The imperial edict bestowed upon the worthy conferred the esteemed title of “Three Excellencies” and promoted to the position of Chief Minister, honoring with the title of Grand Duke of the Venerable State, granting a fief of three thousand households, bestowing the purple robe, and appointing as Minister of Works, posthumously named the Great Mirror of Wisdom, formally titled the Grand Repository of Virtue, and the Great Temple of Benevolence and Piety. Translated by the venerable monk Bodhiruci.
Thus have I heard. At one time, in the land of Kapiśa, within the kingdom of Kāpiśa, there was a community of the Śākya clan. At that time, there was a monk named Ānanda living in the community of Cāreṇumaggha. He had pure faith in the Buddha, pure faith in the Dharma, and pure faith in the Saṅgha. He had no doubts about the Buddha, no doubts about the Dharma, and no doubts about the Saṅgha. He wholeheartedly relied on the Buddha, wholeheartedly relied on the Dharma, and wholeheartedly relied on the Saṅgha. He was determined to attain the supreme goal of enlightenment. However, due to an eye disease, he was unable to see forms with his eyes. At that time, the monk Śāriputra remembered the Buddha and recited the following mantra: “Homage to the Buddha, the Compassionate One, the Protector, who guards and protects us. May he protect and preserve my eyes, so they may be clear and pure.” Then, the Buddha transcended worldly perceptions and, with divine ears and eyes, heard and saw. He said to Ānanda, “Go to the monk and recite this mantra to him, so his eyes may be purified and protected, and he may be relieved of suffering, nourished, and protected from obstacles. May his eyes be free from impurities and diseases.” May this mantra spread widely among the four assemblies—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. The true words are as follows:
“Dharaṇī of the King of Light Ānanda, this protective spell clears away eye diseases, wind diseases, jaundice, phlegm diseases, and the three collections of diseases. May my eyes and the eyes of others not suffer pain or tears. This is the speech of the arahants, the speech of ascetics, the speech of immortals, the speech of dependent origination, the speech of suffering, the speech of cessation, the speech of the path, and the speech of the Buddhas. May my eyes be clear and pure. The Seven Buddhas have spoken this.” Thus spoke Śākyamuni Buddha, the Omniscient One, the fully awakened, as he is now.” The Four Great Heavenly Kings, as well as Sakra, the Lord of the Devas, also spoke thus. The great Vairocana, ruler of the Saha world, proclaimed: “Oh, Ananda, I have not seen celestial demons, worldly demons, ascetics, or Brahmins. Those who hold this pure Dharani may alleviate eye afflictions such as cataracts and blindness. It is said to manifest celestial dragons, Yakshas, Rakshasas, Rakshasis, Pishachas, and Jivarakshas, transforming them into celestial maidens, Jivarakshas, and others. None dare oppose it, for it yields all desired effects. Ananda, you now receive this Dharani and will proceed to the Jetavana monastery to transmit it to Kshudrapanthaka. Instruct him to recite and uphold this Dharani for three hours during the day and three hours at night. When Ananda arrived there and transmitted it to Kshudrapanthaka, the latter, upon hearing the Dharani, found his vision purified, free from all impurities. At that moment, the World-Honored One declared the sutra concluded. Devas, humans, asuras, and others, upon hearing the Buddha’s teachings, joyfully followed and practiced them.”
The phonetic annotation for the “Dharani to Purify All Eye Diseases” is as follows:
“Dha ni ya ta. Ki li mi li. Li ji ki li xi di. Hu yu hu yu.
Da ni ya ta. Xi li mi li. Li zhi xi li xi di. Hu yu hu yu.
Hu ye mo ning. Hu lu hu lu. Nu lu nu lu. Suo po he.
Hu ye mo ning. Hu lu hu lu. Nu lu nu lu. Suo a ha.”
