大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 17.33

17.33

Next, in response, it says, "Supreme among secrets." Regarding "the wisdom of mantras": it means the supreme, unsurpassable wisdom among wisdoms. Now I shall speak this teaching; you should single-mindedly and attentively listen. Next it says, "Child of the Buddha, excellent, excellent, Great Being!": the Buddha praises Vajrapāṇi, wishing to gladden that great assembly. Speaking in this way refers to responding to the question. Regarding the characteristic of having secrets: it is the supreme characteristic. The wisdom born from the mind mantra is the greatest. What is called "the mind of all" is none other than the syllable A. Because all vocal sounds have this syllable as their head, if there were no sound of this A, one would be separated from all speech, and there would be nothing to say. You should know that simply opening the mouth to produce sound is itself the sound of the syllable A. Although the preceding text stated that jñāna excludes the sound of A, nonetheless A has an internal and an external: even if the external sound is absent, one cannot be separated from the internal sound of the syllable A. "Internal sound" refers to the sound of A within the throat. You should know that this A is the meaning that all phenomena are originally unborn. If one can thus clearly understand that the original nature is unborn and free from cause and effect, one then attains the permanently abiding, unborn state. This mind mantra is itself the locus of immeasurable meanings, generating all worldly and transmundane phenomena everywhere. Being free from all frivolity, upon all prapañca being forever stilled, skillful wisdom arises. This wisdom is the wisdom of śamatha and vipaśyanā. From this wisdom, immeasurable insight and upāya arise, pervading everywhere because they are free from conceptual proliferation. "Skillful wisdom" is another name for sarvajñajñāna. In what way, Lord of Secrets, is the syllable A the mind of all mantras? "The mind of all mantras" is a question the Buddha himself poses and then answers. This syllable A is just like a seed. Just as in the world, the Buddha, the Two-Footed Honoured One, calls the syllable A a seed: a seed can produce many fruits, each in turn producing hundreds of thousands and tens of thousands, and so on, proliferating limitlessly and ineffably. Now, seeing the seed, one recognizes the fruit; since the cause is like this, you should know that the fruit must also be like it. Now this syllable A is also like this: from this fundamental, uninstructed, spontaneous wisdom, all wisdom-activities arise. "Arranging it on the limbs": "limbs" refers to one's own mind. Because this mind subsumes all parts of the body, apart from the mind there is no body, and apart from the body there is no mind; it is also identical with the syllable A, hence the reciprocal terms. If one arranges this, one is identical with the buddhas: that is, from the syllable there is the fruit, and the fruit is the Buddha; being able to truly and universally know, he is called the Truly Awakened One. Because of recognizing the noumenal nature of this syllable, he obtains the name "Tathāgata." The noumenal nature of this syllable is the meaning that this mind is originally unborn. Therefore, "all are thus" means that all are identical with the syllable A, and all are mantras. "As well as abiding in the limbs" means that although various syllables are added, the syllable A is also present among them. Furthermore, completely abiding in the limbs with the syllable A as the mind is like a person having a mind that pervades the limbs, this mind experiencing all suffering and pleasure. The syllable A also pervades all limbs. However, it is the meaning that this mind is originally unborn, spoken by the Buddha, the Two-Footed Honoured One; therefore, "all limbs abide, arranged on the limbs." Regarding "conferring it everywhere in accordance with the method of corresponding": next, it exhorts the practitioner that they should arrange it on the limbs, meaning arranging it upon the heart. In Sanskrit it is called akṣara. The syllable A pervades all syllables; if there were no syllable A, then a syllable could not be formed. There must be the syllable A: if a syllable has no head, then it does not form a syllable, and A is the head. "Everywhere" means pervading all. "All" has phenomena and principle: that is, verbal expression and realization of principle, the principle of mantra, are all pervaded, hence "all" is repeated. This A is like a person's physical limbs and internal mind; this A pervades everywhere. If one arranges all syllables without body and mind, then the limbs are incomplete. These are the limbs of the body; according to the Dharma and in accordance with the principle, it is arranged everywhere. "Everywhere" means arranging everywhere; although one may not yet have arranged all syllables everywhere, taking this syllable A as the beginning is itself arranging all syllables everywhere. Furthermore, this syllable A can articulate all worldly speech, and further, through this speech, one can understand all transmundane principles. Why is this? One must rely on this syllable A to generate all worldly speech. Yet this speech is not apart from the syllable A, and because it is not apart from the syllable A, one knows that it is not apart from the unborn nature of phenomena. Therefore, due to the syllable A gateway, all worldly phenomena exist; and due to all worldly phenomena, one attains awakening to the syllable A gateway. Furthermore, because this mind pervades all bodily parts, accordingly arranging it on the limbs of the body is truly arranging it on the various limbs in accordance with the Dharma and principle. Therefore, it pervades all syllables, and also pervades the inside and outside of the whole body. Therefore, now pervading in accordance with principle is the meaning of harmonious blending; just as the syllable A pervades all syllables, it is harmonious blending, which is adding the lipi syllables onto the syllable A. Now, for the syllable ka and others, if the mouth does not have the sound of the syllable A, it does not form a syllable. You should know that these syllables originally have no expressive virtue or name, but come to exist because of the syllable A. Just as a person without a head has all limbs dead, so too is the syllable ka and others: if they do not take the syllable A as their head, they are not formed nor do they have names; hence the syllable A is their life. Lipi obtaining the samādhi sounds of i, ī, and so on are also initiated due to meditative absorption. If the syllable ka had no A, and one merely made a short guttural sound in the throat, the syllable ka would not be formed. Because adding the syllable A forms ka, you should know that the syllable A is unborn and ka is uncreated; its meaning is accomplishment through harmonious combination. Others follow this model. The sūtra text: "Therefore this can pervade all bodies and can produce the various types." This "various types" is viśva, meaning skillful; it can produce various inconceivable phenomena and can pervade all bodily parts. Now, regarding syllables, Sanskrit has two sounds: one is called akṣara, which is the root syllable; the second is lipi, which are the augmenting syllables. The root is the original syllable; for instance, the first two sounds of the syllable A are the root. Next, from i, ī, up to u, au, a total of twelve syllables, are augmenting syllables born from it, all of which are feminine sounds, while its root syllable is a masculine sound. The masculine sound has the meaning of insight; the feminine sound has the meaning of concentration. Its root syllable pervades everywhere, and the subsequent augmenting syllables also pervade everywhere; the root and augmenting do not differ from one another. Since all of them are based on the substance of the root syllable having an origin with strokes and dots added, the root and augmenting are neither one nor different. Just as a vessel holds water: because the vessel holds the water, the water does not depart from the vessel. This is also like that: mutually supporting each other, they can pervade the internal and external. Regarding "corresponding": in Sanskrit it is yogi, which is the meaning of the syllable A. Corresponding is the meaning of yogi. It is not only the syllable A that pervades everywhere; from ka, kha, and so on up to sa, ha, they also pervade everywhere. Why? These are all root sounds, and their root sounds are identical with the syllable A. Just as the syllable ka and others each have augmenting syllables born from them—for instance, within the syllable ka there are ke, kai, ku, kū, ke, kai, all of which are feminine sounds. Yet when strokes are added onto the body of the syllable ka, it becomes an augmenting syllable. The body is insight, while the addition is concentration; concentration and insight mutually support each other and unite as one without losing their essence, and the parallel practice of śamatha and vipaśyanā also pervades all stages. The augmenting pervades the root, and the root pervades the augmenting; the proliferation pervades the seed, and the seed also pervades the proliferation. Furthermore, with syllables such as this A, from the syllable there is sound. Just as from the single syllable A, whenever in any vocal sound there is the sound of A, it cannot be apart from this syllable. Because of the syllable's sign, sound is produced; because there is sound, it is generated in the limbs, being able to express all transmundane phenomena. If there were only the written syllable, it could not signify the principle; one must rely on vocal language to have something signified, such as red, blue, yellow, white, and so on, east, west, south, north, large, small, square, round, superior, inferior, noble, base, and all other categories of phenomena, before they can be understood. However, since all sounds of speech are born from A, you should know that these sounds express various distinctions. Since they are born from the meaning of original unbirth, when one sees them arise and express, one immediately understands original unbirth. Therefore, when the sound comes forth, the noumenal nature is revealed; original unbirth and all phenomena arising from conditions mutually generate each other and mutually express understanding. However, this syllable A not only pervades the bodily parts, but also completely fills all that is non-body; therefore, from this mind of the syllable A, various merits are born. Now, wishing to expound this gateway of arranging syllables, it is to enable practitioners to completely generate all the various merits of the Tathāgata right in their own bodies. Just as when a seed is sown, immeasurable fruits are successively generated, he therefore again exhorts practitioners to clearly listen and attentively receive it.