大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經 (Shubhakarasimha & Yixing 724) 5.34

5.34

The expedient means of world-saviors operating in accordance with

their vows of compassion,

I have come to understand unborn knowledge, that the characteristics

of dharmas are thus.

Then the vajradhara Lord of Mysteries again spoke some udāna verses, asking the World-honored One Vairocana to resolve for the sake of beings in future ages any doubts concerning this great maṇḍala “Born of the Matrix of Great Compassion.”

“You have severed all doubts, your [all-]faceted knowledge is free

from torments,

And for the sake of beings I beg leave to ask questions of you,

the Guiding Teacher.

Please explain, Great Muni, what is to be done first in the maṇḍala.

How many [kinds of] ācāryas are there, and how many kinds

of disciples?

How does one recognize the characteristics of the site? And how

does one select and prepare it?

How should one purify it? How does one make it firm

And purify the disciples?—I beg the Guiding Teacher to explain.

What are the signs that they have been purified? With what does

one perform protection?

How does one empower the site? Which of the [ritual] deeds

comes first?

How many sūtras (cords) are there? How does one demarcate

the site?

How many kinds of offerings does one make? What are the flowers,

incense, and so on?

To whom should one offer these flowers and likewise incense?

How should one make offerings, and with which flowers and

incense?

Which rites are used for food [offerings] and homa respectively?

And the seats of the holy divinities—I beg you to explain the

instructions for them.

Please elaborate in due order on the color and form of their physical

appearance,

On the mystic seals of the honored ones, and on the seats laid out

for them.

Why are they called “seals”? From where do these seals arise? Again, how many kinds of consecration are there? How many

samayas are there? For how long does the mantrin diligently cultivate mantra practices To complete the bodhisattva path? How does he see the truth? How many kinds of siddhi are there? And times of accomplishment? How does one rise up into the open sky? What is the secrecy (i.e.,

invisibility) of the body? [How] does one achieve a divine body without forsaking this body?

Again, from where do various [supernatural] transformations arise? The bad omens that appear because of the sun, moon, fire, directions, Planets, lunar mansions, stars, and divisions of time, as well as the

sufferings experienced in birth-and-death— How does one prevent them from occurring and, once they have

occurred, completely eliminate them? And [how] is one able to constantly serve the buddhas, honored

among two-legged beings? How many kinds of homa fires are there? And with how many deeds

does one increase their potency? I but beg the Guiding Teacher to explain the different natures of

the buddhas. The results and their number and measure and the special samādhis Of world-systems without remainder and supramundane [realms]— Where does their maturation lie, and why do they not maturate? Again, how much time will elapse before one obtains liberation

from karma and [re]birth?” The World-honored One, perfectly awakened, omniscient, and free

from torments, Addressed Vajrapāṇi, saying, “Excellent, Great Striving Hero! The secret maṇḍala, with the positions of the holy divinities fixed, Born from the root of great compassion, the unsurpassed Mahayana, Is the supreme secret of the buddhas. In accordance with your

questions, Vajradhara of great power, I shall now explain in brief. You should listen attentively, Son of the Buddha, to the initial deeds

[to be performed] in the maṇḍala.

The very powerful vidyārāja, born of twelve component syllables,

Should be recited at the very start while dwelling in one’s own

samādhi,

And comprehending the path of yoga, one performs the various

deeds.

There are two [kinds of] ācāryas, who have [both] mastered seals

and mantras;

Their characteristics are likewise divided into the profound and

the superficial.

[The former] are familiar with the profound and extensive meanings

[of the teachings] and confer them on those to whom they may

be transmitted;

They are the eldest sons of the Perfectly Awakened Ones and are far

removed from worldly pleasures.

The second seeks the present world and is deeply attached to delusory

objects of cognition;

Mundane maṇḍalas are all made for them,

And they have been consecrated and had the teachings transmitted

to them by the buddhas, honored among two-legged beings.

Four kinds of disciples are explained, owing to distinctions between

the ready and the unready:

One is those who are ready to recite, and there are those who are not

ready, those who are both, and those who are neither;

He who possesses all characteristics is described by the Buddha as a

close disciple.

First know the characteristics of the site, that is to say, the mind-

ground;

I have already explained its purification: practice those deeds as before.

If it is free from faults, there is nothing to fear in the mind-ground,

And it will [then] achieve true purity and be free from all faults.

Dwelling firmly in this knowledge, one will see one’s own saṃbodhi;

If one does otherwise, one will not be able to purify the site.

If the practitioner purifies the site while dwelling in false

differentiation,

Lord of Mysteries, he is not purifying it because he is dissociated

from the bodhi-mind.

Therefore, one must abandon differentiation before purifying

any site. I have explained in full about maṇḍalas in the ritual instructions, And the things that come first among them are not understood by

the stupid: They will not be called enlightened in the world, nor will they be

omniscient, And they will be unable to abandon differentiation, the cause of

sufferings. [The ācārya] should purify the bodhi-mind for the disciple And protect him with Acalanātha or by using Trailokyavijaya. If the disciple is not swayed by false attachment, He will accomplish supreme and perfect awakening, unsullied like

empty space. The initial empowering of this site is based on the buddhas’ teachings, And the second on freedom of the mind, which is found only here

and not in other teachings. The four kinds of sūtras [of which the marking cord is made] are,

namely, white, yellow, red, and black; What should be thought of as the fifth is, namely, the color of

empty space. [First,] holding [the cord] level in midair, one demarcates the

maṇḍala [visualized in the air]; Second, one holds a [second] cord and lays it out on the ground of

the ritual site. The seats of all Tathāgatas and those of the wise sons of the buddhas Are wondrous lotus flowers pleasing to the mind, praised as

auspicious by the world at large. As for pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas, that is to say, those of

[one-]sided knowledge, One should know that the seats laid out for them are the leaves of

lotuses and blue lotuses.

For heavenly divinities of mundane realms, foremost among whom

are Brahmā and his hosts, There is the red-colored padma flower, praised as the king of seats.

As for those below these [gods], mindfully place them as appropriate

in their sections of the site. There are four kinds of worship, namely, making obeisance with

palms clasped together, Also kindness and compassion, flowers and incense as given by the

world at large, And flowers [mentally] generated from one’s hands, and these one

offers up to the world-saviors. Binding the seal ‘birth from [all the Tathāgata’s] limbs,’ one

observes the bodhi-mind, And to each of the Tathāgatas and the sons born of them, With these flawless flowers, fragrant and radiant, And the Dharma realm having become an [enormous] king of trees,

one makes offerings, to the honored among humans. Empowered with mantras and freely controlled by samādhi, Clouds wondrous and vast arise in the Dharma realm, And from them flowers always rain down everywhere in front of

the buddhas. For the other mundane gods one should also scatter these flowers, And when offering them up, conform with their own mantras and

their nature and type. In this manner unguent and so on should also accord with what is

appropriate. Hold [the tips of] the thumb and ring finger together: this is called

the auspicious seal. The flowers and so on to be offered up should be brought to one’s

chest and [then] offered; In the case of mundane heavenly divinities, one should know that

they are [held] level with the navel. Alternatively, with the adamantine fist seal or again with the

lotus-flower garland [seal], [Hold the offering] up in the air and offer it to the guiding teachers,

world-saviors, And through to the mundane gods, each in their proper order. There are two kinds of homa, namely, internal and external:

One obtains liberation from karma and [re]birth, and there is also

the arising of sprouts and seeds [of awakening]. Because it is able to burn away karma, it is called ‘internal homa.’ For external use there are three positions (i.e., practitioner, hearth,

and deity), and these three positions dwell within [each of]

the three. Accomplishing the path of the three actions is the excellent

mundane homa. Whoever does otherwise does not comprehend the deeds of homa; Ignorant, he will not obtain any results, having forsaken mantra

knowledge.

Mantras of the Tathāgata Family and those uttered by Perfectly

Awakened Ones Should be known to be white and yellow, and those of Vajra[pāṇi]

are multicolored; The mantras of Avalokiteśvara are pure white, and they change

according to the [ritual] deed. [The altar] is doubly square everywhere [in the center and on the

perimeter] or, in order, circular, And likewise its shape is described as a triangle or a semilunar disc. First one should know the physical forms [of the deities]: they have,

namely, male or female bodies. Moreover, in all places and in accordance with the form and color

of their type, They are born of inconceivable knowledge, and therefore they are

inconceivable. There are distinctions in conformity with things, but knowledge and

the realization of knowledge are always one. One should know that the extensiveness of one’s mind constitutes

their measure, And so too is it for the seats and seals and also the heavenly divinities. From that same place whence buddhas are born seals are similarly

born, And with these seals born of the Dharma [the ācārya] seals his

disciples.

Therefore, it is taught in brief that the Dharma realm uses these

(i.e., seals) as its insignia.

There are three kinds of consecration—listen wholeheartedly,

Son of the Buddha!

The expedient means with secret seals is dissociated from [other]

actions;

It is called the first excellent method, and one is consecrated by

the Tathāgata.

That which is called the second gives rise to the performance of

many [ritual] deeds.

The third is conferred by the mind and is completelydissociated

from time and place;

In order to please the honored [ācārya], one should perform it as

explained,

And one will be consecrated directly by the Buddha: this is the

most excellent.

The Perfectly Awakened One has explained in brief five kinds

of samaya.

The first is possessing the samaya on seeing a maṇḍala;

Words of truth (i.e., mantras) are not yet transmitted, nor are mystic

seals conferred.

The second samaya is entering and looking at the assembly of

holy divinities.

In the third, complete with altar and seals, one practices wondrous

actions in accordance with the teachings.

Next, [the ācārya grants] permission to transmit the teachings, and

this is described as possessing the [fourth] samaya.

Although one may possess [knowledge of] seals and the positions

[of the deities] in the altar as explained in the teachings,

So long as one has not obtained the consecration of the mind,

secret wisdom does not arise.

Therefore, in the center of the secret ritual site the mantrin,

Possessing the fifth pledge (samaya), should be consecrated in

accordance with the rules.

One should know that anything other than this is not called samaya. If, well abiding [in the precepts] and meditating on the mind,

the mantrin awakens to the mind Without apprehending the three loci, he is described as a bodhisattva. Having attained the practice of meditating without any object, he

benefits beings with expedient means In order to plant the roots of goodness, and therefore he is called

honored among humans. In dharmas originally quiescent and always without own-nature, He rests like [Mount] Sume[ru]: this is called seeing the truth. This emptiness corresponds to the apex of reality, and it is not

false words; What is seen [by him] is like [that which is seen by] the Buddha,

and previous buddhas have [also] seen thus. The siddhi of attaining the bodhi-mind is quite unsurpassed; Apart from this, there is a fivefold distinction among the siddhis: That is to say, entry into the cultivation of practice, advancing up

through the stages, The five mundane supernatural faculties, [the state of] buddhas,

and [the state of] pratyekabuddhas and so on. If one practices unceasingly until the continuum of the mind is pure, Causing that which has not yet matured to maturate, it is then that

siddhi is accomplished. In that single moment of time, pure action and the mind are both

identical, And the mantrin will achieve the arising of siddhi at will: He ascends into the sky through siddhi like one who is unafraid

of illusions; His ensorcellments by means of the net of magical arts are like

Indra’s net; Just like all the people in a gandharva city (i.e., mirage), So too is the secrecy (i.e., invisibility) of his body, being neither

of the body nor of consciousness. Again, just as in a dream while asleep one may visit the palaces

of the gods

Without forsaking this body and without [actually] going there,

So too in yogic dreams, for him who dwells in mantra practices,

His physical appearance born of meritorious actions is like a rainbow.

The wish-fulfilling gem of mantras is born of mind, speech, and body,

And it causes many things to rain down as desired without any

thoughts of differentiation.