大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 1.13

1.13

Regarding the passage: "At that time, with the bodhisattva Samantabhadra as foremost, and the vajradharas with the Lord of Secrets as foremost, through the adhiṣṭhāna of the Tathāgata Vairocana, he displayed in full vigour the treasury of inexhaustible adornments of his body, […] and when the seeds of karma and lifespan among the classes of sentient beings are eradicated, the seed of the sprout arises again": this means that, being about to preach this Dharma gateway of equality, he first moved the great assembly through sovereign adhiṣṭhāna, fully manifesting the realm of the universal gateway and its secret adornments—an inconceivable, unprecedented event. Because of their questions and doubts he then preached it; thus the listeners' faith and joy redoubled, and they penetrated deeply into the meaning of the words. Just as in the causes and conditions of the "Introductory Chapter" and the "Emerging from the Earth Chapter" of the Lotus Sūtra, here too it should be explained extensively. Furthermore, the foremost noble ones such as Samantabhadra and the Lord of Secrets are Vairocana's differentiating wisdom-bodies, who have long since thoroughly penetrated such realms. However, the various spiritual benefactors manifested through these doors of liberation each lead countless receptive assemblies to enter together into the dharmadhātu-maṇḍala. For the benefit of these bodhisattvas who are newly entering this Dharma gateway and engaging in actual practice, the Tathāgata by adhiṣṭhāna vigorously displayed his great supernormal powers. Just as a lion king, about to roar, must first invigorate his body and show his strength before uttering his voice, the Tathāgata likewise, about to make the definitive lion's roar and proclaim the gateway to sarvajñajñāna, first vigorously displayed the treasury of inexhaustible adornments. What is called 'adornment' means that from the one equal body he universally manifests all postures and deportments, and such deportments are none other than secret mudrās; from the one equal speech he universally manifests all vocal sounds, and such vocal sounds are none other than mantras; from the one equal mind he universally manifests all central deities, and such central deities are none other than samādhis. Yet each and every differentiated mark of these three activities is boundless and immeasurable; hence it is called 'inexhaustible adornment'. As the Tathāgataguhyaka-jñāna-sūtra says: "The bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin, in the Dharma assembly, wishing to know the measure of the Buddha's body, sent Mahāmaudgalyāyana to seek it. Maudgalyāyana ascended as far as the Brahmā Palace, yet still beheld the Tathāgata as if right before his eyes, the Buddha's bodily deportment and the voice of his Dharma preaching being no different from the original. Even when he exhausted his supernormal powers to go to other Buddha realms, it was likewise no different from the Brahmā Palace. At that time, because Maudgalyāyana could not measure it, the bodhisattva Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin went himself to observe. Passing through worlds in the ten directions each like the sands of the Ganges, he saw everywhere the Tathāgata preaching the Dharma without rising from his seat. Even when he reached the utmost limits of the ten directions and exhausted his supernormal power and strength, it was likewise so. Only then did he return, whereupon he saw the deva maiden Eliminating Doubts not far from the Buddha. Seeing her enter into samādhi, he thought: 'I have heard that this deva maiden has thoroughly penetrated immeasurable samādhi gateways. I will observe what concentration she now abides in.' Yet even when he exhausted his mental power to observe it, he could not fathom the sphere of her mind's activity. Gathering countless celestial drums, each like Mount Sumeru, the king of mountains, he caused them to sound simultaneously through supernormal power, wishing to make her emerge from concentration, but could not succeed. The Buddha even said: 'When I had not yet aroused the bodhicitta, this deva maiden was already able to abide in this samādhi.'" This illustrates the meaning of 'boundless'. Thus Vairocana, throughout all the worlds of the ten directions, manifests in each one a Buddha's adhiṣṭhāna-body, and each of these bodies has assemblies of bodhisattvas and vajradharas as numerous as the dust motes of ten Buddha lands; the faculties, marks, and signs of these great assemblies are likewise boundless, filling the dharmadhātu like sesame oil, leaving no empty space within. Furthermore, just as a king has a great treasury, and if he needs to show it to others, he opens and displays it at will, it is called a 'treasury of adornments'. Furthermore, these great assemblies are able to see such an inconceivable realm only through the Buddha's spiritual power. If the Tathāgata were to relinquish his adhiṣṭhāna, it would not appear, as it cannot be reached by the capacity of their own minds. It is like a practitioner who internally cultivates the pratyutpanna-samādhi and externally receives the protection of supernormal power: with the physical body born of father and mother, he can see the Buddhas of the ten directions, just as on a clear, cloudless night one looks up and beholds the multitude of stars, hearing the sounds of the Dharma distinctly and without hindrance. Yet is this realm produced because of the purity of the practitioner's mind, or is it produced because of the Buddha's adhiṣṭhāna and protection? If it were due to the inner mind, it would be produced from own-nature (svabhāva); if it were due to the Buddha's power, it would be produced from other-nature (parabhāva). Both would be no different from non-Buddhist doctrines. Since both self and other are non-existent, a combination of them is also non-existent. Nor is it accomplished without causes and conditions. Why? Because if either internal cause or external condition is lacking, it will not appear. One should know that such adornment marks, when appearing, come from nowhere, and when vanishing, go nowhere; being ultimately equal, they do not deviate from suchness. The sūtra says: "Not born from the body, speech, or mind of the Buddha Vairocana, the bounds of their arising and cessation in all places cannot be found; yet all the bodily acts, speech acts, and mental acts of Vairocana in all places and at all times proclaim the phrases and teachings of the mantra path in the realm of sentient beings." This further explains why the Buddha's treasury of adornments is inexhaustible and boundless: it is because it is no different from the Tathāgata's all-pervading, permanent, and indestructible body. Although it is eternally without arising or cessation, through all three activities it universally preaches the most genuine path in all times and places across the ten directions and the three times, teaching and transforming sentient beings and guiding their minds so that they reach the Buddha path.