The shurangama mantra The shurangama mantra | Page 245

【THE SHURANGAMA SUTRA _ EXTRACTION.】
his greedy desires. Those who give in
to his lust also adopt his views of
emptiness and deny cause and effect.
8:150
”At that time a demon from the
heavens seizes the opportunity it has
been waiting for. Its spirit possesses
another person and uses him as a
mouthpiece to expound the Sutras
and the Dharma. 8:156
”This is an essence that was created
during an eclipse of the sun or moon.
Having fallen on gold, jade, a rare
fungus, a unicorn, a phoenix, a
tortoise, or a crane, the essence
endowed it with life, so that it did not
die for thousands or tens of thousands
of years and eventually became a
spirit. It was then born into this land
and in its old age has become a
demon. It disturbs and confuses the
good person. But when it tires of
doing so, it will leave the other
person’s body. Then both the
disciples and the teacher will get in
trouble with the law. 8:150
”This person, unaware that he is
possessed by a demon, claims he has
reached unsurpassed Nirvana. When
he comes to see that good person who
seeks long life, he arranges a seat and
speaks the Dharma. He is fond of
saying that he can go places and
come back without hindrance,
perhaps traveling ten thousand miles
and returning in the twinkling of an
eye. He can also bring things back
from wherever he goes. Or he may
tell someone to walk from one end of
the room to the other, a distance of
just a few paces. Then even if the
person walked fast for years, he could
not reach the wall. Therefore people
believe in the possessed person and
mistake him for a Buddha. 8:156
”You should be aware of this in
advance and not get caught up in the
cycle of transmigration. If you are
confused and do not understand, you
will fall into the Relentless Hells.
8:154
”He often says, ‘All beings in the ten
directions are my children. I gave
birth to all Buddhas. I created the
world. I am the original Buddha. I
created this world naturally, not due
to cultivation.’ 8:157
”Further, in the unhindered clarity
and wonder that ensues after the
feeling skandha is gone, this good
person is untroubled by any deviant
mental state and experiences perfect,
bright concentration. Within samadhi,
his mind craves long life, so he toils
at investigating its subtleties as he
greedily seeks for immortality. He
wishes to cast aside the birth and
death of the body, and suddenly he
hopes to end the birth and death of
thoughts as well, so that he can abide
forever in a subtle form. 8:154
”This may be a chamunda sent from
the retinue of the demon in the
Heaven of Sovereignty, or a youthful
pishacha from the Heaven of the Four
Kings that has not yet brought forth
the resolve. It takes advantage of the
person’s luminous clarity and
devours his essence and energy. Or
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