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The Ten Small Mantras (Chinese: 十小咒; Pinyin: Shíxiǎozhòu) [1] are a collection of esoteric Buddhist mantras or dharanis.They were complied by the monk Yulin (Chinese: 玉琳國師; Pinyin: Yùlín Guóshī), a teacher of the Qing dynasty Shunzhi Emperor (1638 – 1661), for monks, nuns, and laity to chant during morning liturgical services. [2]
In this text, the mantra is seen as the condensed form of all Buddhist teachings. [3] The precise meaning and significance of the words remain much discussed by Buddhist scholars. The literal meaning in English has been expressed as "praise to the jewel in the lotus", [4] or as a declarative aspiration, possibly meaning "I in the jewel-lotus". [5]
Chinese Esoteric Buddhism also known as Zhēnyán (Chinese: 真言, lit. "true word", which is the translation for "mantra") draws extensively on mantras. This tradition was established during the Tang dynasty by Indian tantric masters like Śubhakarasiṃha , Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra .
However, another positive and important function and meaning of this mantra is the "pulling out the fundamental cause of karmic obstacles". It brings about benefits for the reciter in this present life. [3] Aaron Proffit explains the benefits of the long version of the dharani according to the tradition of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism as follows: [4]
The characters are known as Bonji (梵字, Chinese: Fànzì) or shittan (悉曇). The Taishō Tripiṭaka version of the Chinese Buddhist canon preserves the Siddhaṃ characters for most mantras, and Korean Buddhists still write bījas in a modified form of Siddhaṃ. A recent innovation is the writing of Japanese language slogans on T-shirts ...
Probably the most well known mantra is "Om mani padme hum", the six syllable mantra of the Bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteśvara. This mantra is particularly associated with the four-armed Ṣaḍākṣarī form of Avalokiteśvara. Moreover, as a seed syllable (Bīja mantra), Om is considered sacred and holy in Esoteric Buddhism. [111]
The kuji-in (Japanese: 九字印) or jiǔzìyìn (Chinese: 九字印), also known as Nine Hand Seals, is a system of mudras and associated mantras that consist of nine syllables. The mantras are referred to as kuji (Japanese: 九字), which literally translates as nine characters.
The use of mantras and dhāraṇīs dates at least to the 2nd century. [5] Tantric materials with mantras and dharanis begin to appear in China during the fifth century. [6] Early Chinese Buddhists include the like of Zhu Lüyan, who translated the first text containing dhāraṇīs, the Modengqie jing (T.D. no. 1300).