Cundi (Buddhism)


is a bodhisattva and an incarnation of the Cundī Dhāraṇī.
Cundī appears with eighteen arms on a lotus flower and is sometimes referred to as the "Goddess of the Seventy Million ".

In Buddhist traditions

While Cundī is less well known in Tibetan Buddhism, she is revered in Tángmì or East Asian esoteric Buddhism. In China, she is known as Zhǔntí Púsà or Zhǔntí Fómǔ, "Junje" in Korean, while in Japan she is known as Jundei Kannon.
In late imperial China, early traditions of Tangmi were still thriving in Buddhist communities. Robert Gimello has also observed that in these communities, the esoteric practices of Cundī were extremely popular among both the populace and the elite.

Cundī Dhāraṇī

According to the , the dhāraṇī associated with Cundī is the following:
In the sūtra, the Buddha speaks extensively about the various effects and benefits of reciting the Cundī dhāraṇī. Many of the effects are purifying and uplifting in nature. For example, after pronouncing the dhāraṇī, the Buddha then says:
The dhāraṇī is also closely associated with buddhahood and complete enlightenment. At the end of the sūtra, the Buddha closes the teaching by saying:

Iconography

Cundī is depicted with eighteen arms, each wielding implements that symbolize upaya. Her eighteen arms also represent the eighteen merits of attaining Buddhahood as described in an appendix to the .