Kuan Yin is known as the bodhisattva of Mercy and Compassion. As an introduction we are presenting Ten Vows which are Part One of her Crystal Rosary. These Ten Vows are derived from the Great Compassion Dharani Sutra. You may download a PDF of this Sutra at this link Great Compassion Dharani Sutra.
Mantras to Kuan Yin, or any archangel or ascended master, are short spoken prayers consisting of a repeated word or group of words. Mantras are a science of the Word, formulas for the release of God’s energy. They are not mere poetry.
A mantra is the bridge over which we pass from the natural to the spiritual order of things.
A mantra to a particular ascended master is inseparable from that master’s vibration. Thus, mantras are keys to the heart of divine beings.
The Ascended Lady Master Kuan Yin teaches that her mantras can be invoked as “cures” for a specific condition.
When you read the words of her mantras, take the one that strikes you as being something that can fill a gap in your life, something that can fill in an empty space, a void. As you capture the mantra in your heart, your heart sings the mantra back to you. The mantra itself sings to you so that you hear from your innermost being the pure voice of your soul reciting that mantra.
This is the power of God within you.
And by accepting that power, you authorize it to enter your world through your recitation of the mantra. You make that mantra your own until you feel your whole body filled with the light of Kuan Yin.
Kuan Yin’s power and virtue are manifest in her ability to bring boundless love and compassion to all sentient beings.
The mantra becomes the key to her allness. It can bring true spiritual healing and transmutation to overcome troublesome habits and resolve personal and planetary problems.
Great Compassion Dharani Sutra
(The full title is:)
Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded, Great-Compassionate Heart Dharani Sutra
Translated during the Tang Dynasty by Shramana Bhagavat-dharma from west India.
Thus I have heard, once Sakyamuni Buddha was at Potalaka Mountain, in the treasure- adorned Way-place in Avalokitesvara’s palace, sitting on a precious Lion-Throne adorned in purity with countless multifarious Mani-jewels. Hundreds of precious streamers and banners were hanging all around.
At that time, the Tathagata, who was sitting on his throne, intending to explain a teaching of the Total-Retention Dharani, was along with innumerable Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, whose names are: (I will not list all the exotic names here, you can read them in the 27 page PDF linked above.)
They all came and gathered in the congregation.
At that time in the congregation, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva secretly emitted his sacrosanct light, thereupon, the worlds in the ten directions, along with this three-thousand-great-thousand worlds system, were all illuminated and became golden. Heavenly palaces, palaces of dragons, and palaces of all gods were all shaken. Rivers, oceans, Iron-Ring Mountains, Sumeru Mountains, Earth Mountains, and black mountains were also shaken. The light of suns, moons, pearls, fire, and constellations all disappeared.
Witnessing this rare scene, Dharani King Bodhisattva was more surprised than ever before, so he arose from his seat, joined his palms and asked the Buddha with a Gatha(verse):
“Who achieved the Correct-Awakening today, emitting such great bright light universally? The worlds of the ten directions are all golden, so do these three-thousand-great-thousand worlds.
Who attained the ultimate freedom today, manifesting the rare great holy power? Innumerable Buddha-Worlds are shaken, so do palaces of dragons and gods.
Now the entire congregation is wondering, not knowing whose power caused these.
Is he a Buddha, Bodhisattva, or great Voice-Hearer, or a Brahman, demon, heavenly god, or Sakra?
We pray for the Bhagavan (World Honored One)’s Great Compassion, to tell us the source of this great supernatural power.”
The Buddha told Dharani King Bodhisattva: “Virtuous man, you all should know that in this congregation there is a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva named Avalokitesvara, the Unrestricted One. He had achieved the Great Kindness and Great Compassion since uncountable Kalpas before, and he excels at practicing countless Dharani-Gates. In order to comfort and please all living-beings, he secretly emits such great sacrosanct power.
After the Buddha said that, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva arose from his seat, tidied up his clothes, joined his palms towards the Buddha and said:
“Bhagavan, I have a mantra of Great-Compassionate Heart Dharani and now wish to proclaim it, for comforting and pleasing all living beings; for healing all illness; for living beings to attain additional lifespan; for living beings to gain wealth; for extinguishing all evil karma and weighty sins; for keeping away from hindrance and disasters; for producing merits of all White (pure) Dharmas; for maturing all virtuous-roots; for overcoming all fears; for fulfilling all good wishes. Bhagavan, please be merciful and allow me to speak.”
The Buddha said: “Virtuous man, you have great kindness and great compassion, in order to comfort and please all living beings, you wish to speak the holy mantra, it is the proper time now, please speak it soon, the Tathagata approves and rejoices it, and so do all Buddhas.”
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva then said to the Buddha: “Bhagavan, I remember that countless billions of kalpas ago, a Buddha, whose name was Thousand Rays King Stillness Thus Come One, appeared in the world. Because of his mercy and mindfulness towards me and all living beings, that Buddha, the World Honored One spoke this Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded, Great Compassionate Heart Dharani, rubbed my crown with his golden hand and said: ‘Virtuous man, you should hold this heart-mantra to give great benefit and happiness to all living beings in the future evil age.’ At that time I was just at the first Bhumi(stage of Bodhisattva), right after hearing this mantra, I exceeded the eighth Bhumi. At that time, as my heart was joyful, I vowed: ‘If I will be able to give benefit and happiness to all living beings in the future, let me have one thousand hands and one thousand eyes immediately.’ Instantly after the vow, I got fully one thousand hands and one thousand eyes on my body, then, the grounds of the worlds of the ten directions quaked in six ways, thousands of Buddhas of the ten directions emitted their light to my body and illuminated boundless worlds of the ten directions. From then on, from countless Buddhas and congregations, I have repeatedly heard, accepted and held this Dharani, and the joys were also repeatedly aroused from my heart, and made me greatly enthusiastic. Therefore, I transcended imperceptible births and deaths of countless billions of kalpas. Since then, I have always been reciting and holding this mantra, and have never forgotten it. Because of holding this mantra, I was always born by miraculous creation (nirmana) from lotuses in front of Buddhas, and have never been born from any womb.”
“If there are monks(Bhikshus), nuns(Bhikshunis), laymen(Upasakas), laywomen(Upasikas), pure youth and maidens who wish to recite and hold(keep reciting) this mantra, they should first arouse their great merciful and compassionate hearts for all living beings, and follow me in making these vows:
- I desire/vow to quickly know the entire dharma
- I desire/vow to soon attain the eye of perfect wisdom
- I desire/vow to quickly save all sentient beings
- I desire/vow to soon attain the good and expedient method which leads to full enlightenment
- I desire/vow to quickly board the prajna boat
- I desire/vow to soon transcend the “bitter sea”
- I desire/vow to quickly attain good discipline, the stability of meditation and the Way of the Buddha
- I desire/vow to soon scale the mountain of nirvana
- I desire/vow to quickly realize the unconditioned
- I desire/vow to soon unite with the dharmakaya
The vows of the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin are especially useful because they take us along the path of the Bodhisattva ideal, which leads to union with the Buddha Maitreya.
A bodhisattva is “a being of bodhi, or enlightenment” who is destined to become a Buddha but has foregone the bliss of nirvana with a vow to save all children of God. Geshe Wangyal defines bodhisattva as “‘Offspring of the Conqueror.’ One who has vowed to attain enlightenment for the sake of all living beings. The term bodhisattva refers to those at many levels: from those who have generated aspiration to enlightenment for the first time, through to those who have actually entered the Bodhisattva path, which is developed through the ten stages and culminates in enlightenment, the attainment of Buddhahood.”
The name Kuan Shih Yin, as Kuan Yin is often called, means literally “the one who regards, looks on, or hears the sounds of the world.” According to legend, Kuan Yin was about to enter heaven but paused on the threshold as the cries of the world reached her ears.
Let us also pause on the threshold between earth and heaven. And let us pursue our path to the eternality of the Cosmic Christ through the mercy and compassion of Kuan Yin extended from our hearts to every part of Life. To that end let us recite the First of the Ten Vows of Kuan Yin, who is the facilitator of our oneness with the Buddha Maitreya.
The Ten Vows of Kuan Yin for Our Discipleship under Maitreya
The vows of the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin are especially useful because they take us along the path of the Bodhisattva ideal, which leads to union with the Buddha Maitreya.
A bodhisattva is “a being of bodhi, or enlightenment” who is destined to become a Buddha but has foregone the bliss of nirvana with a vow to save all children of God. Geshe Wangyal defines bodhisattva as “‘Offspring of the Conqueror.’ One who has vowed to attain enlightenment for the sake of all living beings. The term bodhisattva refers to those at many levels: from those who have generated aspiration to enlightenment for the first time, through to those who have actually entered the Bodhisattva path, which is developed through the ten stages and culminates in enlightenment, the attainment of Buddhahood.”
The name Kuan Shih Yin, as Kuan Yin is often called, means literally “the one who regards, looks on, or hears the sounds of the world.” According to legend, Kuan Yin was about to enter heaven but paused on the threshold as the cries of the world reached her ears.
Let us also pause on the threshold between earth and heaven. And let us pursue our path to the eternality of the Cosmic Christ through the mercy and compassion of Kuan Yin extended from our hearts to every part of Life. To that end let us recite the First of the Ten Vows of Kuan Yin, who is the facilitator of our oneness with the Buddha Maitreya.
I desire/I vow to quickly know the entire dharma!
Let us be clear what we are saying here.
1. Dharma
[Sanskrit, literally “carrying,” “holding,” “that which holds one’s true nature,” akin to Latin firmus, “firm”] In Hinduism, dharma is defined as that which determines our true essence; righteousness; morality; the religious and moral law governing individual conduct; that which holds the world together; the lawful order of the universe and the foundation of all religion; religious duty; the way of life to be followed according to one’s nature and station in life; conformity to one’s duty and nature; an individual’s duty fulfilled by observance of custom or law.
As defined in Man’s Eternal Quest, by Paramahansa Yogananda, dharma is the “eternal principles of righteousness that uphold all creation” and “man’s inherent duty to live in harmony with these principles.”[1] The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion says: “For the individual, dharma is inseparable from one’s karma, since dharma can be realized by the individual only to the extent permitted by one’s karmic situation.”[2]
In Buddhism, dharma has many of the same connotations as in Hinduism but also specifically refers to the universal doctrine, the teaching of the Buddha, and the way of life that is consistent with this teaching.
The messengers teach that one’s dharma is one’s duty to fulfill one’s reason for being. It is the divine plan, which runs as a thread through all lifetimes, culminating in the mission fulfilled and the soul’s liberation from the round of rebirth. This takes place only when one balances at least 51 percent of one’s karma and attains ultimate reunion with God because the dharma has been fully self-realized and fully accomplished.
Why are we giving these vows as mantras? It is because they express and embody the true desires of our souls. By reciting these vows we clarify what is most important to us in life. And we empower the fulfillment of our vows with the science of the spoken Word. The recitation of the vow coupled with our desire to fulfill it displaces all lesser desires.
We say to ourselves, “I would like to do this, I would like to do that, I would like to do the next thing.” There is nothing wrong with our desiring to do any of these things except that “these things” occupy time and space and energy, all of which are limited. And we ourselves are a limited edition—a front and a back cover, a beginning and an end. And when you become a historical figure in somebody else’s history book, hopefully you’ll have three dates inscribed by your name: b., born such and such a date; d., died such and such a date; a., ascended such and such a date. And all of your comings and goings in space will be marked by those time lines.
So we say, “Yes, I would like to do all these things, but I only have so much time, so much space, and so much energy allotted to me in this life. It’s a lump sum of ‘money.’ It’s my inheritance. How shall I spend it? What do I really want to get out of this slice of eternity?”
Well, first I desire to quickly know the entire Dharma. But after that I’m not so sure. So in our uncertainty we seek the Teacher who will tutor our souls. When the pupil is ready, the Teacher Kuan Yin appears! Out of the East, God as Mother comes to teach us the law governing the fulfillment of God’s desire within us. The Blessed One mercifully recites to us the steps and stages of right desire that will qualify us for initiation on the path of the Bodhisattva. She teaches us to desire our desires and to vow our vows in this order:
Second, I desire to soon attain the eye of perfect wisdom; Third, I desire to quickly save all sentient beings; Fourth, I desire to soon attain the good and expedient method which leads to full enlightenment; Fifth, I desire to quickly board the prajna (wisdom) boat; Sixth, I desire to soon transcend the ‘bitter sea’; Seventh, I desire to quickly attain good discipline, the stability of meditation and the way of the Buddha; Eighth, I desire to soon scale the mountain of nirvana; Ninth, I desire to quickly realize the unconditioned; Tenth, I desire to soon unite with the Dharmakaya.
(In Buddhism the Dharmakaya is one of three “bodies” of the Buddha. It is defined as the Body (“kaya”) of Law (“Dharma”), the Body of First Cause or the Body of Essence, which is one with Absolute Reality. The Dharmakaya corresponds to the upper figure in the Chart of Your Divine Self, the Causal Body, including the I AM Presence.)
As we affirm our desire in our spoken decree, we qualify the crystal-clear stream of God’s Light/Energy/Consciousness, which flows perpetually through our crystal cord, with the matrix of our desire. And this matrix is thereby “stamped” on all of our chakras. Our decree, empowered by our desire, becomes an internal momentum. It propels us. The mantra moves us even when we are thinking of other things, because by our free will we have established our priorities, we have set our sail and we are charting our course by the compass of our desire.
Therefore our decisions are based on those foundations we have laid whereby every day the Universal Christ is the chief cornerstone of our building. The mantra recites itself within us as we sustain a momentum of regular devotion to that Universal Christ. And so the mantra transforms us from within. It becomes a molecule of God’s Light/Energy/Consciousness that glows and grows in the subconscious, displacing all lesser desires as it consumes them—by our free will.
The mantra is the Word of God. Hence it is God in action in our worlds; it is the most efficacious means of resolution between the human and the divine natures. When we love and adore our God through our mantras and offer them in purest supplication with no desire of self-gain, they restore our souls to our original oneness with God. As such, the mantra is our bridge to soul freedom and the light in the Summit beacon that illumines our way across the astral sea (samsara).
Kuan Yin takes on as her personal disciples those who are willing to take these Ten Vows in preparation for their discipleship under the World Teachers, Jesus and Kuthumi, who drill candidates for Maitreya’s Mystery School in the fundamentals of the path of personal Christhood. For you must embody a certain measured percentage of your Holy Christ Self before you may be taken on as the chela of the Buddha Maitreya or the Buddha Gautama.
Hence, Christic initiation is a prerequisite to Buddhic initiation. And Jesus is our Saviour who, with Kuthumi, has saved our souls so that we may enter the highest path, following their example all the way to the gate of the City of Light. But look again, for these beloved World Teachers have also attained to their Buddhahood and thus they are fully empowered to take us all the way to the throne of Shamballa, East and West!
Having followed their lead footprint by footprint, you are saying when you take these vows, “These ten steps are the most important steps in my life. I want to live my life in fulfillment of these vows. To that end I will be part of the Sangha, the Community of the Buddha worldwide. I will be part of the Mystical Body of the Universal Christ on earth and in heaven. I will enter and ensoul the Path and the Teaching. I will be a chela of the Buddhas Jesus and Kuthumi, until I become a chela of Maitreya, until I become a chela of Gautama, until I become a chela of Sanat Kumara. And I will serve to further the end of these goals for myself and all fellow bodhisattvas.”
If you desire to be a chela of the Immortal Buddhas, you may make application in this wise, according to the instruction of Mother Mary:
My beloved Lord and Guru of earth’s evolutions, please consider my application to be your chela on the Path through Maitreya’s Mystery School that I, too, might achieve the place of the bodhisattva on my first of the twelve lines of the Cosmic Clock where my lifestream does show acceleration, aptitude and a certain attainment.
Therefore, my Lord, consider this my plea and the offering of my lifestream that I might become a chalice and day by day increase [my momentum of Light on] the lines of [my Cosmic] Clock, that I might carry your flame and therefore be worthy to stand at your side when you petition the Cosmic Council for dispensations for earth’s evolutions or the Lightbearers or another member of Hierarchy.
I submit this my application and my proposal that I be taken on as a chela under your office and in the heart of the Western Shamballa, that thereby in so doing I might alleviate planetary suffering and provide another reason why the Lords of Karma and the Cosmic Council might consider your prayers for the blessing of mankind and the receipt of beneficent graces to the benefit of earth’s great goal [of freedom] and the golden age of Aquarius. <88>
As an adjunct to your chelaship, by reciting the Ten Vows of Kuan Yin—and determining that their fulfillment will take precedence over all lesser commitments in your life—you are shortening the distance between your heart and the heart of Kuan Yin. Hence, because Kuan Yin’s heart is the door that opens to the heart of all Buddhas, your oneness with her heart shortens the distance between your heart and the heart of the hierarchy of Buddhas, worlds without end.
Moreover, when you are living the Ten Vows, they become a single all-encompassing Vow—the statement of your singular reason for being. In this unity of the One, you are also becoming the Dharma. And by and by you are the Vow, you are the Dharma. And then you may be your own refuge even as you provide the refuge of the Law for all sentient beings. And this is the path of the Bodhisattva and the meaning of becoming the Buddha.
The Ten Vows are now uploaded to our YouTube channel for you.
I have made a Playlist with each vow given in a separate video with the words on screen.
Also a video with all ten vows continuous but no words on screen. The words in that video are in the description.
We also listened to a Dictation by Beloved Kuan Yin. The title of that Dictation is Forgive and Be forgiven – Enter the Circle of the One.
You may listen to that Dictation now by clicking this link… Kuan Yin Dictation
This Dictation is also published in Pearls of Wisdom if you would like to read the transcript.
At this link… Kuan Yin Pearl Volume 34 Number 58