Q: A fellow Buddhist practitioner had a dream in which a man, who he thought to be Nanjing Bodhisattva, showed him a code: “7829”. He told him to use it in the event of an emergency. Could Master Lu decipher the code?
A:
The string of numbers “7829” is the Guan Yin Citta Emergency Code, a special combination of Buddhist scriptures. It consists of the Great Compassion Mantra 7 times, the Heart Sutra 8 times, the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance twice, and the Xiao Zai Ji Xiang Shen Zhou 9 times.
In the event of an emergency, e.g., in the case of a mishap in the family or you are mentally troubled, you can recite this special combination to seek the Bodhisattva’s blessing. It is very effective.
This combination is for emergency use. After reciting it, the spirits causing the problem will usually agree to leave you for the time being; that gives you more time to recite the Little Houses for them.
Before reciting the combination, you can pray to the Bodhisattva to help you solve a specific problem.
However, the Emergency Code is only a contingency solution. You still need to follow the conventional practices of reciting Buddhist scriptures, including Little Houses, performing life liberation, and making great vows to resolve the problem completely.
It is generally unnecessary to use the Code unless the problem is urgent.
Do not recite more than three sets of this combination in one day. This limit applies to children as well.
You must recite the Great Compassion Mantra 7 times and the Heart Sutra 8 times before reciting the other two scriptures.
You may recite the combination on behalf of another person to help them deal with a specific issue.
The recitations of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance in the Emergency Code are not to be counted into your daily recitation. Nevertheless, you still need to limit the total count of this sutra in a single day. Otherwise, you will risk activating your karmic obstacles and transforming them into spirits.
In an urgent situation, if it is inconvenient for you to recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance, you can do the following: Recite the Great Compassion Mantra 7 times, then the Heart Sutra 8 times, followed by the Xiao Zai Ji Xiang Shen Zhou 9 times. You may then make a special request to the Bodhisattva as follows: “May the Guan Yin Bodhisattva have compassion on me, I am now in an emergency, but I will recite the remaining Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance on my return home.”
In the event that you encounter an emergency away from home at night, though normally not a suitable situation for reciting the Heart Sutra, you may recite it (8 times) as part of the Code. This is because the scriptures recited for the Code are under special protection of Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors.
The Emergency Code is not to be confused with, nor used as a substitute for, the Little House. Having recited the scriptures in the Code, you are not allowed to put red dots on a piece of paper and burn it as an offering.
< Buddhism Your Questions Answered (FAQ)