The Protection Method and Boundary Method

Written by Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Cheng Yew Chung edited by Victor Hazen
True Buddha Translation Teams

When the Vajrayana practitioner engages in the cultivation of all ...Vajrayana practices, it is very important to practice the protection method the boundary method. If one does not set a boundary around one’s mandala shrine and perform Armor Protection, one is vulnerable to the attack of the Mara demon.
In the True Buddha School, we teach the practice of Armor Protection. During every practice session, the practitioner forms the Vajra Handclasp Mudra and chants the heart mantra of Vajrapani, and presses the mudra upon the forehead, followed by the throat, the heart, the left shoulder, and the right shoulder. This creates the Armor Protection.
The practitioner may also take threads of string weaved together by young children (or strings purified over fire). Recite the Vajra Mantra once and tie a knot. Complete twenty-one knots, and hang the string of knots around your neck or tie it around your arm. This can protect you from all evil spirits and demons. Thus, this is also a method of protection.
All protective strings and protective amulets have protection power. It is best to recite the mantra twenty-one times every two weeks and pray to the wrathful protectors to empower the strings and amulets. If you do this, they shall be effective.
When the practitioner sets a boundary in the mandala shrine, he may use a bottle of pure water or perfume, and offer it at the mandala shrine. He should recite the wrathful protector’s mantra one hundred and eight times or one thousand and eighty times. He should visualize the protector radiating lights to bless the pure water or perfume. He should take the perfume and sprinkle it in all ten directions around the shrine to set the boundary. Within the parameter of the sprinkled region, no evil spirits and demons would dare enter.
This boundary method is suitable for the mandala shrine, or for the house. You can even set a boundary around larger land areas with this method. But to achieve results you need to strengthen this boundary by practicing the method bi-monthly.
Some have used this protection method on the body of a patient, spraying the perfume onto the body and reciting the vajra protector’s mantra. The patient may react with a loud cry, and any illness due to the possession of evil spirits and demons shall be healed immediately.