In this image, behind Cundī Buddha is 1000 Arm Avalokiteśvara who's holding Amitābha Buddha high above both of them.
Cundī 準提菩薩 (Zhǔntí Púsà)
Cundī is a bodhisattva and an incarnation of the Cundī Dhāraṇī. She is the "Goddess of the Seventy Million [Buddhas]", sitting on a lotus flower. She has eighteen arms, each wielding implements that symbolize upaya. Her eighteen arms also represent the eighteen merits of attaining Buddhahood as described in an appendix to the Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra. Furthermore, some images of the Bodhisattva depict different hand gestures (mudras), such as forming the root mudra or holding mala beads. Her eighteen arms are the symbolic expression of these secrets, endowed with the significance of profound principles. She has three eyes. She is all-powerful, and her Tantric epithet is the Most Victorious Vajra, or Subjugation Vajra. Cundi is attended by two dragon (naga) kings who stand guard by her lotus throne. These two dragon kings are Nanda and Upananda.
She is adorned with a jeweled crown which is mounted with a figure of a manifested buddha. Her body is light yellow in color, adorned with all kinds of jade and pearl ornaments. She wears jade and pearl arm ornaments, and wears a white celestial garment. Seated on a lotus throne, her eighteen arms, with the original two hands forming the Root Mudra, hold different implements, in a clockwise direction: a wish- fulfilling banner, a lotus, a bathing vase, a lasso, an eight-spoked wheel, a conch, a precious vase, a wisdom chest, a head-dress, a vajra scepter, a hook, an axe, a heavenly fruit, mala beads, a wisdom sword, and the Fearless Mudra.
These are the eighteen uncommon qualities. In the Mahaprajnaparamita-sutra, these uncommon eighteen characteristics of a Buddha (the avenikadharma) distinguish a Buddha from a Bodhisattva.
As Cundi is also known as the Subjugation Vajra, and the practice of Cundi constitutes a special practice of Tantrayana, this practice is regarded as supreme. It is wish-fulfilling and can subjugate all maras and heretics. It embodies infinite power and merits, and through this practice the practitioner shall gain a round and perfect aura.
The printing of this sutra and all other sutras will benefit oneself and others, and help to remove all forms of calamity. It helps one gain great merits and blessings, and bridges others to the teachings of Buddhism.
The first textual source of Cundī and the Cundī Dhāraṇī is the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra (late 4th century CE to the early 5th century CE.), a sūtra centered around the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara that introduced the popular mantra oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ. Cundī and the Cundī Dhāraṇī are also featured in the Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra, which was translated three times from Sanskrit into Chinese in the late 7th century and early 8th century by the Indian esoteric masters Divākara (685 CE), Vajrabodhi (723 CE), and Amoghavajra (8th century).
The Bodhisattva Cunti mantra is the most famous and powerful mantra in Buddhism – used even by the Zen school which normally eschews any reliance on external cultivation methods (they just focus on meditation practice) – that can help open up your transcendental prajna wisdom and help you change your fortune to what you aspire or desire.
Cundi (or Zhunti) is a Bodhisattva venerated in Mahayana Buddhism tradition, with the emphasis of Her spiritual practice in Vajrayana Buddhism. The Sanskrit word ”Cundi” literally translates as ”Supreme Purity”. Moreover, the Bodhisattva is also known as the Mother of Seven Kotis of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
More importantly, Bodhisattva Cundi is one of the manifestations of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (aka Chenrezig) who alongside with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, have the most affinities with living beings.
Cundī Dhāraṇī is a popular Buddhist mantra in China associated with Cundi according to the Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra (listen):
namaḥ saptānāṁ samyak-saṁbuddha koṭināṁ | tad-yathā oṁ cale cule cundi svāhā ||
南無。颯多喃。三藐三菩陀。俱胝喃。怛姪他。唵。折隸。主隸。準提。娑婆訶。
"Homage to the seven koṭis of fully-awakened ones; the mantra is thus now spoken as: oṁ glory to cale cule cundi"
Literally: "homage," "seven," "fully-awakened ones," "ten millions (koṭi)." = 70 million
tad yathā mean "in this way", "like this"; "in this way" meaning "by reciting the following") ; it has been translated to Chinese as "即說咒曰", which literally means "the mantra is thus now spoken as..."
Svāhā 娑婆訶 suō pó hā An exclamation uttered at the time of making an offering to the gods, (used with a noun in the dative.) f. hail. Svāhā (स्वाहा).—I. indecl. An exclamation on offering to the gods. hail! hail to! may a blessing rest on!
Extract from 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha (here)":
"Seventy-seven times ten million samyaksaṃbuddhas gathered there, and those tathāgatas recited this dhāraṇī:
Namaḥ saptanām saṃyaksaṃbuddhakoṭinām tadyathā Oṁ cale cule cunde svāhā.
[The homage by seven times ten million samyaksaṃbuddhas is like this: Oṁ cale cule cunde svāhā.]
That was the dhāraṇī recited by seventy-seven times ten million samyaksaṃbuddhas."
Another translation
Namaḥ (Pronounce as Na-Mah): take refuge in
Saptānāṁ (Pronounce as Sap-Ta-Nam): seven
Samyak-saṁbuddha (Pronounced Some-Yak-Some-Buddha): Perfectly Enlightened One
Koṭīnāṁ (Pronounce as Ko-Ti-Nam): One koti is equivalent to ten million
Tad-yathā (Pronounce as Tart-Yah-Ta): This is it
Oṁ (Pronounce as Ah-Um): A sacred word in the Vedic religion, which the Mahayana Buddhists borrowed. "Om" has no literal meaning and is regarded as a symbol for the original sound of the Universe.
Cale (Pronounce as Cha-Leh): a variation of Cundi’s name
Cule (Pronounce as Chu-Leh): another variation of Cundi’s name
Cundi (Pronounce as Chun-Di): Purity
Svāhā (Pronounce as Sva-Ha): May it be true!
I take refuge in Seventy Million Perfectly Enlightened Buddhas. This is the mantra:
Om! Cale Cule Cundi. May this be true!
The Saptakoṭibuddhamātṛ ("Seven-Koṭi-Buddha-Mother") Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra says that Cundī is the mother of seven koṭis of buddhas. For this reason, she is sometimes called “Buddha Mother.” (Similarly, prajñāpāramitā is sometimes referred to as “the Mother of all Buddhas”).
The "Buddha-mother" epithet - 佛母 - a much-debated term itself, is absent from Amoghavajra's translation (T1076). But it is present in Vajrabodhi (T1075) and Divakara's (T1077) translations, as well as in Śubhakarasiṃha's Cundi sadhana (T1078, but only as part of the title, it is not found in the text itself). It is also absent from the longer version of the dharani found in the Fangshan Stone Scriptures.
During the late seventh century, the cult of the goddess Cundī (Zhunti 准提), a.k.a. Saptakotị Buddhabhagavatī, “the Buddhist goddess of the Seventy Million” (Qijudi fomu 七俱胝佛母), which is commonly mistranslated as “Mother of Seventy Million Buddhas,” was introduced to China. See R. D. MacBride, Popular Esoteric Deities and the Spread of their Cults, in: Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia, Brill, 2011.
Shortly after Sarvanivaranaviskambhin receives Om Mani padme Hum, what is now generally agreed to be Cundi’s own concise formula, Om Cale Cule Cunde Svaha, appears as a dharani said to be spoken by seventy-seven families of tathagatas. See Alexander Studholme, The Origins of Om Manipadme Hum, State University of New York Press, 2002.
This is the mantra of the Goddess Cundi in the form written in The Dhāranī Named Goddess Cunde (folio 46b7). However, it is oṃ cale cule cundi svāhā, the form that is popular in Chinese Buddhism, in the same text as repeated in the Dhāraṇī section of the Kangyur (The Dhāranī Named Goddess Cunde, folio 143a5). Cale cule cunde are the vocative forms of Calā, Culā, and Cundā, three variations of her name. Cundi is the vocative for Cundī. The words seventy million buddhas are a reference to her being the mother of seventy million buddhas as described in her sūtra, which was not translated into Tibetan, but was translated into Chinese (The Dhāraṇī of Cundī). This sūtra was evidently popular in India at the time of the creation of the Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra, at least in its present form… No explanation for this dhāraṇī is given, so the reader is assumed to be familiar with it.
See The Basket’s Display: Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, translated by Peter Alan Roberts with Tulku Yeshi, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The dharani attributed to Cundi is said to convey infinite power because it is in continuous recitation by myriads of buddhas; hence, an adept who participates in this ongoing recitation will accrue manifold benefits and purify himself from unwholesome actions. The efficacy of the dharani is said to be particularly pronounced when it is recited before an image of Cundi while the accompanying Cundi mudra is also being performed. This dharani also gives Cundi her common epithet of “Goddess of the Seventy Million [Buddhas]”, which is sometimes mistakenly interpreted (based on a misreading of the Chinese) as the “Mother of the Seventy Million Buddhas”.
See The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University Press, 2013.
Meditation on the Syllables
Oṁ, signifying the three bodies of a Buddha, means that dharmas have never been born.
Ca means that dharmas are never born, nor do they die.
Le means that the appearances of dharmas cannot be captured.
Cu means that dharmas neither have been born nor have they died.
Le means that dharmas have no defilements.
Cun means that dharmas are in the unsurpassed enlightenment state.
Di means that dharmas can be neither accepted nor rejected.
Svā means that dharmas are equal and free from concepts.
Hā means that dharmas [in true suchness] have no causations.
Before reading the mantra, Buddhists reads these three times:
稽首皈依蘇悉帝 Prostrating to take refuge in the Susiddei
頭面頂禮七俱胝 With heads and faces bowed to the seven Kotie
我今稱讚大准提 We now are praising the great Cundi
惟願慈悲垂加護 Only Wishing what we receive his merciful protection
In the sūtra, after the Buddha speaks extensively about the various effects and benefits of reciting the Cundī Dhāraṇī. Many of the effects are purifying and uplifting in nature. For example, after pronouncing the dhāraṇī, the Buddha then says:
If there are bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, or upāsikās who memorize and recite this dhāraṇī 800,000 times, their deadly karma in every place, created over innumerable eons, will be completely annihilated. In every place where they are born or reside, they will always meet buddhas and bodhisattvas. They will always have adequate resources and abilities to do as they wish. In any birth, they will always be able to leave the home life, and will have the ability to maintain the pure precepts of a bodhisattva. They will be born in human or heavenly realms, they will not fall into evil destinies, and they will always be protected by all the heavenly guardians.
The dhāraṇī is also closely associated with buddhahood and complete enlightenment (Skt. Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi). At the end of the sūtra, the Buddha closes the teaching by saying:
This great dhāraṇī of Cundī is a great brilliant mantra teaching that is spoken by all buddhas of the past, all buddhas of the future, and all buddhas of the present time. I also now speak it thusly to benefit all sentient beings, causing them to attain Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi. If there are sentient beings with little merit, who lack the roots of goodness, natural ability, and the Factors of Bodhi, if they obtain hearing of this dhāraṇī method, they will quickly realize the attainment of Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi. If there are people who are always able to remember, recite, and maintain this dhāraṇī, they will all obtain immeasurable roots of goodness.
in the Liao-Fan's Four Lessons' in the 1st lesson, the cundi mantra was first used by himself given by dharma master Yun-gu at qixia mountain in the compassionate monastery.
Saptakoṭibuddhamātṛ Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra
Translated from Taishō Tripiṭaka volume 20, number 1077
At one time the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍada’s park. At that time, the Bhagavān was contemplating and observing the sentient beings of the future. Out of pity for them, he spoke the teaching of the Great Cundī Dhāraṇī, the heart-mother of seven koṭīs of perfectly enlightened buddhas. Thus he spoke the mantra:
namaḥ saptānāṃ samyaksaṃbuddha koṭīnāṃ tadyathā
oṃ cale cule cunde svāhā
“If there are bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, or upāsikās who memorize and recite this dhāraṇī 800,000 times, their deadly karma in every place, created over innumerable eons, will be completely annihilated. In every place where they are born or reside, they will always meet buddhas and bodhisattvas. They will always have adequate resources and abilities to do as they wish. In any birth, they will always be able to leave the home life, and will have the ability to maintain the pure precepts of a bodhisattva. They will be born in human or heavenly realms, they will not fall into evil destinies, and they will always be protected by all the heavenly guardians. If there are virtuous house-holding men or women who recite and maintain it, their households will not encounter harm caused by disasters or suffering caused by unexpected illness. Everything spoken to others will be truthful and accepted by them.
“If the dhāraṇī mantra has been recited a total of 100,000 times, you will see buddhas, bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas in a dream, and see a dark substance vomited from your mouth. If you have committed serious offenses, you should recite it a total of 200,000 times. Then in a dream you too will see buddhas and bodhisattvas, and also see a dark substance vomited from your mouth. If you have committed any of the five cardinal sins, you may still not yet have this auspicious dream. Then you should then recite more, a total of 700,000 times to attain such a sign. In a dream you may even see a white substance vomited from your mouth, like rice paste, in the similar way. These are signs of purity and cleanliness indicating that the karma has been extinguished.
“Moreover, I will now teach what may be accomplished with this great dhāraṇī. Standing before an image of the Buddha, or on clean ground before a stūpa, spread gomaya on the ground to create a square maṇḍala, large or small. Set up offerings of flowers, incense, banners, canopies, food, drinks, lamps, and candles, according to your abilities. While reciting the mantra, spray perfume in the four directions, and in the Zenith and Nadir, to seal the boundary of the maṇḍala. In the four corners of the maṇḍala and in the center, place one perfume bottle. You, the mantrin, should be at the center of the maṇḍala, facing East, and kneeling on your right knee. Recite the mantra 1080 times, and the perfume bottles will automatically rotate. Holding a bunch of various flowers as an offering, recite the mantra 1080 times, and then scatter the flowers over the surface of a mirror. Looking straight at the mirror, recite the mantra 1080 times, and you will see images of buddhas and bodhisattvas. You should then mantra with flowers 108 times, and then scatter them as offerings, and the questions you ask will be answered.
“If there is an illness caused by a ghost, mantra with kuśa grass, and then brush the sick person with it, and he or she will be healed. If there are young children possessed by ghosts, have a maiden twist together a multi-colored string using five threads. Then mantra one time for each knot you tie, for total of 21 knots, and fasten the knotted string around the neck of the child. Mantra with mustard seeds a total of seven times, and then scatter them over the face of the child, and it will be removed. Moreover, there is a method in which you stand before a sick person with an ink drawing of him or her. Mantra with a neem branch and strike the drawing, and the illness will be easily removed. There is also a method if there is a sick person who is affected by ghosts, but is in a distant place. You should mantra with a neem branch a total of seven times, and then send another person with the stick, and the illness may also be removed.
“Moreover, there is a method when one is traveling. Recite this mantra, and you will have no fear of meeting thieves, bandits, wild beasts, and so on. Moreover, there is a method for disputes. If you always maintain this mantra, you will never be without victory. If you wish to sail across great rivers and oceans, recite this mantra, and you will not have difficulties with wild sea creatures. Moreover, there is a method if your body is has been bound and imprisoned. Recite this mantra, and you will be liberated.
“Moreover, there is a method for a country that is suffering from flooding, droughts, or epidemics. You should prepare an even mixture of sesame seeds and non-glutinous rice. Use three fingers to obtain a pinch of this mixture. Then mantra with it, and place it in the fire to burn. Continue this for seven days and seven nights, in the six periods of the day and night, uninterrupted. Every disaster and epidemic will be annihilated.
“Moreover, there is a method for the sand near a river bank. By means of a stamp, imprint an image of a stūpa in the sand. Recite the mantra one time with the completion of each stūpa, for a total of 600,000 times. Then you may see Avalokitasvara Bodhisattva, Tārā Bodhisattva, or Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva. You will freely attain everything you are searching for. You may also be granted siddhi medicine, or receive the prediction of Bodhi.
“Moreover, there is a method for circumambulating an image of a bodhi tree clockwise. After reciting the mantra a total of ten million times, you will see a bodhisattva expounding the Dharma. You will be able to follow this bodhisattva if you wish.
“Moreover, there is a method if you beg for food often. Maintain this mantra, and no malevolent person or malevolent dog will cause you harm. If you are before a stūpa, before a buddha image, or before a reliquary, recite and maintain this mantra for a total of 300,000 times. Return on the fifteenth day of the month when the moon is bright, and arrange a great offering. For one day and one night, do not eat, and recite the mantra with correct mindfulness. Then you may be able to see Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva, and this bodhisattva will approach and invite you to go to his palace.
“Moreover, there is a method if you are standing before the stūpa where the Dharma Wheel was first turned, or the stūpa where the Buddha was born, or the stūpa where the Buddha descended the jeweled steps from Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, or a reliquary stūpa. Before a stūpa such as this, recite the mantra while circumambulating clockwise. Then Aparājitā Bodhisattva and Hāritī Bodhisattva will appear, and your wishes will all be fulfilled. If necessary, you will be given siddhi medicine, and then they will instruct you on the Bodhisattva Path. Although one who recites this dhāraṇī may not have yet sat in a bodhimaṇḍa, all bodhisattvas are his skillful teachers.
“Moreover, this great dhāraṇī of Cundī is a great brilliant mantra teaching that is spoken by all buddhas of the past, all buddhas of the future, and all buddhas of the present time. I also now speak it thusly to benefit all sentient beings, causing them to attain Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi. If there are sentient beings with little merit, who lack good roots, natural ability, and the Factors of Bodhi, if they obtain hearing of this dhāraṇī method, they will quickly realize the attainment of Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi. If there are people who are always able to remember, recite, and maintain this dhāraṇī, they will all obtain immeasurable good roots.”
When the Buddha had spoken this Great Cundī Dhāraṇī teaching, innumerable sentient beings left the dust and dirt far behind, and attained the great merit of the Great Cundī Dhāraṇī. Now able to see the vast multitude of buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, they paid their respects and departed.
The uncommon eighteen characteristics of a Buddha (the avenikadharma):
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Perfection of body.
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Perfection of memory.
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Perfection of speech.
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Perfection of impartiality to all.
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Self-sacrifice.
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Serenity.
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Unflagging zeal to salvage sentient beings.
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Unceasing desire to salvage sentient beings.
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Unfailing thought to salvage sentient beings.
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Unceasing wisdom to salvage sentient beings.
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Powers of deliverance.
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Principle of the powers of deliverance.
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Revealing perfect wisdom in word.
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Revealing perfect wisdom in deed.
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Revealing perfect wisdom in thought.
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Perfect knowledge of the future.
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Perfect knowledge of the past.
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Perfect knowledge of the present.
Reciting this Buddhist mantra 108 times daily develops transcendent wisdom and knowledge, and purifies negative karma.
“This great Dharani of Cundi is a great brilliant mantra teaching that is spoken by all Buddhas of the future, all Buddhas of the past, and all Buddhas of the present time. I also now speak it thus to benefit all sentient beings, causing them to attain Anuttara Samyaksaṃbodhi.”
Gautama Buddha also said – ”If there are sentient beings with little merit, which lack the roots of goodness, natural ability, and the Factors of Bodhi, if they obtain the hearing of this dharaṇi technique, they will quickly realize the attainment of Anuttara Samyaksaṃbodhi.
If there are individuals who are always able to remember, practice, and maintain this dharani, they will all obtain immeasurable roots of goodness.” – Buddha’s quote about Bodhisattva Cundi mantra benefits.
Additionally, if a practitioner has recited this mantra 100,000 times, he will see in one’s dreams Buddhas, voice-hearers, Bodhisattvas, or Pratyekabuddhas, and see oneself vomit black things. For graver sins, one should recite the mantra 200,000 times.
Then the practitioner will also see in one’s dreams Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as well as oneself, vomit black things. If one is unable to get such good dreams because of having committed any of the five rebellious acts, one should further practice the mantra 700,000 times.
Then the practitioner should have these good dreams and even see oneself vomit white things. These are signs of purification, indicating that this practitioner’s sins have been expunged.
If there are good laymen and laywomen who keep reciting this powerful mantra 800,000 times, their homes will not be ravaged by catastrophes or diseases. Their work will be smooth, peaceful, and harmonious, and others will believe and accept what they say.
The Symbolism and Meaning of the Eighteen Arms of Cundi:
1. The original 2 hands forming the root Mudra of Expounding the Dharma represents the fluency of elucidating all Dharma.
2. The hand holding the wondrous precious banner represents the ability to build a most magnificent, great monastery.
3. The hand forming the Fearless Mudra represents the ability to deliver sentient beings away from all terror and fears.
4. The hand holding a lotus flower represents the purification of the six senses which, untainted, are as pure as the lotus flower.
5. The hand holding a sword of wisdom represents the severing of the entanglements of afflictions and the three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance.
6. The hand holding an empowerment vase represents the flowing of nectar to nurture all sentient beings so that they may receive the empowerment of the buddhas.
7. The hand holding a wonderful jewelled headdress represents the wish to be linked to wonderful dharma art.
8. The hand holding a vajra lasso represents the ability to attract all into the yoga tantra.
9. The hand holding a wonderful celestial fruit represents the accomplishment of the fruition of enlightenment, and the extensive cultivation of good karma.
10. The hand holding an eight-spoke wheel represents the constant turning of the great dharma wheel, radiating its magnificent lights over the three lower realms.
11. The hand holding a battle axe represents the elimination of all evil practices and the severing of attachment to oneself and others. 12. The hand holding a large dharma shell represents the expounding of pure Dharma which shakes the universe.
12. The hand holding a vajra hook represents the skill to magnetize and attract all phenomena within one's view.
13. The hand holding a wish-fulfilling vase represents the function of manifesting all treasures and scriptures at will.
14. The hand holding a vajra represents the collective convergence of support given by the eight classes of celestial beings and dragons. It also represents the subjugation of stubborn sentient beings.
15. The hand holding a wisdom sutra represents the self-cognition of knowing the profound and wonderful truth without any guidance from a teacher.
16. The hand holding a mani or wish-fulfilling pearl represents the vibrant and luminous state of mind which is flawless, pure and perfect.
17. The two original hands, beginning with the first hand, are held in the Dharma Expounding Mudra. Hence, the eighteen arms.
Some images of Cundi depict different gestures, such as forming the root mudra or holding mala beads. The meaning remains the same, regardless. The gestures represent the eighteen merits of Cundi. You may visualize the hands clearly and recite the mantra so that you may attain realization swiftly and liberate sentient beings from their suffering. The mantra is also closely associated with buddhahood and complete enlightenment (Skt. Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi).
References
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Gimello, Robert (2004). ″Icon and Incantation: The Goddess Zhunti and the Role of Images in the Occult Buddhism of China." In Images in Asian Religions: Texts and Contexts ed. Phyllis Granoff and Koichi Shinohara: pp. 71-85.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cundī_Dhāraṇī
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https://www.themathesontrust.org/library/zhunti-mantra-cundi-dharani
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http://www.meditationexpert.com/meditation-techniques/Zhunti.wav
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https://archive.org/details/Tse_Chen_Ling_Geshe_Dakpa_Four_Opponent_Powers_20040711
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http://www.meditationexpert.com/meditation-techniques/m_zhunti_mantra_cultivation_technique.htm
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https://lapislazulitexts.com/tripitaka/T1077-LL-cundi-dharani/
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https://www.insightstate.com/video/mantra-bodhisattva-cundi/
