Jinapanjara

[Jechbi]

I'd welcome thoughts and insights about this:


Jinapanjara

The Heroes, having defeated the evil one,
together with his army, mounted the seat of Victory.
These Leaders of men have drunk the nectar of
The Four Noble Truths.

May all the twenty-eight chief Buddhas, such as
Buddha Tamhankara and other Noble Sages,
rest on my head.

May the Buddhas rest on my head;
The Dhamma on my eyes;
The Sangha, the abode of all virtues, on my shoulders.

May Anuruddha rest on my heart; Sariputta,
on my right; Kondañña, on my back
and Moggallana, on my left.

On my right ear are Ananda and Rahula;
on my left are Kassapa and Mahanama.

On my back at the end of my hair sits
The Glorious Lord Sobhita, who is radiant like the sun.

The fluent speaker, the Lord Kumara Kassapa,
the abode of virtues, ever rest in my mouth.

On my forehead like tilakas are the five Theras:
Puñña, Angulimala, Upãli, Nanda and Sivali.

The other Eighty Theras,
The Victorious Disciples of the Conqueror,
shining in the glory of their virtues, rest on the other
parts of my body.

The Jewel Sutta is on my front,
on my right The Sutta on Loving Kindness.
The Banner Sutta is on my back,
on my left is The Angulimala Sutta.

The protective discourse Khanda, Mora and Atanatiya Suttas are
like the Heavenly vault.
All the other Suttas are like ramparts around me.

Ever engaged in four duties, do I dwell in
the Buddha Mansion, fortified by the
commanding power of the Buddha and
decked by the wall of the Dhamma.

By the power of their infinite virtues,
may all internal and external troubles come to naught without
exception.

May all those great personages ever protect
me who am dwelling in the centre of the
Buddha Mansion on this earth.

Protecting myself thus in every way,
overcoming all troubles by the power of the Conquerors
(The Buddha, The Dhamma and The Sangha)
may I defeat the hostile army of passions and live guarded by
The Sublime Dhamma!

[Cittasanto]

where is this from? it seams similare to some tibetan things I have seen before?

[gavesako]

This is a chant composed probably in Sri Lanka under Tantric influence which has later found its way to Thailand and was made popular by Somdet Toh of Wat Rakhang. It is supposed to bring protection to people and that is why it is very popular e.g. among Thai women, many of whom know it by heart and chant it every day.


Jinapañjaraṃ
(22-gāthā Sinhalese version & English translation)

1.
jayāsanagatā vīrā
jetvā māraṃ savāhiṇiṃ
catusaccāmatarasaṃ
ye piviṃsu narāsabhā
Seated on the victorious seats, the heroes,
Having conquered Māra with his retinue,
The juice of nectar of the four truths,
Those lords of men who drank,

2.
taṇhaṅkarādayo buddhā
aṭṭhavīsati nāyakā
sabbe patiṭṭhītā tuyhaṃ
matthake te munissarā
The Buddhas, Taṇhaṅkara and others,
The eight and twenty leaders,
All of them have stood firmly on your
Head, those chiefs of sages.

3.
sire patiṭṭhitā buddhā
dhammo ca tava locane
saṅgho patiṭṭhito tuyhaṃ
ure sabbaguṇākaro
The Buddhas are established on the head,
And the Dhamma in your eye,
The Saṅgha is established in your
Chest, the source of all virtues.

4.
hadaye anuruddho ca
sāriputto ca dakkhiṇe
koṇḍañño piṭṭhibhāgasmiṃ
moggallāno'si vāmake
And in your heart Anuruddha,
And Sāriputta on your right,
Koṇḍañña behind you,
Moggallāna on your left.

5.
dakkhiṇe savaṇe tuyhaṃ
āhuṃ ānandarāhulā
kassapo ca mahānāmo
ubho'suṃ vāmasotake
In your right ear
Were Ānanda and Rāhula;
Kassapa and Mahānāma
Were both in your left ear.

6.
kesante piṭṭhibhāgasmiṃ
suriyo viya pabhaṅkaro
nisinno sirisampanno
sobhito munipuṅgavo
Behind you at your hairs' end,
Like the sun, the maker of light,
Has sat the one possessed of fortune,
Sobhita, a bull among sages.

7.
kumārakassapo nāma
mahesī citravādako
so tuyhaṃ vadane niccaṃ
patiṭṭhāsi guṇākaro
Kumārakassapa by name,
The great sage, the eloquent speaker,
In your mouth he has permanently
Established himself, that source of virtues.

8.
puṇṇo aṅgulimālo ca
upālīnandasīvalī
therā pañca ime jātā
Lalāṭe tilakā tavā
Puṇṇa and Aṅgulimāla,
Upāli, Nanda and Sīvalī,
These five elders have appeared
On your forehead like a bindu.

9.
sesāsīti mahātherā
vijitā jinasāvakā
jalantā sīlatejena
aṅgamaṅgesu saṇṭhitā
The remainder of the eighty great elders,
The victors, the disciples of the Jina,
Shining with the power of their virtue
Are settled in your various limbs.

10.
ratanaṃ purato āsi
dakkhiṇe mettasuttakaṃ
dhajaggaṃ pacchato āsi
vāme aṅgulimālakaṃ
The Ratanasutta was in front of you,
The Mettasutta on your right;
The Dhajaggasutta was behind you,
The Aṅgulimālasutta on your left.

11.
khandhamoraparittañca
ātānāṭiyasuttakaṃ
ākāsacchadanaṃ āsi
sesā pākārasaññitā
The Khandha and Mora protections
And the Ātānāṭiyasutta
Have become a roof in the sky;
The rest of the Suttas serve as ramparts.

12.
jināṇābalasaṃyutte
dhammapākāra'laṅkate
vasato te catukiccena
sadā sambuddhapañjare
To you who dwell in the fourfold duty,
Ever in the mansion of the Fully Awake,
Bound by the authority of the Jinas,
Adorned with the ramparts of the Dhamma,

13.
vātapittādisañjātā
bāhirajjhatt'upaddavā
asesāvilayaṃ yantu
anantaguṇatejasā
By the power of their limitless virtue,
May outer and inner afflictions
Arisen from wind, bile and other humours,
And all other disturbances depart.

14.
jinapañjaramajjhaṭṭhaṃ
viharantaṃ mahītale
sadā pālentu tvaṃ sabbe
te mahāpurisāsabhā
In the middle of the Jinas' mansion,
Living on the earth,
May all those great bulls of men
Forever protect you.

15.
iccevam-accantakato surakkho
jinānubhāvena jitūpapaddavo
buddhānubhāvena hatārisaṅgho
carāhi saddhammanubhāvapālito
Thus uninterruptedly well-guarded,
With afflictions conquered by the Jina's power,
And crowd of foes destroyed by the Buddha's power,
Wander protected by the Saddhamma!

16.
iccevam-accantakato surakkho
jinānubhāvena jitūpapaddavo
dhammānubhāvena hatārisaṅgho
carāhi saddhammanubhāvapālito
Thus uninterruptedly well-guarded,
With afflictions conquered by the Jina's power,
And crowd of foes destroyed by the Dhamma's power,
Wander protected by the Saddhamma!

17.
iccevam-accantakato surakkho
jinānubhāvena jitūpapaddavo
saṅghānubhāvena hatārisaṅgho
carāhi saddhammanubhāvapālito
Thus uninterruptedly well-guarded,
With afflictions conquered by the Jina's power,
And crowd of foes destroyed by the Saṅgha's power,
Wander protected by the Saddhamma!

18.
saddhammapākāraparikkhito'si
aṭṭhāriyā aṭṭhadisāsu honti
etthantare aṭṭhanāthā bhavanti
uddhaṃ vitānaṃ'va jinā ṭhitā te
You are surrounded by the ramparts of the Saddhamma,
Eight Ariyans are in the eight directions,
Between these are eight protectors,
And above, like a canopy, stood the Jinas.

19.
bhindanto mārasenaṃ tava sirasi ṭhito bodhim-āruyha satthā
moggallāno'si vāme vasati bhujataṭe dakkhiṇe sāriputto
dhammo majjhe urasmiṃ viharati bhavato mokkhato morayoniṃ
sampatto bodhisatto caraṇayugagato bhānulok'ekanātho.
Breaking asunder the army of Māra, on your head stood the Teacher, after ascending the Bodhi-seat,
Moggallāna is on your left, dwelling on your arm, and Sāriputta on your right.
The Dhamma dwells in the middle of your chest.
The Bodhisatta, having gone from Mokkha to Morayoni, has gone to your two feet, that sole protector of the world.

20.
sabbāvamaṅgalam-upaddavadunnimittaṃ
sabbītirogagahadosam-asesanindā
sabb'antarāyabhayadussupinaṃ akantaṃ
buddhānubhāvapavarena payātu nāsaṃ.
All inauspices, afflictions, ill omens,
All calamities, illnesses, planetary faults, and blame,
All obstacles, dangers, bad dreams, and the unpleasant,
Through the power of the Buddha's excellence may these all disappear!

21.
sabbāvamaṅgalam-upaddavadunnimittaṃ
sabbītirogagahadosam-asesanindā
sabb'antarāyabhayadussupinaṃ akantaṃ
dhammānubhāvapavarena payātu nāsaṃ.
All inauspices, afflictions, ill omens,
All calamities, illnesses, planetary faults, and blame,
All obstacles, dangers, bad dreams, and the unpleasant,
Through the power of the Dhamma's excellence may these all disappear!

22.
sabbāvamaṅgalam-upaddavadunnimittaṃ
sabbītirogagahadosam-asesanindā
sabb'antarāyabhayadussupinaṃ akantaṃ
saṅghānubhāvapavarena payātu nāsaṃ.
All inauspices, afflictions, ill omens,
All calamities, illnesses, planetary faults, and blame,
All obstacles, dangers, bad dreams, and the unpleasant,
Through the power of the Saṅgha's excellence may these all disappear!



Here is a Thai musical version:
http://audio.palungjit.com/attachment.p ... entid=4172" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jechbi]

Thank you, Bhante.

Could you say more about this tantric influence? Interestingly, the gatha also is found here and here (will open .pdf doc). I encountered it in a booklet titled "Daily Buddhist Devotions" by Ven. K Sri Dhammananda, which was given to me by a venerable monk from Sri Lanka, who has my deepest respect and gratitude. The booklet also contains the Ratana Sutta and the Mangala Sutta (in Pali and English), among other traditional verses, salutations and gathas. I'm amazed at how these seemingly simple texts continue to reveal layer upon layer of meaning, and I wonder why they don't receive more attention than they do among those of us who like to discuss these things on the Internet.

Also interestingly, the booklet was printed and distributed for free by the Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation in Taiwan, and it includes this dedication of merit:

May the merit and virtue accrued from this work adorn Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land, repay the four great kindnesses above, and relieve the suffering of those on the three paths below.

May those who see or hear of these efforts generate Bodhi-mind, spend their lives devoted to the Buddha Dharma, and finally be report together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Homage to Amita Buddha!

NAMO AMITABHA

Taken together with Manapa's comments and the thoughts about tantric influence, this looks like a case study in cross-pollination of various Buddhist influences. Maybe we have more in common than we sometimes imagine?

[gavesako]

Definitely. There was quite a lot of Mahayana and Tantrayana presence in medieval Sri Lanka and also the other Theravada countries, as is evident from archaeological evidence. Especially when it comes to Puja and other rituals connected with Buddharupas, this certainly is not "pure Theravada" (= early Buddhism).

[gavesako]

Here is a Thai video of it demonstrating visually how the protective cage around you is gradually being built through the power of Buddhas, Arahants and Suttas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y2rflmheic" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Quite well done.

[Sylvester]

Hi Bhante

I believe the version associated with Somdet Toh of Wat Rakang is the abridged 15 version version. Apparrently, the full 22 verse version is only used in the Lanna areas (eg Chiang Mai).