The Great Compassion Mantra

Book excerpt: The Great Compassion Mantra of Natural Wisdom is a powerful Mantra developed by Mahayana Buddhists. This Mantra is said to have the power to liberate all sentient creatures from the Hell of Suffering, delivering them from Ignorance. In this first volume in a series of three, Master Shanjian Dashi presents a lucid account of the problem of suffering in psychological terms and how the mantra is designed to counter its effects and eventually eliminate its grip on the mind. There follows a line-by-line explanation of the Mantra's 68 lines, complete with the Hand-and-Eye preparations that make the mantra effective in coupling Benevolent Action with Wisdom. The Great Compassion Mantra is a verbal form of Dharana, a Sutra which uses syllables to transmit a powerful and effective transcendental message, creating a special state of consciousness. The transcendental message and the special state of consciousness set the conditions necessary for major changes in Attitudes, Intentions, and Actions. It awakens Benevolent Love, Compassion, and Gladness, engenders the Liberation of Wisdom, and facilitates the elimination of Suffering and Stress. The Mantra and the Commentary provide then the knowledge which leads to personal growth and the firm establishment of Wisdom, and can therefore be used to completely change the focus of one's own life or the lives of others who are open and receptive to what we can call Cosmic Consciousness.