The Great Compassion Mantra (大悲咒, Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī) is the 84-phrase dharani of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the Thousand-Armed form, chanted daily in Chinese Buddhist monasteries for protection, healing, and the purification of karma.
The Great Compassion Mantra (大悲咒) is the dharani of the Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva — perhaps the most widely chanted text in Chinese Buddhist practice. Every morning service in a Chinese Buddhist monastery includes this dharani. Lay practitioners chant it at dawn, at shrines, in times of distress.
The mantra comes from the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Great Compassion Heart Dharani Scripture (千手千眼觀世音菩薩廣大圓滿無礙大悲心陀羅尼經, Taisho T.1060), translated by Bhagavaddharma around 650–660 CE. The Chinese text is a phonetic transliteration of Sanskrit, not a semantic translation. This is by design: mantra syllables are sound-vehicles, not meaning-vehicles.
The 84 phrases invoke the many aspects of Guanyin's compassionate activity — the thousand arms that reach into every corner of suffering, the thousand eyes that perceive every cry. Practitioners understand the recitation itself as the practice: the sound, the breath, the attention, the intention.
Cihang presents this mantra because Guanyin is the sanctuary's center. This is the primary vocal practice associated with Guanyin across all Chinese Mahayana lineages. Recite it as sound. Let meaning find its own way.
Mantra Text
南無喝囉怛那哆囉夜耶
nán wú hē luō dá nà duō luō yè yé
南無阿唎耶
nán wú ā lì yé
婆盧羯帝爍缽囉耶
pó lú jié dì shuò bō luō yé
菩提薩埵婆耶
pú tí sà duǒ pó yé
摩訶薩埵婆耶
mó hē sà duǒ pó yé
摩訶迦盧尼迦耶
mó hē jiā lú ní jiā yé
唵
ǎn
薩皤囉罰曳
sà pó luō fá yè
數怛那怛寫
shù dá nà dá xiě
南無悉吉栗埵伊蒙阿唎耶
nán wú xī jí lì duǒ yī méng ā lì yé
婆盧吉帝室佛囉楞馱婆
pó lú jí dì shì fú luō léng tuó pó
南無那囉謹墀
nán wú nà luō jǐn chí
醯唎摩訶皤哆沙咩
xī lì mó hē pó duō shā miē
薩婆阿他豆輸朋
sà pó ā tā dòu shū péng
阿逝孕
ā shì yùn
薩婆薩哆那摩婆伽
sà pó sà duō nà mó pó gā
摩罰特豆
mó fá tè dòu
怛姪他
dá zhí tā
唵阿婆盧醯
ǎn ā pó lú xī
盧迦帝
lú jiā dì
迦羅帝
jiā luó dì
夷醯唎
yí xī lì
摩訶菩提薩埵
mó hē pú tí sà duǒ
薩婆薩婆
sà pó sà pó
摩囉摩囉
mó luō mó luō
摩醯摩醯唎馱孕
mó xī mó xī lì tuó yùn
俱盧俱盧羯蒙
jù lú jù lú jié méng
度盧度盧罰闍耶帝
dù lú dù lú fá dū yé dì
摩訶罰闍耶帝
mó hē fá dū yé dì
陀囉陀囉
tuó luō tuó luō
地唎尼
dì lì ní
室佛囉耶
shì fú luō yé
遮囉遮囉
zhē luō zhē luō
麼麼罰摩囉
me me fá mó luō
穆帝隸
mù dì lì
伊醯移醯
yī xī yí xī
室那室那
shì nà shì nà
阿囉參佛囉舍利
ā luō cān fú luō shě lì
罰沙罰參
fá shā fá cān
佛囉舍耶
fú luō shě yé
呼盧呼盧摩囉
hū lú hū lú mó luō
呼盧呼盧醯利
hū lú hū lú xī lì
娑囉娑囉
suō luō suō luō
悉唎悉唎
xī lì xī lì
蘇嚧蘇嚧
sū lú sū lú
菩提夜菩提夜
pú tí yè pú tí yè
菩馱夜菩馱夜
pú tuó yè pú tuó yè
彌帝唎夜
mí dì lì yè
那囉謹墀
nà luō jǐn chí
地利瑟尼那
dì lì sè ní nà
婆夜摩那
pó yè mó nà
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
悉陀夜
xī tuó yè
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
摩訶悉陀夜
mó hē xī tuó yè
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
悉陀喻藝
xī tuó yù yì
室皤囉夜
shì pó luō yè
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
那囉謹墀
nà luō jǐn chí
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
摩囉那囉
mó luō nà luō
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
悉囉僧阿穆佉耶
xī luō sēng ā mù qū yé
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
娑婆摩訶阿悉陀夜
suō pó mó hē ā xī tuó yè
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
者吉囉阿悉陀夜
zhě jí luō ā xī tuó yè
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
波陀摩羯悉哆夜
bō tuó mó jié xī duō yè
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
那囉謹墀皤伽囉耶
nà luō jǐn chí pó gā luō yé
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
摩婆利勝羯囉夜
mó pó lì shèng jié luō yè
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
南無喝囉怛那哆囉夜耶
nán wú hē luō dá nà duō luō yè yé
南無阿利耶
nán wú ā lì yé
婆羅吉帝
pó luó jí dì
爍皤囉夜
shuò pó luō yè
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
唵悉殿都
ǎn xī diàn dōu
漫多囉
màn duō luō
跋陀耶
bá tuó yé
娑婆訶
suō pó hē
- Tradition
- Mahayana; Guanyin's own dharani — chanted daily in Chinese Buddhist morning service and central to all Guanyin-centred devotional practice.
- Source
- Sanskrit Nilakantha Dharani; Chinese canonical: Taisho Tripitaka T. 1060 (Bhagavaddharma translation, c. 650–660 CE). The Chinese text used in temple liturgy is drawn from the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Great Compassion Heart Dharani Scripture.
- Translation
- The Chinese liturgical text follows Bhagavaddharma's translation (c. 650–660 CE). English line glosses are Cihang's functional rendering; the dharani is traditionally preserved in Sanskrit phonetic transliteration and recited as sacred sound.
- Note
- Devotional presentation for recitation practice. The mantra syllables are preserved in phonetic transliteration; English glosses accompany each phrase for reference only.
- Last reviewed