DH?RA??

The term dh?ra?? refers to spells, incantations, or mnemonic codes, and literally means "to hold," "to support," or "to maintain." Originating in Vedic religion, dh?ra?? often consist of incomprehensible combinations of syllables in Sanskrit. Buddhist dh?ra?? may be long or short and are usually untranslatable. Dh?ra?? comprise a large portion of the Buddhist canon of scripture and most of the important M?h?yana s?tras conclude with or include sections on ?ra??, for example the Heart S?atra and the LotusS?tra (Saddharmapu??arika-s?tra). Various types of dh?ra?? are mentioned in Buddhist literature, for example, mantra-dh?ra??, by which a bodhisattva acquires charms to allay plagues, and mnemonic dh?ra??, by which a bodhisattva's memory and perception are enhanced to remember s?tras or salient points of doctrine. In some texts the word dh?ra?? also appears in compounds with the word mantra.

During the twentieth century Western scholars tried to assert a precise distinction between dh?ra?? and mantra by following the strict denotations of the terms.

Strictly speaking, dh?ra?? should refer to memory aids to hold, support, or protect something in the mind, while mantra refer to syllabic formula, spells, and incantations. However, in Buddhist hagiography monk-thaumaturges do not make these distinctions, and in Buddhist commentarial literature, monk-scholars classify dh?ra?? into various types but always make provision for spell-type dh?ra??. Also, dh?ra?? collections contain many spells and procedures for their intended use by laypersons.

The sounds of dh?ra?? are powerful of themselves and generate merit by merely reciting them. They also function by means of the doctrine of the "transference of merit." By chanting dh?ra?? one obtains merit for oneself by drawing upon the inexhaustible stores of merit possessed by buddhas, bodhisattvas, and gods for use in this world, usually for protection and to counteract problems understood to be the fruits of one's own karma, but this power may also be used to work other kinds of miracles. Since dh?ra?? were later popular among tantric masters, dh?ra?? texts are often, perhaps misleadingly, classified as proto-tantric.

See also:Language, Buddhist Philosophy of; Mantra; Merit and Merit-Making

Bibliography

Chou Yi-liang. "Tantrisim in China." Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 8 (March 1945): 241–332.

Lamotte, Étienne. "Obtenir les portes de Souvenance et de Concentration." In Le traité de la grande vertu de sagesse de N?g?rjuna (Mah?prajñ?p?ramit???stra), Vol. 4, pp. 1854–1869. Louvain, Belgium: Institut orientaliste, Université de Louvain, 1966–1976.

Richard D. McBride II