འཕགས་པ་སྤྲན་ཆན་པ intro.3

intro.3

The dhāraṇī-sūtra centers on an assembly of nāgas who receive a visit from the Buddha in their own palace. The assembled nāgas pay homage to the Buddha with a grand panoply of magically emanated offerings, and vow to support the Buddhist teachings. A visiting great nāga king asks him to explain how the nāgas can eliminate their own suffering and aid sentient beings by causing rain to fall and crops to grow. The Buddha, in response, extols the benefits of loving-kindness and then teaches them a dhāraṇī that when accompanied by the recitation of a host of buddha names will pacify the nāgas’ suffering and cause crops to grow. At the nāga king’s request, the Buddha then teaches another long dhāraṇī that will assist sentient beings by providing timely rain and in particular cause rain to fall during times of drought, thereby nourishing sentient beings. The Buddha then presents several dhāraṇīs and lists of buddha names that, when recited, should bring about their specified results. The text concludes with brief instructions for constructing an altar and holding a ritual to be performed when reciting these dhāraṇīs for the purpose of bringing rainfall.