Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Day 30 Text with annotations

Having last month considered Vaiśravaṇa Heavenly-King’s offering, we consider World-Holding Heavenly-King’s offering.

Thereupon World-Holding Heavenly-King, accompanied by thousands of billions of nayutas of gandharvas who were surrounding him respectfully, came to the Buddha, joined his hands together, and said to him, “World-Honored One! I also will protect the keeper of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with dhārānis, with divine spells.”

Then he uttered spells,” Akyanei (1), kyanei (2), kuri (3), kendari (4), sendari (5), matōgi (6), jōguri (7), furoshani (8), atchi (9).”

[He said to the Buddha:]

“World-Honored One! These dhārānis, these divine spells, have already been uttered by four thousand and two hundred million Buddhas. Those who attack and abuse this teacher of the Dharma should be considered to have attacked and abused those Buddhas.”

Vaiśravaṇa, last month, and World-Holding Heavenly-King are present at the top of the Mandala Gohonzon, Vaiśravaṇa on the top left and World-Holding Heavenly-King, top right.

Lotus World offers this about World-Holding Heavenly-King:

The Flammarion Iconographic Guide: Buddhism describes Dhritarashtra (Jikoku Tenno, Heavenly King of the East) as follows: “This guardian king governs in the east and presides over the spring. He is ‘He who maintains the kingdom (of the Law)’; ‘the maintainer of the state’ … He commands an army of celestial musicians (gandharvas) and vampire demons (pishachas). The gandharvas are one of the eight kinds of supernatural beings who are said to revere and protect the Dharma; the pishachas are a type of hungry ghost.

According to the Kumarajiva translation of the Lotus Sutra, it is Dhritarashtra who offers dharanis in chapter 26 for the benefit of those who keep the Lotus Sutra.