Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra


The Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha Sūtra is a Buddhist text first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese on the 28th day of the third lunar month of 656 CE, by Xuanzang. The title in Tibetan language is Spyan-ras-gzigs-dbang-phyug-shal bcu-gcig-pa, while the Sanskrit title recovered from the Tibetan translation is Avalokiteśvara ikadaśamukha dhāraṇī. Alternatively, the sutra's title has been translated as the Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra by Professor Ryuichi Abe.
This sutra introduces the dhāraṇī Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha. In the text, the Buddha introduces and talks about the benefits and the incredible power of this dhāraṇī.

The Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha Sūtra

The text introduces the heart dharani of the Bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara, as the following lines, translated by Prof. Abe indicate:
Later, the Bodhisattva states:
The sutra is used in various Buddhist ceremonies, including the famous Shuni-e ceremony at Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara, Japan. There is no extant, full English translation at this time.

The Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha

The Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha is the dhāraṇī introduced in Heart-dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara-ekadaśamukha Sūtra. Below is the romanized Sanskrit version:

Relationship to the Great Compassion Mantra

It is generally believed that this dhāraṇī has no direct relationship with the Great Compassion Mantra in Mahayana Buddhism. However, it is often falsely named as Tibetan Great Compassion Mantra or The Great Compassion Mantra in Sanskrit in Chinese-speaking regions.
Some people believe that this dhāraṇī is told by the Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara, an esoteric bodhisattva in Tibetan Buddhism, and that it is the equivalent Tibetan version of The Great Compassion Mantra in Mahayana Buddhism. This is why it is often being referred to as Tibetan Great Compassion Mantra. However, this opinion is not accepted by most Mahayana Buddhists.

In Buddhist music

The chanting of this dhāraṇī is one of the most popular and famous pieces of Buddhist music in Chinese-speaking countries.
However, many recordings of this chant is falsely named Tibetan Great Compassion Mantra or The Great Compassion Mantra in Sanskrit by Chinese-language publishing brands.

Additional information