Jeweled Halberd Hand: Guarding Against Invaders from Other Lands

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

Original text

若為辟除他方逆賊者。 當於寶戟手。《千手千眼觀世音菩薩廣大圓滿無礙大悲心陀羅尼經》 (Great Compassion Dharani Sutra of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva; translated by Bhagavaddharma of the Tang dynasty, T1060)

Plain-language explanation

This lesson is about the Jeweled Halberd Hand (寶戟手), one of the Forty Hands. The original text of the 《大悲心陀羅尼經》 (T1060) is a single line: 「若為辟除他方逆賊者。 當於寶戟手。」 It means that one who wishes to ward off rebellious bandits who attack from other lands should practice the Jeweled Halberd Hand.

First, the original meaning of the scripture. This is a line about seeking a practice: it first names the matter to be dealt with, then points to the matching hand. The scripture does not add detail here; it only states that this matter calls for the Jeweled Halberd Hand. The whole passage on the Forty Hands follows the same pattern, each hand governing one matter, and the Jeweled Halberd Hand governs the calamity of bandits from outside.

Next, how the same hand is written in another scripture. The 《千光眼觀自在菩薩祕密法經》 (T1065) calls this hand 「戟矟手」, and writes 「若人為攝縛一切逆賊者，當修戟鞘法」. This scripture says the principal deity is the Bandit-Subduing Guanyin Bodhisattva, who raises in the left hand a halberd as long as the body and rests the right hand at the right waist. This scripture places the hand in the Buddha family, as a practice for pacifying calamity. The two scriptures give the hand slightly different names, but it governs the same matter: dealing with rebellious bandits.

Please note that the content of this lesson is the original meaning of the scripture. The 「逆賊」 the scripture speaks of means bandits who come to attack. How this line should be read today is a later reading and this site's own compilation, not what the scripture itself says.

This site's modern reading: the Compassion Map matches the Jeweled Halberd Hand with “protecting the safety of the community”. This is this site's interpretation, not the original scripture text. In plain words, the scripture speaks of outside intrusion, and today it can remind us that keeping the people around us safe is a good deed one can do. Neighbors looking out for one another carries the same meaning.

This lesson only says how the scripture is written, and says nothing about results. The scripture only states “for what is to be warded off, which hand to practice”, and says no more, so we need not add to it.

Key terms

逆賊

The scripture refers to bandits who come to attack from other lands. The two characters “他方” show that these bandits are outsiders, not local ones.

寶戟手

One of the Forty Hands. The 《大悲心陀羅尼經》 (Great Compassion Dharani Sutra) matches it with the matter of warding off rebellious bandits from other lands.

One line to remember

若為辟除他方逆賊者。 當於寶戟手。

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.