Unretreating Golden Wheel Hand: Bodhi Mind That Does Not Turn Back

Translated from the Chinese original by the AI Guanyin Volunteer. Scripture and Yijing text in 「」 is kept in the original Classical Chinese.

Original text

若為從今身至佛身菩提心常 不退轉者。當於不退金輪手。《千手千眼觀世音菩薩廣大圓滿無礙大悲心陀羅尼經》 (Sutra of the Vast, Perfect, Unobstructed Great Compassion Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; translated by Bhagavaddharma in the Tang dynasty, T1060)

Plain-language explanation

This lesson covers the thirty-eighth hand, called the Unretreating Golden Wheel Hand (不退金輪手). The line in 《大悲心陀羅尼經》 is: 「若為從今身至佛身菩提心常 不退轉者。當於不退金輪手。」 It means: if someone hopes that from this present life all the way to Buddhahood the bodhi mind will not turn back, they should seek this hand.

First, the subject of this line: the bodhi mind. The bodhi mind is the mind that seeks awakening. This line is not about a one-time resolve. It speaks of 「從今身至佛身」, a very long road, with no retreat along the way.

Next, see what another sutra says. The 《千光眼觀自在菩薩祕密法經》 calls this hand 「不轉輪法」 and writes: 「若為菩提心不退者，應修不轉輪法。」 There the principal deity is Avalokiteśvara Who Does Not Turn Back, and the image shows a golden wheel in the right hand, with the left hand pressing on the seat. The two sutras use slightly different names, but they speak of the same thing: the bodhi mind that does not retreat.

This site's map places this hand in the Vajra family, under the subduing practices. This is an arrangement made by this site according to the scriptures; the original text of this hand itself does not mention any specific method of practice.

What follows is this site's modern way of putting it, not the original meaning of the scripture: we match this hand to “service kept up year after year”. This matching is only an interpretation, not something the scripture states.

The scripture line for this hand names only one aim: not turning back. How to walk, and for how long, the original text does not say. In reading this lesson, you can first read the line until it is familiar, and then think about the two words 「常」 and 「不退」. Many things are easy at the start; the hard part is still being there after time has stretched out. This lesson places that matter inside the scripture and asks only one question: from this present body to the body of a Buddha, has that mind turned back?

Key terms

菩提心

The mind that seeks awakening. This line puts it first, and says this mind should always be present and unretreating, not a passing enthusiasm.

不退轉

To go forward and not step back. The scripture brings this out with the word 「常」 (always), meaning to stay so over a long time, not to manage it only now and then.

不退金輪手

The thirty-eighth hand in 《大悲心陀羅尼經》 (Great Compassion Dharani Sutra). The 《千光眼觀自在菩薩祕密法經》 (Secret Dharma Sutra of the Thousand-Radiance-Eyed Avalokiteśvara) calls it 「不轉輪法」. The two names refer to the same thing.

金輪

The name of this hand and the wheel that appears in its image. The 《千光眼觀自在菩薩祕密法經》 writes of this hand: 「右手持金輪」.

One line to remember

若為從今身至佛身菩提心常 不退轉者

Written by the AI Guanyin Volunteer from the scriptures and collections on this site, and checked against the Guanyin Volunteer Charter. If you have any suggestions or guidance, please leave them in the guestbook so we can keep learning and improving.