大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 12.24

12.24

時毘盧遮那諸佛尋念我始初不生金剛執力故，告上首執金剛言者，如來從甘露生三昧起已，尋念我本初不生一切佛身。由不生故，即與諸佛無二體。故如是取本不生阿字，加持自身及執金剛，而告之也。以不生加持之也，如是思念已，方便告上首諸金剛也。上首者，非但祕密主，一切皆入阿字門即是無言體主而已，十佛剎土諸執金剛皆是上首也。諦聽善男子。字輪轉名漫荼羅，行品中廣。真言門修行菩薩作佛事能住彼前者，輪謂阿字門，此一字中入一切字，入此一字於一切法旋轉無礙也。如世人之輪不轉則已，轉則無有窮盡，尋其首尾亦不可了知，故名輪也。又如世間之輪，若旋轉時能斷一切草木之類，隨彼根莖枝葉遇此輪者無不摧破。何以故？以邊刃利故。此阿字輪亦復如是，能除一切無明煩惱，隨彼所聞無不摧滅也。漫荼羅是清淨義，下更釋之。品廣者，此中之義能遍一切處。品者只是一分之名也，廣義如輪無有斷盡。然此一分之經亦不離此輪，故以為名也。諸品皆云廣者，准此（即是言略故一分，義廣故無盡也）。本不生者即是阿字輪，入此輪即是與諸佛同體無二也。佛為成就修真言行菩薩故，欲說此阿字輪，而先歎其功德。若得此輪，能令諸菩薩普門示現，以一切眾生所喜見身，普住其前而化度之，以大因緣而作佛事，故云住彼前也。

As for 'At that time, Vairocana and all the Buddhas, instantly mindful of the power of my primordial unborn vajra-holding, addressed the principal Vajradharas, saying': after the Tathāgata arose from the Amrta-saṃbhava samādhi, he immediately became mindful of the primordial unborn body of all Buddhas. By being unborn, it is of non-dual substance with all the Buddhas. Therefore, taking this originally unborn syllable A, he empowered his own body and the Vajradharas, and addressed them. He empowered them with the unborn. Having so reflected, he expediently addressed the principal Vajradharas. The 'principal ones' does not refer only to the Lord of Mysteries; all who enter the syllable A gateway are masters of the wordless essence, and all the Vajradharas of the ten Buddha-lands are principal ones. 'Listen closely, good son! The rotation of the syllable-wheel is called the maṇḍala. The chapter on practice expands upon it. The bodhisattvas cultivating the mantra gateway perform Buddha-deeds and are able to abide before them.' 'Wheel' refers to the syllable A gateway; within this single syllable, all syllables enter, and entering this single syllable, one revolves through all dharmas without obstruction. Just as with a worldly wheel, when it does not turn, it rests, but when it turns, it is inexhaustible, and when one seeks its beginning or end, it cannot be discerned; therefore it is called a wheel. Moreover, just as when a worldly wheel revolves, it can cut down all grass, trees, and the like, and whatever roots, stems, branches, and leaves encounter this wheel are invariably smashed—why? because its outer edge is sharp—this syllable A wheel is also like this: it can eliminate all ignorance and defilements, and whatever is heard is invariably destroyed. 'Maṇḍala' has the meaning of purity, which will be explained further below. 'The chapter expands upon it': the meaning within this pervades everywhere. A 'chapter' is merely the name of a section; the expansive meaning is like a wheel, having no interruption or end. Yet this section of the sūtra is also not apart from this wheel; hence it is named after it. All chapters that say 'expands upon' follow this model (that is, the words are concise, hence a single section; the meaning is expansive, hence inexhaustible). The 'primordially unborn' is the syllable A wheel; entering this wheel is to be of the same substance and non-dual with all the Buddhas. In order to bring to completion the bodhisattvas cultivating mantra practice, the Buddha wished to expound this syllable A wheel, and first praised its virtues. If one attains this wheel, it enables all bodhisattvas to manifest through universal gateways, and in bodies that all sentient beings delight to see, universally abide before them and transform and liberate them, performing Buddha-deeds with great causes and conditions; therefore it says 'abide before them'.