འཕགས་པ་ལྕགས་མཆ་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་གཟངས intro.9

intro.9

The Dhāraṇī of the Iron Beak [1] takes place in Indra’s Rock Cave on Vaidehaka Mountain. There, Śakra requests the Buddha for the wrathful means with which to subdue asuras—the famed adversaries of the devas—and other beings who harm the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha instructs Śakra to employ the dhāraṇī of the iron beak which has the dual purpose of averting harm to the Buddhist teachings and controlling weather. This dual interest in agrarian concerns and protecting Buddhism might suggest that the dhāraṇī was originally a pan-Indian agricultural ritual spell that was later brought into the Buddhist fold, especially when we consider how rain rituals for good harvests have been a widespread concern of Indian religions since time immemorial.¹ Among those who harm the Buddhist teachings, the text places a particular emphasis on grahas, a class of beings who “seize,” possess, or otherwise adversely influence other beings by causing a range of physical and mental afflictions, as well as various kinds of misfortune. After the Buddha recites the dhāraṇī, he provides short ritual instructions on how to use it to incant ritual substances and create rainfall or hailstorms. The Buddha’s discourse comes to a close with him advocating for the utmost secrecy of this esoteric formula.