大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 3.22

3.22

Regarding 'Entering the Maṇḍala with Requisite Conditions and Mantras', Chapter 2: The previous chapter has already contrasted the various mental states with the mind of sarvajña. However, by what upāya can one attain this wonderful fruit? Therefore, this chapter next clarifies the practice for entering the maṇḍala with its complete conditions and limbs, and the essential mantras, all of which are explained extensively here. For instance, knowing that milk and curds have the nature of clarified butter, one then instructs to assemble the various vessels and apply the upāya of churning and agitating, because it arises from conditions. One should know that this is no different from the phrases of the ten dependently arisen things. Furthermore, in the śrāvaka sūtras, the Vinaya is regarded as a secret treasury: only after examining the person and screening the assembly is it conferred; if one has not generated the moral discipline, one is not permitted to listen to or practice it. In the Mahāyāna, holding mantras is also regarded as a secret treasury: those who have not entered the maṇḍala are not permitted to chant, recite, accept, and uphold them; it is equivalent to eavesdropping on the poṣadha, which contrarily incurs a heavy fault. Why is this so? Just as worldly people lovingly nurture a young child, though having no stinginess in their affection, they do not hand over fine swords like Ganjian and Moye to the child, because the child does not know how to handle them skillfully and would certainly harm their own body. This Dharma gateway is also like this: the purport of becoming a buddha with one's own mind is difficult to understand. Fearing that future sentient beings might slight the Dharma, fail to consult good spiritual friends, and without receiving the adhiṣṭhāna of the three mysteries, rely on their own minds and cling to the text to rashly practice on their own, laboring long without being able to achieve anything and conversely slandering this sūtra, saying it was not spoken by the Buddha. Furthermore, the text of this sūtra has two interpretations: the superficial-brief and the deep-secret. Within the deep-secret interpretation, there are again shallow and deep levels. Those who browse through it rashly do not understand the secret appellations, think they are external phenomena of conditions, and generate pride and negligence in their hearts, saying to themselves: 'I practice the True Path, what use have I for incantations and rituals?' Through such conditions, they evoke the karma of obstructing the Dharma and fall into bad destinies for immeasurable kalpas. Therefore, those who study mantras must first enter the maṇḍala. The name and meaning of maṇḍala will be explained further below.