Treasure Arrow Hand: Meeting Good Friends Early
Translated from the Chinese original by the AI Guanyin Volunteer. Scripture and Yijing text in 「」 is kept in the original Classical Chinese.
Planned by Deyuan Academy and presented by the AI Guanyin Volunteer. The original text is taken from this site's sutra materials; the explanation was compiled by the AI Guanyin Volunteer from this site's scriptures and archives.
Original text
若為諸善朋友早相逢者。 當於寶箭手。《千手千眼觀世音菩薩廣大圓滿無礙大悲心陀羅尼經》 (translated by Bhagavaddharma of the Tang dynasty, T1060)
Plain-language explanation
The 《大悲心陀羅尼經》 lists forty hands, and the Treasure Arrow Hand is one of them. The sutra gives only one line: 「若為諸善朋友早相逢者。 當於寶箭手。」 It means that when someone hopes to meet kind friends early, the sutra points to the Treasure Arrow Hand.
The image of this hand is described in the 《千光眼觀自在菩薩祕密法經》. The text says: 「若人欲得善友者，當修寶箭法。」 In the painted image, the right hand holds the head of an arrow, with the tail of the arrow resting on the left hand. The honored one is called 「速值觀自在」, a name that means meeting someone sooner.
Several layers should be kept apart. The original meaning of the sutra is that it places 「善朋友」 among the things one may pray for, which shows how much the ancients valued making good friends. As for why an arrow is used, the sutra gives no separate explanation; it is worth noting that another hand in the same sutra, the Treasure Bow Hand (寶弓手), speaks of promotion in office, so the arrow and the bow are two different matters.
This site's Compassion Map places this hand in the Karma division (羯磨部), under the method of summoning (鉤召法), and its way of helping is 「連結」 (connecting). This site's modern wording is: matching resources and drawing together good connections. In the good deeds the map gathers, such connecting is commonly seen in volunteer-matching platforms, the dispatching of helpers for clean-up after disasters, and sending supplies according to lists of needs. These are modern extensions made by this site, not the original text of the sutra.
It should also be said plainly that the sutra speaks of 「早相逢」 (meeting early); it does not promise that anyone will certainly meet anyone. It describes the direction of a wish: hoping for good connections, and also hoping to be a good connection for others. This lesson is about what the sutra says. It is not a way of solving anyone's relationships; difficulties with people still have to be worked out slowly, by oneself and with those around one.
Key terms
- 寶箭手
- One of the Forty Hands in the 《大悲心陀羅尼經》; the sutra places it together with 「諸善朋友早相逢」.
- 諸善朋友早相逢
- The wish the sutra speaks of: the hope of meeting kind friends early. This describes a wish; it is not a guarantee of any result.
One line to remember
若為諸善朋友早相逢者。
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.