大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 3.10

3.10

The sūtra says: “What are the ten? They are: like an illusion, a mirage, a dream, a shadow, a gandharvanagara, an echo, the moon in the water, a floating bubble, a flower in the sky, a whirling circle of fire. […] Furthermore, what is like an illusion? It is like the power of spells and herbs, which can create various forms and appearances that deceive one's own eyes so that one sees rare things, mutually generating one another and coming and going in the ten directions; yet they neither go nor do not go. Why is this? Because their intrinsic nature is pure. Just so is the mantra illusion: through the perfection of recitation, it can produce everything.” The Buddha explained that the power of herbs is inconceivable, as when a person, by the power of herbs, ascends into the sky, conceals their form, walks on water, or treads on fire. This matter is not something that the dialecticians can establish through inference to reveal its reason, nor can doubt be raised as to whether it must certainly be so or not be so. It transcends such realms of deliberation and conjecture; only one who personally practices with these herbs and wields them in application can directly know it. Moreover, just as through the causes and conditions of herbs and magical arts, various creating and created forms and appearances are manifested, though when thoroughly investigated one by one among the various conditions no place of arising is found, they are nonetheless clearly present before the five sense faculties. Though mutually generating one another and coming and going in the ten directions, they neither go nor do not go; this matter is likewise not a realm of conjecture and deliberation. The Commentary says: “The Buddha asked the Virtuous Woman: ‘Suppose an illusionist magically creates various things. What do you think? Does that which is created by illusion exist internally?’ She answered: ‘No.’ He asked again: ‘Does it exist externally? Does it exist both internally and externally? Does it go from a previous life to this life, or from this life to a future life? Does what is created by illusion have arising or ceasing? Is there truly any real phenomenon that is created by illusion?’ To all she answered: ‘No.’ The Buddha said: ‘Do you see or hear the instrumental music created by the illusion?’ She answered: ‘I both see and hear it.’ The Buddha said: ‘If an illusion is empty, deceptive, and without reality, how can instrumental music be produced from an illusion?’ The woman said: ‘Venerable Sir! The characteristic of illusion is naturally so: though it has no root, it can be heard and seen.’ The Buddha said: ‘Avidyā is also like this: although it does not exist internally, and so on, up to having no arising or ceasing, through the causes and conditions of avidyā the saṃskāras arise; if avidyā is exhausted, the saṃskāras are also exhausted.’”—and so on, up to the extensive explanation. Now, in this mantra gateway, the simile for the practitioner of recitation is also like this, as explained extensively below. Relying on the practice of the three mysteries, one attains all extraordinary and inconceivable matters. Though thoroughly sought within each condition, they are ultimately free from the four extremes. It is naturally so, not different from the pure mind, while the sovereign vikurvita is distinctly apparent without error. This matter is likewise not something that the great dialecticians of sharp faculties and clever debate can measure; only one who possesses complete upāya and accomplishes siddhi directly knows it.