大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 4.5

4.5

經云「祕密主！彼簡擇地，除去礫石、碎瓦破器、髑髏毛髮、糠糩灰炭、刺骨朽木等，及虫蟻蜣蜋毒螫之類」者，次明治地支分。謂於前所擇地中，簡取置壇之處，掘深一肘以來，於其土中一一精擇，有諸不任用物及虫等皆當去之。若有此者，能生眾難，於法有障也。其石及沙礫，少可擇者當選去之。若沙石眾多，此處聚積彼處復有，不可簡治令淨者，當捨棄更求餘處也。然大石平整，有聖教說可於上立漫荼羅，但土中雜者應除去耳。西方俗法多於瓦器中食，食竟輒便棄之，謂為穢觸不復受用。如是比及餘種種破壞器物，并髑髏雜骨、種種爪髮皮毛、糠糩穢草，及諸灰炭剌橛朽木，以要言之，如是等種種不任用物、非本淨土者，皆擇出之。若多不可擇，亦應捨棄更求餘處，故云等也。虫蟻，梵音吃㗚弭，此語通含，皆是微細小虫，皆擇去也。蜣蜋，是其大者。更有丘蚓等，義可准知。毒虫，謂虵蝎、蜈蚣、蚰蜒之類，皆應作方便驅遣令去。若多不可除，即是有妨難處，應可棄之。

Regarding the sūtra saying: "Lord of Secrets! In examining and selecting that ground, remove gravel, broken tiles and potsherds, skulls and hair, chaff and husks, ashes and charcoal, thorny bones, rotting wood, and the like, as well as insects, ants, dung beetles, and venomous stinging creatures": next, the secondary components of preparing the ground are explained. That is, within the ground previously selected, one marks out the site where the altar is to be placed, digs down to a depth of about one cubit, and carefully examines the earth one bit after another; whatever unusable things, insects, and so forth are there must all be removed. If these are present, they can give rise to numerous difficulties and be obstacles to the rite. As for stones and gravel, if there are few to be sifted, they should be sorted and removed. If sand and stones are abundant—piled up here and appearing there as well—so that it cannot be sorted and purified, one should abandon it and look for another site instead. However, if there is a large, flat rock, there are holy teachings that say one may erect a maṇḍala on it; it is only what is mixed within the soil that should be removed. According to Western worldly custom, people mostly eat from earthenware vessels, and once done eating, they immediately discard them, regarding them as polluted and no longer usable. Such things and other broken utensils of various kinds, along with skulls, miscellaneous bones, various nails, hair, hides, fur, chaff, husks, foul weeds, as well as ashes, charcoal, thorns, stakes, and rotting wood—in brief, such various unusable items that are not the original clean earth must all be sorted out. If they are so numerous that they cannot be sifted, one should also abandon it and look for another site; hence it says "and the like." "Insects and ants" in Sanskrit is *kṛmi*; this term is comprehensive, referring in all cases to minute, small bugs, all of which are to be sifted out and removed. "Dung beetles" are the larger ones. There are further earthworms and the like, whose meaning may be understood by analogy. "Venomous creatures" refers to the likes of snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and house centipedes; one should apply expedient means in every case to drive them away. If they are too numerous to be removed, then it is a place of obstruction and difficulty, and it should be abandoned.