The Benefits of Reciting the Śūraṅgama Mantra

The Śūraṅgama Mantra has the power of blessing. The mantra consists of the names of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Pratyekabuddhas, Arhats, and Dharma-protecting deities; it is equal to recollecting the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), or perhaps even more effective than simply reciting the Buddha's name, because the Dharma-protecting deities specifically provide protection and carry out its execution. This manifests concretely in blessing the mantra-reciter's cultivation of precepts, meditation (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā), and in blocking a portion of karmic obstructions and eliminating a portion of karmic obstructions; great, irresistible karmic obstructions do not easily come to afflict one, so that cultivation proceeds smoothly, and without one's awareness the precepts become purified, meditative concentration advances, wisdom grows, and the mind becomes pure. The more focused the mantra recitation, the greater its effectiveness; the more sincere the mind, the greater its effectiveness. If one cannot focus, and recites the mantra while walking, standing, sitting, lying down, or doing things, with the mind somewhat distracted and unable to unify the mind, then as long as the mind is sincere, the power of blessing is still very great. Even reciting the mantra with a scattered mind has the power of blessing; as long as the mantra is recited in the mind or aloud, one can receive protection. 

If one's cultivation is not going smoothly and the mind is scattered and unable to concentrate, one should recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra from memory every day, while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, according to a plan. At the very beginning of everyone's study of Buddhism, one should recite a certain number of Śūraṅgama Mantras, and only stop when one's cultivation becomes as smooth as pushing a boat along with the current. This relies on the power of blessing of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, the four noble ones (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, bodhisattva, buddha), and the Dharma-protecting deities; only then will one's own mental power arise, and with self-power and other-power combined can cultivation get on the right track. The power of blessing can bring about a change in one's own mental nature; once the mental nature changes, the innate afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) is eliminated. There are also obstructions from the seeds of past karmic actions: great karmic obstructions are blocked by the Dharma-protecting deities, while for small karmic obstructions, it does not matter if one undergoes a bit of karmic retribution—these are retributions one ought to undergo and cannot avoid. Great karmic obstructions can be undergone later when one is able to bear them, at which point they will feel like no big deal, or great karmic obstructions may become not so great in the future. The emptier the mind, the greater one's capacity to bear karmic retribution; one will calmly accept it, take responsibility, and consider repaying karmic debts to be only natural.