顯密圓通成佛心要集 2.10

2.10

六、是諸佛母教行本源門者，謂一切諸佛皆從陀羅尼所生，《樓閣經》云：「真言是諸佛之母、成佛種子，若無真言終不能成無上正覺。」又三藏教盡從陀羅尼所出，故《最上大乘寶王經》中，說有四乘：一、聲聞乘；二、緣覺乘；三、方廣大乘；四、最上金剛乘，謂陀羅尼藏是也。一切法皆從金剛乘陀羅尼中流出，《神變鈔》云：「千流萬派起自崑崙積石之山，十二分經出乎總持祕密之藏。」又萬行總從陀羅尼所流，謂真言中每一一字全是無相法界，萬行無不從法界所流，故《持明藏儀軌經》云：「唵字即是無相法界。」《神變疏》云：「無相法界全是真言，真言全是無相法界。」又真言亦名三藏，有持呪者皆號三藏，謂真言中每一一字，皆含戒定慧三，且萬行不出六度，六度不離三學，既真言名三藏，即知真言總含萬行，真言是總行，其餘法門是支流行門也。（問曰：「上引經云：陀羅尼是禪定藏，百千三昧常現前故。今又說真言總含三藏，即知真言備含一切禪定之門，何以今時禪者不許持呪耶？」答云：「準諸傳記，竺天華夏，古來禪德眾善奉行，何況神呪是無相定門諸佛心印耶？故白傘蓋陀羅尼頌云：『開無相門圓寂宗，字字觀照金剛定。』又云：『瑜珈妙旨傳心印，摩訶衍行總持門。』如龍樹菩薩，準《傳燈錄》，是西天禪宗第十四祖，節略持明藏經，弘揚準提神呪。一行禪師是中夏聖人，贊述神變真言。智者禪師得宿命通，廣示持呪軌儀。契符禪師，人問最上乘法，直教持誦密言。古來禪師豈不許持呪耶？又禪宗既說一切諸法皆是真如，持誦真言豈非是真如耶？今有或禪或講見弘密呪，恐失己利心生嫉妬者，請現在未來隄防惡報。故《佛頂無垢光明陀羅尼經》說：『昔無垢婆羅門，為人宣說祕密神呪。有光明長者，先有多人歸仰，恐失利己而生惡心，興惡心已便得癩病，受大苦惱直至命終，墮於無間大地獄中受苦一劫，又墮傍生中受苦一劫，復生地獄中，受苦一劫，方得為人，生無兩目。以宿緣力再遇無垢婆羅門作大苾芻，宣說密呪，聞之歡喜，承彼呪力死生天上。』等上說謗之獲益，但有遠益非無謗罪，如光明長者是也。蓋為密呪是諸佛心印，有無量明王諸天龍神等護持，致使謗之者現世多得癩病，奉勸時流切宜慎之。」）

Sixth, the portal of being the mother of all Buddhas and the source of doctrine and practice: all Buddhas are born from dhāraṇīs. The Vimāna Sūtra states: “Mantras are the mother of all Buddhas, the seed of attaining Buddhahood; without mantras, one can never achieve unsurpassed, perfect awakening.” Furthermore, the teachings of the Tripiṭaka all emerge from dhāraṇīs. Therefore, in the Supreme Mahāyāna Jewel King Sūtra, four vehicles are spoken of: first, the Śrāvaka Vehicle; second, the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle; third, the Extensive Mahāyāna; fourth, the Supreme Vajrayāna, which is the Dhāraṇī Pitaka. All dharmas flow forth from the Vajrayāna dhāraṇīs. The Shentong chao states: “A thousand streams and myriad tributaries arise from the Kunlun and Jishi mountains; the twelvefold canon comes forth from the secret treasury of dhāraṇī.” Moreover, the myriad practices entirely flow from dhāraṇīs: each and every character in a mantra is fully the signless dharmadhātu, and of the myriad practices, none do not flow forth from the dharmadhātu. Therefore, the Vidyādhara Pitaka Kalpa Sūtra states: “The syllable oṃ is itself the signless dharmadhātu.” The Shentong shu states: “The signless dharmadhātu is entirely mantras; mantras are entirely the signless dharmadhātu.” Moreover, mantras are also called the Tripiṭaka, and those who uphold mantras are all designated Tripiṭaka: each and every character in a mantra contains the three of precepts, concentration, and wisdom; furthermore, the myriad practices do not go beyond the six perfections, and the six perfections do not depart from the three trainings. Since mantras are called the Tripiṭaka, one thereby knows that mantras entirely encompass the myriad practices; mantras are the universal practice, whereas the other Dharma portals are branch and tributary practices. (Question: “The scripture cited above states: dhāraṇīs are the treasury of meditative absorption, because hundreds of thousands of samādhis constantly manifest before one. Now it is also said that mantras entirely encompass the Tripiṭaka; one thereby knows that mantras fully contain all portals of meditative absorption. Why then do present-day Chan practitioners not allow the upholding of mantras?” Answer: “According to various chronicles, in India and China, virtuous Chan masters of antiquity practiced all good deeds, how much more so dhāraṇī-mantras, which are the signless samādhi portals and the mind-seals of the Buddhas? Therefore, the White Parasol Dhāraṇī verse states: ‘Opening the signless portal of the perfected nirvāṇa tradition, syllable by syllable contemplating the vajra samādhi.’ It also states: ‘The wondrous intent of yoga transmits the mind-seal; the practices of Mahāyāna are the portal of dhāraṇī.’ For instance, Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, according to the Transmission of the Lamp, was the fourteenth patriarch of the Western Indian Chan lineage; he abridged the Vidyādhara Pitaka scriptures and propagated the Cundī dhāraṇī-mantra. Chan Master Yixing was a sage of China who praised and expounded the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi mantras. Chan Master Zhiyi attained the supernormal power of recollecting past lives and extensively demonstrated the ritual procedures for holding mantras. When Chan Master Qifu was asked by people about the supreme vehicle, he directly taught them to recite esoteric words. How could ancient Chan masters not allow the upholding of mantras? Furthermore, since the Chan school states that all dharmas are tathatā, how could reciting mantras not be tathatā? Nowadays, there are those in Chan or doctrinal lecturing who, upon seeing the propagation of esoteric mantras, give rise to jealousy for fear of losing their own gain. May they beware of evil retribution in the present and the future! Thus the Dhāraṇī Sūtra of the Buddha's Uṣṇīṣa of Stainless Radiance states: ‘In antiquity, the brāhmaṇa Vimala expounded secret dhāraṇī-mantras for people. There was an elder named Radiance who previously had many people taking refuge in him. Fearing the loss of his own gain, he gave rise to an evil mind. Having generated an evil mind, he promptly contracted leprosy and suffered great distress until the end of his life, falling into the Avīci great hell to suffer torments for an eon, then falling among animals to suffer torments for an eon, and again being born into hell to suffer torments for an eon. Only then did he obtain human form, born without both eyes. Through the power of past conditions, he met the brāhmaṇa Vimala again, who had become a great monk and was expounding esoteric mantras. Hearing them, he rejoiced, and by the power of that mantra, upon death he was born in heaven.’ The earlier statement that slandering brings benefit refers only to distant benefit and does not mean there is no sin of slander, just as with the elder Radiance. Because esoteric mantras are the mind-seals of the Buddhas and are protected and maintained by immeasurable wisdom kings, devas, dragons, and spirits, those who slander them in the present life mostly contract leprosy. I respectfully advise contemporaries to be exceedingly prudent!”)