Chapter 26
Dharanis

 

SUMMARY

This chapter reveals the dharanis (the mystic syllables which sustain a chanter’s religious life) of many deities. The deities are Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva, Vaisravana Heavenly-King, World-Holding Heavenly-King and ten female devils together with Mother-Of-Devils and her children. The dharani-spells are uttered to protect the practitioners, teachers and expounders of the Lotus Sutra.

EXPLANATIONS

"How many merits will be given to the good men or women who keep, read, recite, understand or copy the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma?" (P.325, L.6.):

Medicine-King Bodhisattva (Yaku-o Bosatsu) asked the Buddha how many merits will be given to those who keep, read, recite, understand or copy the Lotus Sutra. Keeping, reading, reciting, understanding and copying are the five practices in the Lotus Sutra. We have studied these practices in Chapter Ten in which the Buddha told Medicine-King Bodhisattva and eighty thousand great men what the teachers of the Dharma must practice and what the teachers must keep in their mind. Then, in this chapter the Bodhisattva asked how many merits the teachers of the Dharma would receive.

"More merits will be given to the good men or women who keep, read or recite even a single gatha of four lines of this sutra, understand the meanings of it or act according to it. (P.325, L. 16.):

The Buddha answered Medicine-King Bodhisattva. There are more merits than the number of sand grains in the River Ganges. You do not have to read the entire sutra or one chapter of the sutra but to keep, read, recite, understand or copy a single phrase or sentence. We intend to follow our own way of practice; however, the sutra warns us to practice according to the sutra. "Myoho Renge Kyo" is the name of the Lotus Sutra. "Namu" means to devote, to respect, to honor, to adore and to admire. So when you keep, read, chant, explain or copy only "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo," you are still practicing according to the Lotus Sutra.

"Thereupon Medicine-King Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! Now I will give dharani-spells to the expounder of the Dharma in order to protect him.’" (P.325, L.19.):

Medicine-King Bodhisattva vowed that if there are people who attack or abuse a teacher who reads and recites the sutra, they should be considered to have attacked and abused all Buddhas. Then he uttered these dharani-spells: "Ani, mani, mane, mamane, shirei . . . "

"Thereupon Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! I also will utter dharanis in order to protect the person who reads, recites, and keeps the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.’" (P.326, L.21.):

Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva (Yuze Bosatsu) vows his protection toward a teacher of the Lotus Sutra. He promised that the teacher will not have his weak points taken advantage of by anyone and uttered the spells: "Zarei, makazare, ukki, mokki, arei ..."

"Thereupon Vaisravana Heavenly-King, the Protector of the World said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! I also will utter dharanis in order to protect this teacher of the Dharma out of my compassion towards all living beings.’" (P.327, L.13.):

Vaisravana Heavenly-King (Bishamon Tenno) vowed his protection and uttered the spells: "Ari, nari, tonari, anaro, nabi, kunabi." He also protects the person who keeps this sutra so that he may have no trouble within a hundred yojanas’ distance from here.

Vaisravana is also known by the name of Much-Hearing because he often likes to hear the Dharma. He is one of the Four-Quarter Heavenly Kings, the guardians of the four directions of the world. He protects people living in the northern part of the world.

The Four-Quarter Heavenly Kings are the kings of the four heavenly realms around Mount Sumeru (Shumisen in Japanese). They protect Buddhism and its believers while serving God Indra (Taishaku-ten in Japanese). Indra is the lord god of the Four-Quarter Heavenly Kings. He was originally a Hindu god but in Buddhism he is considered to be a god who protects Buddhism and its followers.

Nichiren Shonin respects and adores the Four-Quarter Heavenly Kings, so their names are written on the four corners of the Mandala Gohonzon.

"Thereupon World-Holding Heavenly-King, accompanied by thousands of billions of nayutas of gandharvas who were surrounding him respectfully, came to the Buddha, joined his hands together, and said to him, ‘World-Honored One! I also will protect the keeper of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with dharanis, with divine spells.’" (P.327, L.24.):

World-Holding Heavenly-King (Jikoku Tenno) is also one of the Four-Quarter Heavenly Kings. He protects people living in the eastern part of the world. He uttered the spells: "Akyanei, kyanei, kuri, kendari, sendari ..."

Ten raksasis (female devils, Jurasetsunyo) and Mother-Of-Devils also vowed to protect a person who practices the Lotus Sutra so that he may have no trouble. They uttered the spells: "Idebi, ideibin, ideibi, adeibi, ideibi ..."

Mother-Of-Devils is well known as Kishimo in Japanese or Heriti in Sanskrit. It is said that she had Five Hundred children. She fed them the blood of the babies of others. When she heard the Dharma from the Buddha, she repented her sins and vowed to protect Buddhism. She is invoked for an easy delivery, and the health of children.

Note: In Buddhism, once devils turn their minds to goodness and practice righteousness, they are considered to be deities because it is said that those who are very bad could be very good when they repent their wrong doings.

"Excellent, excellent! Your merits will be immeasurable even when you protect the person who keeps only the name of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma." (P.329, L.17.):

Buddha Sakyamuni praised these deities who uttered the dharani-spells. He said that the number of their merits will be beyond expression, and also that those who practice the Lotus Sutra will receive numerous merits. Needless to say, so will be our merits when we protect a person who keeps the sutra, makes a copy of this sutra and makes offerings such as music, flowers, incense and candles. These are our daily practices at the temple and at our homes.

These five deities and their dharani-spells are very important for Nichiren Shu priests who perform the kito blessing. When Saint Nichiren wrote informal gohonzons and amulets, he often wrote these deities’ names on both sides of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo and gave them to his followers for protection.

~ Namu Myohorengekyo ~