བསལ་བའ་ཚལ་ཆན་པའ་མད intro.7

intro.7

The sūtra promises protection specifically for the Buddha’s “four communities”—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—against a range of illnesses and obstacles originating from the animosity and ill will of these hosts of supernatural beings. In this text, these beings are said to reside in the vicinity of remote wilderness retreats, where they can feed off the vitality, flesh, and blood of members of the Buddhist spiritual community engaged in spiritual practice there. The negative impact of these supernatural beings is framed in terms of their intrusion upon the human body in the form of illness, danger, and misfortune. Concordantly, the text claims to work precisely by means of “repelling” harmful entities from the bodies of patients, “drawing a boundary” around them, and thereby restoring health and well-being. It is through “receiving, holding, reciting, mastering, and using” the scripture itself that such healing exorcisms are effected. This can be done by patients themselves or by other members of the community on their behalf.