True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury – Sitatapatra – TBN Blog 溫哥華真佛報部落格

True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury – Sitatapatra

【Sitatapatra Mudra :】
Hold right hand flat in front of you while the left hand is formed in a fist with the index finger pointing into your right palm from below in front of your chest.

【Sitatapatra Seed Syllable :】

【Sitatapatra Armor Mantra :】

Long Mantra: 「Om。sha-er-wa。da-ta-jia-da。a-ni-ka-shi-da。da-ba-zhe。hum-pei。hum。ma-ma-hum-ni-so-ha。」
Short Mantra: 「hum。 ma-ma。hum-ni。so-ha。」

【Sitatapatra Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】

”Sitatapatra” manifests in many forms; one face with two arms, three faces with six arms, thousand faces and thousand arms, etc.

”Sitatapatra” has a white body with one face, two arms and three eyes. Her left hand holds a parasol while her right hand presents the wish-bestowing mudra. She sits in the lotus position on a lotus dharma seat.

”Sitatapatra” with a thousand faces, arms, eyes, and feet is also white. She is adorned with pearl garlands, necklaces of precious stones, and various ornaments. Her center face is white with three eyes. She has two left and two right faces which are red, yellow, red, and green in color. Each face has three eyes. On top of her crown are nine more tiers, each tier consisting of five faces from left to right.

The left hand of the main two front arms holds a parasol in front of the chest while the right hand holds a dharma wheel (or a vajra scepter.) The other hands hold respectively a bell, a scepter, a dharma wheel, a hook, a lasso, a bow, an arrow and many more implements, altogether they form a circle around her like a thousand-spoke wheel, and her hands are encircled by a raging fire. The Buddha Mother is robed in celestial garments and layers of skirts. She is adorned with hundreds of precious jewels and is of majestic appearance. She stands authoritatively on her thousand feet, protecting all heavenly beings and all sentient beings beneath her seat.

【Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Dharma Talk – Sitatapatra Background and Cultivation Key Formula】

”Sitatapatra” is the Vajra Ushnisha Shielding-and-Repelling Buddha Mother. She has a thousand hands, faces, eyes, and feet. She is the omnipresent great white Buddha Mother who incomparably illuminates and manifests in many different forms. With her magnificent authority and power the Buddha Mother governs beings of three realms and radiates the brilliant light of protection over all sentient beings. As the white parasol is her Samaya form, she is called ”Sitatapatra (Buddha Mother of the Great White Parasol.)”

”Sitatapatra” is the Buddha Mother Shakyamuni Buddha manifested from the illumination of his supreme ushnisha. She is highly revered in Tibetan Vajrayana and is considered to have great dharma power to protect from disasters and calamities equal to Ushnishavijaya and Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin.

”Sitatapatra” was engendered because: ”During the war period between Indra and Asura, Indra lost a battle and appealed to Shakyamuni Buddha for help. Thereupon, from his crown, Shakyamuni Buddha manifested a ‘Great White Invincible Buddha Mother’ with a thousand hands, arms and feet. While Shakyamuni Buddha was reciting the ‘Sitatapatra Dharani’ Sitatapatra used her parasol to entirely shield Indra which repelled the attack from the Asuras and stopped the war.”

The mighty power of ”Sitatapatra” is that of the indestructible and invincible vajra. She is so invincible that she was even able to defeat the strongest and most powerful Asura king. Her power is infinite, hence she is called ”Invincible.” The power of Sitatapatra is such that she will cause all enemies and evil spirits to retreat and will destroy all black magic and evil spells. She can increase one’s lifespan through Amitabha Buddha, destroy the three demons of the sky, the earth, and the water, and cure any sickness. She is able to end the distress of hauntings by ghosts in dreams and in real life.

According to the records of the sutras, Sitatapatra is the dharma protector and dharmapala mother of all buddhas and bodhisattvas. It was due to Sitatapatra’s protection that a great many buddhas were able to emerge. What is ”to shield” and what is ”to repel? ” ”To repel” means regardless how strong the power, you are able to repel it with equal strength. What is ”to shield? ” ”To shield” means that regardless how strong the power, she is able to shield you from it.

There are two main translated sutras in connection with the cultivation practices of Sitatapatra: The Dharani Sutra of the Buddha Crown Sitatapatra and The Discourse of the Buddha on the Sitatapatra Dharani Sutra.

By cultivating the practice of Sitatapatra one gains the fondness, support, auspiciousness, and blessing of the sun, moon and stars. If one upholds the practice, recites the mantra, makes offerings, and wears an image of the deity all the time, one will increase all kinds of merit. Upon one’s death one will be reborn in the Buddha Land and will never again fall into the six realms of samsara.

The dharma practice of the Armor Mantra of Sitatapatra is the deepest secret of Vajrayana. It can be used to avert disasters and calamities, for increasing wealth, for harmonization, for subjugating, for protecting one’s homeland, and for defeating the most powerful enemies. It can prevent and repel disasters and calamities of earth, water, fire and wind and space.

In cultivating the ”Boundary Protection Practice of Sitatapatra” one may visualize Sitatapatra appearing in the empty space and using her vajra canopy to subdue and repel all evil dharmas so that none will attach to one’s body. One may thereby avoid all bad fate. Every bad thing will be repelled. Thus, she is a deity of subjugation, and not just subjugation of black magic but also evil spirits, demons, and even Asuras. No evil karma will be produced.

When one is sick, one may cultivate Sitatapatra. Her brilliant light will eliminate all the karmic causes of the sickness, restoring one’s body and mind back to a state of peace and happiness.

True Buddha School Sitatapatra Sadhana