sanskrit
Dharani
Definition
A dharani (Sanskrit: 'that which sustains' or 'that which holds') is a form of concentrated awareness practice in Buddhist tantra, similar in function to a mantra but typically longer, more complex, and serving a protective or transformative purpose. Dharanis are often associated with specific deities or with specific effects — memory, protection, purification, or the removal of obstacles. They are recited, visualised, and held in awareness as objects of concentration.
The Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, a foundational text of Kashmiri Shaiva tantra, contains 112 dharanas (a closely related Sanskrit term meaning 'concentrations' or 'supports for attention') — 112 distinct ways of attending to experience as an entry into expanded awareness. These range from breath awareness at specific body points to sustained attention to gaps between thoughts. The text is one of the oldest surviving structured contemplative manuals.
Where the word comes from
The Sanskrit root is 'dhar' — to hold, to sustain, to support. In Buddhist Sanskrit usage, a dharani is specifically a formula that 'holds' the merit or power of a teaching. The term appears in early Mahayana Buddhist texts from approximately the 2nd century CE and becomes central to Vajrayana practice. The related term 'dharana' in Hindu yoga philosophy means 'concentration' — the sixth of Patanjali's eight limbs. The two terms share the root but follow different developmental paths.
In Tantra Clinic practice
At Tantra Clinic, dharani informs our approach to awareness anchoring. Rather than recitation as such, we draw on the structural insight of the Vijnana Bhairava's 112 dharanas: that specific, well-defined objects of attention — breath at the nostrils, sensation at the base of the spine, the gap between exhale and inhale — can be used as reliable entry points for present-moment awareness. Clients with racing minds often find concentration on a specific body locus more accessible than open awareness practices.