Protection Chapter One

In the past, Lu Zhonglian's witty words made the Qin army retreat on their own. Gammu's peaceful repose brought safety to the King of Wei. Hearing of Zheng Xuan's reputation, bandits dared not approach. Fearing the influence of Taigong, even the goddess wept in sorrow. How much more so for the one who precedes the Lord of Heaven, the mother of the Dharma King. The Three Insights and Eightfold Path are perfected through contemplation; the nine vexations and six entanglements are extinguished by its power. Without name or form, all virtues are complete. Without grasping or striving, all merits are fulfilled. Whether upholding or reciting, it protects the nation and the self. Cast into blazing fire, it does not burn; submerged in deep waves, it does not sink. The power of Prajñā is indeed immense. Therefore, the chapter on protection is placed at the beginning.

Xiao Yu's *Records of Spiritual Responses to the Diamond Sutra* states: Liu Jian, an official of Xingzhou, served as the supervisor of Fufeng Qiyang during the late Sui dynasty. Initially implicated in the affairs of Li Mi, he was imprisoned in the Dali Temple. While there, he constantly recited the *Diamond Sutra*, with only two pages left to complete. One day, he suddenly fell asleep and dreamed of a Brahmin monk who said to him, "If you finish reciting the sutra soon, you will be released." Startled awake, he devoted himself day and night to reciting without rest. Two days later, at noon, an imperial pardon suddenly arrived. Summoned to the court, he was released.

Later, while reciting the *Prajñā Sutra* outside his room at night, around midnight, he suddenly smelled an extraordinary fragrance. Searching for its source, he found no incense burning anywhere. This confirmed the power of reciting the *Prajñā Sutra*. From then on, he became even more reverent, diligently reciting day and night without slackening. He focused on upholding and reciting the sutra, completing over five thousand recitations, a practice he continues to this day without interruption.

Zongzhengqing Dou Deyuan. In the first year of Linde, he was sent to Yangzhou on an inspection mission. While crossing the Huai River, the boat had already left the shore several dozen paces when he saw a person on the bank holding a small bundle, looking miserable and distressed. The day was growing late, and there were no other boats. Deyuan took pity on him and ordered the boat to return to shore, inviting the man aboard to cross together. Midway across, as Deyuan ate, he shared his food with the man. After reaching the other side, the man did not leave but followed behind Deyuan's horse for several miles. Deyuan asked, "Who are you?" The man replied, "I am a ghost king, ordered to pursue Ambassador Dou in Yangzhou." Deyuan asked, "What is Ambassador Dou's name?" The man answered, "Dou Deyuan." Deyuan immediately pleaded with the ghost, asking what could be done to avoid this fate. The ghost, feeling ashamed for having accepted Deyuan's food, said, "For your kindness, I will go ahead first. Just recite the Diamond Sutra one thousand times, and I will come back to inform you." Deyuan arrived in Yangzhou and, after over a month, completed the recitations. The ghost returned and said, "You have recited the sutra enough. Very good. But you must still come with me to see the king." Deyuan then entered his room and suddenly fell unconscious, not waking until the next morning. Initially, he followed the ghost to a place with high gates and rows of halberds, like the entrance to a major prefecture. The ghost said, "Please wait here. I will first report to the king." The ghost entered, and Deyuan, hidden behind a screen, overheard the king scold the ghost, "You made plans for him!" and ordered the ghost beaten thirty times. The ghost came out, bared his back to show Deyuan, and said, "I took the beating for you." He then led Deyuan inside, where a man in purple robes descended the steps, bowed, and said, "You have great merit and are not yet meant to come here. Please return immediately." Upon leaving, Deyuan fell into a pit and awoke. The ghost returned, asking for food and paper money. Deyuan provided them. The ghost said, "You still face a side calamity. You must have a Taoist priest submit a petition. Your main retribution has already been cleared by reciting the sutra. Once the petition is submitted, I will return to inform you." Deyuan requested a Taoist priest to submit the petition. The ghost returned and said, "The petition did not reach because of a wrong character." Another petition was submitted, but the ghost again said, "There is still one wrong character." Deyuan checked himself and indeed found errors. He ordered another petition, and the ghost said, "This time it has been delivered. There will be no more calamities." Deyuan asked the ghost about his official positions, salary, and lifespan. The ghost replied, "You will serve as Zongzhengqing, then as Dianzhongjian, then as Dasixian, then as Taizi Duanyin, then as Siyuan Taichangbo, and finally as Zuoxiang. You will live to sixty-four." The ghost then vanished. Later, the positions Deyuan held matched exactly what the ghost had foretold. At the time, Taoist priests collected and recorded this event, calling it "Ambassador Dou's Petition Record." Deyuan also reported this to the emperor, who ordered all officials to recite the Diamond Sutra.

Guangping You Xun served as the Household Registrar of Gui Prefecture during the Jiushi era of Empress Wu. He had a daughter who had been suffering from a wasting disease for several years. When Xun completed his term and returned to Hongzhou, his daughter's condition gradually worsened. Xun discussed with his wife, Lady Song, saying, "Since this is a severe illness, I fear it may spread to others. If she cannot be saved, we should abandon her in the water. It is commonly said this brings benefit to the survivors." They then prepared to carry the girl out.

The girl said, "Since I was young, I have recited the Diamond Sutra. Please allow me to read it once more in the master's Buddha hall. I will close my eyes without regret." Hearing this, Xun and his wife wept together. They immediately found the sutra in the Buddha hall. As the girl grew weaker, she could no longer see or speak. Xun, his wife, and the host recited the sutra several times for her. In a short while, the girl was able to open her eyes and pointed to the sutra, as if asking for it to be read. When they handed her the sutra, she could not speak but gazed at the text and recited it silently in her heart.

Suddenly, a bright light shone from the Buddha hall, illuminating the outside, and light also emanated from the sutra case. Everyone was astonished. The girl suddenly began to sweat profusely from her head and face, and soon her entire body was covered in sweat. After this, she fell into a deep sleep. By the next day, all her suffering had vanished. Within ten days, she recovered completely, just as before. From then on, the entire household began reciting this sutra.(This was personally recounted by Sun Sikai, former Registrar of Anjia County in Dingzhou.)

Wang Chongyi, formerly the magistrate of Pingqiang County in Jiazhou, regularly recited the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra. During the Yongchang era, due to involvement with relatives, he was arrested and taken to the judicial court, where he was sentenced to death. While imprisoned in the capital's Dali Temple awaiting execution, Chongyi continued reciting the sutra without pause.

Later, his maidservant Zhenru again accused him of rebellion in the capital. By imperial order, Censor Zheng Siqi was sent to fetch Chongyi from the capital, instructing him to securely escort Chongyi back for investigation. On the journey, about ten li east of Shanzhou, they suddenly encountered a monk standing in the middle of the road. The monk said to Chongyi, "Please dismount for a moment and pay respects to the four directions." The censor refused, but the monk insisted, "Why begrudge letting him dismount to pay respects to the four directions?" The censor then allowed Chongyi to dismount. After completing the ritual to the four directions, the monk vanished.

The censor was awed and astonished by this miraculous occurrence. Continuing their journey, when they reached the boundary of Luozhou and were resting overnight at a post station, they suddenly heard a voice announcing, "Wang Chongyi, Zhenru’s accusation is a matter of extended life and great fortune." The censor also heard this clearly. Considering the events strange and possibly supernatural, upon arriving in Luozhou, the censor reported everything in detail to the emperor.

The emperor was greatly surprised and summoned Chongyi for personal interrogation, asking, "On your journey, why did such strange phenomena occur?" Chongyi replied, "I truly do not know." He was then returned to the judicial authorities for careful reinvestigation. Before ten days had passed, a great amnesty was declared, and Chongyi was spared from death. He lived to the age of eighty-seven and passed away while still serving as magistrate of Pingqiang County.