8 Bodhisattva Heart Mantras 八大菩薩心咒

Gufeng Series 古風系列

The 8 Great Bodhisattvas — also known as the Eight Great Siblings or the Eight Great Heroes — represent the eight great ideals of the Mahayana Path. They also represent the Eightfold Path as taught by Buddha in his very first teaching, through the compassionate lens of Mahayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva Path.

Music Video Praising the 8 Mantras with their Heart Mantras:

 

8 Great Qualities of the Buddha

Their example expresses the Buddhist ideal of compassion and wisdom for all beings. The Eight Great Bodhisattvas also represent the Eight Great qualities of Shakyamuni Buddha. For an in-depth feature on the 8 Great Bodhisattvas see our feature covering the Great 8>>

• Manjushri — embodies Buddha’s wisdom or Prajñā in Sanskrit.
• Avalokiteshvara — embodies Buddha’s compassion or karuna in Sanskrit
• Vajrapani — embodies Buddha’s power or satki in Sanskrit
• Maitreya — embodies Buddha’s activity or “karma.” This is because Buddha predicted Maitreya would be the  next or “Future Buddha”.
• Kshitigarbha — embodies Buddha’s merits and the “richness” derived from merits
• Samantabhadra — embodies the conduct of Buddha and the practice of prayers and offerings.
• Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin — embodies Buddha’s practices and qualities, and in this way purifies obstructions
• Akashagarbha — embodies Buddha’s blessings and thereby purifies negativities.

Here, 3 Gems Band sings their eight heart mantras Gufeng Style in Chinese. See below for the lyrics in Chinese, Pinyin for sing-along, English and Sanskrit. We begin with Refuge three times, and end with Dedication of Merit. (TURN ON CC or subtitles for sing-along!)

AVAILABLE for Streaming from your favorite Music Streamer, including Youtube Music, Spotify, Apple Music and many other under the title: “8 Great Bodhisattva Mantras” from 3 Gems Band.

REFUGE 1

Chinese:
自皈依佛，當願眾生，體解大道，發無上心。

Pinyin:
Zì guī yī fó,

dāng yuàn zhòng shēng,

tǐ jiě dà dào,

fā wú shàng xīn.

English:
I take refuge in the Buddha; may all sentient beings understand the great way and awaken the supreme mind.

Sanskrit:
Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi; sarva-sattvānāṃ mahā-mārga-bodhi-cittotpādāya.

REFUGE 2

Chinese:
自皈依法，當願眾生，深入經藏，智慧如海。

Pinyin:
Zì guī yī fǎ, dāng yuàn zhòng shēng, shēn rù jīng zàng, zhì huì rú hǎi.

English:
I take refuge in the Dharma; may all sentient beings delve deeply into the sutras, with wisdom vast as the ocean.

Sanskrit:
Dharmam śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi; sarva-sattvānāṃ sūtrānta-gambhīra-prajñā-sāgarāya.

REFUGE 3

Chinese:
自皈依僧，當願眾生，統理大眾，一切無礙。

Pinyin:
Zì guī yī sēng, dāng yuàn zhòng shēng, tǒng lǐ dà zhòng, yī qiè wú ài.

English:
I take refuge in the Sangha; may all sentient beings harmoniously guide the community, free from all obstructions.

Sanskrit:
Saṅghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi; sarva-sattvānāṃ samāja-saṅgraha-sarvāvaraṇa-viśuddhaye.

Between each mantra set: Praising Buddha, Dharma and Sangha

Chinese:
南無佛寶。南無法寶。南無僧寶。

Pinyin:
Ná mó fó bǎo. Ná mó fǎ bǎo. Ná mó sēng bǎo.

English:
Homage to the Buddha Jewel

Homage to the Dharma Jewel

Homage to the Sangha Jewel

Sanskrit:
Namo Ratna-Buddhāya

Namo Ratna-Dharmāya

Namo Ratna-Saṅghāya

1st Bodhisattva Mantra

Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin / 觀世音菩薩)

Embodiment: Compassion and mercy
Chinese Mantra: 唵 嘛呢 叭咪 吽
Pinyin: Ōng, mā nī bēi mēi, hōng
Sanskrit (IAST): Oṃ Maṇi Padme Hūṃ

2nd Bodhisattva Mantra

  Manjushri (Wenshu / 文殊菩薩)

Embodiment: Supreme wisdom and insight
Chinese Mantra: 唵 阿 囉 巴 札 納 諦
Pinyin: Ōng ā luò bā zhá nà dì
Sanskrit (IAST): Oṃ A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhīḥ

3rd Bodhisattva Mantra

Ksitigarbha (Dizang / 地藏王菩薩)
Embodiment: The great vow to save beings in hell; great merit
Chinese Mantra: 唵 鉢 囉 末 鄰 陀 寧 娑 婆 訶
Pinyin: Ōng, bō luò mò lín tuó níng, suō pó hē
Sanskrit (IAST): Oṃ Pramardane Svāhā

4th Bodhisattva Mantra

Samantabhadra (Puxian / 普賢菩薩)
Embodiment: Great vows, practice, and action
Chinese Mantra: 唵 三 曼 多 跋 捺 囉 吽
Pinyin: Ōng, sān màn duō, bá nà luō, hōng
Sanskrit (IAST): Oṃ Samantabhadra Hūṃ

5th Bodhisattva Mantra

Vajrapani (Jingangshou / 金剛手菩薩)
Embodiment: Boundless spiritual power and the energy to overcome obstacles
Chinese Mantra: 唵 班 扎 達 尼 吽
Pinyin: Ōng, bān zhā dá ní hōng
Sanskrit (IAST): Oṃ Vajra Pāṇi Hūṃ

6th Bodhisattva Mantra

Maitreya (Mile / 彌勒菩薩)
Embodiment: Loving-kindness and the future Buddha of this world
Chinese Mantra: 唵 昧 怛 哩 耶 娑 婆 訶
Pinyin: Ōng, mèi dá lǐ yě, suō pó hē
Sanskrit (IAST): Oṃ Maitreya Svāhā

7th Bodhisattva Mantra

Akashagarbha (Xukongzang / 虛空藏菩薩)
Embodiment: Boundless wisdom and good fortune as vast as space
Chinese Mantra: 唵 伽 伽 納 三 縛 囉 娑 訶
Pinyin: Ōng, qié qié nà sān fù luó, suō hē
Sanskrit (IAST): Oṃ Gagana Saṃbhava Svāhā

Sanskrit Note: This translates to “Oṃ, [you who are] born from the vastness of space, Svāhā.”

8th Bodhisattva Mantra

8. Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin (Chugaizhang / 除蓋障菩薩)
Embodiment: The purification of all negativities and karmic obstructions
Chinese Mantra: 唵 薩 囉 瓦 尼 瓦 囉 納 尾 瑟 紺 鼻 娑 訶
Pinyin: Ōng, sà luò wǎ ní wǎ luò nà wěi sè gàn bí, suō pó hē
Sanskrit (IAST): Oṃ Sarvanivaraṇa Viṣkambhine Svāhā

Sanskrit Note: This is the direct transliteration of his full name in the dative case (meaning “to Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin”). It translates to “Oṃ, to the one who removes all coverings/obstacles, Svāhā.”

CLOSING: DEDICATION OF MERIT (迴向偈 – Huíxiàng Jì)

Chinese:
願消三障諸煩惱，願得智慧真明瞭，

Pinyin:
Yuàn xiāo sān zhàng zhū fán nǎo, yuàn dé zhì huì zhēn míng liǎo,

English:
May all obstructions and afflictions be dispelled; may we attain true, clear wisdom,

Sanskrit:
Tridoṣa-kleśa-prahāṇāya, satya-prajñā-avabodhāya,

Chinese:
普願罪障悉消除，世世常行菩薩道。

Pinyin:
Pǔ yuàn zuì zhàng xī xiāo chú, shì shì cháng xíng pú sà dào.

English:
May all karmic hindrances be completely eradicated, and in life after life, always walk the Bodhisattva path.

Sanskrit:
Sarva-pāpa-āvaraṇa-śuddhaye, janma-janma-bodhisattva-caryā-anuvartanāya