■Book 148─Power of Mantra
■Written by Master Sheng-yen Lu
■Chapter Three
The old man wrote down his name, birthday and address.
I made a quick spiritual observation and sensed the sound of a mantra filling the atmosphere, accompanied by the scent of sandalwood. I also saw circles of light radiating and within each circle stood a fortune deity. This was most astonishing.
“Do you know how to recite any mantras?” I asked.
“Nope!” Pan Ji, the old man, replied.
“I heard the sound of a mantra and smelled the scent of sandalwood. I saw fortune deities by your side.”
“Impossible!”
I had helped many in my consultations and had a good track record of accuracy. It was rare to hear someone remark “impossible.” Rather, it was impossible for my divine eye and divine ear to make a wrong observation. If there was ever any mistake in my observation, I was always able to pinpoint the cause of it.
“Does anyone at your home know how to chant any mantras?” I asked him.
“Neither my wife nor my kids know how to chant any mantras,” Pan Ji replied.
“Do any of your other relatives know how to chant any mantras?” I asked.
“Do the deceased count?”
“Yes,” I replied.
Pan Ji proceeded to tell me, “In my family, only my grandfather, Pan Li, knew how to chant a mantra. He held great respect for the God of Fortune and Virtue, and had built a temple for him. Subsequently, He also became the temple's guardian. Once, a monk gave my grandfather a string of prayer beads and taught him how to chant the Earth Deity Mantra. My grandfather recited the mantra his entire life using the prayer beads. He chanted with the prayer beads so much that it eventually turned black and became shiny.”
“Where are the prayer beads now?” I believed I had found the answer.
“My grandfather passed them down to my father, and my father gave it to me, but I don't know where I put them. I think I'll ask my wife to help me find them.”
Pan Ji returned home and asked his wife about the prayer beads. She told him, “They are tucked away inside a hidden crack at your vendor. Nobody knows about it.”
Pan Ji searched for and found them in the vendor. He then took the darkened prayer beads and showed them to me. He did not know the value of the prayer beads.
I told Pan Ji, “Your grandfather, Pan Li, received protection from the Earth Deity. This is the result of reciting the Earth Deity Mantra, showing the Earth Deity respect, visualizing the Earth Deity and praising the Earth Deity.”
The Earth Deity Mantra is as follows:
[transliteration:] Namo san-man-doh, moo-toh-nam, om, doo-loo-doo-loo, dei-wei, so-ha
[Sanskrit: NAMO SAMANTA BUDDHANAM OM DURU DURU DEVI SVAHA].
The Earth Deity Mantra is usually chanted before reciting a sutra. This is to summon the Earth Deities of the Four Directions to guard over you while you recite sutras.
Pan Li spent his entire life reciting this mantra. His sincerity moved the Earth Deities to protect him. This mantra is neither from the buddhas, bodhisattvas nor the vajra protectors. It is not a major mantra, yet it should not be underestimated as it contains amazing power.
If anyone is troubled by spiritual entities and recites this mantra, the spirits will retreat and respect you.
If anyone contracts a serious illness and recites this mantra, the illness will vanish. All pain will disappear and one's good health will return.
In the past, I had taught people how to chant this mantra as it is especially helpful for curing several forms of dermatitis, such as athlete's foot, chronic dermatitis, discoid eczema, etc. By chanting the mantra, those who have skin-related illnesses should be cured because the Earth Deity devours the bacteria on the skin.
If one recites this mantra diligently, abides by the Five Precepts and carries out the Ten Good Deeds, then one will not fall into the three lower realms and hell. In fact, one will be reborn in the heavenly realms and enjoy utmost bliss and joy. The Earth Deity Mantra is also extremely effective in terms of accumulating wealth because the Earth Deities and their spiritual attendants will help those who recite the mantra to receive measureless fortune.
Pan Li devoted his life to chanting this mantra and achieved great results with it. The prayer beads were passed down from grandfather to father, then from father to son, and the blessings were passed down as well. This was simply incredible.
-To be continued-
