首楞嚴義疏注經 7.56

7.56

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.