The Dhāraṇī “Thousandfold” is a short text consisting of a dhāraṇī and a passage about its application and benefits. Particular emphasis is placed on the time of death, the eradication of karmic obscurations, and obtaining rebirth in a pure land. In spite of its brevity, the text was popular in many parts of Buddhist Asia, especially from the seventh century onward.
This text was translated and introduced by The Buddhapīṭha Translation Group (Gergely Hidas and Péter-Dániel Szántó) and edited by members of the 84000 editorial team.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Ryan Damron edited the translation and the introduction, and Laura Goetz copyedited the text. Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Dhāraṇī “Thousandfold” is a short text consisting of a dhāraṇī and a passage about its application and benefits. The text lacks any introductory material that might establish its setting or context and instead begins with a series of obeisances followed by the revelation of the dhāraṇī. It concludes with a passage on its application and benefits, with a particular emphasis on the time of death, the eradication of karmic obscurations, and obtaining rebirth in a pure land.
In spite of its brevity, The Dhāraṇī “Thousandfold” was a popular text in large parts of Buddhist Asia. The earliest attestation for the text’s existence are two Chinese renderings that contain the dhāraṇī itself, both dating to the middle of the seventh century
The Tibetan translation dates from the imperial period, as indicated by its inclusion in the imperial-period Denkarma (ldan kar ma) catalog of translations,3 but because the translation lacks a translators’ colophon, we cannot better establish the context of the text’s translation. The dhāraṇī is included twice in the Degé Kangyur: Toh 710 is classified as Action tantra (kriyātantra) in the Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum), while Toh 930 is included in the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus).44 While no fragments of the text have been identified among the Dunhuang manuscript hoard, the abovementioned amulet testifies to its circulation in the area around the tenth century.
Catalogs of the Chinese canon mention four items related to the text: Taishō 901(5),5 1034,6 1035,7 and 1036.8 Taishō 901(5), translated by Atikūṭa in 654
Although some versions of the Tibetan translation connect this dhāraṇī with Mañjuśrī,9 the majority of its witnesses demonstrate a clear association with the cults of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara.10 The title itself most likely refers to the fact that the dhāraṇī should be recited a thousand times (sahasra means “one thousand,” and āvarta indicates repetition),11 but only the Sanskrit recension instructs one to do so: “Reciting it one thousand times every day, one will be counted among bodhisattvas after twenty-one days.”12 This line is the likely source for the title, so it is somewhat puzzling that we do not consistently find it in the Tibetan or Chinese translations.
This English translation is based on the version of the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the version in the Stok Palace Kangyur. No significant differences were observed. The text of the dhāraṇī itself was compared with the extant Sanskrit witnesses, which allowed us to correct some obvious corruptions in the Tibetan textual transmission.
tadyathā | oṁ jaye jaye mahājaye jayavāhini jayottari kala kala mala mala cala cala kṣiṇa kṣiṇa sarvakarmāvaraṇāni me sarvajñajñānādhiṣṭhite svāhā | namo bhagavati sahasrāvarte sarvabuddhāvalokite cakṣuḥśrotraghrāṇajihvākāyamanovijñānaviśodhani svāhā | phuru phuru suru suru phurā phurā praphurā praphurā sarvabuddhādhiṣṭhite svāhā | dharmadhātugarbhe svāhā | abhāvasvabhāvasarvadharmāvabodhani svāhā |13
The ritual procedure for this dhāraṇī is as follows. By reciting it even once, all karmic obscurations accrued over a thousand eons will be depleted, and the roots of merit of a thousand buddhas will be gathered. For a thousand eons one will turn their back on saṃsāra. After rebirth, one will obtain the kingdom of a cakravartin. At the time of death, one will behold a thousand buddhas. One will be reborn in the buddhas’ pure lands. If one recites it twenty-odd times three times during the day and three times at night, one will see whatever dream they desire. One will behold the golden body of a thus-gone one. One will have a faithful and undivided mind in the realms of buddhas and bodhisattvas. Such and more are the immeasurable benefits.14
Here ends the dhāraṇī “Thousandfold.”
namo ratnatrayāya | nama āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisattvāya mahāsattvāya mahākāruṇikāya || tadyathā | oṃ jaye jaye mahājaye jayavāhini jayottari kala kala mala mala cala cala hulu hulu chiṇi chiṇi sarvakarmāvaraṇāni mama bhagavati sahasrāvarte sarvabuddhāvalokite cakṣuḥśrotaghrāṇajihvākāyamanovijñānaviśodhani | tadyathā | oṃ suru suru prasuru prasuru bhara bhara saṃbhara saṃbhara hara hara smara smara oṃ sarvabuddhādhiṣṭhite svāhā | oṃ sarvabuddhāvalokite svāhā | oṃ dharmadhātugarbhe svāhā | oṃ abhāvasvabhāvadharmāvabodhani svāhā || asyā dhāraṇyā ayam upacāraḥ | kalpasahasrasaṃcitaṃ karmāvaraṇam ekavāroccāritena parikṣayaṃ gacchati | buddhasahasrāvaropitaṃ kuśalamūlaṃ bhavati | jātiparivartena cakravartirājyaiśvaryaṃ śatasahasraṃ pratilabhate | maraṇakāle ca buddhasahasraṃ paśyati | pratidinaṃ sahasrāvartaṃ kurvann ekaviṃśatidivasena bodhisattvasaṃkhyāṃ gacchati | pariśuddheṣu buddhakṣetreṣūpapadyate | triṣkṛtvā rātrau triṣkṛtvā divasasya japet | yathepsitāni svapnāni paśyati | suvarṇavarṇatathāgataṃ paśyati | aparimitānuśaṃsā bodhisattvasaṃgītīḥ śrūyante paśyante | satatasamitaṃ manasi kartavyā || āryasahasrāvartānāmadhāraṇī parisamāptaḥ || ||
The Dhāraṇī “Thousandfold” is a short text consisting of a dhāraṇī and a passage about its application and benefits. Particular emphasis is placed on the time of death, the eradication of karmic obscurations, and obtaining rebirth in a pure land. In spite of its brevity, the text was popular in many parts of Buddhist Asia, especially from the seventh century onward.
This text was translated and introduced by The Buddhapīṭha Translation Group (Gergely Hidas and Péter-Dániel Szántó) and edited by members of the 84000 editorial team.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. Ryan Damron edited the translation and the introduction, and Laura Goetz copyedited the text. Sameer Dhingra was in charge of the digital publication process.
The Dhāraṇī “Thousandfold” is a short text consisting of a dhāraṇī and a passage about its application and benefits. The text lacks any introductory material that might establish its setting or context and instead begins with a series of obeisances followed by the revelation of the dhāraṇī. It concludes with a passage on its application and benefits, with a particular emphasis on the time of death, the eradication of karmic obscurations, and obtaining rebirth in a pure land.
In spite of its brevity, The Dhāraṇī “Thousandfold” was a popular text in large parts of Buddhist Asia. The earliest attestation for the text’s existence are two Chinese renderings that contain the dhāraṇī itself, both dating to the middle of the seventh century
The Tibetan translation dates from the imperial period, as indicated by its inclusion in the imperial-period Denkarma (ldan kar ma) catalog of translations,3 but because the translation lacks a translators’ colophon, we cannot better establish the context of the text’s translation. The dhāraṇī is included twice in the Degé Kangyur: Toh 710 is classified as Action tantra (kriyātantra) in the Tantra Collection (rgyud ’bum), while Toh 930 is included in the Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (gzungs ’dus).44 While no fragments of the text have been identified among the Dunhuang manuscript hoard, the abovementioned amulet testifies to its circulation in the area around the tenth century.
Catalogs of the Chinese canon mention four items related to the text: Taishō 901(5),5 1034,6 1035,7 and 1036.8 Taishō 901(5), translated by Atikūṭa in 654
Although some versions of the Tibetan translation connect this dhāraṇī with Mañjuśrī,9 the majority of its witnesses demonstrate a clear association with the cults of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara.10 The title itself most likely refers to the fact that the dhāraṇī should be recited a thousand times (sahasra means “one thousand,” and āvarta indicates repetition),11 but only the Sanskrit recension instructs one to do so: “Reciting it one thousand times every day, one will be counted among bodhisattvas after twenty-one days.”12 This line is the likely source for the title, so it is somewhat puzzling that we do not consistently find it in the Tibetan or Chinese translations.
This English translation is based on the version of the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur, in consultation with the version in the Stok Palace Kangyur. No significant differences were observed. The text of the dhāraṇī itself was compared with the extant Sanskrit witnesses, which allowed us to correct some obvious corruptions in the Tibetan textual transmission.
tadyathā | oṁ jaye jaye mahājaye jayavāhini jayottari kala kala mala mala cala cala kṣiṇa kṣiṇa sarvakarmāvaraṇāni me sarvajñajñānādhiṣṭhite svāhā | namo bhagavati sahasrāvarte sarvabuddhāvalokite cakṣuḥśrotraghrāṇajihvākāyamanovijñānaviśodhani svāhā | phuru phuru suru suru phurā phurā praphurā praphurā sarvabuddhādhiṣṭhite svāhā | dharmadhātugarbhe svāhā | abhāvasvabhāvasarvadharmāvabodhani svāhā |13
The ritual procedure for this dhāraṇī is as follows. By reciting it even once, all karmic obscurations accrued over a thousand eons will be depleted, and the roots of merit of a thousand buddhas will be gathered. For a thousand eons one will turn their back on saṃsāra. After rebirth, one will obtain the kingdom of a cakravartin. At the time of death, one will behold a thousand buddhas. One will be reborn in the buddhas’ pure lands. If one recites it twenty-odd times three times during the day and three times at night, one will see whatever dream they desire. One will behold the golden body of a thus-gone one. One will have a faithful and undivided mind in the realms of buddhas and bodhisattvas. Such and more are the immeasurable benefits.14
Here ends the dhāraṇī “Thousandfold.”
namo ratnatrayāya | nama āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhisattvāya mahāsattvāya mahākāruṇikāya || tadyathā | oṃ jaye jaye mahājaye jayavāhini jayottari kala kala mala mala cala cala hulu hulu chiṇi chiṇi sarvakarmāvaraṇāni mama bhagavati sahasrāvarte sarvabuddhāvalokite cakṣuḥśrotaghrāṇajihvākāyamanovijñānaviśodhani | tadyathā | oṃ suru suru prasuru prasuru bhara bhara saṃbhara saṃbhara hara hara smara smara oṃ sarvabuddhādhiṣṭhite svāhā | oṃ sarvabuddhāvalokite svāhā | oṃ dharmadhātugarbhe svāhā | oṃ abhāvasvabhāvadharmāvabodhani svāhā || asyā dhāraṇyā ayam upacāraḥ | kalpasahasrasaṃcitaṃ karmāvaraṇam ekavāroccāritena parikṣayaṃ gacchati | buddhasahasrāvaropitaṃ kuśalamūlaṃ bhavati | jātiparivartena cakravartirājyaiśvaryaṃ śatasahasraṃ pratilabhate | maraṇakāle ca buddhasahasraṃ paśyati | pratidinaṃ sahasrāvartaṃ kurvann ekaviṃśatidivasena bodhisattvasaṃkhyāṃ gacchati | pariśuddheṣu buddhakṣetreṣūpapadyate | triṣkṛtvā rātrau triṣkṛtvā divasasya japet | yathepsitāni svapnāni paśyati | suvarṇavarṇatathāgataṃ paśyati | aparimitānuśaṃsā bodhisattvasaṃgītīḥ śrūyante paśyante | satatasamitaṃ manasi kartavyā || āryasahasrāvartānāmadhāraṇī parisamāptaḥ || ||
See Hidas 2021, pp. 309–89. A complete version of the Sanskrit text, based on its witness in Cambridge Ms. Add. 1326 (Hidas 2021, p. 140), is presented in the Appendix.
Denkarma, folio 303.b and Hermann-Pfandt 2008, p. 248, no. 434. Note that the other extant imperial-period catalog, the Phangthangma ( ’phang thang ma), does not list this text.
This text, Toh 930, and all those contained in this same volume (gzungs ’dus, e), are listed as being located in volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). However, several other Kangyur databases—including the eKangyur that supplies the digital input version displayed by the 84000 Reading Room—list this work as being located in volume 101. This discrepancy is partly due to the fact that the two volumes of the gzungs ’dus section are an added supplement not mentioned in the original catalog, and also hinges on the fact that the compilers of the Tōhoku catalog placed another text—which forms a whole, very large volume—the Vimalaprabhānāmakālacakratantraṭīkā (dus ’khor ’grel bshad dri med ’od, Toh 845), before the volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur, numbering it as vol. 100, although it is almost certainly intended to come right at the end of the Degé Kangyur texts as volume 102; indeed its final fifth chapter is often carried over and wrapped in the same volume as the Kangyur dkar chags (catalog). Please note this discrepancy when using the eKangyur viewer in this translation.
As in the Gondhla Collection, where it is titled The Noble Dhāraṇī “Mañjuśrī’s Thousandfold” (’phags pa ’jam dpal gyi stong sgyur ba zhes bya ba’i gzungs).
The Sanskrit version recorded in Cambridge Ms. Add. 1326 and in the majority of recensions of the Tibetan translation evoke Amitābha and/or Avalokiteśvara in their opening homages. The titles of the Chinese translations Taishō 901(5) and 1035 likewise associate them with Avalokiteśvara (guanshiyin).
The dhāraṇī differs somewhat in the Sanskrit; see the Appendix and the translation in Hidas 2014, p. 180. It can be tentatively translated with the following: “It is: Oṃ O Victorious One, O Victorious One! O One Who Brings Victory! O Highest Victory! kala kala mala mala. Move! Move! Destroy, destroy all my karmic obscurations, O One Empowered by the Gnosis of the Omniscient One! Svāhā. Obeisance to the Blessed Lady! O Thousandfold! O One Beheld by All the Buddhas! O purifier of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind! phuru phuru suru suru phurā phurā praphurā praphurā. O One Empowered by All the Buddhas! svāhā. O Essence of the Dharma Sphere. svāhā. O Awakener to All Dharmas Having a Nonexistent Essential Nature. svāhā.”
The practices and list of benefits differ in the Sanskrit quite significantly, although there are many parallel passages; see the Appendix.
The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.
Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.
Translator during the Tang dynasty. He is best known for translating The Compendium of Dhāraṇīs (Taishō 901; Tuoloni ji jing).
One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.
The term can be understood to mean “great courageous one” or "great hero,” or (from the Sanskrit) simply “great being,” and is almost always found as an epithet of “bodhisattva.” The qualification “great” in this term, according to the majority of canonical definitions, focuses on the generic greatness common to all bodhisattvas, i.e., the greatness implicit in the bodhisattva vow itself in terms of outlook, aspiration, number of beings to be benefited, potential or eventual accomplishments, and so forth. In this sense the mahā- is closer in its connotations to the mahā- in “Mahāyāna” than to the mahā- in “mahāsiddha.” While individual bodhisattvas described as mahāsattva may in many cases also be “great” in terms of their level of realization, this is largely coincidental, and in the canonical texts the epithet is not restricted to bodhisattvas at any particular point in their career. Indeed, in a few cases even bodhisattvas whose path has taken a wrong direction are still described as bodhisattva mahāsattva.
Later commentarial writings do nevertheless define the term—variably—in terms of bodhisattvas having attained a particular level (bhūmi) or realization. The most common qualifying criteria mentioned are attaining the path of seeing, attaining irreversibility (according to its various definitions), or attaining the seventh bhūmi.
An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.
Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.
Name of a famous (possibly Kashmiri) translator of the Song period, active before 1018 ce. One hundred eleven translations are attributed to him.
The term dhāraṇī has the sense of something that “holds” or “retains,” and so it can refer to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings. It can also refer to a verbal expression of the teachings—an incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula—that distills and “holds” essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. The same term is also used to denote texts that contain such formulas.
A cosmic period of time, sometimes equivalent to the time when a world system appears, exists, and disappears. According to the traditional Abhidharma understanding of cyclical time, a great eon (mahākalpa) is divided into eighty lesser eons. In the course of one great eon, the universe takes form and later disappears. During the first twenty of the lesser eons, the universe is in the process of creation and expansion; during the next twenty it remains; during the third twenty, it is in the process of destruction; and during the last quarter of the cycle, it remains in a state of empty stasis. A fortunate, or good, eon (bhadrakalpa) refers to any eon in which more than one buddha appears.
Obscurations or obstructions caused by past deeds.
According to most lists (specifically those of the Pāli and some Abhidharma traditions), the (three) roots of virtue or the roots of the good or wholesome states (of mind) are what makes a mental state good or bad; they are identified as the opposites of the three mental “poisons” of greed, hatred, and delusion. Actions based on the roots of virtue will eventually lead to future happiness. The Dharmasaṃgraha, however, lists the three roots of virtue as (1) the mind of awakening, (2) purity of thought, and (3) freedom from egotism (Skt. trīṇi kuśalamūlāni | bodhicittotpādaḥ, āśayaviśuddhiḥ, ahaṃkāramamakāraparityāgaśceti|).
The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha—the three objects of Buddhist refuge. In the Tibetan rendering, “the three rare and supreme ones.”
A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
According to Buddhist tradition, one who is worthy of worship (pūjām arhati), or one who has conquered the enemies, the mental afflictions (kleśa-ari-hata-vat), and reached liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. It is the fourth and highest of the four fruits attainable by śrāvakas. Also used as an epithet of the Buddha.
Famous Chinese monk-pilgrim and translator of the Tang dynasty.
Chinese translator during the Tang dynasty.
stong ’gyur zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Sahasrāvartādhāraṇī). Toh 710, Degé Kangyur vol. 93 (rgyud ’bum, tsa), folio 178.a.
stong ’gyur zhes bya ba’i gzungs (Sahasrāvartādhāraṇī). Toh 930, Degé Kangyur vol. 100 (gzungs ’dus, e), folios 279.a–279.b.
stong ’gyur zhes bya ba’i gzungs. Skorupski 662. Stok Palace Kangyur vol. 107 (rgyud, ma), folios 55.a–55.b.
Denkarma (pho brang stod thang ldan dkar gyi chos kyi ’gyur ro cog gi dkar chag). Toh 4364, Degé Tengyur vol. 206 (sna tshogs, jo), folios 294.b–310.a.
Phangthangma (dkar chag ’phang thang ma). Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003.
Herrmann-Pfandt, Adelheid. Die lHan kar ma: ein früher Katalog der ins Tibetische übersetzten buddhistischen Texte. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2008.
Hidas, Gergely. “Two Dhāraṇī Prints in the Stein Collection at the British Museum.” Bulletin of SOAS 77, no. 1 (2014): 105–17.
Hidas, Gergely. Powers of Protection: The Buddhist Tradition of Spells in the Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha Collections. Beyond Boundaries 9. De Gruyter, 2021.
Kawagoe, Eishin, ed. dKar chag ’Phang thang ma. Tōhoku Indo-Chibetto Kenkyū Sōsho 3. Sendai: Tohoku Society for Indo-Tibetan Studies, 2005.
Lancaster, Lewis R. The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue. Accessed March 1, 2024.
Skorupski, Tadeusz. A Catalogue of the Stog Palace Kanjur. Bibliographia Philologica Buddhica Series Maior 4. Tokyo: International Institute for Buddhist Studies, 1985.
