顯密圓通成佛心要集 1.12

1.12

二、密教心要者，謂《神變疏鈔》、《曼荼羅疏鈔》，皆判陀羅尼教是密圓也。前顯教圓宗，須要先悟毘盧法界，後依悟修滿普賢行海，得離生死，證成十身無礙佛果。如病人得好藥方，須要自知分兩炮炙法則，合成服之方能除病身安。今密圓神呪，一切眾生并因位菩薩，雖不解得但持誦之，便具毘盧法界普賢行海，自然得離生死，成就十身無礙佛果。如病人得合成妙藥，雖不知分兩和合法則，但服之自然除病身安。故《首楞嚴經》云：「諸佛密呪祕密之法，唯佛與佛自相解了，非是餘聖所能通達，但誦持之，能滅大過，速登聖位。」又云：「神呪是諸佛密印，佛佛相傳，不通他解。」賢首《般若疏》云：「呪是諸佛祕密之法，非因位所解，但當誦持，不須強釋。」又遠公《涅槃疏》云：「真言未必專是天竺人語，翻譯者不解，是以不翻。」又天竺止觀云：「上聖方能顯密兩說，凡人但能宣傳顯教，不能宣傳密教也。」自古諸師皆說陀羅尼，因位聖賢不能曉解，但信而持之滅障成德。（問曰：「何以諸佛密呪不通他解？」答云：「謂呪圓解偏，解生呪喪，是以不通他解。」密義在此宜可思之。故《法華鈔》云：「諸佛密法，不顯其義，故云密言也。」）《般若經》云：「總持猶妙藥，亦如天甘露，能療眾惑病，服者常安樂。」又《理趣經》中如來說有五藏：一、經藏如牛乳，二、律藏如酪，三、論藏如生酥，四、般若藏如熟酥，五、陀羅尼藏如醍醐。醍醐之味，乳酪等中最為第一，能除諸病，令諸有情身心安樂。（西天多用醍醐療病。）陀羅尼者，經律等中最為第一，能除諸罪，令諸眾生解脫生死，速證涅槃安樂法身。彼《理趣疏》云：「性德力大，密呪功強，解行雖劣，解脫則疾。」問曰：「賢首大師等，但判《華嚴經》為圓，餘教皆非；今判陀羅尼又是圓教，豈不違賢首等耶？」合云：「圓宗有二：一顯圓，二密圓，賢首但據顯教，正判《華嚴》為圓，今神變疏鈔、曼荼羅疏鈔，類彼顯圓，判斯密教亦是圓宗。顯密既異，乃諸師無違也。」依密圓修鍊亦分為二：一、持誦儀軌，二、驗成行相。

Second, concerning the essentials of the esoteric teaching: the Shenbian shuchao and the Tuoluoni shuchao both classify the dhāraṇī teaching as the esoteric perfect [teaching]. In the aforementioned exoteric perfect school, one must first awaken to the Vairocana dharmadhātu and thereafter, in accord with awakening, cultivate to fulfillment the ocean of Samantabhadra's practices, thereby being able to transcend birth-and-death and realize the unobstructed Buddha-fruit of the ten bodies. It is like a sick person who obtains a good medicinal prescription: he must understand on his own the weights and measures, the methods of roasting and preparing, and compound and ingest it before he can eliminate the illness and make his body well. Now, with the esoteric perfect dhāraṇī-mantra, all sentient beings and bodhisattvas on the causal stage, even if they do not understand it, need only uphold and recite it, and they will immediately possess the Vairocana dharmadhātu and the ocean of Samantabhadra's practices, naturally being able to transcend birth-and-death and achieve the unobstructed Buddha-fruit of the ten bodies. It is like a sick person who obtains an already compounded wondrous medicine: though he does not know the weights, measures, and methods of combining it, merely ingesting it naturally removes the illness and makes his body well. Therefore the Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: 'The secret mantras and esoteric dharmas of the Buddhas are known and understood only between Buddhas; they are not something that other sages can comprehend. Merely reciting and upholding them can extinguish great transgressions and swiftly allow one to ascend to the holy stage.' It also says: 'The dhāraṇī-mantras are the secret seals of the Buddhas, transmitted from Buddha to Buddha, not accessible to the understanding of others.' Xianshou's Prajñā Commentary says: 'Mantras are the secret dharmas of the Buddhas, not understood on the causal stage; one should simply recite and uphold them, and need not force an explanation.' Furthermore, Master Yuan's Nirvāṇa Commentary says: 'Mantras are not necessarily exclusively the language of the people of India; because the translators did not understand them, they did not translate them.' Furthermore, the Indian Samatha-Vipaśyanā says: 'Only supreme sages can deliver both exoteric and esoteric expositions; ordinary people can only propagate the exoteric teaching and cannot propagate the esoteric teaching.' From ancient times, the various masters have all said that dhāraṇīs cannot be comprehended by sages and worthies on the causal stage; one need only faithfully uphold them to extinguish hindrances and accomplish virtues. (Question: 'Why are the secret mantras of the Buddhas not accessible to the understanding of others?' Answer: 'Because the mantra is perfect and understanding is partial; when understanding arises, the mantra is lost; therefore it is not accessible to the understanding of others.' The esoteric meaning lies here, and should be reflected upon. Therefore the Fahua chao says: 'The secret dharmas of the Buddhas do not display their meaning; hence they are called secret words.') The Prajñā Sūtra says: 'Dhāraṇīs are like a wondrous medicine, and also like heavenly amṛta; they can cure the disease of the many delusions, and those who ingest them are always peaceful and happy.' Furthermore, in the Naya Sūtra, the Tathāgata states that there are five pitakas: 1. the Sūtra-piṭaka, like cow's milk; 2. the Vinaya-piṭaka, like curd; 3. the Abhidharma-piṭaka, like raw butter; 4. the Prajñā-piṭaka, like clarified butter; 5. the Dhāraṇī-piṭaka, like ghee. The taste of ghee is supreme among milk, curd, and the rest; it can eliminate all diseases and bring peace and joy to the bodies and minds of sentient beings. (In the Western regions, ghee is frequently used to treat illnesses.) The dhāraṇīs are supreme among sūtras, vinaya, and the rest; they can eliminate all transgressions, enable all sentient beings to be liberated from birth-and-death, and swiftly realize the peaceful and joyful dharmakāya of nirvāṇa. The commentary on that Naya Sūtra says: 'The power of innate virtue is great, and the efficacy of secret mantras is strong; though one's understanding and practice may be inferior, liberation is swift.' Question: 'Master Xianshou and others classified only the Avataṃsaka Sūtra as the perfect [teaching], and all other teachings as not [perfect]; now you classify dhāraṇīs as also belonging to the perfect teaching—does this not contradict Xianshou and the others?' Answer: 'The perfect school has two types: the first is the exoteric perfect, and the second is the esoteric perfect. Xianshou relied solely on the exoteric teaching when he properly classified the Avataṃsaka as the perfect [teaching]. Now the Shenbian shuchao and the Tuoluoni shuchao classify this esoteric teaching as also belonging to the perfect school by analogy with that exoteric perfect. Since exoteric and esoteric differ, there is no contradiction among the masters.' Cultivation and training according to the esoteric perfect is also divided into two parts: 1. the ritual procedures for recitation, and 2. the marks of verifying achievement.