大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 4.7

4.7

經云「遇良日晨定日，時分宿直諸執，皆悉相應，於食前時值吉祥相」者，因擇地事便明擇時支分也。凡所為法事，皆須與時義契合。今將擇治此地，故於吉日警發地神。餘法事例可知耳。良日晨者，謂作法當用白分月，就中一日三日五日七日十三日皆為吉祥，堪作漫荼羅。又月八日十四日十五日最勝，至此日常念誦，亦應加功也。定日者，西方曆法通計小月合當何日，若小月在白分內者，其月十五日即屬黑分，不堪用也。又曆法通計日月平行度作平朔，皆合一小一大，緣日月於平行中又更有遲疾，或時過於平行、或時不及平行，所以定朔或進退一日、定望或在十四日或在十六日。大抵月望正圓滿時名為白分十五日，月正半如弦時亦為八日。但以此准約之即得定日也。時分者，西方曆法晝夜各有三十時，一一時別有名號，如晝日即量影長短計之，某時作事則吉、某時則凶、某時中平，各各皆有像類。言宿直者，謂二十七宿也。分周天作十二房，猶如此間十二次，每次有九足。周天凡一百八足，每宿均得四足，即是月行一日裎。經二十七日，即月行一周天也。依曆算之，月所在之宿，即是此宿直日。宿有上中下，性剛柔躁靜不同，所作法事亦宜相順也。諸執者，執有九種，即是日、月、火、水、木、金、土七曜，及與羅睺、計都合為九執。羅睺是交會食神。計都正翻為旗，旗星謂彗星也。除此二執之外，其餘七曜相次直日，其性類亦有善惡，如梵曆中說。食前時者，晝夜各有三時，食前可作息災，暮間可作增益，夜可作降伏事也。入漫荼羅灌頂與息災相應，故云食前。遇善境界，意者謂作法時，或地上或空中有色聲等種種異相。地上，謂或遇見童女，執持五種牛味瓶或香水瓶，或所持物與輪印等同類，或是世中所尊上物及器盛白糠米等潔淨盈滿，或所被服端嚴鮮麗，或說種種吉祥相應之音，皆是成就相也。空中，謂忽覩慶雲瑞氣氤氳五色，或有彩虹鮮明間錯非時而見，或作火色飛動如護摩成就之形，或於日傍有五彩見，或作人形貌如住寂，或於空中有好美妙音聲，謂白鶴孔雀鴛鴦鴻雁之類，清徹和雅人所樂聞。如是等亦皆成就相也。所以須順世諦者，以勝義漫荼羅微妙寂滅，醇信白心人尚難信受，況懷疑慮乎？以所度之人曾習韋陀祠典、伎藝明處，若見造漫荼羅時分舛謬，慮恐致不吉祥，便生疑怪言：「我聞總持智慧者無所不達。而今觀之，尚不能擇得好星善時，況餘深事乎？」由此疑師疑法故，失堅信力反招重罪，故須順彼情機也。復次如是執曜，即是漫荼羅中一種善知識門。彼諸本尊即能順世間事業而作加持方便，以阿闍梨善擇吉祥時故，與彼真言本誓法爾相關，為作加持，得離諸障也。復次種種世諦門皆是法界摽幟，所謂良日晨者，意在菩提心嘉會之晨也。深行阿闍梨住瑜伽中，觀察所欲度者本初種善根時，為久為遠？因緣屬誰？從何事起？如行者初發心時，或因見佛說法，或覩神變，或見種種可悲苦事，或於菩薩聲聞緣覺而發道心，或以花香等供養如上福田心得歡喜，便即發願希求佛果。由彼先因現緣相感發故，種種機悟不同。或如是時中菩提心有寂靜力，或如是時有增進力，或如是時有威猛力，順種種悉檀方便而建立之，則功不唐捐，不生障礙也。定日者，日喻本尊身，月喻修習瑜伽行。以行者定心之月，或時增明、或時微昧，或發行太速、或發行太遲，或過於中道、或不及中道，致使機悟之時亦有盈縮。如循照常理，可至某緣某時中宜應建立，然有緣境遷移，或未到時處而熟、或過此時處乃熟、如是變通皆應善知、故云定日也。時分者、就行者一一地中自有十心，此一一心各有因、根、果，合為三十心。於此三十牟呼㗚多中，亦應深審細甄擇，何時堪折伏煩惱？何時可增益功德？何時當順中道寂心而住？是名解時中細微之相也。宿直者，是行人瑜伽之月所涉緣境，於一切緣境中皆見心性，如列宿小大像類雖復差別，無不圓明也。如月行經二十七宿，以所經之宿好惡不同，故令世間候月之占亦復隨異。如箕星好風，月行入箕則風起。畢星好雨，月行入畢則雨降。菩提行亦爾，遇緣對境勢力不同，令折伏、攝受及寂行所施方便隨轉。若阿闍梨能深察根緣曉知是事，名為善觀宿直也。九執者，梵音釳㗚何，是執持義。阿闍梨應觀彼心力之手堪持何事，則所傳密印不至唐捐。如諸佛金剛慧印，唯有金剛心菩薩乃能執之，若授與下地人，則名執曜不相應也。就九執中，日喻本淨菩提心，即是毘盧遮那自體。月喻菩提之行，白月十五日眾行皆圓滿，喻成菩提；黑月十五日眾行皆盡，喻般涅槃；中間與時昇降，喻方便力。當知已攝百字明門也。土曜持中胎藏，水持右方蓮花眷屬，金持左方金剛眷屬，木持上方如來果德，火持下方大力諸明。復次如是五執，即持五色蘇多羅，土為信、木為進、金為念、水為定、火為慧。其餘二執，羅睺主為覆障、慧星主見不祥，故不直日也。初日分如淨心顯現，中日分如發起眾行，後日分如萬德已圓功用漸息。初夜分如自證之地住大涅槃，後夜分如念本誓願起加持力。周則復始，巡轉無窮，日體是一而四洲時分各異。今此漫荼羅，意欲開發菩提心日，故取食前時也。遇善境界者，是心無相無境界、非是有為無為，以佛五眼諦觀亦不能見其相貌，然亦有種種善根發相可得了知。若是見諦阿闍梨，自當現前通達；若未見諦，當於三昧中察其境界，或見彼修行六度時種種六蔽不能留難，或為眾生之所稱歎乃至授菩提記，或如前種種印相於三昧中現炳著奇特有異於常，以因果類之可以意得，乃至普門相攝處皆亦可知也。

The sūtra says: "Finding an auspicious day, an early morning, a fixed day, when the divisions of time, the presiding lunar mansions, and the planetary grahas are all concordant, and encountering auspicious omens before the time of the meal"—this uses the occasion of selecting the site to explain the sub-elements of selecting the time. In all ritual acts that are performed, they must correspond to the meaning of the time. Now, as one is about to select and prepare this ground, one therefore alerts and awakens the earth deity on an auspicious day. The other ritual occasions may be understood by analogy. "An auspicious day and an early morning" means that the performance of the rite should use the waxing fortnight of the moon (śuklapakṣa). Among these, the first, third, fifth, seventh, and thirteenth days are all auspicious and suitable for constructing a maṇḍala. Furthermore, the eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days of the month are the supreme ones; on reaching these days, one should always recite and also apply extra effort. "A fixed day" (niyata-divasa): in Western calendrical methods, one calculates the short months to determine which day it should fall upon; if a short month falls within the bright fortnight, the fifteenth day of that month belongs to the dark fortnight (kṛṣṇapakṣa) and is unfit for use. Moreover, calendrical methods calculate the mean motion degrees of the sun and moon to establish the mean new moon, with alternating short and long months. Because the sun and moon also have variations of speed in their mean motion—sometimes exceeding the mean motion and sometimes falling short of it—the true new moon may advance or recede by one day, and the true full moon may fall on either the fourteenth or the sixteenth day. In general, when the full moon is completely round, it is designated the fifteenth day of the bright fortnight; when the moon is exactly half, like a bowstring, it is the eighth day. Simply by determining it based on these standards, one obtains the fixed day. "Divisions of time" (muhūrta): in Western calendrical methods, day and night each have thirty muhūrtas, each with a distinct name. For instance, in daytime one measures the length of the shadow to calculate it: doing things at a certain muhūrta is auspicious, at a certain muhūrta is ominous, and at a certain muhūrta is neutral; each has its own category and symbol. As for "presiding lunar mansions," this refers to the twenty-seven nakṣatras. The celestial circuit is divided into twelve houses, just like the twelve solar stations here; each station has nine quarters (pādas). The entire celestial circuit comprises one hundred and eight pādas; each nakṣatra receives an equal four pādas, which constitutes the distance traveled by the moon in one day's journey. Passing through twenty-seven days, the moon traverses one complete circuit of the sky. Calculated according to the calendar, the nakṣatra in which the moon resides is the presiding nakṣatra of that day. The nakṣatras are classified as superior, intermediate, and inferior; their natures differ as hard, soft, restless, or still; and the ritual acts performed should also be made to accord with them. As for "the grahas," there are nine types of grahas: namely, the seven heavenly bodies—sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn—together with Rāhu and Ketu, making nine grahas in all. Rāhu is the deity of the eclipse conjunctions. Ketu translates properly as "banner," and the banner-star refers to comets. Aside from these two grahas, the remaining seven heavenly bodies preside over the days in succession; their natures and types also comprise both good and evil, as explained in the Sanskrit calendrical treatises. As for "the time before the meal": day and night each have three divisions of time. Before the meal one may perform rites for averting disasters (śāntika); in the evening one may perform rites for increasing prosperity (pauṣṭika); and at night one may perform rites for subjugation (ābhicāruka). Entering the maṇḍala for abhiseka accords with the averting of disasters; therefore it says "before the meal." "Encountering auspicious omens": this means that when performing the rite, various extraordinary signs of forms, sounds, and so forth appear either on the ground or in the sky. On the ground: for instance, encountering a maiden holding a jar of the five products of a cow or a jar of scented water; or the objects she holds are of the same type as the wheel-seal and so forth; or it is an object revered in the world; or a vessel filled clean to the brim with white unpolished rice; or her clothing is stately, fresh, and beautiful; or she speaks various auspicious and harmonious words—these are all signs of accomplishment. In the sky: for instance, suddenly beholding celebratory clouds and auspicious vapors suffused with the five colors; or a bright, iridescent rainbow appearing out of season; or a flame-colored, fluttering shape resembling the accomplishment of a homa; or a display of five colors beside the sun; or a human form resembling someone abiding in tranquility; or fine and exquisite sounds in the sky, such as those of white cranes, peacocks, mandarin ducks, or wild geese, clear, harmonious, and pleasing to the human ear. Such as these are all likewise signs of accomplishment. The reason why one must accord with conventional truth is that the maṇḍala of the ultimate truth is subtle and quiescent; even people of pure faith and candid mind find it hard to accept with faith, how much more so those who harbor doubts? Because the persons to be saved have previously practiced the Vedic rituals and technical sciences (śilpakarmasthāna-vidyāsthāna), if they saw that the divisions of time for constructing the maṇḍala were erroneous, they would worry that it might bring misfortune, and would thus give rise to suspicion, saying: "I have heard that those with the wisdom of dhāraṇī understand everything without exception. Yet looking at them now, they cannot even select a good star or an auspicious time; how much less could they understand other profound matters?" Because of doubting the master and doubting the Dharma, they would lose their firm faith and instead invite severe transgressions. Therefore one must accord with their inclinations and capacities. Furthermore, such planetary grahas are themselves a kind of gateway of good spiritual friends (kalyāṇamitra) within the maṇḍala. Those fundamental deities are able to accord with worldly affairs and produce skillful means of adhiṣṭhāna. Because the ācārya skillfully chooses the auspicious time, it inherently correlates with the fundamental vows of those mantras, granting adhiṣṭhāna to enable freedom from all obstacles. Furthermore, the various gateways of conventional truth are all emblems of the dharmadhātu. What is called "an auspicious day and early morning" points to the auspicious morning of the union of the bodhicitta. The ācārya of profound practice, abiding in yoga, observes when the person to be saved originally planted the roots of goodness—whether long ago or far in the past; to whom the causes and conditions belong; and from what circumstances they arose. For instance, when a practitioner first generates the mind [of bodhi], it may be through seeing the Buddha preach the Dharma, or beholding a spiritual transformation, or seeing various pitiable sufferings; or they may generate the mind for the path toward a bodhisattva, śrāvaka, or pratyekabuddha; or through making offerings of flowers, incense, and so forth to the above fields of merit, their mind experiences joy and they immediately generate a vow aspiring to the fruit of Buddhahood. Because their past causes and present conditions mutually stimulate each other, their diverse capacities and awakenings differ. At such a time the bodhicitta may possess the power of tranquility; or at such a time it may possess the power of advancement; or at such a time it may possess the power of fierce majesty. If one establishes it in accordance with the skillful means of the various siddhāntas, the efforts will not be in vain and no obstacles will arise. As for "a fixed day": the sun is an analogy for the body of the fundamental deity; the moon is an analogy for cultivating the yogic practice. Because the moon of the practitioner's focused mind is sometimes bright and sometimes dim, or initiates practice too quickly or initiates practice too slowly, or exceeds the Middle Way or falls short of the Middle Way, this causes the time of capacity and awakening to have waxings and wanings. According to normal principles, it may be established when reaching a certain condition and a certain time; yet conditions and objects shift, so that it may ripen before reaching that time and place, or ripen only after passing that time and place. Such adaptations must all be skillfully known; hence it is called "a fixed day." As for "the divisions of time": regarding the practitioner's own ten minds in each and every bhūmi, each mind possesses cause, root, and fruit, making thirty minds in all. Within these thirty muhūrtas, one should also carefully and minutely examine: at what time can afflictions be subdued? At what time can virtues be increased? At what time should one abide with a tranquil mind in accord with the Middle Way? This is called understanding the subtle characteristics within time. As for "presiding lunar mansions": these are the conditions and objects through which the moon of the practitioner's yoga traverses; in all conditions and objects, one perceives the nature of the mind. Just as the arrayed nakṣatras differ in size and form, yet none fails to be round and luminous. As the moon's transit passes through the twenty-seven nakṣatras, because the nakṣatras it traverses differ in goodness and badness, the worldly divinations observing the moon also vary accordingly. For example, the Winnower nakṣatra (Mūla/Pūrvāṣāḍhā) likes wind; when the moon enters the Winnower, wind arises. The Net nakṣatra (Rohiṇī) likes rain; when the moon enters the Net, rain falls. The practice of bodhi is also like this: encountering conditions and confronting objects, its strength differs, causing the skillful means applied in subduing, gathering in, and tranquil practice to adapt accordingly. If the ācārya can profoundly examine capacities and conditions and clearly understand these matters, this is called being skilled in observing the presiding lunar mansions. As for "the nine grahas": the Sanskrit is graha, which means "to grasp and hold." The ācārya should observe what matter the hand of their mental power is capable of grasping and holding, so that the secret mudrā transmitted will not be rendered futile. For example, only a bodhisattva with a vajra mind can grasp the vajra wisdom mudrā of the buddhas; if it is conferred upon a person of lower bhūmis, it is termed a discordance with the planetary grahas. Among the nine grahas, the sun is an analogy for the fundamentally pure bodhicitta, which is the very essence of Vairocana. The moon is an analogy for the practice of bodhi: on the fifteenth day of the bright fortnight all practices are perfected, an analogy for attaining bodhi; on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight all practices are exhausted, an analogy for entering parinirvāṇa; its rising and falling with time in between is an analogy for the power of skillful means. One should know that this already encompasses the gateway of the hundred-syllable vidyā. The Saturn graha holds the central womb (garbha); Mercury holds the lotus retinue on the right side; Venus holds the vajra retinue on the left side; Jupiter holds the fruit-virtues of the Tathāgata above; and Mars holds the greatly powerful vidyā-rājas below. Furthermore, these five grahas hold the five-colored thread (sūtra): Saturn is faith, Jupiter is vigor, Venus is mindfulness, Mercury is samādhi, and Mars is wisdom. As for the remaining two grahas, Rāhu governs obscuring obstacles and Ketu governs the appearance of inauspiciousness, and therefore they do not preside over the days. The initial division of the day is like the manifestation of the pure mind; the middle division of the day is like the launching of the manifold practices; the final division of the day is like the myriad virtues having been perfected and active effort gradually ceasing. The initial division of the night is like the stage of personal realization abiding in great nirvāṇa; the final division of the night is like recollecting the fundamental vows and generating the power of adhiṣṭhāna. Going around and returning to the beginning, revolving without end, the substance of the sun is one, yet the divisions of time differ across the four continents. Now, in this maṇḍala, the intention is to unfold the sun of bodhicitta; hence one selects the time before the meal. As for "encountering auspicious omens": this mind is without characteristics and without domain, neither conditioned nor unconditioned; even when observed closely with the five eyes of the Buddha, its appearance cannot be seen, yet there are various signs of the arising of roots of goodness that can be apprehended and known. If one is an ācārya who has seen the truth, one will naturally comprehend them directly; if one has not yet seen the truth, one should observe their domains within samādhi: either seeing that when they practice the six pāramitās, the various six hindrances cannot obstruct them, or that they are praised by sentient beings and even receive the prophecy of bodhi; or, like the various marks of the mudrās mentioned before, they appear luminously, remarkably, and extraordinarily in samādhi. Categorizing them through cause and effect, they can be understood mentally, up to the point where the mutual inclusion of the universal gateway can also be known.