The is a short Mahayana Buddhist sutra, comprised of only 42 Chinese characters. It is recorded in the Southern Song Dynasty and seems to appear as a short recitation text during Hakuin's lifetime (1686–1769).: The Ten-Phrase Kannon Sutra (Jikku Kannon-gyō; Emmei Jikku Kannon-gyō), consisting of only forty-two Chinese characters in ten phrases, appears in Records of the Buddhas and Patriarchs (Fo-tsu tung-chi), a Chinese Buddhist work dating from the southern Sung dynasty. It seems to have first come into general use as a short recitation text in Japan during Hakuin’s lifetime." The Zen master urges an unnamed donor to chant the sutra one thousand times a day to be restored "completely and joyously" to health. Hakuin notes that the sutra is not found among those preached by the historical Buddha, but was revealed directly by Kannon to a Chinese government official facing execution. Since the longer Kannon Sutra (Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra) was prohibitively lengthy, the prisoner was given the ten-line sutra instead, which caused the executioner's blades to break into three pieces miraculously. Yamada Koun considered the sutra a kind of dharani, as recounted by Robert Baker Aitken.
Text
+Sino-Japanese with furiganaTransliterationTranslationKAN ZE ONAvalokiteshvaraNA MU BUTSU Namu butsuYO BUTSU U IN With Buddha as causeYO BUTSU U EN With Buddha as conditionBUP PO SO EN Three Jewels as conditionJO RAKU GA JO Permanent, joyous, self-existent, and pureCHO NEN KANZON Morning: remember (nen) KanzeonBO NEN KANZEON Evening: remember (nen) KanzeonNEN NEN JU SHIN KI Each thought from the heart [heart-mind; 心 ] arisesNEN NEN FU RI SHIN Each thought is not separate from the heart
See also Heart Sutra (), another short Mahayana sutra Dharani, lengthier mantras Other repeatedly-chanted texts in Japanese Buddhism: Nembutsu Daimoku Mantra of light
Notes
Works Cited
References
External links
延命十句観音経の世界 (in Japanese)