大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 2.17

2.17

The sūtra says: "Māṇava." This is a faction of the Viṣṇu non-Buddhists. A correct translation would be "supreme self," stating that the self is the most supreme and subtle within body and mind. They constantly contemplate in their minds a self of about one inch. The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* also says: "Some hold that the spirit resides in the mind, subtle as a mustard seed. Being pure, it is called pure form; or it is like a bean or grain of barley, up to one inch. When first receiving a body, it is received earliest of all, like the armature of an image; when the body is completed, it is like the image fully adorned." The Tripiṭaka Master of the Tang translated it as "Brahmanical youth" (ru-tong), which is incorrect. A Brahmanical youth is *māṇavaka* in Sanskrit; here it is *māṇava*, which differs in meaning, hence an error. (These two names were explained by Ācārya Bodhi.)