大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 7.9

7.9

The sūtra says: 'Lord of Secrets! ṅa, ña, ṇa, na, and ma are sovereign over all samādhis, can swiftly accomplish all activities, and all their aims and benefits are completely fulfilled.' Within the five classes of sounds—ka, ca, ṭa, ta, and pa—there are each five letters; the first through fourth letters are all gateways of wisdom, as explained above. The fifth letters are all gateways of realization, which are now explained together. In Sanskrit script, these five letters all correspond to a circular dot (anusvāra). For example, when the four letters ka, kha, ga, and gha are progressively inflected up to the eleventh sound, a dot is placed above their heads. If one wishes to remove this dot and cumulatively add the letter ṅa and so forth above the subsequent letter, that letter is identical to one with the dot. Furthermore, among the twelve vocalic sounds of Sanskrit letters, the first is the fundamental essence, the second represents practice, and from the third onward, those augmented with various strokes are all called samādhis; the eleventh, having a dot placed above it, is realization, and the twelfth, with two dots placed beside it (visarga), is parinirvāṇa. Because this letter ṅa can pervade the sounds of wisdom and samādhi, one should know that it represents the meaning of the great emptiness; therefore it is explained separately and not discussed in combination with the preceding letters. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra also fully clarifies the letter-meanings of these five letters. Now, the tradition of Vairocana relies on these five letters to illuminate the great emptiness. The great emptiness is the locus of realization, where no phenomenon can be spoken of; hence it is expressed merely by a circular dot. Moreover, although this circular dot has no gateway in its own nature, it pervades all dharma-gateways, just as space is far removed from all characteristics yet contains the myriad forms. Therefore, when any letter-gateway is augmented with the dot of emptiness, it possesses sovereign function and can swiftly accomplish all activities. For instance, the wondrous wisdom of the unborn of the syllable A gateway is equally possessed by all sentient beings; but because they do not realize and know it themselves, like the poor woman's hidden treasure, they cannot obtain its power. When practice is generated, it is like the uncovering through upāya; when realization is entered, it is like the treasure appearing directly before them. At that time, enjoying it according to their wish, whatever they seek will surely be attained; hence it is said that for those who add this dot of emptiness, all aims and benefits are completely fulfilled.

Next, when the Bhagavat says in the verse, 'The mantra-samādhi gateway / fulfills all vows,' if the Sanskrit text were fully preserved, the word 'path' (mārga) should be added after 'mantra.' When a practitioner focuses on a single object and abides in the letter A, it is named the letter A samādhi. This letter A samādhi is the gateway that opens the mind and illuminates the path, and so it is with all the other letters. 'All vows' is in Sanskrit sarvāśā, which refers to the wishes prayed for in the mind. That is to say, for sentient beings who cultivate this samādhi gateway, all their aspirations are completely fulfilled. When these vows are fulfilled, that is the inconceivable fruit of all the tathāgatas. If the fruit of eternal abiding and the wisdom without a teacher can still be bestowed upon sentient beings, how much more so the worldly wishes for siddhi?

Furthermore, the dharmatā of the sounds and letters of the Tathāgata's individual samādhi gateways—whether a buddha exists or does not exist, the Dharma is inherently so. That is to say, being fundamentally without flux, it is the Tathāgata's original ground dharmakāya. Because he wishes to bestow this dharmakāya universally upon sentient beings, he again, with sovereign divine power, empowers such natural sounds and letters; therefore, these sounds and letters are the empowered bodies of all buddhas. This empowered body can universally act as bodies conforming to their kinds and is nowhere absent; one should know that the empowered sounds and letters are also like this. Therefore, if the practitioner only single-mindedly and attentively contemplates these sounds and letters, they will naturally see the Buddha's empowered body. If they see the empowered body, they see the original ground dharmakāya; and when they see the original ground dharmakāya, it is the practitioner's own body. Hence, each of these gateways is the inconceivable fruit of the Tathāgata, not coming from any other place.

'Endowed with all supreme vows, / the definitive meaning of mantras': if fully preserved according to the Sanskrit text, it should say, 'Endowed with all supreme vows whatsoever, the definitive real meaning of mantras.' Here, 'supreme vow' is in Sanskrit vara, which means possessing manifold qualities. That is to say, samādhi, dhāraṇī, powers, fearlessnesses, and so forth, having the meaning that what was vowed is fulfilled and what was sought is fully provided; its Sanskrit sound differs from the previous word for 'vow' (āśā). As for 'definitive': take the syllable A gateway for instance, whether sound or letter, in its entire essence it is unborn; the meaning of the sound and letter is completely unborn in its entire essence. When realized, one still only realizes this being unborn; in between there is no mingling and no different path. When one sees this real meaning, even if the buddhas of the ten directions were to appear simultaneously before them and expound various resembling pāramitās wishing to alter their mind, they would still generate no doubt or confusion; hence it is called 'definitive.'

Furthermore, 'endowed with all supreme vows' refers to the Tathāgata's inner realization qualities, numerous as dust motes in ten worlds; because they are definitive, each becomes a vajramudrā. From this body of self-realization, the empowered body arises again; hence [the verse] says, 'transcending the three times.'

'Immaculate, like space' is the pure, immaculate, inconceivable ground of the mind; by great upāya, the universal gateway maṇḍala is drawn upon this ground. Therefore the sūtra next says: 'Abiding in the inconceivable mind, / one generates all activities.' The Sanskrit text fully says 'mind-ground'; because the verse consists of five characters per line, it could not be written out in full. However, the ground is the essence of the mind, so it merely says 'abiding in the inconceivable mind.'

Within the mantra-samādhi gateway, although there are such inconceivable fruit-virtues capable of being distributed throughout an entire realm and bestowed equally upon sentient beings, if sentient beings cannot produce the thought that it is difficult to encounter, make offerings, and cultivate practice—just as when a king's banquet is laden before someone who has no intention to drink and eat—what can the buddhas do about it? Therefore the sūtra next says: 'If one reaches the ground of cultivation, / they are conferred the inconceivable fruit.' This ground of cultivation is the initial dharma-illumination gateway of the pure bodhicitta. For example, it is like a śrāvaka who, after seeing the truths, enters the stage of the path of cultivation (bhāvanāmārga). This bodhisattva, within the one-hundred-letter vidyā-gateways, sees the respective ocean-worlds of the Lotus Garbha Maṇḍala, whose adornments are all completely distinct. First, from the great circle of space of the letter kha gateway, a great wind-circle is raised by the letter ha gateway; next, above that, an ocean of fragrant water is raised by the letter va gateway; next, above that, the vajra-ground and the Vajra Ring Mountains are raised by the letter A gateway; the rest is as explained in the Avataṃsaka-sūtra. In these one hundred Lotus Garbha world bodhi-maṇḍalas, each has the bodhisattvas, vajradharas, and so forth of ten worlds as their retinue. This yogin can, without rising from their seat, arrive at all such assemblies of the buddhas, and can also sequentially seek out good spiritual friends; hence it is said that a bodhisattva of the first bhūmi transforms and fills a hundred buddha-lands, and it is not merely seeing them. They can also transform these one hundred Lotus Garbhas into their own body. Reaching the fulfillment of the ten minds—sprout, stem, flower, bud, and so forth—of the first bhūmi, within one vidyā-gateway ten liberation gateways open forth to form a thousand worlds; all of these are the conferring of the inconceivable fruit according to their portion. Reaching the boundary of the eleventh bhūmi, within the vidyā-gateways of the ocean of space-clouds, in each of them they see the nature, characteristics, shapes, and kinds of the Lotus Garbha adorned worlds differing successively; using them as their own body with sovereign unhinderedness—this is called the fulfillment of the inconceivable fruit.

Next there are two verses encouraging faith and sealing realization, and so [the sūtra] says: 'This is the supreme reality / revealed by all buddhas.' Here, 'revealed' refers to the Buddha's vision and knowledge, which agrees with the meaning in the Lotus Sūtra. The next half-verse says: 'If one knows this Dharma teaching, / they shall obtain all siddhis.' This cites the common path of all buddhas to encourage faith in conventional truth. If a mantra practitioner clearly understands the gradual upāyas in this Dharma teaching and cultivates practice in accordance with the explanation with definitive faith, they will surely accomplish all siddhis. If it were said that this is not so, the buddhas of the ten directions and the three times would incur the transgression of violating their original vows and deceiving sentient beings.

Next, one verse encourages abiding in the ultimate truth. However, these Siddham letters are recited and retained even by young children, and as for homa offerings and the like, Vedic worldly ṛṣis also perform them in common. But now, why does this mantra gateway alone constitute a secret? It is solely because it is empowered by the real meaning. If one merely recites the mantras with the mouth without contemplating their meaning, it can only accomplish worldly benefits; how could it accomplish the vajra nature? Therefore the verse says: 'The most supreme real sound, / mantras and mantra characteristics: / when the practitioner contemplates them attentively, / they will accomplish the indestructible phrase.' This sound is the essence of the speech mystery of the mantra gateway, like the foremost real meaning within the sound of A, namely, the originally unborn. First, it mentions 'mantras': in the Sanskrit text it is in the plural, which refers comprehensively to the characteristics of the conventional truth letter-wheel of the hundred-letter gateways. Next, 'mantra characteristics' refers to the real characteristics of these mantras. These very real characteristics of mantras, because of attentive contemplation, each enter into the lotus throne. 'Phrase' (pada) is the locus where traces come to rest.