Miracle Tales of the Great Compassion Mantra

One rather significant mantra in chinese buddhist practice is the Dabei Zhou 大悲咒, literally the "Great Compassion Mantra". The Chinese tradition links it to Guanyin 觀音, Avalokiteśvara, but research has suggested originally arose as a recitation of the names of Harihara. For that reason, Wikipedia prefers to call the text the Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī.

Nonetheless, it cannot be denied the Dharani/Mantra has taken a life of its own in China, as the following stories will abundantly attest. When western works mention the mantra, they typically say it is merely recited at funerals. However, as a quick perusal of the stories will show, the Mantra's efficacy is not limited to the salvation of the dead, but also to fire-fighting, saving persons from all kinds of disaster, and perhaps most prominently, the curing of illness. 

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The text is taken form a small pocket-sized booklet. entitled 八十四相大悲咒. Itwas published in Singapore, by Internal Printers 国营印刷, and is freely distributed as a religious tract. Apart form containing the Dabei Zou  it contains several other sutras,  and the present text, which delineates the miracles associated with the sutra.  The present text begins at page 66, of the booklet. Numbers in square brackets indicate the page breaks (in chinese); numbers in Curved brackets indicate footnotes.

Here are scans of the relevant pages.The book reads Right-to-left, in vertical columns. The text translated begins at the red arrow on page 66, and ends on the 3rd column of page 69. For a version of the same text, but in Traditonal Chinese, see https://edwardwhite123.blogspot.com/2019/12/great-compassion-mantra-of-guanyins.html starting on p. 69

UPDATE: The author has now got a copy of a collection of Buddhist sutras published in the "Summer of 1971". https://archive.org/details/buddhistsutracollection_images/page/n20/mode/2up This book contains all the miracle tales translated below  on pages 16-19. As such, we can confidently say all these tales took place before 1971.

Below is the transcription/translation of the tales: 

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[66] 大悲咒感应示略—A record of the miraculous effects of the Great Compassion Mantra

清彭希曾妇姚氏，患痞，发心持大悲咒。一夕梦老妪授以一枝华，顿觉身轻如叶，而病寻愈。（一行居集）
During the Qing Dynasty, Ms Peng Xizeng  (maiden name Zao) was afflicted with a tumor. She vowed to recite the Great Compassion Mantra. One night, she dreamed of an old woman carrying a branch of [flowers? 华]. Suddenly she felt as if she was as light as a leaf. The illness promptly disappeared (Yixing’s collection)

荆山万文玉自言：「予持大悲咒心经，灵异不胜缕述；忆母[67]病笃将终，予痛哭流血，跽向大士前诵大悲咒一遍；母觉有人带引回阳，渐气暖能言动，数日获安（圣经蒙录）

Wan Wenyu of Jingshan (1) says of himself  “In my (2) opinion, the Great Compassionate Heart Mantra Classic's (3)  numinous efficacy is beyond description. I recall my mother was deathly ill. I wept tears of blood , and knelt before Guanyin (大士), and recited the Great Compassion Mantra once. My mother felt that someone was leading her back into life. Gradually her breath became warmer, and soon could speak and move. Within a few days she was better again (from the Simple records of the Holy Scriptures )

(1) A place in Hubei

(2) Reading as 余, which means “I”
(3) The text may actually read “Great Compassion Mantra  and the Heart sutra经” i.e two separate texts. Calling the mantra alone the 大悲心咒 is not unheard of, and so I have interpreted his reference to only one text.

宋释宝通，长诵大悲陀罗尼。有赵姓女为魅所惑，病狂；师诵咒，鬼即逃，癫遂愈
Yi Baotong of the Song [dynasty]  had long recited the Great Compassion Dharani. There was a woman, surnamed Yue, who was afflicted by a mei demon, which drove her insane. The master recited the mantra, and the demon fled at once. She was completely healed.

清乾隆乙巳，苏州旱。彭二林居士结三七期，诵大悲咒，加持西方佛名，断午食，期满得雨伴尺(观河集)

In the Wood Snake Year of Qianlong [1785], there was a drought in Suzhou. Peng Erlin, a householder, vowed 结, for thrice seven days to recite the Great Compassion Mantra. In addition to that, he took refuge[?持] in the name of the Buddha of the west, and stopped eating at noon. When the period was up, half a foot of rain fell.  (Collection of Looking at the river)

张抗，积善，向佛发誓，诵大悲陀罗尼十万遍，求生净土。年六十馀，寝疾，一心念佛。谓家人曰：「西方净土，只在堂前；阿弥陀佛坐莲华上。」言讫，念佛而逝 （往生集）
Zhang Kang, cultivated [virtue善]. He made a vow to the Buddha, to recite the Great Compassion Dharani a hundred thousand times, seeking to be reborn in the Pure Land. At the age of sixty-odd years, he contracted an illness, but continued to Nianfo. He told his family “The Pure Land of the West is only just before our hall; Amida Buddha is there, sitting on the Lotus Flower.” After saying that, he Recited the Buddha’s name [once more] and died. (Collection of Coming to Life)

前南京国立高等师范学校校长洪易园居士·壬子岁，居上海海宁里天保里。一夕，近邻失火，势甚危险。居士举家持念观世音菩萨名号，并大悲咒。心想观世音菩萨在虚空中，手执杨枝宝瓶，以大悲水灌至火所。消顷， 火即熄灭。（惜阴居士记）

The former principal of Nanjing Normal School was Hong Yiyuan, a Householder. In the year of the Water Rat (4)  , he was living in Tianbaoli, Haining road in Shanghai. One evening, a neighbour’s [house] caught fire. They were in extreme danger. The Householder gathered his family to recite the Names of the Bodisatva Guanyin ,  to wit the Great Compassion Mantra. They visualised Guanyin in the void, holding a willow branch and a Precious vase [from which] she sprinkled Great Compassion Water into the fire, extinguishing it. The fire went out at once. (Records of the Householder who treasures the Yin)

(4) The year renzi was either 1912 or 1972  The Renzi year referred to was probably 1912. The school was set up in 1915, This story probably happened before he became principal—the next story happens in the 1920s. A “Normal school” refers to a teaching college in China.

前福建省防司令李生春，素持大悲咒甚虔。民国十四五年间，随孙传芳至闽，与周荫人各任师长。周与李积不相能，贿令李护兵某乘间刺之。一日，李方昼卧，护兵某突举枪向李射击；李[68] 忽见床前有白衣观音，举袖一拂，弹戛然落地；第二枪亦然。至第三枪，枪忽咽住，急命左右捕之。鞫问，知为周所主使。周见计不售，再贿令李之庖人，乘间置毒。一日，午膳，李就席次，手举匙取羹，忽觉有人自后阴掣其肱；回视，一无见；第二匙亦然。李顿起疑窦，急觅庖人，己逸去矣。何子培记 （观音灵感近闻录第七编）

The former commander 防司令 of Fujian, Li Shengchun , sincerely recited the Great Compassion mantra. Around the 14^th-15^th  year of the Republic (1925-1926), he followed Sun Chuanfang to Min, and commanded a Division, along with Zhou Yinren. (5) Zhou and Li did not get together, and Zhou bribed on of Li’s guards to assassinate him. One day, as Li was taking an afternoon nap, the guard suddenly raised his gun to Li, and fired.  Li suddenly saw, at the foot of his bed, the White Robed Guanyin lifting her sleeve. The bullet promptly clattered to the ground. The same happened with the second and third bullet. The gun suddenly [jammed shut] and assassin was promptly captured. After some investigation, he knew Zhou was the mastermind of all this. But Zhou’s schemes did not end. He bribed Li’s cook to poison Li’s food. One day, Li sat down, taking a midday meal, As he lifted a spoon of broth to his mouth, he felt someone standing behind him, holding his arm back. Li turned around, and saw no one. He lifted up a second spoon, and the same happened. Li became suspicious about the cook, and tried to find the cook at once—but he had fled already. How is it possible for this wondrous tale to be further embellished?  (Recent records of Guanyin’s numinous efficacy, part 7)

(5) The name may be a pun, as 荫,  meaning “ancestral protection” is homophonous with 阴人, meaning “a dark man” cf. the description of  the villainous lover of Empress  Dowager Zhao, Lao Ai 嫪毐As “大陰人”. i.e. “A man of great secrets”. Some have suggested that “secrets = Yin 陰” in this sense is a pun, referring to his large genitals (the usual gloss) and also a reference to his scheming.

释传德，往持湘城慈圣禅院。明国十三年六月间，乘小舟，渡大河。狂风浪作，舟将覆，心惶惧，急诵大悲咒数遍，风浪忽停，舟亦平。而离舟之一丈间，水面波浪，仍然疾湧。舟人云：「自幼至今，从未得见半河有浪，半河无浪之奇事；真菩萨慈悲威力也！」于是化险为夷，安然而渡。周颂尧记（观音灵感近闻录）

Shi Chuande lived in The Sacred Compassion Zen monastery in Hunan. In the 6^th month of the 13^th year of the republic, (1924)  he boarded a small boat to cross a great river. The winds and waves blew ferociously. The Boat was about to capsize, when he uttered, panic-stricken the Great Compassion Mantra several times. The wind and waves suddenly stopped, and the boat came at rest. Shortly after leaving the boat, the waves on the river rose up again, with equal ferocity. The boatman said “How strange!  From my earliest days, I have never seen half the river up in waves, and the other half calm. Truly this is the power of the Bodhisattva! Thus [the mantra] can convert danger into calm, and allow a safe crossing. This was recorded by Zhou Songyao (Recent records of Guanyin’s numinous efficacy)

居士蔡仲光，法名真仁。癸亥年，客秭归县公署。夏历六月初五日，与王书元，乔德三，李经武三先生，趁渡船往对河窑湾溪，为郭翁柳溪祝寿。同舟者男妇老幼共十有一人。时正江流盛涨。行至扁担石，突遇冷泡（即昔所谓屈原三泡），趋避不及，[69]舟竟覆。真仁既浮沉水中，而默诵大悲咒，观想大悲大士拯拔同人，既而此十一人漂至下游旧州河，同得遇救，无一散亡，亦云奇矣！（海潮音）

Householder Cai Zhongguang’s Dharma name was Zhen ren (true compassion) In the Water Pig year,  he was a guest of Zigui County government administration. In the 5^th day of the 6^th Chinese month, he, along with Wang shuyuan, Qian desan, and Li Jingwu, exploring the caves and creeks of the river, to celebrate the birthday of Guo Wengliu on the river( 为郭翁柳溪祝寿). In that boat there were eleven people; men, women, young and old. Suddenly, the river swelled up. When they reached the “carrying pole rock”, they suddenly met an [eddy] (The same as “Qu Yuan’s three eddies” 屈原三泡)[6]  . They could not escape it, and the boat capsized. As Zhen Ren was in the water, alternately sinking and floating, he silently recited the Great Compassion Mantra. He then saw the Most Compassionate Great One rescuing his companions. All eleven of them floated and swam down the river, where they were rescued. Not one died. This is marvellous indeed! (The sounds of the sea)

Note; The Water PIg Year referred to is probably 1923.
Note: Salvation from shipwreck is one of the disasters that calling on the name of Guanyin can canonically resolve, as found in the 25th Chapter of the Lotus sutra. 或漂流巨海。龍魚諸鬼難。念彼觀世音。波浪不能沒。
"Or you are cast adrift upon an immense ocean/Menaced by dragons, fish, and demons/Keep in mind Avalokitesvara’s powers/And the waves will not drown you."
Translation from Fo Guang Shan, available here https://www.fgsitc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Universal-Gate-Chapter_ChiEng.pdf


(6) For more about these "eddies"  see http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_a504d6ea0101jb9x.html

 http://www.zigui.gov.cn/2006/1117/363298.shtml

 and http://www.zigui.gov.cn/2006-11/17/cms29910article.shtml

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Here ends the translation. If anyone spots errors, or can suggest improvements , the author would be most glad to hear them.