首楞嚴義疏注經 7.56

7.56

此呪四百二十七句。前諸句數，但是歸命諸佛菩薩眾賢聖等，及敘呪願加被離諸惡鬼、病等諸難。至四百十九云跢姪他，此云即說呪曰，從四百二十唵字去方是正呪。如前云六時行道誦呪，每一時誦一百八遍，即正誦此心呪耳。如或通誦，更為盡善。然此即是祕密首楞嚴也，自古不翻，略有五意：一是諸佛密語，祕密之法，唯佛與佛自相解了，非是餘聖所能通達；二是總持門，一一字句含多義故，如婆伽婆具六種義；三或是鬼神王名，呼之勅以守護修行人故；四是諸佛密印，如王印信所往無所不通，幽顯遵奉，佛佛相傳，不得移易故；五不思議力所加持故，但密誦即能滅大過，速登聖位，如王放洪恩大辟咸赦，有功者超資受職，此亦如是。故自古來不令解釋。其本或有異同，皆是前後三藏中邊語異，翻譯小差，但依一本誦持，無得持擇。二、敘呪功能，二：一、明諸佛受持，三：一、持者成德，三：一、成佛降魔說法相。

This mantra has four hundred and twenty-seven clauses. The earlier clauses merely take refuge in all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and noble sages, and state the vows of the mantra for empowerment to keep away evil ghosts, illnesses, and various difficulties. Arriving at clause four hundred and nineteen, it says tadyathā, which here means 'namely, speaking the mantra saying'; from clause four hundred and twenty, the word oṃ onwards, is the main mantra. As mentioned earlier, circumambulating the altar and reciting the mantra during the six periods of the day, reciting it one hundred and eight times per period, means precisely reciting this heart-mantra. If one can recite it all the way through, that is even more complete and perfect. Yet this is the secret Śūraṅgama; from ancient times it has not been translated, for roughly five reasons: First, it is the secret words of the buddhas, a secret Dharma that only buddha and buddha mutually comprehend, which is not something other sages can master. Second, it is a dhāraṇī portal, for each and every word and clause contains many meanings, just as bhagavān possesses six meanings. Third, it may be the names of ghost and spirit kings, calling upon them to command them to protect practitioners. Fourth, it is the secret seal of the buddhas, like a king's tally-seal that is unhindered wherever it goes, revered by the unseen and the visible, transmitted from buddha to buddha, and incapable of being altered. Fifth, because it is empowered by inconceivable power, merely reciting it secretly can extinguish great faults and swiftly lead to ascending the noble stages, like a king issuing a grand amnesty where capital punishment is entirely forgiven and those with merit are promoted above rank and given office; this is likewise so. Therefore, from antiquity its translation and explanation have not been permitted. Some versions may have differences, which are all minor variations in translation between earlier and later Tripiṭaka masters due to central and peripheral dialects; one should just uphold one text without picking and choosing. Second, recounting the efficacy of the mantra, which has two parts: first, explaining how the buddhas uphold it, which has three parts: first, those who uphold it accomplish virtues, which has three parts: first, the marks of attaining buddhahood, subduing māras, and expounding the Dharma.