Bell Hand: Accomplishing All Supreme and Wondrous Pure Sounds

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

Original text

若為成就一切上妙梵音聲者。 當於寶鐸手。《千手千眼觀世音菩薩廣大圓滿無礙大悲心陀羅尼經》 (Tang dynasty, translated by Bhagavaddharma, T1060)

Plain-language explanation

The Precious Bell Hand comes from the 《大悲心陀羅尼經》 (Great Compassionate Heart Dharani Sutra) and is the thirtieth of the Forty Hands. The scripture's original line reads: 「若為成就一切上妙梵音聲者。當於寶鐸手。」 This means: one who wishes to accomplish all supreme and wondrous pure sounds corresponds to the Precious Bell Hand.

鐸 is a kind of bell. This site's Compassion Map places this hand in the Mani division, under the method of increasing benefit, with Dharma-Sound Sovereign Bodhisattva (法音觀自在菩薩) as its principal deity.

The name and use of the same hand are also recorded in another scripture, the 《千光眼觀自在菩薩祕密法經》 (Secret Dharma Sutra of the Thousand-Light-Eyed Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva). That sutra says that one who wishes to accomplish supreme and wondrous Brahma-sound should perform the Bell Dharma; the painted image of Dharma-Sound Avalokiteśvara holds a precious vajra bell in the left hand, while the right hand makes a fist and rests at the waist. The two scriptures agree on this hand: the implement held is a bell, and what is wished for is wondrous sound. This lesson reads only these records and does not discuss methods of practice.

Here 梵音 (Brahma-sound), taken literally, means a pure sound. The scripture itself does not explain it further, so this lesson also stops at the literal meaning.

Each of the Forty Hands is a sentence of the form “If one wishes for ..., one should turn to the ... Hand”: first the person's wish, then the corresponding hand. The wish of this hand is about sound. A neighboring hand, the Precious Seal Hand, corresponds to skillful and eloquent speech; both hands concern speaking and sound, but each has its own place.

This site's modern reading: this site's Compassion Map matches the Precious Bell Hand to "music and artistic healing." This is the site's own compilation, not the scripture's words. The scripture says only "to accomplish supreme and wondrous pure sounds" and does not speak of healing. Brought into today's life, it can be understood as paying attention to the sounds one makes and also to the sounds one lets into one's ears. This is only one way of reading the scripture, not a conclusion of the scripture.

Key terms

若為成就一切上妙梵音聲者

This is the wish of the Precious Bell Hand: to accomplish all supreme, wondrous and pure sounds. The scripture gives only this one line and does not explain it further.

寶鐸手

The thirtieth of the Forty Hands. 鐸 means a bell. On this site's Compassion Map it is placed in the Mani division, under the method of increasing benefit.

One line to remember

若為成就一切上妙梵音聲者

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.