Introduction
i.1This text extols the virtues and benefits of devotional practices, such as the recitation of sacred names and formulae or mantras. It can thus be said to be related to the bhakti or devotional movement in the religious life of the Indian subcontinent, a form of religious expression found in all major religions of the world. Faith (śraddhā; dad pa) is an essential factor of the path to awakening. It is listed among the five spiritual faculties (indriya; dbang po) and the eleven wholesome mental states.
i.1這部經文讚揚虔誠信仰修行的功德和利益，例如誦持聖號和陀羅尼等咒語。因此可以說，這部經與印度次大陸宗教生活中的虔誠信仰運動有關，這是世界各大宗教中都存在的一種宗教表達形式。信是覺悟之路的重要因素。它被列為五種靈性根之一，以及十一種善心所。
i.2In this sūtra, Śrī Mahādevī cultivated her faith by venerating and chanting names of the enlightened ones, thus accomplishing the roots of virtue that become the cause of her future awakening. The narrative takes place in the buddha realm Sukhāvatī, where the Buddha Śākyamuni explains to the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara the benefits of reciting Śrī Mahādevī’s names. He further explains how Śrī Mahādevī herself gained the roots of virtue by venerating numerous tathāgatas, whom the Buddha lists. He then relates the prophecy of Śrī Mahādevī’s future enlightenment, bestowed upon her by those buddhas, and lists her one hundred and eight names. The sūtra ends with the Buddha Śākyamuni giving a dhāraṇī and a brief explanation on how to practice the recitation of Śrī Mahādevī’s names.
i.2在這部經典中，瑪哈德維女神通過尊崇和誦念開悟者的名號來培養信心，從而成就了成為她未來成佛之因的福德根源。故事發生在極樂世界這個佛陀的淨土中，釋迦牟尼佛向菩薩觀音菩薩解釋誦念瑪哈德維女神名號的利益。他進一步解釋了瑪哈德維女神自己如何通過尊崇眾多如來而獲得福德根源，佛陀列舉了這些如來。他隨後敘述了瑪哈德維女神的成佛授記，這是由那些諸佛所給予的，並列舉了她的一百零八個名號。經典最後以釋迦牟尼佛賜予一個陀羅尼和關於如何修習誦念瑪哈德維女神名號的簡要說明而結束。
i.3Most Kangyurs include two copies of the text, one (Toh 193) in the General Sūtra (mdo sde) section and one (Toh 739) among the Collected Tantras (rgyud ’bum), classified under Kriyātantra. As neither copy of the Tibetan version has a colophon, there is no information regarding the translators. However, it must have been translated in the early period, since it is listed in the early ninth century Denkarma (ldan dkar ma) catalog of texts translated into Tibetan from Sanskrit. Versions of this sūtra in Sanskrit and Chinese are still extant today. The present translation appears to be the first into a Western language.
i.3大多數甘珠爾都包含該經的兩個版本，其中一個（Toh 193）在通常經藏（般若部）中，另一個（Toh 739）則在《集密教》（密教部）中，歸類於事部密教。由於藏文版本的兩個抄本都沒有卷尾題記，因此沒有關於譯者的信息。不過，由於它被列在九世紀初的敦煌目錄（從梵文翻譯為藏文的佛經目錄）中，所以該經肯定是在早期被翻譯的。現在梵文和漢文版本的該經仍然保存至今。本譯本似乎是首次翻譯成西方語言的版本。
i.4The Degé edition of this sūtra was compared with various editions of the Tibetan canon, namely, the Narthang, Kangxi, and Lhasa editions, as well as with the Sanskrit of the Gilgit manuscript as edited by Nalinaksha Dutt. The English translation has been made on the basis of the Tibetan, with a few exceptions as indicated in the notes. The great many proper names contained in the sūtra are here given in Sanskrit, but translations have been added in parentheses in the case of the “one hundred and eight names”—which are, rather, epithets describing Mahādevī.
i.4本經的德格版本與西藏大藏經的多個版本進行了對比，包括納塘版、康熙版和拉薩版，並與由納利納克沙·杜特編訂的吉爾吉特手稿的梵文進行了對照。本英文翻譯以藏文版本為基礎編譯，少數情況除外，已在註釋中標明。本經所含的眾多專有名詞均採用梵文表記，但在「一百零八個名號」的情況下，在括號內加入了中文翻譯——這些實際上是描述瑪哈德維女神的尊號。