Toh 141, Toh 526, Toh 916 — The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates
Ṣaṇmukhīdhāraṇī
Translated by the Pema Yeshé Dé Translation Team under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates
F.54.aF.299.aF.71.aF.260.b[1] Homage to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta.[2]
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling together with an assembly of innumerable bodhisattvas in a pavilion ornately decorated with the seven kinds of precious jewels[3] that was located in the firmament of the sky above Śuddhāvāsa.
On that occasion, the Bhagavān said to the bodhisattvas, “Children of a noble family, F.299.b may you uphold The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates for the benefit and well-being of the whole world.[4] It is as follows:
“As I pass through life after life in saṃsāra,[5] whatever suffering I experience, may it not be characterized by my not understanding that it is the same for all beings.
“Whatever happiness due to worldly success I experience, may I make use of it in common with all beings to bring about thorough understanding.[6]
“Whatever misdeeds and non-virtuous actions[7] I have done, may I not fail to confess each one of them through unsurpassed confession.
“Whatever demonic actions have been done to me,[8] may I not fail to thoroughly understand them through unsurpassed thorough understanding.
“Whatever roots of virtue I may have, both mundane and supramundane, endowed with the perfections, may they become the fruit of unsurpassable wisdom for all beings.[9]
“Whatever liberation I may have, through it may all sentient beings be released.[10] May I stay neither in saṃsāra nor in nirvāṇa.[11]
tadyathā oṃ kṣame kṣame kṣānte kṣānte dame dame dānte dānte bhadre bhadre F.261.a subhadre subhadre candre candre F.54.bF.71.b sucandre sucandre candrakiraṇe candravati tejovati yaśovati[12] dharmavati brahmavati sarvakleśaviśodhani sarvārthasādhani sarvānarthapraśamani[13] paramārthasādhani kāyaviśodhani vāgviśodhani[14] manaḥsaṃśodhani svāhā
“Therefore, children of a noble family, if any sons or daughters of a noble family recite The Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates three times by day and three times by night, F.300.a then, having purified all their karmic obscurations, they will remember their previous lives up to seven lifetimes[15] and will swiftly[16] and fully awaken to unsurpassed perfect buddhahood.”[17]
When the delighted Bhagavān had spoken these words, the assembly of bodhisattvas,[18] and the world with its devas, humans, asuras, and gandharvas[19] rejoiced in what the Bhagavān had said.[20]
Thus ends “The Noble Dhāraṇī of the Six Gates.”Notes
Two sets of folio references have been included in this translation due to a discrepancy in volume 88 (rgyud ’bum, na) of the Degé Kangyur between the 1737 par phud printings and the late (post par phud) printings. In the latter case, an extra work, Bodhimaṇḍasyālaṃkāralakṣadhāraṇī (Toh 508, byang chub snying po’i rgyan ’bum gyi gzungs), was added as the second text in the volume, thereby displacing the pagination of all the following texts in the same volume by 17 folios. Since the eKangyur follows the later printing, both references have been provided, with the highlighted one linking to the eKangyur viewer.
In the Toh 526 version of the text there is a slight discrepancy in the folio numbering between the 1737 par phud printings and the late (post par phud) printings of the Degé Kangyur. Although the discrepancy is irrelevant here, further details concerning this may be found in note 5 of the Toh 526 version of this text.
In the Toh 526 version of the text there is a slight discrepancy in the folio numbering between the 1737 par phud printings and the late (post par phud) printings of the Degé Kangyur. Although the discrepancy is irrelevant here, further details concerning this may be found in note 5 of the Toh 526 version of this text.
backIn the Skt. edition we find oṁ namo buddhāya (“oṁ homage to the Buddha”), while S, PT, NT, and HT read sangs rgyas dang byang chub sems dpa’ thams cad la phyag ’tshal lo (“Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas”). According to the instructions regarding Tripiṭaka translations decreed to the translators by the king Tri Ralpachen, a translators’ homage made to Mañjuśrī was supposed to be a mark of Abhidharma texts, while homage to the Buddha and homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas were deemed appropriate for Vinaya and Sūtra texts, respectively.
backWe have followed the Tib. reading. The Skt. reads “decorated with various jewels, among which the seven kinds of jewels were arranged.” For the critically edited Skt. text, see Mimaki 1977b, p. 10.
backWe follow the Tib. ’gro ba thams cad la phan pa dang bde ba’i phyir. The Skt. reads sarvajagaddhitārthaṃ (“for the benefit of the whole world”).
backTranslated based on the Skt. saṃsāre saṃsarato and S, PT ’khor ba na ’khor ba’i tshe. All witnesses in A have ’khor ba nas ’khor ba’i skye gnas gzhan dag tu (“from saṃsāra to other saṃsāric rebirths”).
backThe sūtra versions in D (Toh 141) and N, K, H, and C all read yongs su shes par byed par spyod par gyur cig, whereas the tantra and dhāraṇī versions in D (Toh 526 and 916) and the other Kangyurs read simply yongs su spyod par gyur cig. The extant Sanskrit versions do not include any equivalent to the phrase yongs su shes par byed par (“to bring about thorough understanding”).
backPT 77 adds las kyi sgribs pa and S adds las kyi sgrib pa (“karmic obscurations”). The phrase in the Skt. is pāpakarmākuśalamūlaṃ karmāvaraṇaṃ (“misdeeds, roots of nonvirtue, karmic obscurations”).
backThe Skt. reads me mārakarmāṇi. All witnesses included in A have bdag gis bdud kyi las gang ci byas pa de yongs su shes pas, except for NT and HT. NT, HT, and S read bdag la bdud kyi las gang dag yod pa de dag yongs su shes pas. Although versions of this phrase could be interpreted as speaking of one’s own “demonic actions,” the commentary attributed to Vasubandhu suggests that the obstacle to be overcome here is rather actions done to one (and influences exerted on one) by others. However, Tāranātha’s commentary (p. 355), while confirming that for experienced practitioners “demonic actions” may be interpreted as applying mainly to others, lists them as including such things as procrastination, laziness, rowdiness, belittling others’ virtuous actions, disliking perfections, slandering bodhisattvas, favoring false views, getting distracted while in meditation, turning away from and diminishing virtuous actions, and having incompatible attitudes after engaging in them—all tendencies that less-than-perfect practitioners could potentially interpret as applying to themselves.
backThe Sanskrit text reads sarvasattvānām (“for all sentient beings”) and omits the equivalent for “fruit.” NT, S, and PT omit thams cad (“all”).
backPT 77 reads gang bdag gi rnam par grol ba de sems can thams cad kyi rnam par grol bar ’gyur cig (“may my liberation be the liberation of all sentient beings”). It is closer to the Skt. yā ca me vimuktiḥ sā bhavatu sarvasattvavimokṣāya (“may my liberation be for the liberation of all sentient beings”).
backMost of the versions in the Sūtra sections of Tshalpa Kangyurs do not specify that this aspiration to remain neither in saṃsāra nor nirvāṇa is made for oneself, but here we have followed K and KY in the Sūtra section, all witnesses in A for Toh 916 and Toh 526, and S and PT 415, which read ’khor ba dang mya ngan las ’das pa la bdag gnas par ma gyur cig. The Skt. has mā ca me bhūt saṃsāre nirvāṇe pratiṣṭhitatā, with the same meaning.
backThe Skt. reads dhanavati.
backFollowing Skt. and PT; D and other Kangyurs read sarvārthapraśamane, which would mean “O remover of everything that is valuable.”
backFollowing Skt., K, S, and KY in the Tantra section; D and other Kangyurs read vākaviśodhani.
backSkt., S, NT, HT, and PT 415 omit this passage on the recollection of former lives.
backFollowing the Skt. which has kṣipram (“swiftly”), translated in S, NT, HT, and PT as myur du.
backThe Skt. reads, “If anyone, son or daughter of a good family, recites this dhāraṇī of the six gates three times each night and three times each day, then, having abandoned all karma, they will quickly reach the supreme state of perfect awakening.” For the critically edited Skt. text, see Mimaki 1977b, p. 10.
backInstead of “assembly of bodhisattvas,” the Skt. reads bodhisattvā mahāsattvā, and S, NT, HT, and PT 415 read byang chub sems dpa’ sems dpa’ chen po (“bodhisattvas mahāsattvas”).
backThis passage is missing in the Sanskrit. In PT 415, S, D (Toh 916), and D (Toh 526) following “the assembly of bodhisattvas,” it instead reads gnas gtsang ma’i ris kyi lha’i bu de dag (“the gods of Śuddhāvāsa”).
backThe Skt. reads, “When the delighted Bhagavān had thus spoken, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas rejoiced in what the Blessed One had taught.” For the critically edited Skt. text, see Mimaki 1977b, p. 10. Commentators and translators have disagreed over whether the adjective ravi (“delighted”) here applies to the Bhagavān, to the bodhisattvas (as in the Chinese translations), or to both (as in the Tibetan translations that have dgyes for the Bhagavān and yi(d) rang(s) for the assembly). On this delicate issue, see Mimaki 1977b, p. 13, n. 9.
back“May there be benefit for all beings.” Only D (Toh 141) has this and the following auspicious sayings in Sanskrit.
backFor the translation of these verses, see the Buddhavacana Translation Group, trans., The Sūtra on Dependent Arising (Toh 212), 2016, 1.5.
back“May it be auspicious.”
back
