The Dog Spirit （四）
■Book 148 - The Power of Mantra
■Written by master Sheng-yen Lu
This dog spirit was rather clever. If it did not take refuge with the Buddha,, all I needed was to chant the Heaven and Earth Purification Mantra three times and its spirit would shrink to an even smaller size, or disintegrate in a loud thunderclap.
'Let me go and I will take refuge!' The dog spirit screamed.
Of course I would let it out. Since the dog spirit was attached to me, the fact that it would be taking refuge meant that I would be taking refuge as well.
As I emptied my body and mind, the dog spirit found its release. At the moment of release, the cunning dog spirit wanted to escape right away. Its request to take refuge was only a bluff.
Dog spirit or animal entity usually has minor psychic power. As it leaped into the sky to escape, a god appeared and whacked the dog. It fell to the ground. Then it attempted to disappear underground but was stopped by another god. It dashed towards the left and there stood one god. It dashed towards the right and there stood another god. The dog spirit cried out, 'That's it! That's it! The web of heaven and earth is laid and I can't escape. I must really take refuge with you.'
The dog spirit laid on the ground, and expressed its desire to take refuge. I laughed heartily and said, 'You dog demon. You must be taught a good lesson before you learn to be good. I am well aware of this. Thus, I have secretly chanted the Earth God Mantra:
Under the guardianship of the Primeval Lord,
Notify all spirits,
Genuine sovereigns of the mountains and rivers,
Land and Area Gods,
Earth and Grain Gods in the altars,
Do not create disturbances.
Return to the right path,
Be purified inwardly and outwardly,
And station in one's rightful place,
Be prepared to guard over the shrine.
The Supreme One issues an edict
To capture the demons.
The godly Dharma Protectors,
Guard over one's sutra recitation.
Take refuge in the Tao,
And all shall prosper and well.
Execute this order at once.
(Pronunciation of Original Text:Yuan Shi An Zhen/ Pu Gao Wan Ling/ Yue Du Zhen Guan/ Tu Di Zhi Shen/ Zuo She You Ji/ Bu De Wan Jing/ Hui Xiang Zheng Dao/ Nei Wai Cheng Qing/ Ge An Fang Wei/ Bei Shou Tan Ting/ Tai Shang You Ming/ Sou Pu Xie Jing/ Hu Fa Shen Wang/ Bao Wei Song Jing/ Gui Yi Da Dao/ Yuan Heng Li Zhen/ Ji Ji Ru Lu Ling)
The dog spirit remained still, not daring to make a move. I gave the dog spirit the Four Refuge.
I take refuge in the Vajra Guru. Namo Guru Bei.
I take refuge in the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya.
I take refuge in the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya.
I take refuge in the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya .
I recited the Four Refuge Mantra. This mantra can turn a polluted ground into Pure Land. (Om Pu Kam)
The dog spirit willingly accepted. I had planned to send the dog spirit to the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss(Sukhavati). But it had killed Pan Ching and remained cunning and shrewd. If I sent it to Sukhavati immediately, I felt it was all too easy for this dog. It would be difficult to imagine the victim still remaining in the netherworld while the dog spirit ascended to the Western Paradise, confounding right and wrong. That would certainly be unfair.
What about sending the dog to hell? That was not a good thing too. For some reason this dog spirit had come upon a Vajra Guru who gave it the Four Refuge. With the deliverance of the Four Refuge and mantra, the dog spirit gained an affinity with the Buddha. If it was sent to hell, I was afraid it would not find its way back to heaven. And hell is certainly not a place for cultivation. I found myself in a dilemma.
Then came an Earth God, leashed the dog and said, 'Don't worry, Living Buddha. I'll take care of this!'
I was overjoyed and said, 'This is great! You bring this dog to guard the temple. This dog can indeed watch over the temple altar!'
The Earth God waved and said, 'Everything is taken care of.'
Here's a verse:
Throughout heaven and earth lies the law.
The Buddhas in all compassion transmit the Heart Teachings.
If one takes refuge and obtains the mantra,
One shall return to find purity in the other shore.
