The Dhāraṇī for a Caitya is a short manual on the ritual preparation for and casting of small caityas from clay. The ritual has three main parts: a description of the general transformative power of the dhāraṇī, the preparation rituals for the ground and clay, and rituals for the consecration of the cast images. The main dhāraṇī, with the name vimaloṣṇīṣa, “stainless uṣṇīṣa,” was widely used in central and northeast Asian Buddhism, especially in the context of purification, consecration, and inauguration rituals.
The Translation
Homage to the Three Jewels.
Homage to the Blessed One, Vajradhara.
Homage to the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha, the king with majestic power over the mode, discipline, and miraculous display of all things.
Homage to the buddhas of the three times!
Homage to the virtuous Three Jewels!
I pay homage to Akṣobhya,
Amitābha, and Avalokiteśvara!
Homage to the three families!14
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One, the great Vajradhara, was dwelling in a great caitya with a central palace made of various precious substances surrounded by four immeasurable caityas. It sat atop a foundation that had the nature of a caitya and was made from the five kinds of materials from the great Mount Meru.15 The nature of this great caitya was such that even the space above its summit had the quality of a caitya. He was dwelling there together with Vajrapāṇi, Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, and other bodhisattvas of the tenth level, [F.260.b] as well as the protectors of the pure abodes, including Brahmā, Śakra, and the Four Great Kings.16
Then, a total of sixty quintillion17 light rays of various colors were emitted from the Blessed One’s uṣṇīṣa, the śrīvatsa at his heart, and other places. The great brilliance of these light rays pervaded all the incalculable, inconceivable, and inexpressible realms of the trichiliocosm, filling them like a heap of mustard seeds. All those among the infinite number of beings who were blind could now see forms, those who were deaf could hear sounds, those who stuttered could speak clearly, those with a limp or who had trouble walking could walk, those who were paralyzed and those who were sick were freed from their illness, hell beings had their lifespans reduced and were gradually freed from their torment, and all beings gradually became contemplative. The entire sky filled with dharmakāya mind-caityas, which grew in size. The rays of light then reentered the Blessed One’s uṣṇīṣa, turning into a representation of the dharmakāya.
Vajrapāṇi and the rest of the entourage were astonished, and they worshiped the Blessed One with offerings of canopies, banners, flags, parasols, fly whisks, bells, silk scarves, incense, flowers, garlands, unguents, lamps, food, music, and the like. They asked the Blessed One, “Please, Blessed One, protector of beings who possesses great compassion, teach the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī,18 the great spell used in the rite for blessing a caitya.”
The Blessed One replied, “Here is the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, the great spell used in the rite for blessing a caitya. [F.261.a] Any son or daughter of noble family who understands, upholds, writes, reads, or makes its title known will entirely purify the five acts with immediate retribution, the ten unwholesome deeds, and any other negative actions they have performed. This is the vimaloṣṇīṣa, the great spell used in the rites for blessing a caitya:
oṁ traiyadhve sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe jvala dharmadhātugarbhe saṃhāraṇa āyuḥ saṃśodhaya19 pāpaṃ sarvatathāgatasamantoṣṇīṣavimale viśuddhe svāhā.20
Immediately after he spoke this great spell, all the realms of the world took on the nature of a caitya. If this great spell is written on birch bark, cloth, or other tree bark and affixed to the top of a banner, the banner will become worthy of worship, one that is honored and venerated by all gods, humans, and the like. If this great spell is affixed to someone’s body or neck, gods, humans, asuras, and the like will see that person as a buddha. If one recites this great spell when traversing rugged mountains, forests, isolated places, or other landscapes, all those mountains and landscapes will be like a caitya.
If one recites oṁ traiyadhve sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe jvala dharmadhātugarbhe saṃhāraṇa21 āyuḥ saṃśodhaya pāpaṃ sarvatathāgatasamantoṣṇīṣavimale viśuddhe mahāvirajera gambhīrasi dharmadhātugarbhe vivisāra a a laṁ svāhā,22 the entire ground will take on the nature of a caitya.
If one utters this great mantra spell when crossing any body of water—such as a river, lake, or ocean—all that water will take on the nature of a caitya. After reciting oṁ traiyadhve sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe jvala dharmadhātugarbhe saṃhāraṇa āyuḥ saṃśodhaya pāpaṃ sarvatathāgatasamantoṣṇīṣavimale viśuddhe mahāvirajera gambhīrasi dharmadhātugarbhe vivisāra a māmaki svāhā,23 [F.261.b] all water will take on the nature of a caitya.
Additionally, when one casts this great spell in a way that pervades the whole of space, all of space will also take on the nature of a caitya. When reciting oṁ traiyadhve sarvatathāgatahṛdayagarbhe jvala dharmadhātugarbhe saṃhāraṇa āyuḥ saṃśodhaya pāpaṃ sarvatathāgatasamantoṣṇīṣavimale viśuddhe mahāvirajera gambhīrasi dharmadhātu vivisāra a a e khaṃ ya svāhā,24 all of space will take on the nature of a caitya and become worthy of veneration, circumambulation, and worship.
If one recites the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī when making caityas from any of the five great elements, it purifies all afflictions and obscurations. Moreover, when a caitya is made with materials such as earth, wood, rock, mud, or clay onto which this mantra spell has been cast, those materials will produce a caitya made of various precious substances. When oṁ ratnacaitye pañcaye vivisāra svāhā25 is recited, cow dung and similar materials can be applied to result in a caitya made of various precious substances. If this great spell is not cast, even if one intends to fashion a caitya from gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and the rest of the seven precious substances, it will be no different than one made of stone, wood, or clay. Why? Because the blessing of the mantra and essence mantra will not have entered the nature of these materials. When blessed with the great spell, however, even a caitya made from any of the five great elements will purify the stains of the obscurations from incalculable eons so that one will be born into a householder family as great as a sal tree and go on to obtain the stage of nonregression. If one makes a caitya from stone, wood planks, and the like after blessing them with this great spell, there is no doubt that one will be born into a brahmin family as great as a sal tree, [F.262.a] gradually traverse the ten stages, and obtain the eleventh stage, Universal Light.26 If one makes a caitya from gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and the like after blessing them with this great spell, there is no doubt that one will be born into a kṣatriya family as great as a sal tree and go on to obtain the stage of Vajradhara. Furthermore, if this great mantra spell is cast when making a single caitya, it will be as if ten million were made. If this great spell is not cast, even if ten million caityas are made it will be as if they are just one. Why would this be the case? The answer is the same as before.
The mantra for the great spell is tadyathā sūkṣme sūkṣme śānte śānte nirākule yaśo tejo sarvabuddhe adhiṣṭhāna adhiṣṭhite anumide svāhā.27 Its procedure is as follows: if one makes a single caitya from a lump of clay after reciting the spell over it twenty-one times, it will be as if ten million are made. The corresponding amount and benefit of making a hundred cannot be expressed, even by the arhats among noble śrāvakas. The corresponding amount and benefit of making a thousand cannot be expressed, even by bodhisattvas. The corresponding amount and benefit of making ten thousand cannot be expressed, even by the tathāgatas. The corresponding amount and benefit of making a hundred thousand cannot be expressed, even by the tathāgatas of the three times and ten directions.
For these reasons, one should perform the ritual offering, including the five supports for offering.28 First, the local deities should be appeased at the site where the caityas will be made, where the clay for the caityas will be stored, and where the clay for the caityas will be excavated. Next, a boundary should be created to thwart any ill-intentioned obstructing spirits who live there and would disrupt the caitya and its virtue. To infuse a thread with the mantra of this great spell, recite oṁ vajrasūtra hūṁ phaṭ29 while visualizing a thread to be a vajra thread. [F.262.b] The area that encompasses the site for the caitya and the area that encompasses the site where the clay is located should be demarcated with the thread. When the ground is demarcated in this way, the specific patch of ground will take on the qualities of the various precious substances that are used for a caitya.
In the same space, one should next cast the great spell oṁ vajrakīli kīli kīlaya sarvaduṣṭam hūṁ phaṭ30 on a rosewood stake that is eight fingers long. After reciting it seven times, one should visualize it as a vajra stake and plant one in the center and at the four corners of the demarcated area. If done in that way, one will be protected from all humans and nonhumans, unless their actions are the result of the ripening of previous karma. The rosewood stake should remain in the ground where the clay for the caitya is located and should not be removed for any reason until the clay is taken.
After that, cast the spell oṁ amṛte hana hana hūṁ phaṭ31 on sesame seeds and white mustard seeds. It should be recited seven times, and the seeds should be scattered over the site. By doing so, this specific area will become the immeasurable seat of the tathāgatas.
Once the area has been blessed as the seat of the tathāgatas, the boundary against ill-intentioned obstructing spirits should be set by offering incense, flowers, oblations, and the like to the devas, nāgas, and asuras who reside in the area and then dedicating the merit. The area will be auspicious and blessed after the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī has been recited.
Next, when digging up the clay for the caitya, one should dig while reciting oṁ vajra khana khana hūṁ phaṭ.32 Digging while reciting this and visualizing the area as composed of the five precious substances will transform it into the pure body of the Tathāgata.
The clean earth that has been excavated should then be placed in a purified area, and the rite of pounding the earth should be performed. One should form the gesture of Amṛtakuṇḍalin over a mallet, press it with a three-pronged vajra,33 and cast the great spell vajramudgara ākoṭaya ākoṭaya hūṁ phaṭ34 while pounding the earth. [F.263.a] After pounding the earth while reciting this seven times and visualizing the mallet as a vajra mallet, all afflictions and habitual tendencies will be purified and defeated.
Next comes the kneading of the clay. After touching scented water with the gesture of Amṛtakuṇḍalin, one should imagine the nature of reality as a white syllable a within the scented water. A bright moon disk appears from the syllable, shining with intense rays of light that pervade the scented water. Imagining that the scented water has taken on the nature of nectar, recite the great spell oṁ amṛte hūṁ phaṭ. After blessing it with seven recitations, the scented water will be like a stream of great nectar.
One should then recite the following great spell for kneading the clay: oṁ vajra pramardanaya hūṁ phaṭ.35 After reciting it seven times, the clay will become the body of the Tathāgata. Now that the clay has been blessed as the inconceivable body of the Tathāgata, one should form the gesture of Amṛtakuṇḍalin over it while reciting the following great spell: namo ratnatrayāya tadyathā sūkṣme sūkṣme śānte śānte dānte dānte nirākule yaśo yaśovati tejo śuddhe viśuddhe sarvatathāgata adhiṣṭhāna adhiṣṭhite ā namaḥ te hite svāhā.36 Once one has recited this great spell in three sets of seven, totaling twenty-one times, and blessed the clay with the great mantra spell, five kinds of wisdom-light rays will radiate from the clay into the ten directions and tame all beings as needed. The rays of light then return, causing the clay to take on the nature of the five precious substances and endowing it with the causes and conditions for the inconceivable body of the Tathāgata. This is what one should imagine. [F.263.b]
The following great spell should then be recited seven times while preparing balls of clay: oṁ vajra āyuṣe svāhā.37 Once blessed in this way, clouds of wisdom-light rays will radiate from the clay balls, pervade the limitless realms of the ten directions, and fulfill the aims of many beings. The clouds of light rays will then gather back into the clay balls, purifying them so that they are like crystals with the nature of precious wisdom. This is what one should imagine.
Next, the seal of the vimaloṣnīṣa essence mantra is pressed into the clay balls, or the mantra is written on birch bark, cloth, paper, or any bark and inserted into them. The essence mantras of each of the five families—oṁ hūṁ trāṁ hrī āḥ38—should be incorporated into the vimaloṣṇīṣa mantra so that they are joined as a pair, and then either affixed as a seal or inserted as a written mantra as appropriate. The ball of clay will then possess the wisdom mind of the Tathāgata. When inserting the spell, one should recite the mantra oṁ vajragarbhe svāhā.39 Once recited, the wisdom mind of all the tathāgatas will be gathered within it and fixed. This is what one should imagine.
After that, one should recite the great spell for anointing the interior of the caitya mold with the oil of white mustard seed or sesame oil: oṁ araje viraje svāhā.40 Once this has been recited three times and the blessing conferred, the caitya will become a dharmadhātu caitya through the union of means and wisdom. This is what one should imagine.
Then, when pressing the caitya, one should recite the great spell oṁ vajramudgara ākoṭaya ākoṭaya hūṁ phaṭ.41 Once it has been recited and the caitya pressed, it will become a dharmakāya caitya through the union of space and nondual wisdom. Because the caitya is made using the vimaloṣṇīṣa essence mantra in whichever form,42 it will become an infinite dharmakāya caitya through the union of space and nondual wisdom. [F.264.a]
One should next extract the caitya while reciting the great spell for removing it from the mold: oṁ dharmadhātuye svāhā dharmadhātugarbhe svāhā.43 The caitya is extracted after reciting this seven times, at which point it emerges as an infinite dharmakāya caitya through the union of space and nondual wisdom. It will fulfill, in an extraordinary manner, the aims of all beings in this world until saṃsāra is empty. This is what one should imagine.
Once the caitya has been removed from its container, one should recite the great spell for the ring.44 After reciting oṁ pramāṇaye svāhā45 and setting the ring, it should be adorned with a precious parasol, precious pinnacle, precious banner, silk streamers, and other ornaments. Ornamented with the various qualities of nirvāṇa, it will benefit beings according to their wishes. This is what one should imagine.
Then, when the caitya is covered with a cloth, one should recite the great spell oṁ dharmadhātusvabhāva viśuddhe dharma te svāhā.46 If one repeats this spell many times, the caitya will signify the pure dharmadhātu.
If the maṇḍala of prepared caityas consists of five caityas, one should draw a maṇḍala with a central space and spaces in the four directions, totaling five. When making any number of caityas—be it a hundred or a thousand—construct a stone base with a number of maṇḍala squares corresponding to the number of caityas.47 It should be a square maṇḍala made of earth, stone, wood, and so forth. The throne beneath it can be a lion throne, a jewel throne, or a lotus throne. Once this base has been made, it should be sprinkled with cow dung mixed with scented water.
Water infused with saffron and sandalwood should be smeared in a circle to encompass the entire area where the central caitya and caityas in the four directions will be placed. [F.264.b] Use thread to demarcate and then draw the maṇḍala.48 When drawing a maṇḍala for five caityas, draw a maṇḍala with five spaces—a central space and spaces in the four directions. In the same way, the lines of the vajra grid should be used to demarcate the space into maṇḍala squares corresponding to the number of caityas, be they one hundred or one thousand. An eight-petaled lotus should be drawn in each of the spaces where a caitya is to be placed.
Then, once the caitya maṇḍala has been set up, the request to remain is made using the mantra spell oṁ supratiṣṭha stūpe svāhā.49 After reciting this three times and setting out the caitya, it will function extraordinarily to serve the aims of oneself and others. The sequence for arranging the caityas is as follows: the first is placed in the center, then one proceeds sequentially to set one in the east, south, west, and north. The great spell to be recited while placing them is oṁ vajrapadmasamaye svāhā.50 After reciting it three times, say, “please be seated on the vajra and lotus seat” while imagining that everything—the ground, the expanse of the sky, and the depths of the sea—is filled with caityas. Alternatively, one offers incense, flowers, and the rest of the fivefold offering and makes the request to remain after each caitya is made and placed in the maṇḍala.
The color of the caityas and other features are painted observing the following correspondences: white for pacification, yellow for increasing, red for magnetizing, and green for protection.51 The cloth should follow the same scheme. This is what one should imagine.
Next, the maṇḍala of caityas should be blessed. One should recite the mantra of the great spell hūṁ raṃ svāhā, which has emerged from the red syllable raṃ located above the maṇḍala. [F.265.a] After reciting it three times, a great flame of the wisdom of suchness will burn fiercely, purifying the concepts in those places52 so that the very foundation of the maṇḍala will be made of the five precious substances. This is what one should imagine.
One should next recite the great spell oṁ a candramaṇḍala hūṁ phaṭ,53 which emerges from the place where a white syllable a stands in the center of the fivefold, hundredfold, or thousandfold maṇḍala grid. After reciting it an equivalent number of times,54 each cell becomes a moon-disk seat for a caitya. This is what one should imagine.
After that, when performing the maṇḍala rite one should face either east or west, whichever is easier, and use one’s samādhi to transform oneself into the great seal, the form of Vajradhara.
Above a moon disk at the heart, one should create a five-pronged vajra that emits an effulgence of wisdom light. These rays of wisdom light radiate from every pore on one’s body, spreading infinitely like cloud banks of buddhas and their maṇḍalas. They bless all the realms of beings, fulfill their aims, and then dissolve back into one’s body. This is what one should imagine.
Next is the generation of the caitya palace. One should form the vajradhātu55 gesture over the caitya placed in the maṇḍala, touch the top of the caitya, and then recite the mantra for the great spell: oṁ vajradhātu adhitiṣṭha hūṁ.56 Through this blessing, the caitya will be established in the center of a moon seat upon a dharmadhātu maṇḍala and a ground made of precious substances, all within a palace composed of various precious materials.57 This is what one should imagine.
Once each caitya has been prepared in this way, set out, and presented with different kinds of offerings, one should recite the spell for purifying different kinds of offerings, including lion banners, cooked rice, [F.265.b] arrangements of fine foods and the like, canopies, streamers, parasols, garlands, fragrances, lamps, and incense:58 oṁ sarvapūja puṣpe svāhā.59 After it has been recited, its blessings will cause the offerings to amass as marvelous Samantabhadra offering clouds and fall like rain. This is what one should imagine.
The five kinds of offerings to a caitya should be presented one by one, and they should be offered as individual gifts to the extent one is able, even if the cloth is small, the canopies are frayed and so forth, and the parasols are small. While the rite is being performed, one should clarify one’s samādhi, one’s continuity of experience. To do this one should recognize and imagine that the five caityas—those in the center and four directions—share the extraordinary colors, ornaments, attributes, and retinues of the buddhas of the five families. One visualizes that those caityas, which are made of the five wisdoms, are pure and clear by nature, and that each letter of the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī and the essence mantra of each of the five families in the center of those caitya vessels60 is brilliant and uniquely dazzling, like refined gold. The five families, in the form of infinite and multicolored rays of wisdom light, spread throughout the ten directions, adorning the infinite sky and the entirety of the dharmadhātu with clouds of tathāgata bodies. Having accomplished that, they bless all the realms of the world, serve the aims of all beings there, and fulfill their hopes. The rays of wisdom light return, strike the top of one’s head and heart, and purify anything that obscures awakened activity and so forth. One should imagine that one now has the nature of vajra body, speech, and mind.61
Next perform the reception using offering water consisting of scented water mixed with various fragrances. [F.266.a] Form the gesture of the offering water, place the conch shell on it, and imagine that a white syllable a in the scented water transforms into a moon disk from which shine rays of light that grant the scented water the nature of wisdom nectar. One should then recite the great spell for making offerings: oṁ amṛte arghaṃ pratīccha svāhā.62 After reciting it, one should scent the pinnacles of the caityas three times by pouring the water.63 The noble ones will be pleased with this offering. This should be expressed with the words “May all noble ones be pleased.” Then, using the oceanic cloud gesture,64 the water should be sprinkled over the pinnacles, after which one imagines that it gathers in the wisdom body and all the marvelous initiations are conferred. After this, the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī should be read aloud an appropriate number of times,65 the merit should be dedicated, and extensive aspirations should be made.
If one finds it difficult to complete this rite as prescribed, one should transform one’s body using the samādhi of one’s personal deity and not let that intention weaken. One should recognize that the caityas and articles of worship are the nature of the dharmadhātu in their pure aspect. If one makes caityas in this way, it is the same as the extensive rite. There is no contradiction. If even this is not possible, one can make a caitya by reciting the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, keeping it in mind, writing it down, and carrying it with one. If one does this, it is in fact the extensive rite. Those caityas will be transformed into the body of the Tathāgata and will serve to benefit oneself and others in an extraordinary way. If one does not recite the vimaloṣṇīṣa dhāraṇī, even when offerings are made and power invested, no power will be conferred. This is also said in scripture:
“When the nature of a mantra is not clear
For any spell or mantra,
And when the samādhi of realization is not clear,
All forms, including caityas and the like,
Will not be complete even when constructed.”66[F.266.b]
The qualities of a caitya and other images made by one who possesses secret mantra and realization are described as follows:
In this sublime caitya rite,
Casting a single caitya incanted with this dhāraṇī,
Which is distinct for its generation of merit,
Is the same as making ten million.
The five acts with immediate retribution and the mass of evil
Of those long in saṃsāra
Will all be cleansed,
So that they will have a miraculously long life.
In all their lives to come,
They will be born into sublime and exalted families,
Possess supreme enjoyments,
And be born as universal monarchs.
They will know all their past and future lives,
And in all worlds throughout the three times
Will never be separated from the Three Jewels.
Unshaken by obstacles and harms,
They will succeed in their intentions
And in the end reach perfect awakening.
This completes “The Vimaloṣṇīṣa Dhāraṇī.”67