It is a wonderful Dharma that is difficult to encounter in hundreds of thousands of kalpas
Master Hsuan Hua's Quotations
You should pay special attention to every sentence of the "Shurangama Mantra" and do not treat it as an ordinary matter. It is a wonderful Dharma that is difficult to encounter in hundreds of thousands of kalpas. You may think that many people in the world explain the "Shurangama Mantra", but in fact, no one is explaining it.
The mantra was, according to the opening chapter of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, historically transmitted by Gautama Buddha to Manjushri to protect Ananda before he had become an arhat.
The dhāraṇī is often seen as having magical apotropaic powers. It is associated with the deity Sitātapatra, a protector against supernatural dangers and evil beings. According to the Chan Buddhist monk Venerable Hsuan Hua, the dhāraṇī contains five major divisions, which "control the vast demon armies of the five directions":
In the East is the Vajra Division, hosted by Akṣobhya
In the South, the Jewel-creating Division, hosted by Ratnasaṃbhava
In the center, the Buddha Division, hosted by Vairocana
In the West, the Lotus Division, hosted by Amitābha
In the North, the Karma Division, hosted by Amoghasiddhi
