The Lotus Sutra
Translated by Burton Watson
- Chapter Twenty-six
- Dharani
At that time the Bodhisattva Medicine king rose from his seat, bared
his right shoulder, pressed his palms together and, facing the Buddha, spoke to him,
saying, "World-Honored One, if there are good men or good women who can accept and
uphold the Lotus Sutra, if they read and recite it, penetrate its meaning, or copy the
sutra scrolls, how much merit will they gain?"
The Buddha said to Medicine King, "If there are good men or good
women who offer alms to Buddhas equal in number to the sands of eight hundred ten thousand
million nayutas of Ganges, what is your opinion? The merit they gain will surely be great,
will it not?"
"Very great, World-Honored One."
The Buddha said, "If there are good men or good women who, with
regard to this sutra, can accept and uphold even one four-line verse, if they read and
recite it, understand the principle and practice it as the sutra directs, the benefits
will be very many."
At that time Bodhisattva Medicine King said to the Buddha,
"World-Honored One, I will now give to those who preach the Law dharani spells, which
will guard and protect them." Then he pronounced these spells:
anye manye mane mamane chitte harite shame shamitavi
shante mukte muktatame same avashame sama same kshaye
akshaye akshine shante shame dharani alokabhashe-
pratyavekshani nivshte abhyantaranivishte atyantaparishuddhi
ukkule mukkule arade parade shukakashi asamasame
buddhavilokite dharmaparikshite samghanirghoshani
bhayabhayashodhani mantre mantrakshayate rute
rutakaushalye akshaye akshayavanataya abalo amanyanataya.
"World-Honored One, these dharanis, these supernatural spells, are
pronounced by Buddhas equal in number to the sands of sixty-two million Ganges. If anyone
should assault or injure these teachers of the Law, then he will have assaulted and
injured these Buddhas!"
At that time Shakyamuni Buddha praised Bodhisattva Medicine King,
saying, "Excellent, excellent, Medicine King! You keep these teachers of the Law in
your compassionate thoughts, shield and guard them, and for that reason you pronounce
these dharanis. They will bring great benefit to living beings."
At that time Bodhisattva Brave Donor said to the Buddha,
"World-Honored One, I too will pronounce dharanis to shield and guard those who read,
recite, accept, and uphold the Lotus Sutra. If a teacher of the Law acquires these
dharanis, then although yakshas, rakshasas, putanas, krityas, kumbhandas or hungry spirits
should spy out his shortcomings and try to take advantage of them, they will be unable to
do so." Then in the presence of the Buddha he pronounced these spells:
jvale mahajvale ukke mukke ade adavati nritye nrityavati ittini
vittini chittini nrityani nrityakati
"World-Honored One, these dharanis, these supernatural spells, are
pronounced by Buddhas equal in number to the sands of the Ganges, and all of them respond
with joy. If anyone should assault or injure these teachers of the Law, then he will have
assaulted and injured these Buddhas!"
At that time the heavenly king Vaishravana, protector of the world,
said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, I too think compassionately of living beings
and shield and guard these teachers of the Law, and therefore I pronounce these
dharanis." Then he pronounced these spells:
atte natte nunatte anada nade kunadi
"World-Honored One, with these supernatural spells I shield and
guard the teachers of the Law. And I will also shield and guard those who uphold this
sutra, making certain that they suffer no decline or harm within the area of a hundred
yojanas."
At that time heavenly king Upholder of the Nation, who was in the
assembly along with a host of thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of gandharvas
who surrounded him and paid him reverence, advanced to the place where the Buddha was,
pressed his palms together and said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, I too will
employ dharanis, supernatural spells, to shield and guard those who uphold the Lotus
Sutra." Then he pronounced these spells:
agane gane gauri gandhari chandali matangi janguly vrusani
agashti
"World-Honored One, these dharanis, these supernatural spells, are
pronounced by forty-two million Buddhas. If anyone should assault or injure these teachers
of the Law, then he will have assaulted and injured these Buddhas!"
At that time there were daughters of rakshasa demons, the first named
Lamba, the second named Vilamba, the third named Crooked Teeth, the fourth named Flowery
Teeth, the fifth named Black Teeth, the sixth named Much Hair, the seventh named
Insatiable, the eighth named Necklace Bearer, the ninth named Kunti, and the tenth named
Stealer of the Vital Spirit of All Living Beings. These ten rakshasa daughters, along with
the Mother of Devil Children, her offspring, and her attendants, all proceeded to the
place where the Buddha was and spoke to the Buddha in unison, saying, "World-Honored
One, we too wish to shield and guard those who read, recite, accept, and uphold the Lotus
Sutra and spare them from decline or harm. If anyone should spy out the shortcomings of
these teachers of the Law and try to take advantage of them, we will make it impossible
for him to do so." Then in the presence of the Buddha they pronounce these spells:
itime itime itime atime itime nime nime nime nime nime ruhe
ruhe ruhe ruhe stahe stahe stahe stuhe shuhe
"Though they climb upon our very heads, they will never trouble
the teachers of the Law! Whether it be a yaksha, or a pakshasa, or a hungry spirit, or a
putana, or a kritya, or a vetada, or a skanda 8, or an umaraka, or an apasmaraka,
or a yaksha kritya, or a human kritya, or a fever, a one day, a two day, a three day, or a
four day, or up to a seven day or a constant fever, whether it be in a man's form, in a
woman's form, in young boy's form, in young girl's form, though it be only in a dream, it
will never trouble them!"
Then in the presence of the Buddha they spoke in verse form, saying:
If there are those who fail to heed our spells
and trouble and disrupt the preachers of the Law,
their heads will split into seven pieces
like the branches of the arjaka tree.
Their crime will be like that of one who kills father and mother,
or one who presses out oil,
or cheats others with measures and scales,
or, like Devadatta, disrupts the Order of monks.
Anyone who commits a crime against these teachers of the Law
will bring on himself guilt such as this!"
After the rakshasa daughters had spoken these verses, they said to the
Buddha, "World-Honored One, we will use our own bodies to shield and guard those who
accept, uphold, read, recite, and practice this sutra. We will see that they gain peace
and tranquility, freeing them from decline and harm and nulling the effect of all poison
herbs."
The Buddha said to the rakshasa daughters, "Excellent, excellent!
If you can shield and guard those who accept and uphold the mere name of the Lotus Sutra,
your merit will be immeasurable. How much more so if you shield and guard those who accept
and uphold it in its entirety, who offer alms to the sutra scrolls, flowers, incense,
necklaces, powdered incense, paste incense, incense for burning, banners, canopies, music,
who burn various kinds of lamps, lamps of butter oil, oil lamps, lamps of various fragrant
oils, lamps of sumana flower oil, and lamps of utpala flower oil, and who in this manner
offer hundreds and thousands of varieties of alms? Kunti, you and your attendants should
shield and guard the teachers of the Law such as these!"
When [the Buddha] preached this Dharani chapter, sixty-eight thousand
persons gained the truth of birthless-ness.