顯密圓通成佛心要集 2.5

2.5

First, the gateway of protecting the king and bringing peace and joy to the people: the various dhāraṇī sūtras of the Secret Store all say that dhāraṇīs can protect the king and bring peace and joy to the people. Thus the Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī Sūtra says: "In all realms, wherever dhāraṇīs circulate, the ruler of men is always protected and has sovereignty and power; his royal administration is also protected, and all the princes, consorts, prime ministers, assisting ministers, officials, and generals are protected and obtain peace and joy. All inner and outer enemies, deceitful plots, pestilences, famines, severe droughts, floods, vicious beasts, and poisonous dragons within the realm—all such inauspicious matters are eradicated; furthermore, wealth and grain become abundant, storehouses overflow, flowers and fruits flourish, and the people have peace and joy." Moreover, the Ratnagarbha Dhāraṇī Sūtra says: "Wherever dhāraṇīs circulate, they protect the king, princes, consorts, princesses, and the hundreds of ministers and counselors, causing their calamities to be extinguished, their wishes to be completely fulfilled, and good spirits to grant protection so that ghosts and demons do not come to harass them. Furthermore, ten kinds of retributions are obtained in the realm: 1. No foreign troops or hostile bandits invade or disturb the realm; 2. No calamities arise in the realm from astrological anomalies; 3. No evil ghosts or spirits spread pestilences in the realm, and good spirits protect the multitude of people in peace and joy; 4. No disasters of wind, fire, frost, hail, and the like occur in the realm; 5. Enemies can find no opening against the people in the realm; 6. The people in the realm are not oppressed by demons; 7. The people in the realm suffer no untimely deaths; 8. The five grains ripen and sweet fruits abound in the realm; 9. Good dragons enter the borders and bring rain in due season, so there are no names of drought or flood; 10. The people in the realm are not harmed by tigers, wolves, rhinoceroses, savage beasts, or various evil poisons." Again, the Saptabuddhadhāraṇī Sūtra says: "If the sun and moon lose their courses, the dhāraṇī can cause them to move properly; if crops do not ripen, it can make them yield abundantly; if ministers plot rebellion, their evil intentions are naturally extinguished; and it can repel pestilences and weapons of war." It also says: "Those rulers of men who wish to obtain peace and joy in the present life and be free from all disasters should diligently chant and recite the dhāraṇī, and should also encourage their queens, consorts, court ladies, and princes to cultivate it diligently." Again, the Sūtra on the Dhāraṇī for Protecting the Realm's Ruler says: "Why is it specifically said to protect the ruler of the realm? Because when the ruler of the realm has peace and joy, all the people have peace and joy; therefore it specifically speaks of protecting the ruler of the realm." The Parṇaśabarī Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva Sūtra says: "The dhāraṇī can eradicate all disasters, pestilences, famines, bandits, wars, irregular floods and droughts, and astrological anomalies for all sentient beings; it can also increase blessings and virtues, causing the realm to flourish, the people to have peace and joy, and the king and his sons and daughters all to attain long life." Moreover, the Subāhuparipṛcchā Sūtra says: "Apart from mantras, there is no other dharma that can bestow joy upon sentient beings, as is broadly explained in the various dhāraṇī sūtras." Formerly, Emperor Tianyou of the Liao state widely turned the wheel of the Dharma and circulated the Buddha's wisdom; firmly upholding the esoteric mantra, he soon achieved its spiritual efficacy, thereby obtaining nine ears of grain on a single stalk and wheat branching in two, with the precious reign constantly secured and the myriad people enjoying eternal peace. This is indeed the verification of the dhāraṇī.