Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Discuss and learn about the traditional Mahayana scriptures, without assuming that any one school ‘owns’ the only correct interpretation.
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cj39
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Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by cj39 »

Does anyone know anything about the history of the Casket Seal Dharani Sutra? The best translation I have found is at http://www.sutrasmantras.info/sutra03.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; but there is little info given beyond the sutra itself. I found a bit of the history of the dharani in Figments of the Mahayana and it seems well known in Taiwan from what I can tell but my local Chinese friends had never heard of it. I am just curious if either the entire sutra or the dharani is recited often in Chinese Buddhism or is it more of a Tibetan practice?
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cj39
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by cj39 »

Its called the Hokyoin Dharani in Japan. Its mentioned in A Dictionary of Buddhism by Damien Keown. Its official. This dharani has been found from Sri Lanka to Japan. I am impressed.
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Kaji
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Kaji »

I have made a vow to uphold this dharani and hopefully become one with it one day.

However, I don't know too much about the background and history of this dharani/sutra. I understand the sutra belongs to the Esoteric Teachings section of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. The Chinese version was translated by Amoghavajra (705–774) during the Tang Dynasty.

I have read that in Esoteric Buddhism in China during the Tang Dynasty, this dharani is one of the four great methods used for sending the deceased to Pure Land(s).

I have also read that in Esoteric Buddhism in Japan this dharani is one of the three great dharani, alongside the Great Compassionate Dharani and Usnisa Vijaya Dharani.

Not sure if this is what you want to know.
Namas triya-dhvikānāṃ sarva tathāgatānām!
DGA
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by DGA »

Kaji wrote:I have made a vow to uphold this dharani and hopefully become one with it one day.
This is an excellent aspiration. I hope you succeed.
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Kaji
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Kaji »

Jikan wrote:
Kaji wrote:I have made a vow to uphold this dharani and hopefully become one with it one day.
This is an excellent aspiration. I hope you succeed.
Thank you! May you also benefit from my practice! :namaste:
Namas triya-dhvikānāṃ sarva tathāgatānām!
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Kaji
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Kaji »

This is the Sanskrit transliteration that I use to recite the dharani:
Ārya sarva tathāgata adhiṣṭhāna hṛdaya guhya dhātu karaṇḍa mudrā nāma dhāraṇī

Namas triya-dhvikānāṃ sarva tathāgatānām.
Oṃ, bhuvi bhavana vare vācāle vācāṭai.
Curu curu, dhara dhara, sarva tathāgata-dhātu dhare padmāṃ-bhavati jaya vare mudre smara.
Sarva tathāgata dharma-cakra-pravartana, vajra-bodhi-maṇḍa alaṃ-kāra alaṃ-kṛte.
Sarva tathāgata adhiṣṭhite, bodhaya bodhaya, bodhi bodhi, budhya budhya, saṃ-bodhani saṃ-bodhaya.
Cala cala calantu sarva ā-varaṇāni, sarva pāpa vi-gate, huru huru sarva śoka vi-ghāte.
Sarva tathāgata hṛdaya vajrāṇi, saṃ-bhāra saṃ-bhāra, sarva tathāgata guhya-dhāraṇī mudre.
Buddhi su-buddhi, sarva tathāgata adhiṣṭhita dhātu garbhe svāhā.
Samaya adhiṣṭhite svāhā.
Sarva tathāgata hṛdaya dhātu mudre svāhā.
Su-pratiṣṭhita stūpe tathāgata adhiṣṭhite huru huru hūṃ hūṃ svāhā.
Oṃ sarva tathāgatoṣṇīṣa dhātu mudrāṇi, sarva tathāgataṃ sad-dhātu vi-bhūṣita adhiṣṭhite hūṃ hūṃ svāhā.
(Transliterated by Mr Chua Boon Tuan of the Rawang Buddhist Association: http://www.dharanipitaka.net/2011/2008/ ... sthana.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
Namas triya-dhvikānāṃ sarva tathāgatānām!
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Kaji
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Kaji »

Some resources on the Casket Seal Dharani Sutra:

A 12-minute animated video on the sutra, with English subtitles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90_BfqA4lqg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Graphics file of the dharani in Siddam Sanskrit script, printed in a stupa:
http://www.dharanipitaka.net/2011/2008/ ... dharan.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For those who can read Chinese:

Collection of blog posts on this dharani and sutra, and also stupa, by what I understand to be a very knowledgeable lay Buddhist in Macau:
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/articlelist_1 ... _12_1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lectures by a Chinese monk named Ming An (video recordings available on Internet too):
http://read.goodweb.cn/news/news_view.asp?newsid=69285" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Namas triya-dhvikānāṃ sarva tathāgatānām!
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Kaji
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Kaji »

I was introduced to the Casket Seal Dharani last year, when a number of śarīra were passed to me. I inquired for the proper way to make offerings to these śarīra, and was suggested that in addition to offering the normal water, fruits flowers and incense I could also chant this dharani.

Back then I asked the question that I'm sure some of you would have in your minds - in which sutra reference does it say the Casket Seal Dharani is good for making an offering to śarīra? The reply referred me to the dharani's title and properties - "Ārya sarva tathāgata adhiṣṭhāna hṛdaya guhya dhātu karaṇḍa mudrā nāma dhāraṇī". The word "dhātu" means whole-body śarīra. The whole title literally means "the dharani of the seal of the casket holding the śarīra of all Buddha's secret whole-bodies". This dharani contains the śarīra of all Buddha of past and present. By chanting the dharani I am already making an offering to the śarīra of all Buddha. With or without the physical śarīra on my altar, I can still become one with the śarīra of all Buddha. I can become one with all Buddha, past and present. Doesn't that trump merely offering water, fruits, flowers, license or even the most precious gemstones and earthly treasures?

Hence, don't worry so much about receiving the Buddha's physical śarīra. Reading the Casket Seal Dharani and the sutra can make you be one with the Buddha's śarīra. Even if you don't read this sutra, that's OK - all sutra spoken by the Buddha are the śarīra of his Dharma body. The best way to make offering to the Buddha is to follow his teaching.
Namas triya-dhvikānāṃ sarva tathāgatānām!
foodcrazee
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by foodcrazee »

Thanks for the insight..Am learning the mantra now...
Ray Rudha
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Ray Rudha »

This is the first long dharani that I have learned.

It was an incredibly difficult undertaking at the time, due to my only having samadhi with significantly shorter mantras, the longest of which was, at the time, the Vairocana dharani, which is 2-3 lines.

After struggling through health issues and pain and general weakness, I was finally able to get samadhi with it, and I spent many months continuously in that samadhi.

All day, every moment of the day, during my sleep, and so on. I cannot guarantee that it was always there during my sleep, but often it was.

It is an incredible dharani, and now, after getting samadhi with significantly longer dharanis, I still look upon it with unending love and admiration, and with the knowledge that it is a supremely powerful dharani.

There is no question about being able to know Buddha nature if you learn and gain samadhi with this dharani.

It is a wondrous essence of all Buddhas, a secret practice of Vajrapani, a supreme dharani which gains the supreme merit of the nature and accomplishes all magical power.

In closing, I tell you this: there are many teachings in this world, and much clinging to tantra and secret practices and secret teachings. None of them can be said to be beyond the Treasure Chest Seal. If you learn it and gain samadhi with it, you should not feel inferior to any other practice. Not that you should never practice other mantras, but in terms of having the true safety and pride of having found Buddha nature, then you should never fear with this, you have it.

Also, and this is a strong suggestion. Unless you have an incredible destiny, with the ability to spend a very long time on retreat, or having a lot of time and resources, once you learn a long dharani, stay with it for at least two or three years. Gain that samadhi on the deepest level, become one with it, infuse your life and everything around you with its essence, let it flow in all directions. Be happy you were able to gain it and make a very very strong foundation. If you do not make this strong foundation, you will regret it later.
pael
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by pael »

How it can be know, if one is in samadhi with mantra? What is samadhi with mantra?
May all beings be free from suffering and causes of suffering
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Ray Rudha »

A mantra is an essence of mind, a perfect primordial sound-form.

As such, it has its own samadhi. Every mantra has a unique samadhi, the particular samadhi of that mantra, representing the archetypal aspect of the Buddha it corresponds to, in the particular function of the mantra. Meaning that as Buddhas have several mantras, the mantras have different functions, which are accomplished through the particular samadhi of the mantra.

To be in samadhi with a mantra means that the samadhi of the mantra start being present. You are not, in fact, doing anything in particular. It is not like gaining samadhi through the practice of your own consciousness, but merely through concentration on mantra the samadhi of the mantra starts being present.

The more you concentrate, the more this occurs. Initially there are blockages and obstacles, which is why most mantras have a particular number of repetitions which are considered the approach recitation. Meaning how many times you need to recite it before it is likely that you gain some degree of comfort and samadhi with that mantra.

Of course, it is also the quality of recitation, meaning the intensity of concentration, that matters.

In general, for a short mantra, the initial recitation would be 100.000 to 200.000.

For a long dharani, such as Treasure Chest Seal, probably somewhere between 3.000 and 7.000.

In short, and this is the best way to think about it - people have difficulty learning dharani. The essence is very strong, so it breaks through you, you cannot even learn it. You have to read it many times, then you can start learning it. So it's best if you get the 3-7.000 just by reading, or even more. Then learn it. Then you start reciting it. At first you can maybe get a few repetitions internally, and then you cannot repeat it anymore. The essence is strong and it breaks through you. You cannot concentrate. But as you accept that essence, that nature, the samadhi slowly starts permeating you, and now you can say it more internally, you gain concentration, and you can sit with the dharani in meditation. When you really have some degree of samadhi, you can move with it. When you have natural samadhi, it is always there, continuous concentration, effortless, and you can do anything, internally or externally, it is always there.

When that happens, there is no question of there being samadhi.
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by BrianG »

Ray Rudha wrote: In closing, I tell you this: there are many teachings in this world, and much clinging to tantra and secret practices and secret teachings. None of them can be said to be beyond the Treasure Chest Seal. If you learn it and gain samadhi with it, you should not feel inferior to any other practice. Not that you should never practice other mantras, but in terms of having the true safety and pride of having found Buddha nature, then you should never fear with this, you have it.

Also, and this is a strong suggestion. Unless you have an incredible destiny, with the ability to spend a very long time on retreat, or having a lot of time and resources, once you learn a long dharani, stay with it for at least two or three years. Gain that samadhi on the deepest level, become one with it, infuse your life and everything around you with its essence, let it flow in all directions. Be happy you were able to gain it and make a very very strong foundation. If you do not make this strong foundation, you will regret it later.
You should not be giving people instruction on mantra unless you have been authorized. This is not even remotely orthodox.
Telepaths - I like to kill them
Ray Rudha
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Ray Rudha »

Oh really, I shouldn't be giving instruction on mantra?

This is a dharani from a sutra, I don't need authorization from anybody.

You're funny. There is an immensely long tradition of people practicing this dharani and helping others practice it.
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BrianG
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by BrianG »

You should not be teaching people dharanis, when there is Secret Mantra.
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Ray Rudha
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Ray Rudha »

Are you serious.

Are you saying because there is secret mantra, I should not freely spread dharanis to people who are entited, by nature, and by the Buddha way, to receive and practice them?

By the way, this dharani is a special practice of Vajrapani, so careful what you say badly about it.
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BrianG
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by BrianG »

Ray Rudha wrote:Are you serious.

Are you saying because there is secret mantra, I should not freely spread dharanis to people who are entited, by nature, and by the Buddha way, to receive and practice them?

By the way, this dharani is a special practice of Vajrapani, so careful what you say badly about it.
You are not authorized to give any kind of practice related to any tantric form of Vajrapani. You are also not qualified. You should not be spreading dharanis you have not received transmission for. You should never try to scare anyone with any Buddhist practice.
Telepaths - I like to kill them
Ray Rudha
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Ray Rudha »

BrianG wrote:
Ray Rudha wrote:Are you serious.

Are you saying because there is secret mantra, I should not freely spread dharanis to people who are entited, by nature, and by the Buddha way, to receive and practice them?

By the way, this dharani is a special practice of Vajrapani, so careful what you say badly about it.
You are not authorized to give any kind of practice related to any tantric form of Vajrapani. You are also not qualified. You should not be spreading dharanis you have not received transmission for. You should never try to scare anyone with any Buddhist practice.
Who is trying to scare you?

I am telling you the truth, that saying bad things about a Vajrapani practice is bad. It is.

I am authorized to give sutras, all day, every day, 365 days a year, for the rest of eternity.

This is a sutra. I am spreading a sutra and a dharani for all of eternity and it requires zero transmission from anyone other than the Buddha who gave the sutra.

I am qualified, authorized and amazing, and this sutra and dharani will be spread.
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Ayu »

IMO there is nothing wrong with practicing Sutra-level without a teacher, if you really have none.

It is just wrong to tell to the people, they don't need a teacher, and to deny a teacher would be good to have also on Sutra-level.
I think, this has to be made clear. Seems to me, this conversation is going past eachother.
Ray Rudha
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Re: Casket Seal Dharani Sutra

Post by Ray Rudha »

You are bringing discussions from other topics into this topic.

There was no discussion of teaching here. There was a discussion of claiming authority.
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