Ye Dharma Hetu

Ye dharmā hetu (Sanskrit: ये धर्मा हेतु, is a famous Sanskrit mantra widely used in ancient times, and is often found carved on chaityas, images, or placed within chaityas.

It is often used in Sanskrit, but is also found in Canonical Pali texts (Mahāvaggapāli PTS Vinaya Vol 1, pg 40).

It is referred to as the Dependent Origination Dhāraṇī.

These words were used by the Arahat Assajī (Skr: Aśvajit) when asked about the teaching of the Buddha. On the spot Sāriputta (Skt: Śāriputra) attained the first Path (Sotāpatti) and later told them to his friend Moggallāna (Skt: Maudgalyayana) who also attained. They then went to the Buddha, along with 500 of their disciples, and asked to become his disciples.

ये धर्मा हेतु प्रभवा हेतुं
तेषां तथागतः ह्यवदत्
तेषां च यो निरोध
एवं वादी महाश्रमण

In Roman transliteration the mantra is variously transliterated, depending on the language it was written in. In Sanskrit it appears as:

ye dharmā hetu prabhavā hetun,
teṣāṃ tathāgato hyavadat,
teṣāṃ ca yo nirodha,
evaṃ vādī mahāśramaṇa

In Pāḷi:

ye dhammā hetuppabhavā tesaṁ hetuṁ tathāgato āha,
tesaṃca yo nirodho - evaṁvādī mahāsamaṇo.

The meaning is:

Of those phenomena which arise from causes:
Those causes have been taught by the Tathāgata (Buddha),
And their cessation too - thus proclaims the Great Ascetic.

The Pāḷi commentaries take the first line as pointing to suffering (dukkha), the second to its cause (samudaya) and the third to its cessation (nirodha).

When it is taken as a mantra (as in the Mahāyāna), we should bear in mind that mantras may be interpreted in many ways, or even as mere sequences of sound whose effects lie beyond strict meaning.

The mantra has been widely used. It has been used at Sarnath, Tirhut, Kanari Copperplate, Tagoung, Sherghatti, near Gaya, Allahabad column, Sanchi etc.

...
Wikipedia