Day 30

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Last month I introduced the ten rakshasis and their mother, Hariti. Now to finish up the chapter:

Having sung these gathas, the raksasis said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One! We also will protect the person who keeps, reads and recites this sutra, and acts according to it so that he may be peaceful, that he may have no trouble, and that poison taken by him may be neutralized.

The Buddha said to the raksasis:

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. Needless to say, so will be your merits when you protect the person who keeps the sutra itself, and makes to a copy of this sutra hundreds of thousands of offerings such as flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, incense applicable to the skin, incense to burn, streamers, canopies, music, and various lamps like lamps of butter oil, oil lamps, lamps of perfumed oil, lamps of sumanas-flower oil, lamps of campaka flower oil, lamps of varsika-flower oil, and lamps of utpala-flower oil. Kunti! You [raksasis] and your attendants should protect this teacher of the Dharma.

I would like to think that I enjoy the protection of these deities, especially Plunderer of Energy of All Beings.