A ra^ks!asa--a kind of demon-spirit that resides in the heavenly realms， which has the power to penetrate and seduce humans， and then eat them. In the Maha^ya^na texts， these demons are converted to Buddhism and serve as protectors of the dharma. Female ra^ks!asas are called ra^ks!asi^s 罗剎女. In the Lotus Sutra， there are ten kinds 十罗剎女 that serve to protect the dharma.