大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 4.4

4.4

Regarding the verse that says: "As explained above, / Or in a place of one's liking, / For the benefit of the disciples, / One should draw the maṇḍala": even if one seeks all the superior sites and is completely unable to obtain one, this secret teaching must not end up untransmitted; simply in accordance with whatever the ācārya's mind takes pleasure in, wherever there is ground deemed beneficial, one may construct the maṇḍala. If interpreted profoundly, so long as one observes that they have even a minor fraction of good roots and right aspiration, in all cases one may select their mental ground, leveling and evening it out to construct the mahākaruṇā-maṇḍala for them. Furthermore, even if such sentient beings take pleasure in worldly minor arts such as Cāmuṇḍā or Ḍākinī, they may also be gathered in through this gateway; when they are able to see this principal deity, naturally they will come to see the immeasurable assembly of holy ones. Question: "Above, in explaining the selection of disciples, it was required that they be endowed with all virtues and fit to be Dharma vessels before being taught. Why now, in the meaning of selecting the ground, is there none who may not receive the transmission, even down to a hair-like fraction of slight goodness?" Answer: "There are two kinds of disciples here. If seeking a disciple to transmit the Dharma who is worthy of succeeding to the rank of ācārya, one weeds out those who are not the right person, so that the Way is not practiced in vain. But for a disciple establishing an affinity, even the goodness of raising a hand or bowing the head is not omitted from being gathered in. Furthermore, because an ācārya of profound practice clearly discerns their capacities and conditions, it may happen that someone's capacity for the Way was already mature in the past and they are fit to be a Dharma vessel, yet in the present life they are submerged in defilement with only a tiny hair of good roots remaining; therefore, the ācārya selects from within this a minor portion of level ground and reveals the secret-garbha maṇḍala. Why must one wait for a person whose mind is pacified in the true principle before performing the Buddha-work? Therefore, it does not contradict what was said before."