顯密圓通成佛心要集 1.38

1.38

二驗成行相者，謂《准泥陀羅尼經》、《金剛頂經蘇悉地》等，共十餘本經皆說，真言行者用功持誦，或夢見諸佛菩薩聖僧天女，或夢見自身騰空自在，或渡大海或浮江河，或上樓臺高樹，或登白山，或乘師子白馬白象，或夢見好華果，或夢見著黃衣白衣沙門，或喫白物吐黑物，或吞日月等，即是無始罪滅之相。或正持誦時見諸𤳖光明，或見空中遍地奇特之華，或見諸佛菩薩聖僧天仙等，或見諸佛淨土，或自遊佛國親承供養，或暫時聞經於多劫，或見燈光高一二尺乃至一丈，或無火爐中自有煙起，或見佛像旛蓋自動，或聞諸佛菩薩種種美聲，或覺自身巍巍高大，或齒落重生、或髮白返黑，或身潤白不生蚤虱，或貪嗔癡心自然消滅，或總持不忘一字能演多義，或智慧頓生自然通曉一切經律論，或一切三昧法門自然現前，或福德頓高四眾歸仰等云云。（此上所說是經文。今有閑僧儒士，汎參禪理者，厥見相以為妖異，此則非但毀謗最上乘教，亦是捨相取性之邪見也，不知其相本來是性耳。）若逢如上之事，但是福慧增長近成就相，莫生疑惑之心，勿起取捨之念，應觀所逢境界，皆是阿字或㘕字等。（或想皆如夢幻，或想皆是法界一心。）若得如是應驗，更須策發三業加功誦持，不得宣說呪中境界衒賣與人，唯同道者不為名利敬讚方得說之。若成就時而有九品，初下三品者，若下品成就，能攝伏一切四眾，凡有所求舉意從心，一切天龍而來問訊，又能伏一切蟲獸及鬼魅等。中品成就，能驅使一切天龍八部，能開一切伏藏，或要入修羅宮龍宮，便得入之去住隨心。上品成就，便得仙道乘空往來，天上天下而得自在，世出世事無不通達。中三品者，若下品成就，便得諸呪仙中為王，住壽無數歲，福德智慧三界無比。中品成就，便得神通往餘世界，為轉輪王住壽一劫。上品成就，現證初地已上菩薩之位。上三品者，若下品成就，得至五地已上菩薩之位。中品成就，得至八地已上菩薩之位。上品成就，三密變成三身，只於此生得證無上菩提之果。此是持呪人九品成就，若直求成佛，不須求下三品等成就。若準《神變疏》有五品成就：一、現至信位，二、至初地，三、至四地，四、至八地，五、至成佛。此局當經，今通依諸經，故說有九品，謂准提真言總含諸部神呪。問曰：「云何得知准提總含諸部神呪？」答謂：「一、藏經中神呪，不出二十五部：一佛部，謂諸佛呪。二、蓮華部，謂諸菩薩呪。三、金剛部，謂諸金剛神呪。四、寶部，謂諸天呪。五、羯磨部，謂諸鬼神呪。此五部每部復各有五，即成二十五部。今准提總攝二十五部，故《准提經》云：『獨部別行，總攝二十五部。』又云：『若欲召二十五部天魔等，專誦此呪隨請必至。』又云：『五部金剛四天王，共結總持三昧界。』又《大教王經》云：『七俱胝如來三身，讚說准提菩薩真言，能度一切賢聖。若人持誦，一切所求悉得成就，不久證得大准提果。』是知准提真言，密藏之中最為第一，是真言之母、神呪之王。」（准提真言既總攝二十五部真言，准提鏡壇亦總攝二十五部壇法，謂二十五部中壇法，或用形像印法梵字等各各不同，今准提鏡壇，總攝此一切諸壇法也，故《准提經》云：「總攝二十五部大曼荼羅。」梵語曼荼羅，此云壇也。是知鏡壇最尊最上，能滅一切魔障，能生一切功德，眼見身戴皆獲利樂，故昔人云：「壇者生也，出生無盡功德故；壇者集也，無邊聖賢集會之處，如方珠勺月水出、圓鏡對日火生，磁石引針、琥珀拾芥，尚有難測功用，況諸佛不思議壇法耶？」今有寡見聞者，迷於密教見用鏡壇却生毀謗，然三世如來未有一佛不依壇法，而得成道度眾生也，幸廣見聞速改其謬。）上來密教心要境。

Second, concerning the signs of verifying accomplishment: The Cundī Dhāraṇī Sūtra, the Vajraśekhara Sūtra, the Susiddhi, and so forth—altogether more than ten sūtras—all state that when a mantra practitioner applies effort in recitation, if he dreams of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, noble monks, and celestial maidens, or dreams of his own body soaring through the air at ease, or crossing a great ocean, or floating on rivers, or ascending towers and tall trees, or climbing white mountains, or riding lions, white horses, and white elephants, or dreams of fine flowers and fruits, or dreams of śramaṇas wearing yellow or white garments, or eating white things and vomiting black things, or swallowing the sun and moon, and so forth—these are the signs that sins from beginningless time have been extinguished. Or, when actually engaged in recitation, seeing all kinds of marvelous lights; or seeing extraordinary flowers covering the sky and the earth; or seeing Buddhas, bodhisattvas, noble monks, celestial immortals, and so forth; or seeing Buddha pure lands, or wandering through Buddha lands oneself, personally attending and making offerings; or in a brief moment hearing sūtras spanning many eons; or seeing the light of lamps rising one or two cubits, up to ten feet; or smoke naturally arising from a fireless brazier; or seeing Buddha images and banner canopies move on their own; or hearing various sweet voices of Buddhas and bodhisattvas; or feeling one's own body towering tall and magnificent; or teeth falling out and growing anew; or white hair turning back to black; or the body becoming lustrous and fair, not breeding fleas or lice; or minds of greed, anger, and delusion naturally dissolving away; or holding in memory without forgetting, where a single syllable can expound manifold meanings; or wisdom suddenly arising, naturally understanding all sūtras, vinayas, and treatises; or all samādhi Dharma-gates naturally manifesting; or merit suddenly increasing, with the four assemblies taking refuge and venerating—and so forth. (The above are the scriptural texts. Nowadays, there are idle monks and Confucian scholars who dabble in Chan principles; seeing such signs, they consider them to be demonic anomalies. This is not only slandering the supreme vehicle's teaching, but is also the wrong view of abandoning phenomenal marks to grasp at the nature, failing to realize that marks are fundamentally the nature itself.) If one encounters such matters as above, they are merely signs of merit and wisdom increasing and of nearing accomplishment. Do not give rise to doubts, and do not generate thoughts of accepting or rejecting. One should contemplate all encountered spheres as being the syllable A or the syllable RAM, and so forth (or visualize them all as dreams and illusions, or visualize them all as the one mind of the dharmadhātu). If one attains such confirmations, one must further spur the three karmas to apply greater effort in recitation. One must not proclaim the spheres experienced within the mantra or boast of them to others; only to those of the same path, and not for fame, gain, honor, or praise, may one speak of them. As for when accomplishment is attained, there are nine grades. First, the three lower grades: if the lower grade of accomplishment is attained, one can control and subdue all four assemblies; whatever one seeks, it follows one's intention; all devas and nāgas come to pay their respects; and one can also subdue all vermin, wild beasts, ghosts, and specters. In the middle grade of accomplishment, one can command all the eight classes of devas and nāgas, can open all hidden treasures, and if one wishes to enter asura palaces or nāga palaces, one can readily enter them, going or staying according to one's will. In the upper grade of accomplishment, one attains the way of immortals, traveling through the void, roaming above and below the heavens at ease, thoroughly penetrating mundane and supramundane affairs alike. For the three middle grades: if the lower grade of accomplishment is attained, one becomes a king among all mantra immortals, lives for countless years, and one's merit and wisdom are peerless throughout the three realms. In the middle grade of accomplishment, one attains spiritual powers, travels to other worlds, becomes a cakravartin king, and lives for an eon. In the upper grade of accomplishment, one directly realizes the rank of a bodhisattva from the first stage upward. For the three upper grades: if the lower grade of accomplishment is attained, one reaches the rank of a bodhisattva from the fifth stage upward. In the middle grade of accomplishment, one reaches the rank of a bodhisattva from the eighth stage upward. In the upper grade of accomplishment, the three mysteries become the three bodies, and in this very life one realizes the fruit of unexcelled bodhi. These are the nine grades of accomplishment for one who recites the mantra. If one directly seeks the attainment of Buddhahood, one need not seek accomplishments such as the lower three grades. If based on the Commentary on the Divine Transformations [Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi], there are five grades of accomplishment: first, presently reaching the stage of faith; second, reaching the first stage; third, reaching the fourth stage; fourth, reaching the eighth stage; fifth, reaching Buddhahood. This is restricted to that particular sūtra; now, universally relying on all sūtras, nine grades are therefore expounded, meaning that the Cundī mantra fully contains the dhāraṇī-mantras of all divisions. Question: 'How do we know that Cundī fully contains the dhāraṇī-mantras of all divisions?' Answer: 'First, the dhāraṇī-mantras in the canon do not exceed twenty-five divisions: first, the Buddha division, referring to the mantras of all Buddhas; second, the Lotus division, referring to the mantras of all bodhisattvas; third, the Vajra division, referring to the mantras of all vajra spirits; fourth, the Jewel division, referring to the mantras of all devas; fifth, the Karma division, referring to the mantras of all ghosts and spirits. Each of these five divisions further has five [sub-divisions], thus making twenty-five divisions. Now, Cundī universally encompasses the twenty-five divisions. Therefore, the Cundī Sūtra says: "Practiced separately as a solitary division, it universally encompasses the twenty-five divisions." It also says: "If one wishes to summon the heavenly māras of the twenty-five divisions, single-mindedly recite this mantra, and upon invitation they will certainly arrive." It also says: "The vajras of the five divisions and the Four Heavenly Kings together establish the dhāraṇī samādhi boundary." Furthermore, the Great King of Teachings Sūtra states: "The three bodies of the seventy million Tathāgatas praise and proclaim the mantra of Cundī Bodhisattva, which can deliver all worthy and noble ones. If a person recites it, all that is sought will be completely accomplished, and before long he will realize the great fruit of Cundī." From this, it is known that the Cundī mantra is the very foremost within the esoteric treasury, being the mother of mantras and the king of dhāraṇī-mantras.' (Since the Cundī mantra universally encompasses the mantras of the twenty-five divisions, the Cundī mirror altar also universally encompasses the altar methods of the twenty-five divisions. That is, the altar methods among the twenty-five divisions may use images, mudrās, Sanskrit syllables, and so forth, each being distinct; now, the Cundī mirror altar universally encompasses all these altar methods. Therefore, the Cundī Sūtra states: 'It universally encompasses the great maṇḍalas of the twenty-five divisions.' In Sanskrit, maṇḍala; here translated as 'altar.' Hence, we know that the mirror altar is the most revered and supreme; it can extinguish all demonic hindrances, can generate all merits, and whether seen with the eye or worn upon the body, all will attain benefit and joy. Thus, the ancients said: 'An altar (tan) means generation (sheng), because it generates inexhaustible merit; an altar means gathering, being the gathering place of boundless noble and worthy ones. Just as a square pearl scoops up water from the moon, a round mirror facing the sun produces fire, a lodestone attracts needles, and amber picks up mustard seeds—these still possess fathomless efficacy, so how much more so the inconceivable altar methods of all Buddhas?' Nowadays, there are those of narrow hearing who, confused about the esoteric teaching, give rise to slander upon seeing the use of the mirror altar. However, among the Tathāgatas of the three periods, there has never been a single Buddha who did not rely on the altar method to attain the Way and liberate sentient beings. May those with broad hearing swiftly correct their error!) The above concerns the objective sphere of the essentials of the esoteric teaching.