顯密圓通成佛心要集 1.38

1.38

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.