大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 1.8

1.8

When the sūtra says: 'The Bhagavat dwelt in the tathāgata's adhiṣṭhāna,' 'Bhagavat' refers to Vairocana's original ground, the dharmakāya; next, 'tathāgata' is the Buddha's adhiṣṭhāna-kāya; the place where he dwelt is called the Buddha's saṃbhogakāya. It takes this very body as the dwelling place of the Buddha's adhiṣṭhāna. The tathāgata mind-king, in which all buddhas abide, abides within it. Since it is born from the power of adhiṣṭhāna that pervades all places, it is non-dual and undivided from the formless dharmakāya; yet through sovereign spiritual power, it causes all sentient beings to see the form of the body mystery, hear the sound of the speech mystery, and realize the phenomena of the mind mystery, differing variously according to their dispositions. This very dwelling place is called the place of adhiṣṭhāna. Next, it further explains and praises the dwelling place of adhiṣṭhāna, hence saying 'the vast Vajradharmadhātu Palace'. 'Great' means having no boundaries; 'vast' means uncountable in measure. 'Vajra' is a metaphor for dharmatā wisdom: transcending all speech and paths of mental activity, precisely without support, not pointing to phenomena, without beginning, middle, or end, inexhaustible and indestructible, free from all faults, immutable, and unbreakable; hence it is called 'vajra'. Just as in the world the vajra-jewel is supreme in three respects: first, being indestructible; second, being foremost among jewels; third, being supreme among battle gear. This largely agrees with the metaphorical sense in the three kinds of vajra-samādhis in the Śāstra (Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa). The 'dharmadhātu' is the essence of the vast vajra-wisdom. This essence of wisdom is what is called the tathāgata's dharmatā-wisdom body. Through adhiṣṭhāna, it is the place adorned by real merits, the sublime realm of dwelling, the capital of the mind-king; hence it is called 'palace'. This palace is the place where ancient buddhas attained bodhi, namely the palace of the Maheśvara heaven. The Śāstra states: 'The dwelling places of the five kinds of anāgāmins in the fourth dhyāna are called the Śuddhāvāsa heavens. Beyond these, there is the dwelling place of bodhisattvas of the ten abidings, which is also called Śuddhāvāsa and named the Great Sovereign God King (Maheśvararāja).' Now in this tradition, expounding the meaning: because it is the residence of the sovereign adhiṣṭhāna mind, it is called the Sovereign God King's Palace. That is to say, wherever the tathāgata has a manifestation, it is nowhere other than this palace; it is not merely beyond the three realms. 'All the vajradharas were assembled together' next clarifies the sublime retinue. When the tathāgata was in this palace, was he alone, or did he have a retinue? Hence it says that here an infinite retinue was constantly assembled together, namely the vajradharas and so on. In Sanskrit it is vajradhara; here vajra is the vajra club, and dhara means holding or sustaining; hence the old translation says 'vajra-holder'. Now we say 'vajradhara', which encompasses both the deep and shallow interpretations and is superior in meaning, so we alternate the expressions according to textual convenience. If expressed according to the ordinary convention of conventional truth, it is said that the physical-body buddha constantly has five hundred vajradhara spirits flanking and escorting him. However, the esoteric meaning of this tradition is: the vajra is the tathāgata's vajra wisdom-seal; such wisdom-seals are measureless in number, and those who can hold them are likewise infinite. Why is this? Wherever the mind-king resides, there must be mental factors like grains of dust and sand serving as his retinue. Now, the mind-king Vairocana has attained spontaneous enlightenment; at that time, none of all the mental factors does not immediately enter into the vajradhātu, becoming the distinct wisdom-seals of the tathāgata's inner realization of merits. Such wisdom-seals can only be held by a buddha together with a buddha. From the perspective of bodhi, there are limitless and boundless vajra seals; from the perspective of the buddha, there are limitless and boundless vajradharas. Because these manifold merits are all of one mark and one taste, arriving at the reality limit, it is called 'assembled together'. If any small part were unequal or one phenomenon unfulfilled, it would not be called 'all assembled together'. Yet, empowered by sovereign spiritual power, from the mind-king Vairocana manifests the exalted adhiṣṭhāna-body; at that time, each of the retinue of immeasurable Dharma-gateways manifests the body of a vajradhara, revealing the formidable, great majesty of the tathāgata. It is like Śakra holding a vajra in his hand to destroy the asura army. Now these vajradharas are also like this: each from one gateway holds the battle gear of great emptiness, able to destroy the signless defilements of sentient beings; hence they are compared with these forms.