顯密圓通成佛心要集 2.10

2.10

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!”)