佛頂尊勝陀羅尼經教跡義記 2.153

2.153

述曰：第三捨鬼神身。文有六意：一、阿素洛，二、夜叉，三、羅剎，四、布單那，五、羯吒布單那，六、阿跋娑摩羅。言阿素洛者，經文所說多有不同，《瑜伽論》及《佛地論》說，天趣所攝。《正法念經》有二種：一、鬼，二、畜生。如羅睺，師子種也。依《婆娑論》言：「修羅者（此云不端正也），為男則醜，為女則端正，以就男為名也，故名阿修羅也。」今依《伽陀》、《樓炭經》述之。《伽陀經》云：「有天、有鬼、有畜，三種不同。其修羅有五處：一、在其地上諸山於中，勢力最下。二、在須彌山北大海之下二萬一千由旬，有阿修羅王名曰華鬘，華鬘向下過二萬一千由旬，有阿修羅王名曰毘摩質多羅，各各統領無量阿修羅也。言毘摩質多羅王者，母是二禪中光音天種，為劫初之時，與諸天女於大海中洗浴，水觸其身遂失精氣，入於海中成一肉卵，經八千歲乃生一女，有九百九十頭，頭有千眼，有九十九口，口有四牙，牙上出火猶如猛焰，有二十四手，有九百九十脚，號為劣天，此遊於浮水，精入腹生肉卵，經八千歲生毘摩質多羅阿修羅王，有九頭，頭有千眼，口中出火，有九百九十九手，唯有六脚，其形四倍大須彌山，純食淤泥及以藕根，多共諸天鬪諍。」《華嚴經》云：「如其不如，即入藕絲孔中以避其難。」若據此說，即在大海之下。若依《樓炭經》云：「在須彌山北海深四萬里，有阿修羅王，名沙多尸利，其城縱廣三百三十萬里，城有四門，一一門邊有三百阿修羅國，一一國亦有四門，一一門邊復有三十阿修羅小國，一切城壁七寶所成，有四種風持之：一者不可壞風，二者堅風，三者樹風，四者上風。此四種風持於城壁寄於水上，由如浮囊。」此小不同，可更釋之。言夜叉者，此云輕捷，亦名勇健。言羅剎者，此云可畏，亦云暴惡，若是男名羅剎娑，若是女名羅剎儞。布單那者，此云臭惡，亦云熱病鬼。羯吒布單那者，此云奇臭。言阿跋娑摩羅者，此云顛病鬼，亦名形影，亦云轉筋。鬼神等身者，總結其類也。言此陀羅尼者，有如是業，皆悉消滅。

The commentary says: Third is casting off the bodies of ghosts and spirits. The text has six points: first, asuras; second, yakṣas; third, rākṣasas; fourth, pūtanas; fifth, kaṭapūtanas; sixth, apasmāras. Regarding 'asuras', what the sūtra texts say varies greatly. The Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra and the Buddhabhūmi-śāstra say they are included within the realm of the devas. The Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra has two kinds: first, ghosts; second, animals. For example, Rāhu is of the lion lineage. According to the Vibhāṣā-śāstra: 'Asura (which means 'unhandsome')—as males they are ugly, but as females they are handsome; as the name is taken from the male, they are called asuras.' Now we explain it based on the Gāthā-sūtra and the Loutan jing. The Gāthā-sūtra says: 'There are devas, ghosts, and animals—three different kinds. These asuras dwell in five places: First, among the various mountains upon the earth, where their power is the lowest. Second, twenty-one thousand yojanas beneath the great ocean north of Mount Sumeru, there is an asura king named Puṣpamālā. Descending twenty-one thousand yojanas beneath Puṣpamālā, there is an asura king named Vemacitrin. Each commands immeasurable asuras. As for the king Vemacitrin, his mother was of the lineage of the Ābhāsvara devas in the second dhyāna. At the beginning of the kalpa, she bathed in the great ocean with various heavenly maidens; when the water touched her body, she lost vital essence, which entered into the ocean and formed an egg of flesh. After eight thousand years, it gave birth to a daughter who had nine hundred and ninety heads, each head having a thousand eyes; she had ninety-nine mouths, each mouth having four fangs from which fire flared forth like fierce flames; she had twenty-four arms and nine hundred and ninety legs, and was styled 'Inferior Deva'. She wandered over the floating water, and when vital essence entered her womb, an egg of flesh was born. After eight thousand years, it gave birth to the asura king Vemacitrin, who had nine heads, each head having a thousand eyes; fire flared from his mouths; he had nine hundred and ninety-nine arms and only six legs, his body being four times the size of Mount Sumeru. He fed solely on mud and lotus roots, and frequently battled with the devas.' The Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: 'If he is defeated, he enters into the pore of a lotus fiber to escape danger.' If based on this explanation, then they are beneath the great ocean. If based on the Loutan jing, it says: 'In the ocean north of Mount Sumeru, forty thousand li deep, there is an asura king named Śataśrī. His city is three million three hundred thousand li in length and breadth. The city has four gates, beside each of which are three hundred asura realms. Each realm also has four gates, beside each of which are further thirty lesser asura realms. All the city walls are made of the seven treasures, and four winds sustain them: first, the indestructible wind; second, the solid wind; third, the tree wind; and fourth, the upward wind. These four winds support the city walls and float them upon the water, like a buoyant bladder.' This differs slightly, but can be further interpreted. As for 'yakṣas', this means 'swift and agile', and also 'valiant and strong'. As for 'rākṣasas', this means 'terrifying', and also 'fierce and wicked'; if male, they are named rākṣasas, and if female, rākṣasīs. As for 'pūtanas', this means 'foul and putrid', and also 'ghosts of febrile disease'. As for 'kaṭapūtanas', this means 'exceptionally putrid'. As for 'apasmāras', this means 'epilepsy-causing ghosts', also called 'shape and shadow', and also 'spasm'. As for 'bodies of ghosts and spirits, etc.', this concludes their category in general. Regarding 'this dhāraṇī', if one has such karmic actions, they are all completely eradicated.