How to Guard Against Demonic Disturbance

The more crucial the point in one's practice, the more demons come to interfere; the more sublime the point, the more demons come to interfere. The higher the level of one's practice, the greater the interference, whereas in trivial aspects of practice, no demons come to interfere at all. Therefore, the more crucial the dharma one cultivates, and the deeper the dharma one cultivates, the more careful and cautious one must be. In particular, if someone craves supernatural powers, demons will grant you supernatural powers, and then you will be controlled by the demons, unable to escape their grasp.

The Śūraṅgama Mantra is a protective talisman; you must recite it frequently, and it is even better if you can memorize it—then demons will be powerless against you. If all Buddhist practitioners could recite and memorize the Śūraṅgama Mantra, the demon king would withdraw from the Sahā world, the Buddha-dharma would continue on, and the Śūraṅgama Sūtra would not perish.