Toh 646, Toh 1080 — The Dhāraṇī of Refuge for the Preta Flaming Mouth

F.130.aF.242.b At one time, the Bhagavān was teaching the Dharma to an entourage consisting of the monastic saṅgha and a limitless number of bodhisattvas at the monastic hermitage in Kapilavastu. At that time, the venerable Nanda remained at a distance, having been contemplating and memorizing the Dharma. That evening, in the later part of the night, a very frightening preta called Flaming Mouth, with a hideous appearance, frail, withered, with flames coming from its mouth, its throat as thin as a needle, with dishevelled hair, with long sharp fingernails and teeth, came before Nanda, and said to Nanda: “You! Seven days from now,^[1] your life will end, and you will be reborn in the realm of the pretas!”

Having heard what the preta had said, Nanda became very afraid, and responded to the preta, saying, “What can be done about being reborn in the realm of the pretas when my time here is finished, so that I might be liberated from this impending suffering?”

The preta replied to Nanda, “If tomorrow you make bali offerings to pretas as numerous as the hundred thousand million billion grains of sand of the river Ganges, and offer a Magadhan measure F.243.a of food to each and every one of the many hundreds of thousands of brahmins and ṛṣis, and make offerings for my sake to the Three Jewels, then your life will be long, and I will be freed from the sufferings of the preta realm, and will be reborn as a god in the upper realms.”

To see that preta called Flaming Mouth, hideous, frail and withered, with flames coming from its mouth, its throat as thin as a needle, with disheveled hair, and long, sharp fingernails and teeth, and to hear such unpleasant and unwelcome words, was enough to send shivers through Nanda’s body, and in terror he then rose from where he had been sitting, and quickly went to where F.130.b the Bhagavān was.

Arriving in the presence of the Bhagavān, Nanda fell before him, touching the five points of his body to the ground. Then, after prostrating with his head to the feet of the Bhagavān, with his body trembling, he implored the Bhagavān, “I beseech you to grant me final relief from being tormented by this suffering!”

He continued, “I was off at a distance, having been contemplating the Dharma, when a preta called Flaming Mouth said to me, ‘You! Seven days from now, your life will end, and you will be reborn in the realm of the pretas!’ When I asked, ‘What can be done about this, so that I might be liberated from the sufferings of the preta realm?’ the preta said to me, ‘If you make bali offerings to pretas as numerous as the hundred thousand million billion grains of sand of the river Ganges, and offer the finest food to each and every one of the many hundreds of thousands of brahmins and ṛṣis and so on, then your life will be long.’ If I am to provide this, Bhagavān, how can I prepare so much food for so many pretas, brahmins, ṛṣis, and so forth?”

“Do not let this frighten you,” said the Bhagavān to Nanda. F.243.b “I have a method by which you may prepare food and many balis for pretas as numerous as the hundred thousand million billion grains of sand of the river Ganges, and brahmins and ṛṣis and so forth. So do not let this upset you.”

Then the Bhagavān said to Nanda, “I have a mantra dhāraṇī called the power of all-conquering rays of light by which all are brought under the influence of immeasurable radiance.^[2] When anyone utters this dhāraṇī, there will be food and the finest bali for pretas as numerous as the hundred thousand million billion grains of sand of the river Ganges, and the many brahmins and ṛṣis and so forth, so that each and every one of those pretas and others will receive seven portions of food weighed according to Magadhan measures.

“Nanda, when I was a brahmin in a previous life, F.131.a I heard this dhāraṇī from the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and the tathāgata called Vaśavartiguṇa, and by the power of that dhāraṇī, countless pretas and many ṛṣis were each given bali and food, and those that had been born in the realm of the pretas were liberated from their suffering and were reborn as gods in the upper realms.

“Nanda, remember this dhāraṇī! It will increase your merit and even your lifespan when you are reborn.”

The Bhagavān then uttered this mantra dhāraṇī to Nanda:

nāmaḥ sarvatathāgatāvalokite oṁ sambhara sambhara hūṁ

The Bhagavān said to Nanda, “Any son of good family or daughter of good family who wishes to lengthen their life, or improve and increase their merit, or who wishes to quickly bring to completion the perfection of giving, should recite this dhāraṇī constantly in the morning, or even at all times. Then their life will not be cut short.

“Pour clean water into a clean vessel, then add a little bit of cooked grains, meal, or pastry, and so forth. Then place your right hand over the top of the vessel and, having sanctified it seven times with this dhāraṇī, F.244.a you should invoke the names of the four tathāgatas as follows:

“Homage to the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna! By the blessings from invoking the name of the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, may all those pretas overcome the nonvirtuous karma of having been miserly in their numerous previous lives, and may their collection of merit be brought to completion!

“Homage to the Tathāgata Surūpa! F.131.b By the blessings from invoking the name of the Tathāgata Surūpa, may those many pretas overcome their hideous appearance and may they take on a marvelous form and attributes!

“Homage to the Tathāgata Vipulagātra!^[3] By the blessings from invoking the name of the Tathāgata Vipulagātra, may the thirst of many pretas be dispelled and may they be satisfied. May they be led to places where offerings are being made, and may they be allowed to eat to their satisfaction!

“Homage to the Tathāgata Abhayakara! By the blessings from invoking the name of the Tathāgata Abhayakara, may all be free from all the fears of the many pretas, and may all the realms of the pretas be pacified!”

The Bhagavān told Nanda, “Sons of good family, and so on, after the blessing of having invoked the names of these four tathāgatas, should snap their fingers three times.^[4] Then, taking the bali vessel in their outstretched arms, they should pour it out on to clean ground. If one makes bali offering in this manner, each and every one of the pretas who arrive from the four directions, as numerous as the hundred thousand million billion grains of sand of the river Ganges, will receive seven portions weighed according to Magadhan measures. These pretas will be led to and allowed to eat as much food as they wish, and will leave the realms of the pretas behind, and be reborn as gods in the upper realms.

“Nanda, if any monks or nuns, F.244.b or male or female lay devotees, when giving an offering to a preta, consistently sanctify the food by means of this dhāraṇī, they will bring immeasurable merit to completion. As that merit is indistinguishable from the merit of making offerings to a hundred thousand million billion buddhas, they will have long life, merit, and luster; be born with strength that will only increase; complete roots of virtue; no nonhuman^[5] yakṣas, rākṣasas, or horrible pretas will be able to endanger them or inflict harm on them; and they will have an immeasurable radiance F.132.a for others.

“Someone who wishes to make offerings to brahmins and ṛṣis should fill a single vessel with the purest food, recite this dhāraṇī mantra seven times, and scatter the food in a clean river. That will cause it to become the most supreme foodstuffs of the gods. The brahmins and ṛṣis, as they receive the food infused with mantra, will delight in each and every previous individual offering that has been offered with mantra, and will ripen^[6] the merit of those roots of virtue that have been cultivated, each of them in accord with the others, will all at the same time make the prayer, ‘May this person have long life, vitality, and power, and may they be comfortable and happy!’

“Moreover, that person, in terms of seeing and hearing in accordance with these intentions, will be completely pure, have unmistaken knowledge, and living the superior life of a brahmacārya will achieve complete perfection. Furthermore, as the merit would be like that of making offerings to buddha bhagavāns equal in number to the hundred thousand million billion grains of sand of the river Ganges, all the proponents of false teachings will be unable to do them harm.

“Any monk or nun, or male or female lay devotee, who wishes to make offerings F.245.a to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha should recite this mantra dhāraṇī twenty-one times over incense, flowers, and the best of food, and then offer them to the Three Jewels. The food offered by a son of good family or a daughter of good family, having become the foodstuffs of the gods, will become offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha in all the worldly realms of the ten directions. Those who make such offerings will be endowed with the merit of praising, praying, and rejoicing, and will be constantly praised and watched over by the buddha bhagavāns. They will be constantly guarded and protected by many gods, and the perfection of giving F.132.b will be brought to completion.

“Nanda, commit this to memory in accordance with the Dharma. In order that all sentient beings may see and hear it, you should teach it extensively, and you will obtain immeasurable merit.”