Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the Heavenly Protectors

Kishimojin

Sometimes it happens quickly, but usually it takes over thirty minutes; most always before an hour. I'm talking about that moment after chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for a time, and you know the universe is listening. It's that "being in the zone" moment to quote a sports analogy. It's that moment, for me, when I feel the walls around me as nothing more than thin air. The molecules in the furniture around me as floating dust.  Sometimes there is a trumpet, violin, or another instrument accompanying my vibrating body. Sometimes it is an undescribtive sound, the sound or sense of feeling of vibrating in key to the universe. 

Not all Nichiren Buddhist take Nichiren's "Heavenly Deities" serious, but I do. There is Brahma, Shakra, the four heavenly kings, and the gods of the sun and the moon. My favorite are the Ten Demon Daughters led by Kishimojin. This is probably because I was raised by a single mother and grandmother.  They were barely surviving on waitress wages, but protected me from a decaying city on the brink of ruins.  

Who are these protectors of believer in the Lotus Sutra?  Here are some basic definitions.

-The Four Heavenly Kings (Shitenno): Deities who protect the four cardinal directions. They include Vaishravana (North), Dhritarashtra (East), Virudhaka (South), and Virupaksha (West), along with their numerous retainers.

-The Gods of the Sun and Moon (Nitten and Gatten): The physical celestial bodies viewed as deities who provide light and sustain life on earth, actively safeguarding practitioners through the hours of day and night.

-The Ten Demon Daughters (Jurosetsuzen): Led by Mother of Demon Children (Kishimojin), these figures from the "Dharani" chapter of the Lotus Sutra transformed from harmful spirits into fierce guardians who vowed to punish anyone who troubles a practitioner of the Sutra.

It's a wonderful thing to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.  It's a wonderful thing to be heard by the universe, or as we call it, the Mystic Law. 

~~ Eso Terry