The Dharani Sutra of The Buddha on Longevity, The Extinction of Offences and The Protection of Young Children: 17 of 33

At that time, the Medicine King Bodhisattva, Qi-Po went forth to The Buddha and said, “World Honored One! I am known as The Great Medicine King and am able to cure all diseases. The small babies may be infected with nine kinds of diseases which will cause them to die young. What are the nine kinds of diseases? The first is that the parents have coitus at wrong hours.”

“The second is that the place where the baby is being delivered is defiled by the blood. So the earth spirits leave the home and the evil ghosts get the chance to enter the household. The third is that during the delivery, the navel of the baby is infected with bacteria as it is not properly cleansed with antiseptic. The fourth is that during the delivery, cotton wool with no antiseptic is used to wipe the defiled blood from the womb which envelops the baby.”

“The fifth is that animals are killed in the preparation of a feast for relatives and friends. The six is that during the pregnancy and the period for feeding, the mother partakes all kinds of raw and cold fruits and food. The seventh is that when child is sick, he is fed with all types of meat.”

“The eighth is that during delivery, an evil state appears in the delivery room. And if the umbilical cord is still attached to the mother, the mother will die. If the umbilical cord is already cut off, the baby will die.”

“What is meant by the inauspicious appearance? For examples, people can see all types of dead carcasses and different unusual, strange and unclean appearances. Because the eyes see unclean appearances, so, it is known as inauspiciousness. If we grind the Niu Huang, pearls and granulated bright sand into powder and mix it with honey to feed the baby, it will help to stable his mind and spirit. And he will escape from all inauspiciousness.”

“The ninth is that the baby is beaten by the evil ghost when he is brought for a walk at night. All new born babies should be taken care of properly in order to avoid the above situations. Then he will not die young.”