大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 20.28

20.28

經初金剛手已曾問佛持誦之法，上來亦有略答之處，然未具悉。今為決擇故，更具分別其宗要之行也。其祕密者，上來諸品所明非不祕密，然此中宗要乃祕密中之祕密也。一一念誦，或作意聲念誦，或作出入息念誦，此明差別行法不同也。一一念誦者，謂專心口誦真言。真言中聲出時，一一聲字皆悉諦了不間，斷攀緣也。作意者，即直是心持，作心想念誦不出聲也。出入息念誦，如上所明服風等是也。二相應者，謂於三念誦中，其作意及出入息，此最相應為第一也。當勿異者，謂常當依此而作，勿異緣異想也。若不爾者，徒用功無益也。持真言者闕支而用，謂字有點而不道、或字闕、或應長聲而作短聲呼之。如是類甚眾，皆名闕支分念誦也。右此內外相應，合有四種念誦也（即四色是也）。言世間有緣相續，所謂字句。句是舉足行步，謂觀此字如一一步，字即種子字也。次於前已出世念誦，身字印合為一即得。今世間念誦即異之，或觀字、或觀尊、或觀印也。謂句乃本尊，就世間中念誦，出入息最為上也。前出入息最為上者，前出入息變字為出入息。今世間念誦，見出入息中有字了了分明。是有分別也。前出世間不作如是分別也。於真言中分別為二，即世間持誦者，彼有緣相緣字字句，此中或取一字緣之，或取句等想在本尊心上，如前具明，是外念誦也。取一字者，即是種子字，或真言初首之字。若真言小者，或具想其句。如上說，如連環等布於本尊心上圓明之中。此二種或字或句，隨息出入不絕不間，欲誦時繞也。有經明此義，如觀鏡像分明而見。今觀字見字，觀印尊即見之，此是有相也。若行者見此真實相時，即不住有相，然由未入無相。若觀菩提心，是一向無相也。此心即是佛，佛即是自身也。自身即成佛，成佛故一相無異，故名無相。隨謂或來或去隨心也。世間念誦以出入息為上也。當知出世間意念誦，遠離於諸字，自本尊作一合相。不壞，謂不分為二取，謂分別著於相也。一合相，謂合一為令不取著，不壞此相也。不壞意色相，像與心不相異，故云不壞也。勿異法則，謂教法如是也。住如是法，則誦三落叉。如前說我所說多種念誦，謂遍數、時節、現相、增益等。三落叉是數，數是世間也。出世間落叉，是見三相，謂字、印、本尊，隨取其一一合相是也。字印尊等、身語心等名見，乃至能令持誦者淨，令一切罪除。若不淨，更一月等如前也。而今所說念誦數，謂牒上文也，不應異此法則也。是故今耳聞息出時字出，入時字令隨息出入也。今謂天台之誦經，是圓頓家數息，是此意也。今以此字一緣與息出入，自然念念相續心不散亂，恬然易入三昧也。此為世間念誦中最上也。又上明尊神者，言此字句念誦之法諸尊皆爾，上從佛部下至八部，凡有念誦皆當如是作之。其出入息念誦，亦隨本尊法一一有此行法也。出世間者，當知是意念誦之法，離於文字也。豈撥離前來真言字等方名離文字耶？不如是也。謂能達字之本性即是圓明。當住本來不生者，即心是也。心之體性圓明清淨，具足眾德而無分別，當觀如是之字也。此字者還即即前來本尊真言之字及句耳。但了知此字從心而生，心既圓明湛寂，從心所生之字其性亦爾。所云離字聲等者，謂離分別緣念之心及聲想等也。然持誦時有誦有觀，或可觀行、或可兼行、或但修觀照也。誦謂如上緣於聲字或出入息等，照謂觀此字之體性也。然初觀時常於有相，若觀種子一字其圓明，初即小作；若具觀句等，即大作圓明狀如連環等，以心觀照令宛然分明，後即從此而觀其性也。本尊一相作不壞取，意不壞形。勿異法則者，本尊即是初觀圓明之字也。次即觀本尊，如上已說。一相者，即身口意也。觀本尊心上作此圓明即是心，其身印等即是身，其真言字等即是語。今已明見本尊，而觀本尊三事一相平等，如於實相。又觀本尊三事平等一相，即同於我。我之三相，亦復一相平等不異於本尊。此圓明之性不異菩提心，菩提心不異本尊，自他平等也。又所觀字雖不同，然皆是三昧門，若解一字之性相，即解一切字之性相。字即本尊，本尊即心，心即法界體性也。是故此阿字即是不思議字。如阿者，一切亦爾也。如字者，印等亦如是也。於此不思議三相，謂字真言相、身印相、本尊心相，不遣不立、不增益不損減，當作一切平等相觀，而達一切法成一切智。當依此法則，勿異此而作也。此即是三落叉義也。落叉梵音，是相義亦是見義也。

At the beginning of the sūtra, Vajrapāṇi had already questioned the Buddha about the method of recitation, and previously there were also places where brief answers were given, but it was not yet fully detailed. Now, to resolve doubts, the essential practice of this tradition is expounded again in full detail. Regarding 'secret': although what was explained in the preceding chapters was not unsecret, the essential doctrine here is the secret within secrets. 'Individual recitation' means either recitation with mental intention and sound, or recitation with inhalation and exhalation; this clarifies the differences between the distinct methods of practice. 'Individual recitation' means reciting the mantra with single-minded verbal utterance. When the sound is uttered in the mantra, each sound and syllable is clearly comprehended without interruption, cutting off external conditioning. 'Mental intention' means directly maintaining it in the mind, performing mental-contemplation recitation without uttering sound. 'Recitation with inhalation and exhalation' is as explained above, such as ingesting the wind. 'The two are corresponding' means that among the three recitations, mental intention and inhalation/exhalation are the most corresponding and supreme. 'Must not diverge' means that one should always practice according to this and not have divergent conditions or divergent thoughts. If not, one exerts effort in vain without benefit. 'Mantra practitioners using it with deficient limbs' means that a syllable has a dot (bindu) but it is not pronounced, or a syllable is missing, or what should be a long sound is pronounced with a short sound. Such varieties are very numerous, and all are called recitation deficient in limbs. The above internal and external correspondences comprise four kinds of recitation in total (which are the four colors). 'Worldly conditioned continuity' refers to syllables and phrases. 'Phrase' (pada) means lifting the feet and walking, meaning one contemplates these syllables as step by step; 'syllables' are the bīja syllables. Next, regarding the supramundane recitation explained earlier, it is achieved when the body, syllable, and mudrā merge into one. Now, worldly recitation differs from it: one contemplates either the syllable, the deity, or the mudrā. 'Phrase' means the primary deity; in the context of worldly recitation, inhalation and exhalation is supreme. The reason why inhalation and exhalation was supreme earlier is that the earlier inhalation and exhalation transformed the syllables into inhalation and exhalation. Now in worldly recitation, one sees the syllables distinctly and clearly within the inhalation and exhalation. This involves conceptual differentiation. The earlier supramundane [recitation] makes no such conceptual differentiation. Differentiating them into two within mantras: in worldly recitation, it has conditioned characteristics that take syllables and phrases as objects; herein one either takes a single syllable as object, or contemplates a phrase and the like upon the heart of the primary deity, as fully clarified earlier—this is external recitation. 'Taking a single syllable' means the bīja syllable, or the initial syllable of the mantra. If the mantra is short, one may contemplate the entire phrase. As stated above, it is arranged like an interlocking chain within the luminous circle upon the heart of the primary deity. These two kinds—either syllable or phrase—flow continuously without interruption following the inhalation and exhalation of breath, and circle around when one wishes to recite. There is a sūtra that clarifies this meaning: it is clearly seen like looking at an image in a mirror. Now, contemplating the syllable, one sees the syllable; contemplating the mudrā and deity, one sees them—this has characteristics. When the practitioner sees this true characteristic, they do not abide in having characteristics, yet they have not yet entered the signless. If one contemplates the bodhicitta, it is entirely signless. This mind is the Buddha, and the Buddha is one's own body. One's own body is the realization of buddhahood; because buddhahood is realized, it is of one single characteristic without difference, and is therefore called signless. 'Following' means coming or going in accordance with the mind. In worldly recitation, inhalation and exhalation is supreme. One should know that supramundane mental recitation is far removed from all syllables, forming a unified sign together with one's primary deity. 'Indestructible' means not dividing into dual grasping, which means conceptually clinging to characteristics. 'Unified sign' (ekasaṃjñā) means uniting into one so that one does not cling, not destroying this sign. 'Not destroying the sign of mental form' means the image and the mind do not differ, hence it is said to be 'indestructible'. 'Do not diverge from the rule' means the teaching is like this. 'Abiding in such a rule, one recites three lakṣas.' As previously stated, I have taught many kinds of recitation, referring to the number of repetitions, time periods, manifested signs, increasing benefits, and so forth. 'Three lakṣas' is a number, and number is worldly. The supramundane lakṣa is seeing the three signs—namely syllable, mudrā, and primary deity—taking each individual unified sign. The syllable, mudrā, deity, and so forth, as well as body, speech, and mind, are called 'seeing', which can purify the practitioner and eradicate all sins. If one is not purified, one adds another month and so forth, as before. What is now spoken of as the number of recitations repeats the previous text; one should not diverge from this rule. Therefore, now the ear hears the syllable emerge when the breath goes out, and causes the syllable to enter and exit following the breath when it goes in. What Tiantai calls 'reciting sūtras'—counting the breath in the Perfect and Sudden tradition—has this meaning. Now, by using this single condition of the syllable along with the inhalation and exhalation of breath, naturally, thought after thought continues without mental distraction, and one serenely and easily enters samādhi. This is the most supreme among worldly recitations. Furthermore, regarding the deities and spirits explained above: this method of reciting syllables and phrases applies to all deities, from the Buddha family above down to the eight classes below; wherever there is recitation, it should all be performed in this way. The recitation with inhalation and exhalation also possesses this practice according to each individual ritual of the primary deity. Supramundane [recitation] should be understood as the method of mental recitation, which is free from syllables. Could it be called 'free from syllables' only after discarding the aforementioned mantra syllables? It is not so. It means being able to realize that the intrinsic nature of the syllables is itself the luminous circle. 'One should abide in the originally unborn' refers to the mind. The essential nature of the mind is perfectly luminous and pure, complete with all virtues without conceptual differentiation; one should contemplate such a syllable. This syllable is none other than the syllables and phrases of the aforementioned primary deity's mantra. One simply realizes that this syllable is born from the mind; since the mind is perfectly luminous, clear, and serene, the nature of the syllable born from the mind is also like this. What is called 'free from syllable sounds and the like' means being free from the conceptually conditioning mind, perceptions of sounds, and so forth. However, at the time of recitation, there are recitation and contemplation: one may practice contemplation alone, or practice both simultaneously, or cultivate contemplative illumination alone. 'Recitation' means conditioning upon sounds, syllables, inhalation and exhalation, and so forth as described above; 'illumination' means contemplating the intrinsic nature of this syllable. However, when first contemplating, one is always in the realm of characteristics: if contemplating the single bīja syllable, its luminous circle is initially visualized small; if contemplating the full phrase and so forth, one makes a large luminous circle like an interlocking chain, using the mind to contemplate and illuminate it to make it vivid and clear, and afterward contemplates its nature based on this. 'The primary deity's single sign is made without destructive grasping' means the mind does not destroy the form. Regarding 'do not diverge from the rule': the primary deity is itself the syllable of the luminous circle initially contemplated. Next, one contemplates the primary deity as explained above. 'Single sign' refers to body, speech, and mind. Contemplating the luminous circle upon the primary deity's heart is the mind; the bodily mudrā and so forth are the body; the mantra syllables and so forth are the speech. Now, having clearly seen the primary deity, one contemplates the three matters of the primary deity as of one sign and equal, like dharmatā. Furthermore, one contemplates that the three matters of the primary deity, equal and of one sign, are identical to oneself. My own three signs are also of one sign, equal and not different from the primary deity. The nature of this luminous circle is not different from bodhicitta, and bodhicitta is not different from the primary deity—self and other are equal. Moreover, although the contemplated syllables differ, they are all samādhi gateways; if one understands the nature and characteristics of one syllable, one understands the nature and characteristics of all syllables. The syllable is the primary deity, the primary deity is the mind, and the mind is the essential nature of the dharmadhātu. Therefore, this syllable A is the inconceivable syllable. As it is with A, so it is with all of them. As it is with syllables, so it is with mudrās and the like. Regarding these three inconceivable signs—namely the sign of the syllable-mantra, the sign of the bodily mudrā, and the sign of the primary deity's mind—neither rejecting nor establishing, neither increasing nor decreasing, one should contemplate them as signs of universal equality, thereby penetrating all dharmas and accomplishing sarvajñajñāna. One should rely on this rule and not act divergently from this. This is the meaning of the three lakṣas. In Sanskrit, lakṣa means 'sign' and also means 'seeing'.