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'''Dharani''' (Skt. ''dhāraṇī''; Tib. [[གཟུངས་]], ''zung''; [[Wyl.]] ''gzungs'') — long [[mantra]]s, which are placed inside sacred statues and [[stupa]]s. Dharanis are seen as goddesses in themselves.  
'''Dharani''' (Skt. ''dhāraṇī''; Tib. [[གཟུངས་]], ''zung''; [[Wyl.]] ''gzungs'') — long [[mantra]]s, which are placed inside sacred statues and [[stupa]]s. Dharanis are seen as goddesses in themselves.  
Gergely Hidas gives the following definition, in his excellent overview of Dharanis:
:Dhāraṇī is an exclusively Buddhist term, the primary literary meaning of which is not completely clear. In the extended sense, dhāraṇī has most often been interpreted as “spell.” However, its semantic range is wider than the sphere of incantations, with a further principal interpretation as “memory” or “mnemonic device.” Especially in earlier sources, dhāraṇī was a mnemonics-related term in most cases, a use that appears to have faded away with the course of time. At least synchronically speaking, dhāraṇī is decidedly polysemic and context sensitive (Davidson,
2009). In the present literary context, the “spell” interpretation of dhāraṇī as used here describes a reasonably distinct scriptural body. However, dhāraṇī is often appositional or interchangeable with two other closely related words – mantra and vidyā, which also refer to a spell.<ref>Gergely Hidas, “Dhāraṇī Sūtras,” in J. Silk, O. von Hinüber, V. Eltschinger (eds.) ‘’Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Vol. I. Literature and Languages,’’ (Brill, Leiden, 2015), 129.


==The difference between a Mantra and a Dharani==  
==The difference between a Mantra and a Dharani==  

Revision as of 04:47, 10 February 2017

Dharani (Skt. dhāraṇī; Tib. གཟུངས་, zung; Wyl. gzungs) — long mantras, which are placed inside sacred statues and stupas. Dharanis are seen as goddesses in themselves. Gergely Hidas gives the following definition, in his excellent overview of Dharanis:

Dhāraṇī is an exclusively Buddhist term, the primary literary meaning of which is not completely clear. In the extended sense, dhāraṇī has most often been interpreted as “spell.” However, its semantic range is wider than the sphere of incantations, with a further principal interpretation as “memory” or “mnemonic device.” Especially in earlier sources, dhāraṇī was a mnemonics-related term in most cases, a use that appears to have faded away with the course of time. At least synchronically speaking, dhāraṇī is decidedly polysemic and context sensitive (Davidson,

2009). In the present literary context, the “spell” interpretation of dhāraṇī as used here describes a reasonably distinct scriptural body. However, dhāraṇī is often appositional or interchangeable with two other closely related words – mantra and vidyā, which also refer to a spell.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

om̐ namo bhagavate aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyak saṃbuddhāya |

tadyathā | om̐ puṇye puṇye mahāpuṇye 'parimitapuṇye 'parimitapuṇyajñānasaṃbhāropacite |

om̐ sarvasaṃskārapariśuddhe dharmate gaganasamudgate svabhāvaviśuddhe mahānayaparivāre svāhā |

The Boundless Life and Wisdom Dhāraṇī:

om̐ homage to the blessed boundless life and wisdom, the firm king of the splendor, the tathāgata, the arhat, the fully awakened one!

It is like this: om̐ merit merit, great merit, boundless merit, you (who) perfected the accumulation of boundless merit and wisdom!

om̐ you who have purified all compounded phenomena, you the dharmatā, you have risen into the sky, you (who) are pure by nature, (you) together with the retinue of [the followers of] the great vehicle, svāhā!

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