on a dish made of seven jewels and say, ‘Vidyā holder, [Tiii.22] take these great and divine sacrificial cakes. You have successfully performed the practice procedure of the sacrificial cake.’ The vidyā holder should accept this dish of sacrificial food; as soon as he touches it, it will transform into an elixir of longevity. He will then fly up into the sky, his hair will become wavy and curly, and his complexion will become impeccably clear. He will become an emperor of the vidyādharas with a retinue of sixty-eight thousand. The fire deities together with their retinues will remain in his thrall, allowing him to use their dwellings and palaces and performing all the tasks for him.

“Whoever touches the sacrificial cakes will acquire great learning as vast as an ocean. This heart essence of Amoghapāśa,680 a maṇḍala of liberation honored by all the bodhisattvas, [A.33.a] complete with its rites and the collections of mudrās and mantras, will remain prominent in his memory. If he recites one thousand stanzas every single day and reflects on it, he will, at the end of his life, go to the realm of Sukhāvatī, where he will be spontaneously born from a lotus flower. He will have memories of his successive births and will never again forget anything. His speech will be pleasant, and he will be loved by all beings. [F.60.a] He will be worthy of great honor.

“If the vidyā holder marks his forehead with a bindi,681 he will become invisible and will bring all bhūtas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas under his control. The doors to every home will open to him. If a man’s wife desires a son and eats the sacrificial food,682 she will have a son. He will be handsome, amiable, and good looking, with a most wonderful pale complexion. He will be intelligent, live long, have a keen mind, and become very learned and confident. He will gain expertise in all branches of knowledge.

“If the vidyā holder wants to feed one hundred thousand people, he should procure some milk pudding and, in a clean place that is free from distractions, cook it over a fire of oleander sticks until it thickens. He should keep the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa in mind until it is ready. He should then sprinkle it with water and mustard seeds incanted with the mantra of Krodharāja and place a single sacrificial cake in the pot containing the pudding. He should then divide it into portions and offer the first portion to the Three Jewels as alms, [Tiii.23] the next to the noble bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, and the next to Noble Mañjuśrī. After that, he should give them to mendicants, brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras. He should give them to women, men, boys, and girls, and he should give generously to the poor, the destitute, travelers, and beggars, until he has given them to one hundred thousand people. They will eat as much as they like, but the amount in the pot will neither diminish nor increase, nor will it be exhausted.

“Those who eat this food will be freed from their past obscurations, misdeeds, and impurities.683 They will be freed from all disease and will not face misfortunes,684 enemies, or adversaries. They will not face danger from bhūtas, yakṣas, or rākṣasas. [F.60.b] Their bodies will become smooth and soft, and their voices will be divinely sweet and soft like the voices of kinnaras.685 They will always be free from evil and suffering,686 and they will be happy for as long as they live. After they die, they will remain on an auspicious course.

“The vidyā holder should fill a dish with milk pudding and, having drawn a maṇḍala at an elevated and open spot, place it in the maṇḍala circle and offer it to all the tathāgatas in the ten directions. As soon as he offers it, all the tathāgatas from the ten directions, equal in number to the many hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river, will arrive from each and every buddha field and stand before the vidyā holder. Dishes filled with divine foods of one hundred flavors and a bowl filled with balls of the divine milk pudding will appear. A ring of divine sandalwood powder strewn with divine flowers will also appear. All the tathāgatas who dwell in the buddha fields of the ten directions, along with their assemblies, the host of bodhisattvas, and the congregation of śrāvakas, will be sated with the excellent food of one hundred flavors.

“In consequence, all these tathāgatas together with their assemblies, the host of bodhisattvas, and the congregation of śrāvakas will purify the gifts of the vidyā holder and his patron.687 With his gifts purified, the vidyā holder will obtain great power, influence, [A.33.b] [Tiii.24] and gold in the same life, as is his destiny. His numerous granaries and treasuries will be full of riches. All the tathāgatas will keep him in their minds, all the bodhisattvas will yearn to see him, and all deities will guard, protect, and defend him.

“If the vidyā holder wants to enthrall a king together with his harem and the four divisions of his army, [F.61.a] he should make himself ritually pure, bathe, and put on clean clothes. He should mix the milk pudding with ghee and offer it into the fire one thousand and eight times. He should then make a fire using sticks of cedar or giant milkweed and repeat the homa one thousand and eight times. The king, his harem, his retinue, and the four divisions of his army will remain in the vidyā holder’s thrall, putting both themselves and their wealth at his disposal.

“If the vidyā holder performs this rite over three consecutive nights, all nāga kings will fall under his thrall along with their households and retinues. If he performs it over five consecutive nights, all bhūtas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and other nonhuman and human beings will come under his thrall together with their retinues. If he performs the rite over seven consecutive nights, all vidyādharas will come under his thrall. If the vidyā holder practices it every night,688 the gods of the realm of Thirty-Three, headed by Śakra, and all apsarases and beautiful celestial girls will arrive and remain in the vidyā holder’s thrall. They will attend upon him for as long as they live.

“Alternatively, the vidyā holder should commence the rite on the day of the full moon and continue until the eighth or fifteenth day, making the homa offering twenty-one times at the three junctions of the day.689 On the fifteenth day,690 he should make a fire with the sticks of giant milkweed. Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear before the vidyā holder in person and will applaud him, saying, ‘Good! Good, vidyā holder! I am pleased with you. Ask for a boon and I will grant it. I will grant all that you desire, whether it is the ability to find treasure, skill in the alchemical arts, knowledge of agriculture, the ability to travel through space, the ability to become invisible, ability in mantra, or success in ritual activity‍—I will grant it all. [F.61.b] I can grant the position of the king or a minister, the powers of speech,691 villages,692 [Tiii.25] clothes, cows, horses, buffalo, camels, and other animals.693 I can also grant money and grain. I can grant everything‍—sky travel, invisibility, magical powers, samādhi, dhāraṇī, the accomplishment of rites involving mudrās and maṇḍalas, the power to animate corpses by summoning vetālas, the state of a siddhi vidyādhara, strong-arm vidyādhara694 and space vidyādhara,695 the ability to find openings in the ground,696 and the power to enter forests,697 mountains, or cemeteries. I can grant all of this.’

“The vidyā holder should then state his wishes, and all will be granted. Through the mere act of seeing,698 his body will be purified in a manner known by the name stainless amogha gaze.699 Upon his death, he will go to the realm of Sukhāvatī, where he will be spontaneously born from the pericarp of a lotus flower and will retain his memories from each of his rebirths. This heart essence of Amoghapāśa700 honored by all the bodhisattvas, this maṇḍala of liberation complete with its rites and the collections of mudrās and mantras, will remain prominent in his memory until he attains complete and final awakening.

“If the vidyā holder wants to successfully perform the homa rite with modaka sweets,701 he should prepare one thousand and eight sweetmeats [A.34.a] and recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa one thousand and eight times. Then, ritually clean, bathed, and wearing clean clothes, he should offer the sweetmeats, mixed with ghee, into a burning fire made with sticks of fragrant wood. When he has offered all one thousand and eight of them, a boy will appear in the middle of the fire, holding out a dish filled with divine sweetmeats. [F.62.a] At that point, the vidyā holder should sprinkle the boy702 with mustard seeds incanted seven times.

“The boy will then say to the vidyā holder, ‘What do you request, vidyā holder?’ The vidyā holder should reply, ‘Fulfill all my wishes!’ The boy will say, ‘If you take this dish of sweetmeats, O vidyā holder, all your boundless activities will succeed. [Tiii.26] This is the sublime elixir of longevity, vidyā holder. Take it and you will gain the supreme accomplishment.’ The vidyā holder should take the full dish and say to the boy, ‘Please be my assistant!’ The boy will reply, ‘I will. As an assistant, I will succeed in any undertaking. Whenever you have a task to perform, you should offer a homa using sticks of giant milkweed for fuel and consisting of mustard seeds smeared with ghee, mixed with bdellium and sandalwood, and incanted seven times with the mantra of Amoghāṅkuśa.703 As soon as the homa is offered, I will be summoned and immediately arrive to perform all tasks and activities. For as long as I live, I will stand by and perform the duties of an assistant. I will ward off all vighnas, vināyakas, bhūtas, and rākṣasas.’

“If the vidyā holder touches the sweetmeats, he will fly up into the sky, where he will visit704 all the vidyādhara clans. He will become the great emperor over all vidyādharas and have a retinue of one hundred and eighty million705 vidyādhara emperors. His hair will become wavy and curly, and his lifespan will increase to sixty thousand celestial eons.

“If the vidyā holder puts the sweetmeats in a dish, places them in front of the painting of Noble Avalokiteśvara, sprinkles them with water incanted with the Amogharāja-krodha,706 and then hands them out to be eaten by all the [F.62.b] mendicants, brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras, including women, men, boys, and girls, the sweetmeats will not be exhausted but will continuously reappear. For as long as the sweetmeats are in the dish, they will continue to appear without diminishing, even after being given in generous portions to one hundred thousand people.

“If the vidyā holder incants the sweetmeats seven times with the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa, then anything he touches will turn into celestial gold. If he incants the sweetmeats seven times and throws them into the home of nāgas, all the nāga kings as far away as the distant shores of the ocean, together with their entire retinues, will fall under his thrall and become servants to carry out his orders. In the case of a drought, they can be ordered to send rain. In the case of excessive rainfall, they can be ordered to stop the rain. They will stop hurricanes, cold spells, heat waves, and thunderstorms [Tiii.27] at his command.

“If the vidyā holder incants the sweetmeats seven times near openings in the earth and smashes them on the entrances, the doors will all fall open; all locks, bolts, and door panels will break, and the inhabitants of the dwellings will all come out and stand before the vidyā holder, ready to carry out his orders. If the sweetmeats are cast into the entrance of a deep forest,707 the doors to the dwellings in the forest [A.34.b] will open, and all the medicinal substances and herbs will appear before the vidyā holder in their own respective forms.

“If the vidyā holder incants the sweetmeats seven times and casts them into the middle of a vast charnel ground, the doors to the houses of all the bhūtas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas who dwell there will fall open, and all the yakṣas, rākṣasas, and bhūtas will become naked. All of them will remain in the vidyā holder’s thrall and attend upon him for as long as they live. [F.63.a]

“The vidyā holder should wash an untouched708 corpse in scented water, then incant a sweetmeat twenty-one times and place it in its hands. He should wrap the corpse in white cloth and sprinkle it with water and mustard incanted seven times with the Krodharāja mantra. It will tell the vidyā everything he wants to know about contentment, prosperity, poverty, diseases, misfortunes, calamities, dangers from foreign armies, opponents, and adversaries, as well as about pestilence and plague. It will foretell his rebirth in a deva realm, a buddha field, or a hell. It will tell him whether his lifespan will be short or long, and it will foretell an untimely death. It will tell him about finding a treasure709 and about alchemical processes, give him farming advice, and tell him the secrets of magic. It will explain how to accomplish a rite, a mantra, a mudrā, or a maṇḍala. It will teach him about applying magic ointments and making magic pills. It will teach him everything about moving through the air, becoming invisible, animating corpses by summoning a vetāla, soothing fevers, subduing enemies, or enthralling someone. It will teach him useful skills and how to increase or diminish something. And it will describe this entire eon, past, present, and future. After this, the vidyā holder should splash water on the corpse’s face710 and remove the sweetmeat from its hands; the corpse will then collapse.

“If the vidyā holder incants a sweetmeat twenty-one times and places it at the gate to a royal palace, the king, harem, [Tiii.28] and retinue will remain under the vidyā holder’s thrall and place themselves and their wealth at his disposal. If he places the sweetmeat at a city gate, all its inhabitants‍—women, men, boys, and girls‍—will fall under his thrall. He will come to be revered and will be a master of amassing wealth. [F.63.b]

“If he incants a sweetmeat seven times and places it in the hands of the statue of the great goddess Śrī, Śrī will fall under his thrall and will grant him great wealth. She will attend upon him for as long as he lives.

“If he incants the sweetmeat one hundred and eight times, places it in a pouch, and keeps it under his arm, he will remain invisible for as long as he keeps it there, and he will be able to enter any place he wants.

“If he incants the sweetmeat twenty-one times by a lonely tree next to a stream and places it at the root of the tree, he will enthrall all beautiful shapeshifting women.711 They will provide every pleasure and offer every service depending on his wish, and they will serve him for as long as he lives.

“If he incants the sweetmeat twenty-one times, places it on the head of Mahākāla712 in a place sacred to the mātṛs, and sprinkles the sweetmeat with water and mustard seeds incanted seven times with the Krodharāja mantra, all yoginīs and ḍākinīs will fall under his thrall and attend upon him as servants to carry out all his tasks. If the vidyā holder incants a sweetmeat twenty-one times and places it in at Mahākāla’s navel, the entire host of mātṛs will appear before him in their respective forms, grant him every boon, and perform all tasks.

“If he incants the sweetmeat one hundred and eight times, places it in Mañjuśrī’s alms bowl, and sprinkles it with water incanted with the Krodharāja mantra, [A.35.a] various foods of the best flavors that afford divine pleasure will appear before all the tathāgatas in the ten directions. For as long as the sweetmeat remains in the bowl, the tathāgatas together with all the śrāvakas and bodhisattvas in the great assemblies will become fully sated. [F.64.a] All these tathāgatas, the hosts of bodhisattvas, and the congregation of śrāvakas will purify the vidyā holder’s gift.

“The vidyā holder should incant the sweetmeat one hundred and eight times and consecrate713 it with the Krodharāja mantra. He should then incant water with the Aṅkuśarāja mantra [Tiii.29] and use it to demarcate the border of the fire pit. He should light a fire using sticks of giant milkweed and place the sweetmeat in the middle of the fire pit. He should then make one hundred and eight offerings of ghee and mustard seeds smeared with curds and honey into the fire. When he has reached the number one hundred and eight, the god of fire will appear in person before the vidyā holder and say, ‘Good! Good, vidyā holder! I am sated and overjoyed. I obtained the highest happiness. Please tell me, vidyā holder, what your heart desires, and I will grant it.’

“The vidyā holder should then tell him what boons he desires, and the god of fire will grant them all. He will remain in the vidyā holder’s thrall and will serve him, enabling him to accomplish all his activities. The vidyā holder will be able to enter and exit a great mass of fire with thousands of blazing flames as if it were water, and it will feel as cool as snow-covered mountains. Touching the fire lightly with his hand, he will be able to place its blazing mass on his head, and not a single hair will be singed or affected by the fire in any way. He will be able to carry fire in his mouth and not feel any of its heat, and if fire touches his body, the vidyā holder will feel refreshed as if by sandalwood balm. The god of fire will perform all kinds of deeds for him.

“Fire will not burn the vidyā holder’s clothes if they comes into contact with it, and if the vidyā holder places fire beneath water, the fire will not go out. The god of fire will attend upon the vidyā holder in person during all homa procedures and will successfully complete any tasks he is given, wherever they may take him. [F.64.b] He will always instruct him in all successful uses of every mantra and maṇḍala. He can travel a thousand leagues and back again, propelled by smoke,714 wind, cloud,715 and flame. He will indicate what needs to be done and will do all of it. He will ensure success in all things.

“Next716 is the practice for the vidyā holder who wants to accomplish the amogha blaze fire, a supreme divine fire that is like a wish-fulfilling jewel. It is bright as the rising sun, illuminates the entirety of the ten directions, brings success in the diverse activities, and is the ultimate catalyst for ripening.717 It is the sublime elixir of longevity, is indispensable in alchemy, produces a variety of excellent results, makes the night bright as day, and is as bright as the daytime sun.

“To succeed the first time, the vidyā holder must perform the required activities well and mix the precious substances thoroughly. If he recites the mantra while ritually pure and practices pure conduct, he will succeed. I will now explain [Tiii.30] what firewood should be used for the amogha blaze fire.718 To make the blazing fire evenly bright,719 the vidyā holder should use all these types of fuel together so that the rite will be the best: sandalwood, khadira,720 pataṅga,721 oleander, sticks of giant milkweed, śamī,722 bamboo, śirīṣa,723 karṇakārika,724 bodhi tree, kṣīravṛkṣa,725 wavy-leaf fig tree, sumanas,726 gandha,727 jasmine, and lotus stalks and leaves; the roots, leaves, and flowers of white and blue lotuses and of white water lilies; sticks of wood-apple tree, citron tree, chaste tree,728 champak,729 kāṇī,730 neem tree, vālaka,731 and citraka.732 To perform the rite, the vidyā holder should procure sticks of all these species to use as fuel. [A.35.b]

“The oblation should consist of mustard seeds, ghee, curds, honey, and parched rice. Also necessary are three palas of fine copper, twice as much vermillion, one pala of costus,733 ten palas of white sandalwood, and one pala of realgar. These ingredients should be mixed together with twice as much yellow orpiment. [F.65.a] The vidyā holder should put them in a crucible in the middle of the fire pit and offer one thousand and eight oblations while clear minded and well focused.

“Ritually pure, following pure conduct, wearing clean clothes, bathed, and perfumed with scents and fragrances, the vidyā holder should prepare a bali consisting of foods with various flavors, flowers, and fruits. When he has completed one thousand and eight recitations and oblations,734 he should offer the bali composed of food, along with the flowers, incense, and the offering of argha water for the feet. He should then douse the fire with milk and use the milk to cool the crucible.

He should strike the crucible with mustard seeds while reciting the mantra one thousand and eight times and then consecrate735 it twenty-one times with the Krodharāja mantra. The crucible will blaze with light. The vidyā holder should next make offerings to the crucible and then retrieve the jewel that has formed in the crucible and place it in a copper or silver box. Like a wish-fulfilling gem, this amogha blaze will possess tremendous power. At night, it will display the splendor of the moon, and during the day, the splendor of the sun. When preparing food, all acts of nourishment, baking, and cooking can be accomplished by placing the stone in the cooking area.736 When the vidyā holder is performing a homa, he should place the jewel in the middle of the fire pit and pour in the oblations. A great [Tiii.31] fire will blaze forth. It will accomplish any tasks anywhere that are difficult737 to perform.

“In the case of a brave man entering a great battle or a fight, such a person should be well bathed, wear clean clothes, bind his armor, and fasten this great jewel to the top of his head. He can then enter the battle alone, where he will turn into a single large flame and defeat the enemy. [F.65.b] They will flee into the ten directions, their spirit broken, and they will never again present any danger. Nor there will be any threat from opponents or adversaries.

“With the jewel in his hand, the vidyā holder will be able enter passages and homes. The doors to all the residences will open to him, and all the inhabitants will come out to meet him. If the vidyā holder goes to a nāga dwelling and enters it with the jewel in his hand, water will no longer be found there, and all the nāgas will come before him. They will stand by any promise they make. Falling under his thrall, they will be his servants for as long as they live, carrying out his every command. They will cause all the crops, grass, bushes, and trees to thrive with ease, and any beings who eat these crops or enjoy the flowers or fruits will have a soft and smooth complexion and will be full of energy, mindful, and contented. The nāgas will also perform many other activities.

“This was the practice of the great jewel, the amogha blaze, the great fiery blaze.

“Next is the practice of summoning Noble Avalokiteśvara using the radiant amogha gaze. The vidyā holder who wants to behold him in person should be ritually pure, bathe thoroughly, wear clean clothes, and perfume his body with scented water. He should build a fire with the sticks of giant milkweed and offer one thousand and eight oblations of mustard seeds, agarwood, and sandalwood smeared with curds, honey, and ghee. After that, he should offer bdellium twenty-one times while reciting the mantra of Amoghāṅkuśa. Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear before the vidyā holder in person [A.36.a] to grant him the boons that fulfill all his wishes and that accord with his cherished desires. [Tiii.32] [F.66.a] The vidyā holder needs only to speak of his cherished desires, and Noble Avalokiteśvara will grant them all.

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the practice of the magical eye ointment, he should become ritually pure, bathe thoroughly, and wear clean clothes. After fasting overnight, he should construct a round copper box and fill it with one measure of collyrium mixed with two measures of yellow orpiment. After incanting it one thousand and eight times, he should place it in the middle of the fire pit. Upon this fire made of giant milkweed, he should then cast one thousand and eight oblations of vetiver root, mustard seeds, and sandalwood that has been smeared with curds, honey, and ghee. When he has reached the number one thousand and eight, he should retrieve the ointment and grind it in a stone mortar into a fine powder, adding realgar, camphor, and musk. He should incant the mixture one hundred and eight times with the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa and twenty-one times with the king of vidyās Amoghāṅkuśa. This mixture can always be employed in acts of summoning.738

“He should then consecrate the mixture with the Amogharāja mantra while forming the mudrā of Amoghapāśa seven times. If he then anoints his eyes with this mixture, he will fly up into the sky and become the overlord of all vidyādharas. His hair will turn wavy and curly, and he will live for ten thousand eons. If he uses the mixture to mark a bindi on his forehead, he will become invisible. If he anoints his eyes and enters a royal palace without speaking to anyone, the king, his harem, and his retinue will fall under and remain in his thrall. As a great person, he will be much venerated and will be successful in accumulating great wealth.739

“If the vidyā holder anoints his eyes when practicing, or during recitation, he will become invisible to all vighnas, vināyakas, and the deities in the company of Māra. [F.66.b] They will no longer be able to impede him or create obstacles, and he will easily succeed in the ritual procedure.740 If he anoints his eyes and enters a great crowd of people, everyone will fall under his thrall. He will acquire a lot of money, grain, clothes, ornaments, and adornments. If he gazes at a woman without blinking, she will become enthralled, and she will be at his disposal along with her wealth. If he anoints his eyes and enters a great forest, he will not be in any danger from thieves, bandits, robbers, wild animals, or poisonous and nonpoisonous creatures,741 and he will pass through it easily and safely.

“In the event of quarrels, disputes, contests, or squabbles, the vidyā holder should anoint his eyes; [Tiii.33] his claims will be unmatched, and he will be victorious. If, while a war rages, he anoints his eyes and enters into the thick of the battle, he will always be victorious and free from all danger. If he anoints his eyes after being exposed to poison from a bite, the poison will be neutralized. If he anoints his eyes when fever strikes, whether the fever returns every day or every two, three, or four days, he will be cured. If he anoints his eyes after drinking poison, the poison will be neutralized.

“If the vidyā holder anoints his eyes when seized by any graha,742 he will be freed from the influence of the eighty-four thousand grahas. If afflicted with eye pain, it will be cleared away the moment he anoints his eyes. If he anoints his eyes when suffering from an acute headache or edema,743 he will be cured immediately. When seized by brahmarākṣasas or apasmāras, he will be released from the seizure the moment he anoints his eyes. Those to be led to their execution for incurring a king’s wrath will be freed the moment they anoint their eyes, and they will have nothing to fear. [A.36.b]

“If the vidyā holder anoints the eyes of an image of Mahākāla, Mahākāla will appear before him in person to grant boons and perform all tasks, [F.67.a] and the entire host of mātṛs will fall under his thrall. If he anoints the eyes of an image of the goddess Śrī and gazes at her without blinking while reciting the heart mantra of Amogharāja three times,744 the great goddess will appear before him. She will accomplish all his tasks and bestow upon him great wealth.

“If the vidyā holder anoints his eyes when he goes to sleep, he will have many wonderful dreams. Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear before him in person and grant him every boon. He will develop excellent memory and intelligence. If he anoints his eyes and enters a crowd of people, he will be greatly revered. If he anoints the eyes of an image of Noble Avalokiteśvara, he will always receive boons from him and will be able to see him whenever he desires.

“If the vidyā holder anoints his eyes with the same eye ointment combined with bovine bezoar and then enters a royal palace, his power and influence will greatly increase, and he will obtain great pleasures and prosperity and accumulate much wealth. [Tiii.34] He will be loved by the king and by his harem and ministers, as well as by their retinues. They will all fall under his thrall.

“If the vidyā holder anoints the eyes of an image of Mahādeva,745 he will become an overlord of all bhūtas. They will all remain under his thrall and serve him by performing all his activities. If he anoints the eyes and forehead of an image of Mahākāla, all yakṣas will fall under his thrall. If he anoints the eyes of a corpse, it will be revived. If he anoints the eyes of any mantra deities, garas, or kākhordas, they will all be done away with and will never trouble him again.

“If the vidyā holder is hungry, he should anoint his eyes and enter a city. He will effortlessly acquire a feast of food and drink. If, as an alms seeker, he anoints his eyes when making his alms rounds, [F.67.b] he will obtain plentiful food of various tastes, as well as plentiful offerings. He will be able to cure all eye diseases, such as bleary eyes, cataracts, partial blindness, eye tumors, night blindness, itching, discharge, foreign objects in the eye, boils, and swelling, and he will regain his health. With his divine sight purified, he will be, like a bird, able to see everything pleasing and will be able to bring it under his control. He will obtain money, grain, and great influence.

“Now I will teach the elaborate homa rite that unfailingly summons the god of fire in order to attract and increase everything, including wealth, grain, clothes, jewelry, adornments, and ornaments. This rite brings the ultimate accomplishment, the instantaneous accomplishment of all goals, and brings supreme happiness to the learned. Through this rite, the vidyā holder will instantly obtain influence, pleasure, and abundance. This should not be doubted, nor should there be uncertainty or ambivalence.

“The material benefits of this supreme homa rite are inconceivably great. It should be performed by a vidyā holder who is ritually pure, thoroughly bathed, and wearing clean clothes. He should procure the root, sticks, leaves, flowers, and fruits of pongamia oil tree746 and kindle the fire using sticks of giant milkweed and white fig tree.747 He should offer into it one thousand and eight oblations of the seven types of seeds, rice, parched rice, sesame, and mustard seeds, all smeared with curds, honey, ghee, and white mustard oil. When he has reached one thousand and eight oblations,748 he should consecrate bdellium and black mustard seeds749 smeared with ghee using the Krodharāja mantra [Tiii.35] and offer the mixture into the fire while reciting the Amoghāṅkuśa, the king of vidyās, one hundred and eight times.750

“Once the vidyā holder has successfully completed all the stages of the rite, he will be able to effortlessly augment his food, drink, furnishings, medicines, [A.37.a] utensils and tools, money, grain, treasury, and storehouse. Various types of clothes, jewelry, [F.68.a] ornaments, adornments, flowers, perfumes, garlands, and unguents will appear effortlessly. He will obtain great power and influence that will last as long as he lives.

“On the eighth day of the bright fortnight, after fasting for one day and one night, the vidyā holder should incant the eye ointment with the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa ninety times, consecrate it with the Krodharāja mantra, and anoint his eyes while forming the mudrā of Amoghapāśa. He will magically fly up into the sky, where he will become a powerful emperor of the vidyādharas who have mastered the eye ointment. His hair will turn wavy and curly, and his lifespan will increase to ten thousand years.

“If the vidyā holder anoints his eyes with the ointment, he will be able to see at night as if it were day. He will have the ability to become invisible and to enter the abodes of all bhūtas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas.751 He will be able to appear at any place at will.752 [B7] If, after applying the ointment to his eyes, he enters a haunt of the mātṛs753 and gazes at the chief deity without blinking while mindfully repeating the Krodharāja one time, all the mātṛ goddesses754 will appear before him, grant him every boon, and serve him for as long as he lives by performing all kinds of activities for him. He will be loved by the host of mātṛs and their retinues, and they will always stand by to guard, protect, and defend him.

“Now I will teach the homa procedure performed with bovine bezoar, a sacred legacy of Amogharāja that delights all vidyādharas and is worshiped by gods and dānavas. It is a proven means to accomplish all goals and is a supreme means to enthrall. It is the best method for sky travel, becoming invisible, gaining entry to enclosures that are difficult to enter, or immediate entry to forests. [F.68.b] This homa procedure also confers magical powers, such as the ability to enter mountain caves, subterranean paradises,755 and the watery abodes of the nāgas and to cross great rivers. [Tiii.36] It removes all dangers, pacifies all diseases, and destroys all evil. It grants victory in battle or in war, and it consistently destroys every enemy. It uproots all families of grahas and cures all fevers.

“This homa procedure removes past obstructions and eradicates wrongdoings. It confers power, grants pleasure, and increases wealth and grain. It pacifies all quarrels, disputes, contests, and disagreements. It breaks open all fetters, shackles, and chains, and it saves those who are to be executed by wicked, violent kings, who will thereafter serve them and speak to them kindly as if they were their royal offspring. In this way they will be entirely released from their predicament. The vidyā holder will be worshiped wherever he goes and will be loved by all creatures. He will always be very dear to the king, his harem, and his retinue, and to renunciants, brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras. He will be loved by all women, men, boys, and girls.

“The vidyā holder who regularly offers the bezoar homa will always receive boons from Noble Avalokiteśvara. Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara will also grant him boons and will stand by him day and night in order to guard and protect him. Many other gods, including powerful nāga kings, bhūtas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, kuṣmāṇḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, gandharvas, asuras, and the powerful garuḍa lords will voluntarily stand by day and night and protect him. This supreme homa of divine bezoar is thus very powerful. [F.69.a]

“To perform the rite, the vidyā holder should be ritually clean, thoroughly bathed, and wear clean clothes. [A.37.b] He should procure bezoar and human blood, add some saffron, and put them in a copper pot in front of an image of Amoghapāśa. He should complete one hundred and eight recitations of the mantra and then cover the pot with silk. He should make a fire with sticks from the cutch tree and kindling of giant milkweed and then offer into the fire one thousand and eight oblations of parched rice, mustard seeds, bdellium, rice grains, and sesame, all mixed together and smeared with curds, honey, and ghee.

“When one thousand and eight oblations have been completed and the fire has died down, [Tiii.37] he should take some fine ash that has cooled,756 throw it into the pot, and complete another one hundred and eight mantra recitations. He should then consecrate the pot with the Krodharāja mantra while displaying the mudrā. If he marks the space between his eyebrows with a spot of the mixture from the pot, he will fly up into the sky and become a great vidyādhara emperor‍—the lord of all vidyādharas. His hair will turn wavy and curly, and his lifespan will extend to ninety-nine thousand years. The doors to every home will always remain open to him.

“If the vidyā holder marks his forehead with a spot of the mixture, he will become invisible, be able to enter any home, and become the master of that house. The doors to the dwellings of every bhūta, yakṣa, and rākṣasa will be open, and all the bhūtas, yakṣas, and rākṣasas will come out together with their retinues and armies. They will remain his servants as long as he lives. If the vidyā holder anoints his eyes with the mixture, he will be able to see at night as if it were day, and he will see hidden treasures. He will watch as the entrances to caves and subterranean paradises open, and he will be able to enter them, perform any activity there, and come out once again.

“If the vidyā holder enters a broad river, he will perceive it as a palatial residence adorned with the seven types of jewels.757 [F.69.b] All beings who live in the water will fall under his thrall, and he will be able to enter and exit the watery abodes of nāgas as if they were his own house. If the vidyā holder smears his entire body with the mixture and enters into the thick of the battle, he will be perceived as wearing protective armor and will achieve a complete victory. If he enters the royal household while holding the mixture in the front of his mouth, the harem and retinue will fall under his thrall. Any instructions he gives will be carried out, all requests will be fulfilled, and every command will be acted on.

“If the vidyā holder applies the mixture to his face, all women, men, boys, and girls will fall under his thrall wherever he goes, and they will put both themselves and their possessions at his disposal. If he anoints his right hand, any person he touches will fall under his thrall. He will hold power over money, grain, and gold, as well as male and female servants, attendants, and underlings. They will come under his control and remain his servants. If the vidyā holder anoints his right forefinger [Tiii.38] and in the midst of a thunderstorm faces the rumbling clouds and points that finger at them, all the cold wind and hail will cease within the radius of one league.

“In the event of excessive rain, the vidyā holder can stop it by displaying his right hand to the cloud. In the event of a drought, he should anoint the palm of his right hand and slap the water of a lake where nāgas live three times. At that moment, the frightened nāga king will release torrents of rain. If he does not send rain immediately, the vidyā holder should slap the water five times. All the nāgas will then release torrents of rain. If they do not, they will all suffer from headaches. [F.70.a] After the vidyā holder slaps the water seven times, all the nāga kings will experience total ruin, and their families will be exiled. [A.38.a]

“If the vidyā holder anoints the eyes of anyone suffering from seizures caused by grahas, all eighty-four thousand grahas will be pacified at that very moment. If the vidyā holder uses the mixture to mark a bindi on the foreheads of those afflicted with fever, all the types of fever‍—those that return every day or every two, three, or four days‍—will be pacified. If those afflicted with any disease are bathed in water infused with the mixture, they will be instantaneously cured of every disease. As soon as they are anointed with the mixture they will be cured of all boils, abscesses, fistulas, eczema, and gland inflammations in the neck.

“In the event of a poisonous bite, all the poison will be neutralized as soon as the bite victim is anointed. They will be released from all the effects of the poison as soon as they drink the mixture. The diseases of all those who suffer from abdominal ailments, such as enlargement of the spleen, edema, spleen diseases, flank pain, heart pain, bladder pain, hemorrhoids, dysentery, urinary problems, gastroenteritis, indigestion, and constipation will be permanently cured as soon as they drink the mixture with hot water.

“The vidyā holder should take a pill made from the bezoar mixture and place it on top of his head. If he stands next to a door to a passageway and slaps it with the palm of his right hand smeared with the mixture, all the doors in that passageway will open. He should enter without fear, as he will meet no obstacles. All the inhabitants who live there, enthralled, will come forward and perform every duty with great success. [Tiii.39]

“If the vidyā holder anoints his feet with the mixture and enters a blazing fire, the god of fire will come forward in person and take the vidyā holder by the hand. [F.70.b] He will say, ‘Vidyā holder, enter my palace and command me! I will perform any task for you.’ He will then perform any duties the vidyā holder has. If the vidyā holder anoints his arms, he will have the strength of seven elephants. If he anoints his thighs, he will become an invincible wrestler. If he anoints his calves, he will be able to ford great rivers and reach the other shore. If he anoints his throat and enters a forest passage, the doors within the passage and the doors to dwellings in the forest will fall open. All the medicinal herbs and substances will appear before him in their respective forms so that he can take whichever one he wants.

“If the vidyā holder enters inaccessible mountain valleys or caves758 while keeping the bezoar pill in the front of his mouth and utters three loud cries, all the secret doors to the dwelling there will open. All their inhabitants will come before the vidyā holder in their respective forms and become his servants. Grasses, bushes, trees, minerals, and herbs will appear before him in their respective forms. Those among them that produce excellent sap will ooze it, and the guardian spirits of the sap will appear before the vidyā holder in their respective forms and fall under his thrall. Every need he has will be fulfilled without fear.

“If the vidyā holder marks his chest with a bindi, all his heartfelt hopes, desires, wishes, and needs will be immediately fulfilled. If he marks his abdomen with a bindi, he will obtain all his favorite food and drink. Everything will come to him without any effort on his part.759 If he anoints his sides with the mixture, he will obtain whatever clothes he fancies. If he anoints his spine, he will obtain whatever bed or seat comes to his mind. [F.71.a] If he anoints his ears or other exposed body parts, he will obtain the desired ornaments and adornments. If he smears his tailbone with the mixture, he will obtain a horse-drawn vehicle.

“Every day before dawn, before speaking to anyone else, the vidyā holder should swallow a single bezoar pill while reciting the heart mantra of Amogharāja. [A.38.b] [Tiii.40] On the first day, he should read and memorize one thousand verses, and he should double the number each consecutive day. On the seventh night760 his learning will greatly increase; after fourteen days his voice will become as beautiful as that of female kinnaras; after twenty-one days he will acquire learning as vast as an ocean, and his voice will be deep and sweet, as melodious as a cuckoo.

“If the vidyā holder wants to obtain a son, he should offer the bezoar pill together with ghee to a woman. Even those women who give birth to only one child, or are barren, will give birth to a son. If the vidyā holder is in jail, he should smear his shackles, fetters, and chains with the mixture. They will break into pieces and vanish as soon as they are smeared.

“On the eighth, fourteenth, or fifteenth lunar day, the vidyā holder should mix the bezoar pill with scented water and bathe in it while reciting the heart mantra of Amogharāja seven times and then consecrate himself with the Krodharāja mantra.761 The moment he bathes, all his evil deeds and previous obscurations will be removed. After he has bathed for three nights, he will be able to accomplish his practice of mantras and mudrās. He will have no adversaries or enemies, will not encounter evil, wicked people, will be safe from every danger, and will never again be stained by evil.

“If the vidyā holder grinds the bezoar pill with sesame oil, anoints his face with it, and stands before the king, the king will embrace him like his own son. He will win the king’s true affection [F.71.b] and will pacify all fear of incurring the king’s anger. If he smears his entire body with the mixture, no weapon will be able to harm his body, not even if he were sentenced to death. The weapons will shatter before they penetrate his body, and bows will break.762 If the vidyā holder ties the pill to his neck, he will be able to enter forested wilderness and deep mountains that are difficult to gain access to. He will not face any danger from thieves, bandits, robbers, yakṣas, rākṣasas, humans and nonhumans, wild animals, poisonous snakes, or any venomous animals. None of them will be seen.

“If the vidyā holder ties the pill onto his right arm, he will be invincible and highly esteemed by all. His strength, power, and valor will be impossible to overcome. If he ties the pill onto his left arm, he will be loved by all women, men, boys, and girls, who will long to see him. He will be greatly honored and will accumulate much wealth. [Tiii.41] If he ties the pill to his right knee, he will be able to travel one thousand miles without getting tired.

“The vidyā holder should place the bezoar pill in his mouth and take some mustard seeds into his right hand. He should mindfully repeat the summoning mantra of Amoghāṅkuśa without uttering any other words. He should stand at a high place and cast the mustard seeds in the direction of a specific woman, man, boy, or girl, and they will be summoned to him. Even if they are at the distance of one hundred leagues, they are certain to arrive after three days. There can be no doubt about this. If the vidyā holder ties the bezoar pill to his right or left hand, any money, grain, gold, jewels, pearls, conches, śaṅkhaśilā stones, coral, [F.72.a] silver, wrought gold, clothes, or adornments that he touches will all be drawn to him and transferred wherever he wishes.

“If the vidyā holder enters an eating hall and slaps its door with his palm, all the prepared food will be drawn to him and transferred wherever he wishes. If he goes to a perfume shop, all the shop’s contents will be transferred wherever he wishes. If he slaps the door of a tavern, all the containers of alcohol will be transferred wherever he wishes. If he slaps the door of a granary, all the grain will be drawn to him. [A.39.a] If he enters a sweet shop and touches the display, all the sweets, delicacies, and candies will be drawn to him and transferred wherever he wishes. If he slaps the city gate with his hand at sunset, all the residents there will fall asleep.

“If the vidyā holder buries the pill at the door of an enemy, the enemy will be driven out. If he throws the bezoar pill inside an armory, all the weapons and armaments will break and be rendered inoperable. If he buries the pill at the door of the royal palace, all his opponents, adversaries, and other wicked beings will be bound, immobilized, and defeated. If the vidyā holder anoints a conch with the mixture and blows it from a high place, all those who hear the sound will be saved from quarrels, disputes, contests, disagreements, kākhordas, poison, and disease. If he blows it at a city gate, all plagues, calamities, and epidemics will be pacified. [Tiii.42] If he blows it near a cowshed, all the milk will be taken from the cows and will be collected and transferred wherever he wishes. If he blows it near a goat pen, all their milk will be taken and transferred wherever he likes. If he blows it in a midst of a crowd of people, they will all become naked, and the vidyā holder will be able to take all their clothes.

“If the vidyā holder smears a drum with the mixture and places it in a high, open place, all cold, wind, and hail will cease, be dispersed, [F.72.b] and not return. The vidyā holder will be able to stop all hail within the radius of one hundred leagues. If he plays the drum in the cities around the kingdom, all diseases, plagues, calamities, and catastrophes will be pacified and all quarrels, disputes, and discord will cease. All danger from epidemics and famines will pass. The vidyā holder will be also able to perform various other activities and employ them in any context.763

“Now I will explain how to bring peace and prosperity to all beings equally, how to pacify all disease, dispel all evil, pacify all plagues, calamities, famines, and disasters, and destroy all bhūtas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, grahas, and apasmāras. The vidyā holder should be ritually pure and well bathed, wear clean, nicely scented clothes, and perfume his body with fragrances. Wholly moved by kindness for all beings, and with great compassion filling his heart, he should perform the homa as follows.

“He should make fire with sticks of giant milkweed, śamī tree,764 kṣīravṛkṣa,765 or bodhi tree and offer one thousand and eight oblations of parched rice, mustard seeds, and the flowers, stalks, and leaves of lotuses smeared with curds, honey, and ghee. Each oblation should be accompanied by a single recitation of the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa. He should then consecrate it766 one hundred and eight times with the Amoghapāśa-Krodharāja mantra while displaying the mudrā of Amoghapāśa the same number of times. As soon as all the parts of the homa ritual have been completed, all plagues, calamities, catastrophes, epidemics, terrible famines, disasters, [F.73.a] dangers from one’s own or foreign armies, dangers from opponents and adversaries, or dangers from all thieves, bandits, robbers, wild animals, poisonous snakes, or other venomous creatures with poisonous bites will be pacified and not occur again within the radius of one hundred leagues.

“There will be no fever, disease, or ailments. Yakṣas, [Tiii.43] rākṣasas, bhūtas, and grahas will be pacified and no longer appear. There will be no quarrels, disputes, discord, brawls, riots, threats, blockades, imprisonments, or beatings. They will cease, and all the beings will live at ease. Human populations will thrive, with plentiful supplies of food, pleasures, flowers, and food. [A.39.b] There will be an abundance of money, grain, and crops. The crops will taste excellent, ripen fully, and be perfect. The sap, outgrowths, roots, and fruits of all grasses, bushes, herbs, and trees will fully develop.

“Never again, for as long as the vidyā holder lives, will that country be subject to invasion, nor will anyone hear about such attempt.767 All renunciants, brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras there‍—the women, men, boys, and girls‍—will remain free from disease. They will experience comforts and pleasure and will be happy and content. Their thoughts will be suffused with love, and they will practice compassion. They will be well protected by devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, who will always remain within one hundred leagues in order to guard, defend, and protect them. They will grant them protection, [F.73.b] succor, peace, and well-being. The Four Great Kings together with their armies and retinues will be at hand to guard, defend and protect them. They will keep them safe and ward off the wicked. Gods such as Īśvara and Maheśvara will always be there to guard, defend, and protect beings. Indra, the king of gods in the realm of Thirty-Three, and his retinue, as well as Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, and all the hosts of gods together with their retinues, will guard that country well and suffuse it with vitality. They will support and protect everyone within the radius of one hundred leagues.768 They will be on hand to protect, guard, and defend all the renunciants, brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras, as well as all women, men, boys, and girls.

“By the power of this homa rite of pacifying, all beings will be freed from every obscuration and evil. All the tathāgatas will fix their attention on that land, and all bodhisattvas [Tiii.44] in the ten directions will gather there with their hosts, appearing with the wish to bring relief to all beings. The moon, the sun, and the host of nakṣatras769 will provide safety to all beings, offering them total protection. Noble Avalokiteśvara will always be present, giving comfort to every woman, man, boy, and girl as if they were his only child. He will protect them, fulfill all their hearts’ desires, and appear to them again and again.

“If the vidyā holder mixes ashes from the homa with scented water and sprinkles it in the four directions, he will create a large protective ring. [F.74.a] If he sprinkles it on anyone afflicted with disease, their diseases will be entirely cured. In the case of fever, he should make a bindi to cure them of all fever. Those who bathe in the ash and scented water will be cleansed of all their evil and obscurations. If he sprinkles the water on the clothes of someone in shackles or in prison, their shackles will break. If he anoints someone bitten by a poisonous animal or affected by poison, the victim will be detoxified.

“This concludes the section on the homa procedure for invoking the god of fire.

“Now I will teach a great sovereign rite of Noble Avalokiteśvara that belongs to the great lotus maṇḍala of the lotus family and constitutes a maṇḍala of liberation, the essence of Amoghapāśa. This rite will accomplish hundreds of thousands of activities that would otherwise not be accomplished. On a day when the stars are favorable and auspicious, the vidyā holder should bathe, wear clean clothes, and focus on loving kindness.

“The most beautiful adornment is compassion and love for all beings, and the best accomplishment is one that is won by this rite of Amoghapāśa, the great king of vidyās. [A.40.a] After completing the recitations this rite will, without doubt, accomplish all activities. Padmapāṇi,770 who always grants boons to beings, will cherish the vidyā holder who always keeps the teachers of the world in his heart. The vidyā holder’s store of merit will increase a hundred thousand times, as if he were in the presence of thousands of millions of buddhas equal in number to the grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river. He will accumulate the roots of virtue and will accomplish the deeds of the Buddha.

“Learned vidyā holders should fast and remain focused on their recitation. Whether they are a monk or nun, [Tiii.45] or a male or female lay practitioner, they will be able to swiftly travel to Sukhāvatī and be freed from afflictions and unbearable pain and suffering. They will, at all times, be able to see the buddhas and the bodhisattvas. Of this there is no doubt.

“I will now explain the recitation procedure of the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa as required for the rite. If the vidyā holder performs the ritual recitation, he will obtain the true accomplishments of a vidyādhara. [F.74.b] Using cow dung, he should build a complete four-sided maṇḍala in front of an image of Amoghapāśa. Using powdered conch and gold,771 he should trace the shapes of the four corners and the four doors and, in the center, another quadrangle with four sides. He should then draw the supreme maṇḍala, a hundred-petaled lotus, out of white sandalwood and scatter saffron on it. In the middle of the lotus’ pericarp he should place a pitcher772 filled with scented water and mustard seeds. Burning incense of agarwood, he should place full jars around the maṇḍala, decorate them with various flowers, and place four bowls773 with the welcome offering of water.

“The vidyā holder should make himself ritually pure, wear clean clothes, and observe the ritual fast. He should live on the three ‘white’ foods and perform three ablutions at the three junctions of the day. He should recite the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa one hundred and eight times at the three junctions of the day. Seated in a cross-legged position before Noble Avalokiteśvara, he should display the mudrā of recitation while holding a rosary of beads with the index and the middle finger extended. Calm and collected, he should focus his mind on compassion. In a state of meditation, with a balanced body and tranquil gaze, he should recite while refraining from speaking any other words.

“The moment he begins his recitation, the ground will quake violently. He should form the mudrā of Amoghapāśa and bow in greeting,774 after which there will be a great earthquake. He must not be afraid but, with a steady mind, wholly focus on compassion for all beings. He should fix his gaze on the feet of Noble Avalokiteśvara-Amoghapāśa and recite the Krodharāja mantra seven times.775 As soon as seven recitations are completed, there will be a violent shaking and roaring. Rays of light will issue from the forehead of Noble Avalokiteśvara and shine everywhere. [F.75.a]

“The vidyā holder, [Tiii.46] his heart filled with tremendous joy, will smile. With goose bumps from rapturous delight, he will look up at the face of the Lord. As soon as he looks up, the right face of the noble lord Avalokiteśvara will say ‘Good!’ as he looks around. As soon as the word ‘good!’ is heard, all the vidyā holder’s obscurations will be purified, and his body will be replete with great purity. He will accumulate roots of virtue equal to that of hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of tathāgatas, and all bodhisattvas will be willing to see him. His body will be soft, supple, and tender, his hair will become curly, and his speech will be pleasant and sweet. His vision will be purified, as will his body and mind. [A.40.b] His grey hair will disappear. He will also attain the samādhi called the pure perception of all beings. Before dawn, Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear in person and give him comfort.

“He will place his right hand on the vidyā holder’s head and grant him every boon, including the ability to travel through space, become invisible, possess the divine eye, see buddha fields, attain samādhi, attain dhāraṇī, and find success in the rites connected to the essence of Amoghapāśa. He will also be granted the ability to explain scientific treatises and mantras, to remember what he has heard, and to explain the location of treasure or mineral deposits. He will gain the ability to work magic, visit divine776 realms, enter terrestrial passages and the abodes of nāgas, describe any realm, summon yakṣas or rākṣasas, raise vetālas, [F.75.b] enter inaccessible forests or mountains, enter cities, and identify and use medicinal herbs. He will be able to become a sword vidyādhara, a siddha vidyādhara, or a wheel-turning monarch and to obtain a kingdom, a country, or the position of the governor of a country. He will be able to crush great armies, work as spy,777 or dive deep into the ocean. Noble Avalokiteśvara will grant all of this [Tiii.47] and will help him accomplish every task. He will protect the vidyā holder wherever and in whatever way is required, and he will purify the five acts of immediate retribution. If the vidyā holder recites the mantra continuously, he will attain the samādhi called removing impediments to seeing all beings.

“If the vidyā holder wants to accomplish the magical eye ointment, he should place some realgar paste in a copper vessel on the eighth day of the bright fortnight, trace a maṇḍala with sandalwood powder in front of Noble Avalokiteśvara, and place the vessel there. Bathed and wearing clean clothes, he should sit in a cross-legged position facing Noble Avalokiteśvara and recite the mantra. He should create a protective boundary by bringing to mind the Krodharāja mantra seven times while displaying the mudrā of Amoghapāśa. He should live on the three ‘white’ foods. Vidyā holders‍—sons or daughters of the Buddha’s family‍—should observe the eight limbs of the one-day fast before engaging in mantra recitation.

“As soon as the vidyā holder has completed the recitation, the paste in the vessel will begin to blaze and emit smoke and foam. Once it has heated up and foamed, he should take it and anoint his eyes with it. He will magically ascend into the sky and will see all the buddha fields and all the tathāgatas and buddhas in the ten directions. He will become a great emperor of the vidyādharas. He will see all underground passages and dwellings open wide, and he will see all treasures rise to the surface. He will watch as the gates to all the palaces in the god realms open, and he will be able to enter whichever one he wants. [F.76.a] He will be invisible to all yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, piśācas, grahas, and other nonhuman and human beings, as well as to his opponents and adversaries.

“On the eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days of the lunar fortnight, he should recite the mantra one thousand and eight times without speaking any other words and while seated in a cross-legged position in front of Noble Avalokiteśvara. As soon as he completes the recitation, Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear before the vidyā holder in person in his divine form and place his right hand on the vidyā holder’s head. The vidyā holder will then attain the samādhi called the wondrous display of the immaculately arising gaze778 and will obtain the magical power called the splendorous display magically created by the gaze of all the tathāgatas. His lifespan will be extended to one thousand divine eons.

“Having obtained a divine form, the vidyā holder will be able to see all the tathāgatas. The Tathāgata Amitāyus, the worthy, fully realized Buddha, [A.41.a] [Tiii.48] will induct him into the true Dharma.779 All the bodhisattva great beings who dwell in the realm of Sukhāvatī will approach him and attend upon him. He will obtain a divine form, his hair will become wavy and curly, and he will acquire a palatial residence called The Resplendence and Purity of a Lotus.780

“If the vidyā holder wants to have a body with a diamond core, he should fill a pitcher with scented water and incant it with the mantra sixty-two thousand times781 in front of the image of the noble bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara while fasting for one day and one night. He should then perform ablutions with the water from the pitcher. As soon as he does, his body will be as if made from diamond. All the tathāgatas will look upon him, and his lifespan will increase to one thousand divine years. All yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas,782 and grahas will fall under his thrall. All gods and nāgas will manifest783 and perform all his worldly duties. [F.76.b]

“As soon as the vidyā holder recalls something or has a particular idea, all the grahas and apasmāras will come and tell him everything there is to know: whether something is true or untrue, real or unreal, or proper or improper, whether it has happened or not, whether it can be increased by magic, or whether it will bring comfort and prosperity784‍—they will tell him all of this. They will perform all these and other necessary duties. Like servants, they are ready to perform any task.

“Now, if the vidyā holder wants to ascend through all the worlds, one by one, and bring all of them under his control; if he wants to liberate all hell beings, animals, and the inhabitants of the realm of Yama; if he wants to attain the samādhi called the magical display of the amogha wisdom; if he wants to accomplish the maṇḍala of liberation; or if he wants to successfully perform the rites of the essence of Amoghapāśa or the great rites of the essence of Amoghapāśa,785 he should make individual images of Noble Avalokiteśvara in his form of Amoghapāśa.

“The figure786 should be adorned with a topknot and a diadem and should wear a garment made from the skin of a black antelope as worn by Paśupati and all ornamentation. The figure should be sitting either in a cross-legged posture or in the manner of the bodhisattva Sudhana, with his right knee raised and his left on the ground. [Tiii.49] It should have the face of Krodharāja, with an upward gaze and the six arms characteristic of his wrathful form. Amitābha should be at the top of its diadem, and it should be adorned with all types of ornaments. All the figures should have relics inside them. They should be placed on a lotus seat on top of a mountain.

“Ritually pure and wearing clean clothes, the vidyā holder should fast for one day and one night, without even drinking. He should sip the five products of the cow, consecrate himself by sprinkling himself with water and mustard seeds, and gaze out with a heart overflowing with compassion. Because the ritual will succeed even if it is only read and not properly performed, [F.77.a] why speak of what will happen if the recitation and ritual actions are complete?

“Vidyā holders‍—be they a monk or nun, male or female lay practitioner, king or queen‍—who wants to see and worship the tathāgatas, the worthy, fully realized buddhas, who are equal in number to the eighty-eight million grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river; who want to plant many roots of virtue for themself and for all beings; and who want to purify all evil787 should follow this procedure:

“The vidyā holder should make, according to his means, a golden figure of Noble Avalokiteśvara-Amoghapāśa [A.41.b] and install it facing east. Using saffron, he should draw a four-sided maṇḍala that is well measured and outlined with vermillion. In the center of the maṇḍala, he should draw a garland of lotuses, in the center of which should be placed a pitcher of water and a rosary.788 He should adorn it with various flowers and place around it four jars that are filled with scented water and decorated with flowers to the extent his means allow. He should add five bowls of offering water, burn agarwood incense in five incense holders, and light sixteen lamps filled with scented oil. He should worship Noble Avalokiteśvara with offerings of flowers, incense, fragrances, and garlands.

“Facing the Lokeśvara,789 the vidyā holder should sit in a cross-legged position, display the mudrā of Amoghapāśa, [Tiii.50] and consecrate himself by bringing the mantra of Krodharāja to mind one time. Imagining the tathāgatas in the ten directions, he should bow to them and mentally pay them homage. Forming the recitation mudrā, he should recite the mantra. [F.77.b] After one hundred and eight repetitions the ground will shake violently, thrilling the vidyā holder, who will then perceive himself blazing with light. All the tathāgatas will reveal their faces to him. Noble Avalokiteśvara’s topknot will blaze with light from within, and the word ‘good!’ will resound.

“After the vidyā holder completes the second round of one hundred and eight recitations, he will witness a sign of his profound accomplishment: Noble Avalokiteśvara will extend his hand and place it on the vidyā holder’s head. The vidyā holder will obtain the samādhi called the direct perception of all the tathāgatas and will become the holder of the vidyā of Amoghapāśa. The tathāgatas will appear to the vidyā holder before dawn and show him all buddha fields. He will plant the roots of virtue of all the tathāgatas.

“After the vidyā holder completes the third round of one hundred and eight recitations, Avalokiteśvara will appear before him in the form of Noble Avalokiteśvara when the sky turns pink before dawn. He will give the vidyā holder a noose called stainless lotus and will grant him every accomplishment. Amitābha, the victorious one, will also applaud him, saying ‘Good!’

“Anyone who sees the form of Noble Avalokiteśvara will plant the roots of virtue equal to those of sixty-four thousand tathāgatas.790 All the gods, headed by Brahmā and including Īśvara and Maheśvara, will always wish to see the vidyā holder. They will free him of all disease, grant him every boon, and always be nearby to guard, protect, and defend him. The vidyā holder will be free from all evil.791 [B8] [F.78.a] [F.78.b]

“Alternatively, the vidyā holder should make a silver figure of Noble Avalokiteśvara-Amoghapāśa just like the previous one and prepare a maṇḍala using white sandalwood powder. In it he should place a vase filled with water scented with white sandalwood and surround it with five dishes with the water offering. He should scatter a variety of flowers and burn incense made of white sandalwood. He should make offerings to Noble Avalokiteśvara and light forty-two lamps with scented oil.792 He should arrange four793 incense burners [Tiii.51] and bring to mind the Krodharāja mantra twenty-one times.

“The vidyā holder, ritually pure and wearing clean clothes, should display the mudrā of Amoghapāśa seven times and form the mudrā of recitation. Sitting in a cross-legged posture, he should extend the index finger of his left hand, formed into the shape of a lotus, and count one hundred and eight recitations.794 When one hundred and eight recitations have been completed, the word ‘good!’ will resound from the eastern direction, and the vidyā holder will get goose bumps. The king and all ministers along with their harems [A.42.a] and retinues will fall under the vidyā holder’s thrall and will come from a thousand leagues away at the mere mention of their names. They will remain in the vidyā holder’s service, eager to perform their assigned tasks and do whatever they are told to do. [F.79.a] The vidyā holder will become a widely venerated, powerful lord.

“If the vidyā holder recites the mantra one hundred and eight times for a second time, Śakra, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Yama, Varuṇa, Kubera,795 and other gods will fall under his thrall, follow his commands, and do what is asked of them. The four kings with their retinues of yakṣas and rākṣasas796 will also fall under his thrall. If the vidyā holder recites the mantra one hundred and eight times for a third time, the moon and the sun will descend from the sky and come before him. The deities of the night and the deities of space will descend and come before him, eager to carry out his orders. If the vidyā holder recites the mantra one hundred and eight times for a fourth time, all nāgas, including all the nāga kings in the ocean headed by Nanda and Upananda, will fall under his thrall.

“Alternatively, the vidyā holder should make a copper figure of Noble Avalokiteśvara-Amoghapāśa and prepare a maṇḍala using red797 sandalwood powder. He should scatter red flowers and place four incense burners around it to offer incense. He should also light fifty-two butter lamps and arrange five dishes with offering water as offerings to Noble Avalokiteśvara. He should mindfully repeat the Krodharāja mantra twenty-one times and display the mudrā of Amoghapāśa the same number of times. Sitting cross-legged in front of the cloth painting and [Tiii.52] taking all beings into consideration, he should focus his mind on all the tathāgatas and look to the four directions with loving kindness. He should think about all the hell beings, the beings in the world of Yama, and the asura and preta realms. He should turn his attention to beings in the eight great hells and look upon them with compassion.

“Forming the lotus-shaped mudrā of recitation, he should begin reciting. When he has completed one hundred and eight recitations, the four directions will quake and roar with sound. [F.79.b] All hell beings will be liberated as the gates of all the hells break open, fall away, and are reduced to ash. All hell beings will take favorable rebirths and be entirely free of suffering until their ultimate and final awakening. Their bodies will be adorned with the auspicious marks of a divine being, and any beings who look upon them will be established irreversibly on the path to awakening.

“After the second round of one hundred and eight recitations, all the blind beings living in darkness in the subterranean worlds798 will be freed from that darkness through the power of the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa and begin to radiate light. All these beings will be liberated and instantly reborn in the realm of Noble Avalokiteśvara, where they will be free from aging and dying until they reach the ultimate, final awakening. The vidyā holder will attain the samādhi called stainlessly pure, arising everywhere majestically, and will live for an eon. Upon his death, he will be reborn in the realm of Sukhāvatī and will remain at the feet of Noble Avalokiteśvara, completely free from all sorrow until ultimate and final awakening.

“The vidyā holder should grind white sandalwood, musk, camphor, and various other fragrant substances into a fine powder and mix them with olibanum, the sap of sal tree, myrrh, and water. He should then add molasses and mix them well. Using this mixture, he should make a figure of Noble Avalokiteśvara eight fingers799 tall and adorned with all the ornaments. [A.42.b] It should have a diadem on its topknot and be dressed in the skin of the black antelope as worn by Paśupati.800 [Tiii.53] The first of its four hands should hold a lotus; the second, a noose; the third, a spear; and the fourth should display the gesture of comfort. The figure should sit on a lotus seat and radiate a six-foot halo801 of light. A figure of Noble Tārā should be to the right of Noble Avalokiteśvara-Amoghapāśa, and one of Vimalamati802 to the left. Krodharāja should be below the Lokeśvara,803 [F.80.a] and the victorious Amitābha should be above him.

“The vidyā holder should be ritually pure and put on clean clothes. From the eighth day of the lunar fortnight to the fifteenth he should perform ablutions at the three junctions of the day, change his clothes three times a day, and recite the mantra three times a day, one hundred and eight times each. He should smear the maṇḍala with various fragrant substances and draw a boundary with a five-colored line. In the center of the maṇḍala he should paint the vidyā deity Amoghapāśa804 with one knee down on the ground and his gaze directed upward. In the four corners he should paint, respectively, Īśvara, Maheśvara, Yama, and Varuṇa. The maṇḍala should have four gateways.805

“The vidyā holder should place vessels filled with fragrances in the four corners, and at the four gates he should place vessels filled with a bali made of aromatic substances, as well as a bali consisting of the three ‘white’ foods. He should also set up eight dishes with argha water, scatter a variety of flowers, burn incense made of agarwood, light one hundred and twenty-eight lamps with scented oil, and adorn the maṇḍala with banners. Facing east, he should make offerings to the noble bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in the maṇḍala.806 He should fashion a five-colored cord that is sixteen cubits long and woven with gold at one end and pearls at the other. He should then wind it like a snake and place it in the center of the maṇḍala.

“He should be ritually pure and put on clean clothes. Sitting in a cross-legged posture and facing the maṇḍala, he should display the noose mudrā of Amoghapāśa thirty-two times as a rite of self-protection. He should then bind the maṇḍala and the directions by reciting the Krodharāja mantra one hundred and eight times. Then, with a broad smile on his face, he should form the mudrā of recitation and recite the mantra one thousand and eight times, incanting a single mustard seed with each recitation and casting it upon the cord. He should do this without speaking. [Tiii.54] [F.80.b] When the number one thousand and eight has been reached, the cord will blaze, radiating light of various colors. The word ‘good!’ will issue forth: ‘Good! It is good, vidyā holder, that you have accomplished the noose of Amoghapāśa. You will accomplish every activity while holding it. Having won the supreme accomplishment807 of the wish-fulfilling jewel-noose, you will accomplish all worldly and supramundane activities.’

“Noble Avalokiteśvara will then blaze with light, and from the Lokeśvara’s body a great cloud of fragrance will issue out and spread six leagues. Anyone who merely smells this fragrance will be cured of all diseases and freed from all pain, obscurations, kākhordas, and poison.808 They will all disappear after applying the powder.809 Their bodies will become free from all impurity,810 and they will be established irreversibly on the path to awakening.

“The vidyā holder should then pick up this wish-fulfilling jewel-noose, put it in a copper box, and place it at the feet of the image of Noble Avalokiteśvara. Whenever there is a task to perform, the vidyā holder should bathe, make himself ritually pure, and then take the jewel noose and do what is to be done. If the vidyā holder worships the noose every day at each of the three junctions of the day, he will be able to ascend into the sky, where, completely pure in his body and mind, he will play with those who had previously become vidyādharas, who will all fall under his thrall. [A.43.a] His lifespan will increase to one thousand years, and when he dies, he will, as is his destiny, be spontaneously reborn in the realm of Sukhāvatī from the pericarp of a lotus flower. Until reaching ultimate and final awakening, he will be a great emperor of all vidyādharas, with a lifespan of one hundred thousand eons. Those beings who merely see this image of Noble Avalokiteśvara will be freed from the results of the five acts of immediate retribution and other such offenses. [F.81.a]

“The vidyā holder should incant jasmine flowers one hundred and eight times and offer them to Noble Avalokiteśvara one at a time and accompanied by a single recitation of the mantra. When he has completed one hundred and eight recitations, the king and all his ministers, along with their harems and retinues, will fall under his thrall. They themselves will become the vidyā holder’s servants, eager to perform tasks for him and serve him with their gold, grain, and male and female servants.

“The vidyā holder should take the jasmine flowers that were discarded after the offering, mix them with mahaleb cherry,811 and grind them into a fine powder together with crepe jasmine, costus812 root, saffron, spikenard, sāmaka,813 fenugreek, nalada,814 myrrh, and mustard seeds. [Tiii.55] A pill made from this powder mixed with rainwater is the best medicine.815 Known as lotus, it primarily brings glory and fame but will also cure all diseases such as fever, skin eruptions, boils, rashes, scabies, leprosy, and festering abscesses. As taught by the sages,816 all these diseases will be easily cured after being anointed with the pill infusion, and all evil will be cleared away after bathing in it. This pill prolongs life and brings prosperity to kings.817

“If the vidyā holder makes a bindi with the infusion and goes into battle, he will always be victorious. The wearer of such a bindi will be delightful to women. This is the ultimate enthrallment. And, as the Lokeśvara has said, all those who apply the powder‍—whether in the form of a bindi or ointment, or if they eat it or bathe in it‍—will easily overcome the problems in this world caused by kākhordas, poisons, garas, or the magic involving poisonous powders or mantras. For headache, the pill can be applied as an ointment for the head, and for eye pain, as an ointment for the eyes.818 It can be held in the mouth for toothaches, taken with warm water for abdominal pain, and rubbed in with ghee for pain in the flanks. One should use the ointment mixed with ghee. For aches in the body or limbs, it can be rubbed evenly into the affected area.

“For effecting enthrallment, the vidyā holder should anoint the palm of his hand. In the case of serious illness, he should rub the ointment on his body and then bathe. To destroy yakṣas and grahas, he should burn the pill as incense while holding it in his hand;819 he will then be freed from all grahas.820 [F.81.b] To counter the harmful influence of mudrās,821 he should make a bindi mark on the crown of the head. For diseases of the heart, he should mix the pill with hot water and salt. To pacify grahas,822 he should add three measures823 of parched rice; this will pacify them completely. In each case, the vidyā holder should incant the ingredients with the mantra twenty-one times.

“In the event of any quarrels, disputes, contests, or disagreements, the vidyā holder should draw a maṇḍala with cow dung,824 scatter flowers, and arrange four bowls with scented powders,825 four bowls filled with milk, four bowls with argha water, and four incense burners lit with agarwood and olibanum. He should also burn frankincense that has been incanted twenty-one times. He should then make offerings to a figure of Noble Avalokiteśvara made from fragrant substances.826 Having incanted mustard seeds by reciting the Krodharāja one hundred and eight times, he should cast the seeds in the four directions. He should mindfully repeat the heart mantra of Amoghapāśa ninety-one times. He will then emerge victorious in all quarrels, disputes, contests, and squabbles. He will also win all battles and armed conflicts, defeating all four divisions of every army, including his own and the enemy’s. If he can win over Śakra827 together with the asuras, what need is there to mention ordinary humans? [Tiii.56]

“If the vidyā holder wants to summon Śakra, he should incant lotus flowers one hundred and eight times and offer them one by one to the figure of Noble Avalokiteśvara made of fragrant substances while reciting Śakra’s name.828 He should offer one hundred and eight oblations of mustard seeds, bdellium, and ghee, incanting each with the mantra. To do this, he should make fire with the sticks of giant milkweed [A.43.b] and perform this rite on the fourteenth lunar day, before the full moon. When the vidyā holder has completed the recitation procedure, Śakra, the king of gods, will descend with his army and appear before the vidyā holder, ready to carry out his orders. They will all fall under his thrall. Śakra will give him anything he asks for, including the rank of Śakra, without hesitation.829

“Placing his foot on a figure of Brahmā, the vidyā holder should recite the mantra one hundred and eight times. When he has reached this number, Brahmā will appear before him in person and offer any boon, granting whatever the vidyā holder wishes. [F.82.a] To summon Nārāyaṇa, the vidyā holder should incant bdellium ninety times and offer it to Nārāyaṇa as incense, along with water and mustard seeds incanted twenty-one times.830 Nārāyaṇa will appear before the vidyā holder in person and will perform all his tasks. He will grant him a great variety of forms and give him control over Hiraṇyakaśipu.831 The vidyā holder will obtain the powerful force of the great Nārāyaṇa.

“Gazing at the face of a figure of Maheśvara,832 the vidyā holder should incant the figure’s right ear one hundred and eight times with the mantra and sprinkle its head with mustard seeds incanted twenty-one times.833 He should also burn incense of bdellium and offer argha water for washing the feet incanted seven times. At that moment, the figure of Maheśvara will begin to move, and the word ‘good!’ will sound. The god will then appear before the vidyā holder in person, he and his retinue will all fall under the vidyā holder’s thrall, and Maheśvara will fulfill all wishes and grant every boon.

“If the vidyā holder wants to summon Mahākāla, he should burn bdellium incense incanted with the mantra one hundred and eight times and offer blood and wine. He should incant mustard seeds twenty-one times and sprinkle them on top of an image of Mahākāla.834 Mahākāla will then be summoned, and like a servant he will perform all kinds of duties. He will go wherever he is commanded, as will his retinue and followers. [Tiii.57] The vidyā holder will find all the doors to yakṣa dwellings open, and he will be able to do whatever he wants. All the grasses will be well disposed to him,835 and all yakṣas will love him and perform all his tasks.

“If the vidyā holder recites the mantra twenty-one times at the three junctions of the night836 without saying any other words, the deities of the night together with their retinues and followers will all fall under his thrall. This includes beings active during the day or at night, such as devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and other nonhuman and human beings. They will perform every task. They will all remain close to the vidyā holder at all times and will provide him with palaces to use for his nightly pleasure. [F.82.b]

“The vidyā holder should be ritually pure, wear clean clothes, be thoroughly bathed, speak the truth, cultivate loving thoughts, and always maintain kindness for all beings. Filled with great compassion, he should recite the mantra continually.

“This concludes the section on the recitation procedure.

“Now I will teach the homa rite that accomplishes every activity, both the auspicious activities of pacifying and nourishing and the activities of assault. This rite affords protection, removes all diseases, destroys the kākhordas, and enthralls without fail. If the vidyā holder wants to protect his home, he should smear lotus petals with mustard oil, make fire with the sticks of giant milkweed, and offer one hundred and eight oblations of the lotus petals while reciting the heart mantra one hundred and eight times. When that is complete, the vidyā holder should recite the Krodharāja mantra seven times. This will ensure effective protection of the house. All quarrels, disagreements, contests, and disputes will cease. All adversaries and opponents, all diseases, fevers, [A.44.a] misfortunes, calamities, and catastrophes, as well as all grahas, famines, disasters, pestilences, and plagues, will be completely pacified for every woman, man, boy, and girl. All deities will be on hand to guard, protect, and defend the vidyā holder. Īśvara and Maheśvara will always follow him, and Noble Avalokiteśvara will appear to him whenever the vidyā holder wants to see him.

“If the vidyā holder offers one thousand and eight oblations of ghee, mustard seeds, and bdellium, the entire realm‍—its cities, towns, villages, and settlements‍—will enjoy great peace.837 [Tiii.58] If, during the full moon, the vidyā holder offers one thousand and eight oblations of fragrant white flowers‍—such as mahaleb cherry838 or crepe jasmine‍—smeared with mustard oil while in front of Noble Avalokiteśvara, the king and his ministers with their harems and retinues will fall under the vidyā holder’s thrall, as will the inhabitants of the cities, towns, villages, hamlets, and settlements, and elephants, horses, cattle, and buffalo.

“If the vidyā holder offers one thousand and eight oblations of white flowers smeared with curds, honey, and ghee into a fire made with sticks of chaff flower,839 [F.83.a] he will obtain one thousand villages. If he offers one thousand and eight oblations of lotus stalks smeared with curds, honey, and ghee840 while in front of Noble Avalokiteśvara, he will obtain one hundred and eight dinars before the night is through. If he makes the fire of cutch wood and offers into it one thousand and eight oblations of white lilies with stalks, roots, and leaves smeared with mustard oil, he will be freed from all the vināyakas.

“On the eighth day of the bright fortnight, the vidyā holder, observing a fast, should make himself ritually pure, bathe, and wear white clothes. He should offer one thousand and eight oblations of sandalwood and beautyberry841 sticks smeared with ghee and mustard oil. At midnight, a yakṣiṇī will arrive and offer five thousand pieces of silver.

“On the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, the vidyā holder, having fasted for one day and one night, should go to the bank of a river that empties into the ocean and make a fire using wood of the wood-apple tree. He should offer one thousand and eight oblations of wood-apple flowers smeared with ghee and honey into the fire until, at midnight, a yakṣa girl arrives, adorned with every ornament and holding a box full of jewels. The vidyā holder should grasp that box without looking at the yakṣiṇī’s face and further recite the mantra one hundred and eight times. She will drop the box at her feet and say, ‘Vidyā holder, I am dying!’ He should then incant the box with the Krodharāja mantra twenty-one times. Subsequently, whenever there is a task to perform, he should recite the mantra at midnight one hundred and eight times. The yakṣiṇī will then arrive and will perform every task. She will go wherever commanded and act as his servant.842