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Great Compassion Mantra 大悲咒

One of the most widely used and most efficacious of all Buddhist mantras, the Great Compassion Mantra is a Dharma taught by the Bodhisattva Who Regards the World's Sounds (AVALOKITEŚVARA (BODHISATTVA)). The teachings on the Great Compassion Mantra are found in the DHĀRAṆĪ SUTRA. [The text of the mantra can be found in the Dhāraṇī Sutra, pp. 40-43, and in the City of Ten [[Thousand Buddhas]] Recitation Handbook]], pp. 30-33.]

The Bodhisattva Who Regards the World's Sounds again addressed the Buddha, saying, “World Honored One, if humans and gods recite and hold the phrases of the Great Compassion Mantra, then when they approach the end of life, all the Buddhas of the ten [[directions]] will come to take them by the hand to rebirth in whatever Buddhaland they wish according to their desire.”

He further said to the Buddha, “World Honored One, should any living being who recites and holds the spiritual mantra of Great Compassion fall into the three evil paths, I vow not to realize the Right Enlightenment]]. Should any living being who recites and holds the Spiritual Mantra of Great Compassion not be reborn in any Buddhaland, I vow not to realize the Right Enlightenment]]. Should any living being who recites and holds the Spiritual Mantra of Great Compassion not obtain unlimited samadhis and eloquence, I vow not to realize the Right Enlightenment]]. Should any living being who recites and holds the Spiritual Mantra of Great Compassion not obtain the fruits of whatever is sought in this very life, then he cannot have been making proper use of the Dhāraṇī of the Great Compassion Heart.” (DS 30-31)

SEE ALSO: Dhāraṇī Sutra, mantra, dhāraṇī, Avalokiteśvara (Bodhisattva)

Snippet from Wikipedia: Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī

The Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī, also known as the Mahākaruṇā(-citta) Dhāraṇī, Mahākaruṇika Dhāraṇī or Great Compassion Dhāraṇī / Mantra (Chinese: 大悲咒, Dàbēi zhòu; Japanese: 大悲心陀羅尼, Daihishin darani or 大悲呪, Daihi shu; Vietnamese: Chú đại bi or Đại bi tâm đà la ni; Korean: 신묘장구대다라니 (Hanja: 神妙章句大陀羅尼), Sinmyo janggu daedarani), is a Mahayana Buddhist dhāraṇī associated with the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (popularly as Guanyin in the East Asian Buddhist sphere).

Avalokiteśvara came to be associated with attributes linked to Shiva and Vishnu, such as Nīlakaṇṭha and Harihara, as Buddhism developed within the Indian religious milieu and reinterpreted widely recognized divine symbols and epithets within a Buddhist framework. In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara was understood as a bodhisattva who manifests in different forms according to the needs and capacities of sentient beings, an idea expressed in texts such as the Lotus Sutra. In this context, Avalokiteśvara came to be understood not only as an independent bodhisattva but also as a figure incorporating certain attributes and functions associated with Shiva and Vishnu. The association of Avalokiteśvara with Shiva’s epithet Nīlakaṇṭha and with elements associated with Harihara may therefore be seen as the result of a Buddhist reinterpretation that presented the bodhisattva’s power of salvation in a broader and more inclusive form. Over time, Nīlakaṇṭha Avalokiteśvara also became linked with the thousand-armed (sahasra-bhuja) form and came to be understood as one of the bodhisattva’s many manifestations.

Different versions of this dhāraṇī, of varying length, exist; the shorter version, as transliterated into Chinese characters by Indian monk Bhagavaddharma in the 7th century, enjoys a high degree of popularity in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism, especially in Chinese Buddhism, comparable to that of the six-syllable mantra Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, which is also synonymous with Guanyin, who is Avalokiteśvara as venerated in China and other East Asian countries. It is often used for protection or purification. In China, Taiwan and overseas Chinese communities, it is typically chanted as part of daily morning liturgical services in Chinese Buddhist temples as well as recited during ritual and ceremonial contexts to purify the ritual space. In Korea, copies of the dhāraṇī are hung inside homes to bring auspiciousness. In Japan, it is especially associated with Zen, being revered and recited in Zen schools such as Sōtō or Rinzai.

Fair Use Sources:

• Buddhism A to Z - A Buddhist Encyclopedia
• 84,000 Dharma Doors - A Comprehensive Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Buddhism