Fó shuō dà qībǎo tuóluóní jīng 佛說大七寶陀羅尼經
Sūtra of the Great Seven-Jewels Dhāraṇī by 失譯 (translator unknown)
About the work
A very short anonymous Liáng-period dhāraṇī-text, the colophon “失譯人名今附梁錄”. Conventional dating bracket: Liáng 梁 (502–557). The work is one of the most laconic single-spell texts in the canon — about ten lines from frame-formula to colophon.
Abstract
The Buddha at the Jeta-grove (here written 祇樹給孤窮精舍, “Jeta-Grove-Anāthapiṇḍika-monastery”) addresses Ānanda: “Receive and hold this Great Seven-Jewels dhāraṇī”. The dhāraṇī is given (xiě dì-yě dài-tán / chí-shé lǜ-tí / bō-luó-ruò / bō-luó / shì-chā chóu-ná / bǐ-chá) followed by the rubric: holders of the dhāraṇī cause all enmity to turn to delight, are immune to fire, blade and water, are not seized by piśāca or bhūta-class demons, and not harmed by deva, nāga, asura, gandharva or human-and-non-human beings. The closing invocation is by the seven Buddhas of the past — Vipaśyin’s awesome virtue, Śikhin’s spiritual power, Viśvabhū’s wisdom, Krakucchanda’s strength, Kanakamuni’s discipline, Kāśyapa’s merits, Śākyamuni’s vigour.
The seven-Buddha closing-formula is characteristic of the Liáng-period anonymous dhāraṇī-text genre. The work is recorded in the Lìdài sānbǎo jì under the Liáng “lost-translator” appendix. Nanjio N0387.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.