大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 4.48

4.48

The sūtra says: "At that time, Vajrapāṇi, the Lord of Secrets, addressed the Buddha again, saying: 'World-Honoured One! What should this maṇḍala be named? What is the meaning of "maṇḍala"?'" Because the Tathāgata screened the people and limited the assembly, he raised doubts to clarify matters for those who had not yet awakened. Vajrapāṇi had originally requested the World-Honoured One to correspond to this state of adhiṣṭhāna and proclaim the Great King of Maṇḍalas Born of the Great Compassion Matrix, which is equal mahākaruṇā without any limit. Yet now what the World-Honoured One states is that even among those with virtues worthy of transmission, they still do not exceed ten people; it seemed as if he were just turning a single vidyā rather than its complete embodiment, and therefore he asked what this maṇḍala should be named. Furthermore, "maṇḍala" has the meaning of a round wheel; now that the names and numbers are restricted, it seemed that the principle was not yet complete, and therefore he again asked what "maṇḍala" means here. In all, there are two questions. In the World-Honoured One's answer, he first answers the name, and next answers the meaning. In answering the name, he again expounds the original purport, saying: A maṇḍala has the meaning of 'generating'; now it is named the 'Maṇḍala that Generates All Buddhas'. One sows the seed of bodhicitta into the ground of sarvajñajñāna, moistens it with the water of mahākaruṇā, illuminates it with the sun of great wisdom, stirs it with the wind of great upāya, leaves it unobstructed through the emptiness of great emptiness, and is able to make the sprout of inconceivable dharmatā gradually grow, until it fills the dharmadhātu and becomes the king of bodhi trees; thus it is called 'generating'. When thunder and rain bring release, whatever has split its husk sprouts first; one must not, because the flourishing of plants and trees varies according to their capacity, cause the equal distribution of charity to become limited as well. Next, in answering the meaning: The Sanskrit word maṇḍala has the meaning of churning milk and curds to make ghee. Maṇḍala has the meaning of the most refined and purest essence of ghee gathering and floating on top; because that refined purity never alters again, it is also called 'firm'. When pure and wondrous flavors harmonize together and other substances cannot mix with them, it thus has the meaning of 'gathering'. Therefore the Buddha said: "An extremely incomparable flavor, a flavor without superior; therefore it is called a maṇḍala." Churning the milk of sentient beings' Buddha-nature through the upāyas of the three mysteries, it passes through the five flavors to become the ghee of wondrous awakening. Pure, mellow, harmonious, and wondrous, nothing can be added to it; all the vajra-wisdom mudrās gather together, and among the flavours of the truly permanent, immutable amṛta, it is supreme. This is the meaning of maṇḍala.