The Viśuddhaprabhā Dhāraṇī (Dhāraṇī of Pure Light), also known by its full title Raśmi-vimala-viśuddhaprabhā-dhāraṇī (The Dhāraṇī of the Pure Stainless Light Rays; Chinese: Wugou Jing Guang Da Tuoluoni 無垢淨光大陀羅尼; Korean: Mugujeonggwangdaedaranigyeong 무구정광대다라니경(無垢淨光大陀羅尼經); T 1024), is a Buddhist ritual text belonging to the dhāraṇī genre of protective and transformative formulas. This text is preserved in multiple versions and sutras within the Tibetan Kanjur and Chinese Buddhist canons. The dhāraṇī centers on the worship of Amitāyuṣ (the Buddha of Infinite Life) and the invocation of Viśuddhaprabhā (Pure Light), a goddess which personifies Amida's compassionate light. Its main function is the purification of karma, healing, the extension of lifespan (āyuṣ), and the assurance of rebirth in Sukhāvatī, Amida's Pure Land. This dhāraṇī was cited by the Japanese Pure Land Buddhist scholar Genshin as part of thirteen texts conducive to birth in the Pure Land. The Viśuddhaprabhā Dhāraṇī became popular during the 8th century, and it quickly spread throughout East Asia due to the use of woodblock printing. It was widely employed in Korean Buddhism during the middle and late Silla (668–935), as well as in Japan during the same time. The Great Dhāraṇī Sūtra, a Korean copy of the Dhāraṇī, is considered to be one of the oldest printed texts in the world.
The Dhāraṇī
History The Viśuddhaprabhā Dhāraṇī is part of the Dhāraṇī genre, an important class of Buddhist text in India and beyond. A core theme in these works is the idea that a dhāraṇī contains the accumulated blessings of the buddhas. Consequently, constructing a stūpa and enshrining within it a promoted dhāraṇī is said to generate merit equivalent to building stūpas for a buddha relic. Etymologically linked to the Sanskrit root √dhṛ and the word dhāraṇa, the term conveys meanings of holding, retaining, and memory. One of its primary functions is to assist in memorizing Buddhist teaching. Beyond this mnemonic role, dhāraṇīs also serve protective and soteriological aims, since they were seen as promoting the ability to remember the Dharma and to contain special powers. The Viśuddhaprabhā Dhāraṇī's transmission from India to East Asia illustrates the dynamics of medieval Buddhist exchange. The dhāraṇī initially arrived in the Kingdom of Khotan from India, where it was copied at Gomatī Monastery, which was a stronghold of the Buddhism in Central Asia. The Khotanese title of the dhāraṇī is Nirmala-vibhāsa-koṭi-pariśuddha Sarvatathāgata-samast-āśā-pratiṣṭhita-mudrā, which Lokesh Chandra translates to "Meditation for consummating all one’s wishes by the supremely pure immaculate radiance of the Omnipotent Tathāgata", translating mudrā-dhāraṇī as "dhāraṇī for meditation." Furthermore, according to Chandra, Nirmala-vibhāsa-koṭi-pariśuddha refers to Amitābha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. The dhāraṇī sutra was translated into Chinese in 704 CE by the monk Mituoshan (possibly *Mitraśānta, or *Mitrasena) and the prominent Huayan master Fazang during the final year of Empress Wu Zetian's reign. Chandra writes that Mituoshan simplified the title in Chinese to 無垢淨光大陀羅尼經: Wu-kou (vimala) ching (viśuddha) kuang (prabhā) ta t‘o-lo-ni (mahā-dhāraṇī) ching (sūtra). Mitrasena presented it at the court of Empress Wu Zetian (r. 690 to 705) of the Tang Dynasty. The Empress, seriously ill and seeking both healing and a favorable rebirth, became a key patron of the text, and many copies were made and ritually enshrined during her reign. Research suggests the sūtra may have been disseminated throughout East Asia as part of a relics-distribution campaign intended to serve as a propaganda tool for Empress Wu's dynasty. After Wu Zetian's death, her son Emperor Zhongzong disseminated printed copies of the dhāraṇī widely around China and in neighboring states in an effort to purify her karma and provide her with a good rebirth as well as pacify the nation. The text was also inscribed on dhāraṇī pillars. The text spread throughout East Asia quickly, reaching Korea in a few years, where it was used for similar ritual purposes. The most famous Korean example of the text is the Great Dhāraṇī Sūtra of Bulguksa (see below). The dhāraṇī saw another major wave of promotion in 8th-century Japan under Empress Kōken (r. 749–758; 764–770). Following a period of political struggle and depression, she commissioned the production of one million miniature wooden pagodas (Hyakumantō), each containing a printed scroll of the dhāraṇī, in a monumental act of merit-making that sought to secure her health, political authority, and karmic destiny. These events cemented the text's reputation as an especially potent rite for those facing illness, old age, or political peril. Empress Kōken's Hyakumantō Darani project in the 760s-770s represents one of the world's earliest large-scale printing endeavors, predating the Diamond Sūtra. Thousands of these printed dhāraṇī slips survive in Japanese temple collections like Hōryū-ji, providing crucial evidence for early printing technology. The text also inspired artistic and architectural programs, with its descriptions of multi-tiered, multi-cakra pillars influencing stūpa design in East Asia. It remains studied as a prime example of how Buddhist ritual practices were mobilized for personal, political, and communal ends in medieval Asia. A second and longer version of the dhāraṇī sutra was translated translated by Shihu (Skt. Dānapāla?) between 982 and 1017. The text was also translated into Tibetan and is contained in the Tibetan Kangyur under the Kriyātantra section with the title 'Od zer dri ma med pa rnam par dag pa'i gzungs (Toh 510 / 982). It is still used as a ritual text in Tibetan Buddhism, mainly for the construction and consecration of stupas.
The texts
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