Position of dharanis in service?

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明安 Myoan
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Position of dharanis in service?

Post by 明安 Myoan »

Hi, everyone. I recently got a copy of Rulu's "Thinking of Amitabha Buddha". There's a chapter with these 11 mantras and dharanis, but it doesn't say where in a service they might go relative to sutra reading, niafno, etc. Can anyone help me out?

1. Buddha-Crown Superb Victory Dhāraṇī (佛頂尊勝陀羅尼)
2. Great Cundī Dhāraṇī (准提神咒)
3. Whole-Body Relic Treasure Chest Seal Dhāraṇī (全身舍利寶篋印陀羅尼)
4. Dhāraṇī of Infinite-Life Resolute Radiance King Tathāgata (聖無量壽決定光明王如來陀羅尼)
5. Dhāraṇī for Rebirth in the Pure Land (往生咒)
6. Root Dhāraṇī of Infinite Life Tathāgata (無量壽如來根本陀羅尼)
7. Mantra of Medicine Master Tathāgata (藥師灌頂真言)
8. Heart Mantra of the White Umbrella Dhāraṇī (楞嚴咒心)
9. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s Mantra (普賢菩薩所説咒)
10. Great Compassion-Mind Dhāraṇī (大悲咒)
11. Prajñā-Pāramitā Mantra (般若波羅蜜多咒)

Some also have heart mantras. How/when are those used?

Thanks so much!
Namu Amida Butsu
Admin_PC
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Re: Position of dharanis in service?

Post by Admin_PC »

Looking at the Buddhist Liturgy available from budaedu.org, the Morning Service has the following order:
1. Incense offering
2. The Sitatapatrosnisa (Surangama) Dharani
3. Dharani of the Most Compassionate One (Great Compassion Mantra)
4. 10 short Dharani
5. Heart Sūtra
6. Parinamana Gatha
7. Praise of Amita Buddha
8. Invocation
9. 10 Grand Vows (of Samantabhadra)
10. 3 Refuges
11. Praise to Weito (the Dharma Protector Bodhisattva)
12. Salute to Patriarchs
13. Praise of Avalokitesvara

PS - this isn’t the Chung Fung liturgy
Fortyeightvows
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Re: Position of dharanis in service?

Post by Fortyeightvows »

At a pureland assembly there wont be all of that, it'll be incense prayer, praise to lotus pond assembly, praise to amitabha, recitation of short sutra, then nianfo with circumambulation, then bowing,then 7- 13 on your list. This is how it is often done at Jing Kong Fa Shi's centers.

At some places, after the amitabha service they will do the food offering, heart sutra, mantras, etc.
Sentient Light
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Location: San Francisco, California

Re: Position of dharanis in service?

Post by Sentient Light »

Here is the daily schedule for monastics in my tradition (non-retreat schedule):

4:30AM - wake up/morning prostrations/Niem Phat
5:30AM - recite the Surangama Mantra (2 days of week, replace with dharma talks)
7:00AM - Qigong
8:00AM - Breakfast
9:00AM - Mindful/Silent Work begins (whatever you're working on, tending to the grounds, your personal studies, etc.)
11:00AM - "Alms round" (lay volunteers serve the monastics as they file through a line)
12:00PM - Walking Meditation
1:00PM - Mindful/Silent work resumes
4:00PM - Recitations of the Amitabha Sutra & Rebirth Dharani
4:30PM - Offerings Ceremony for Hungry Ghosts + Recitation of Mantras (I don't know which are used here)
7:30PM-9:30PM - Sitting Meditation (or chanting a longer dharani or sutra in this timespace a few days a week)
10:00PM - Night prostrations/Niem Phat/lights out

The services for laity vary considerably by the temple I’ve been to (even with the same tradition and same grand master), and I’m not even sure if that monastic schedule is followed to a tee everywhere, but in my experience always includes the following:

- The Heart Sutra
- The Rebirth Dharani
The above two normally open or close a service, sometimes together for their brevity, sometimes one then the other at the end, each done several times.

- The Lotus Sutra
- The Great Compassion Dharani
- The Surangama Dharani
- Master of Medicine Buddha Dharani
- Some other long thing I don’t recognize (x2ish)

For the above, these typically rotate, or a specific temple will be devoted to a specific longer dharani / text and do it all the time to the exclusion of the others, except for maybe on certain holidays. There’s at least two I don’t recognize that are in regular rotation at various places, one of them I’m pretty sure is the Cundi dharani. Completely lost on what the other might be, if it’s a recurring one or I’m just lumping the rest of the ones I can’t recognize into one thing.
:buddha1: Nam mô A di đà Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Quan Thế Âm Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Đại Thế Chi Bồ Tát :bow:

:buddha1: Nam mô Bổn sư Thích ca mâu ni Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Di lặc Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Địa tạng vương Bồ tát :bow:
Sentient Light
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Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:40 pm
Location: San Francisco, California

Re: Position of dharanis in service?

Post by Sentient Light »

Admin_PC wrote: Sun Dec 09, 2018 8:27 am Looking at the Buddhist Liturgy available from budaedu.org, the Morning Service has the following order:
1. Incense offering
2. The Sitatapatrosnisa (Surangama) Dharani
3. Dharani of the Most Compassionate One (Great Compassion Mantra)
4. 10 short Dharani
5. Heart Sūtra
6. Parinamana Gatha
7. Praise of Amita Buddha
8. Invocation
9. 10 Grand Vows (of Samantabhadra)
10. 3 Refuges
11. Praise to Weito (the Dharma Protector Bodhisattva)
12. Salute to Patriarchs
13. Praise of Avalokitesvara

PS - this isn’t the Chung Fung liturgy
:shock:

That seems like a long service!
:buddha1: Nam mô A di đà Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Quan Thế Âm Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Đại Thế Chi Bồ Tát :bow:

:buddha1: Nam mô Bổn sư Thích ca mâu ni Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Di lặc Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Địa tạng vương Bồ tát :bow:
Fortyeightvows
Posts: 2948
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:37 am

Re: Position of dharanis in service?

Post by Fortyeightvows »

Sentient Light wrote: Fri Dec 14, 2018 8:58 pm 4:30PM - Offerings Ceremony for Hungry Ghosts + Recitation of Mantras (I don't know which are used here)
I covered this here
viewtopic.php?f=39&t=28666
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