Shurangama Mantra with Verses and Commentary

by Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua

225. MA HA BẠT XÀ LÔ ĐÀ RA

摩訶跋闍嚧陀囉

MAHĀ VAJRO DARA 

 

 

Đại Kim Cang chúng hộ hành nhân

Tác sư tử hống pháp lôi chấn

Sử lệnh hữu tình trừ chướng ngại

Độ nhất thiết khổ Bát Nhã thâm.

 

大金剛眾護行人

作獅子吼法雷震

使令有情除障礙

 度一切苦般若深

The multitudes of great vajra beings protect practitioners.

By letting out the lion's roar and rolling the Dharma's thunder,

They effectively enable sentient beings to escape their obstacles.

Crossing beyond all suffering, we can reach the depths of Prajna.

 

ŌM! MA HA BẠT XÀ LÔ ĐÀ RA

Everyone who upholds the Shurangama Mantra receives protection from these vajra treasury Bodhisattvas.

 

These are the 84,000 great vajra treasury Bodhisattvas. They continually follow people who accept and uphold the Shurangama Mantra in order to protect them.

 

Ðại trượng phu, bỉnh huệ kiếm,

Bát-nhã phong hề kim cang diệm.

Phi đản không thôi ngoại đạo tâm,

Tảo hội lạc khước thiên ma đởm.

 

Chấn pháp lôi, kích pháp cổ,

Bố từ vân hề sái cam lộ.

Long tượng xúc đạp nhuận vô biên,

Tam thừa ngũ tánh giai tỉnh ngộ.

 

KHAI-THỊ CHỖ HƯ-VỌNG CỦA BẢY LOÀI 

ĐỂ KHUYẾN-KHÍCH TU-HÀNH CHÍNH-PHÁP

 

 

"A-nan, xét-rõ bảy loài địa-ngục, ngạ-quỷ, súc-sinh, người và thần-tiên, trời và A-tu-la như thế, đều là những tướng hữu-vi tối-tăm, giả-dối tưởng-tượng thụ-sinh, giả-dối tưởng-tượng theo nghiệp; đối với tâm-tính Diệu-viên-minh, bản-lai không năng-tác, sở-tác, thì đều như hoa-đốm giữa hư-không, vốn không dính-dáng; chỉ một cái hư-vọng, chứ không có cỗi-gối manh-mối gì.

 

"A-nan, những chúng-sinh đó, không nhận được tâm-tính bản-lai, chịu cái luân-hồi như thế trong vô-lượng kiếp, mà không chứng được chân-tính thanh-tịnh, đó đều do chúng thuận theo những sát, đạo, dâm, hoặc ngược lại ba cái đó, thì lại sinh ra không-sát, không-đạo, không-dâm; có, thì gọi là loài quỷ, không, thì gọi là loài trời; có và không thay nhau, phát-khởi ra tính luân-hồi.

 

"Nếu khéo tu-tập phát-huy phép Tam-ma-đề, thì trong bản-tính thường-diệu, thường-tịch, cả hai cái có, cái không đều không và cái không có, không không cũng diệt, còn không có gì là bất-sát, bất-đạo, bất-dâm, làm sao lại còn thuận theo được những việc sát, đạo, dâm.

 

"A-nan, không đoạn được ba nghiệp, thì mỗi mỗi chúng-sinh đều có phần riêng, nhân những cái riêng ấy, mà quả-báo đồng-phận-chung của các cái riêng, không phải là không chỗ nhất-định; đó là do vọng-kiến của tự mình phát-sinh ra; hư-vọng phát-sinh vốn không có nhân, không thể tìm-xét nguồn-gốc được.

 

"Ông khuyên người tu-hành, muốn được đạo Bồ-đề, cốt-yếu phải trừ tam-hoặc; tam-hoặc không hết, thì dầu được thần-thông, cũng đều là những công-dụng hữu-vi của thế-gian; tập-khí mê-lầm đã không diệt, thì lạc vào đường ma; tuy muốn trừ cái vọng, nhưng lại càng thêm giả-dối; Như-lai bảo là rất đáng thương-xót. Như thế, đều do vọng-kiến tự mình tạo ra, không phải là lỗi của tính Bồ-đề.

Nói như thế ấy, tức là lời nói chân-chính; nếu nói khác thế, tức là lời nói của Ma-vương". 

KHAI-THỊ CHỖ HƯ-VỌNG CỦA BẢY LOÀI 

ĐỂ KHUYẾN-KHÍCH TU-HÀNH CHÍNH-PHÁP

 The Seven Destinies

 

"A-nan, xét-rõ bảy loài địa-ngục, ngạ-quỷ, súc-sinh, người và thần-tiên, trời và A-tu-la như thế, đều là những tướng hữu-vi tối-tăm, giả-dối tưởng-tượng thụ-sinh, giả-dối tưởng-tượng theo nghiệp; đối với tâm-tính Diệu-viên-minh, bản-lai không năng-tác, sở-tác, thì đều như hoa-đốm giữa hư-không, vốn không dính-dáng; chỉ một cái hư-vọng, chứ không có cỗi-gối manh-mối gì.

 

Sutra:

Ananda, so it is that when the seven destinies of hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, animals, people, spiritual immortals, gods, and asuras are investigated in detail, they are all found to be murky and embroiled in conditioned existence. Their births come from false thoughts. Their subsequent karma comes from false thoughts. Within the wonderful perfection of the fundamental mind that is without any doing, they are like strange flowers in space, for there is basically nothing to be attached to; they are entirely vain and false, and they have no source or beginning.

Commentary:

Ananda, so it is that when the seven destinies of hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, animals, people, spiritual immortals, gods, and asuras are investigated in detail, they are all found to be murky and embroiled in conditioned existence. They all still have some form of appearance. Their births come from false thoughts. Their subsequent karma comes from false thoughts, and it leads them into their next rebirth. Within the wonderful perfection of the fundamental mind that is without any doing, they are like strange flowers in space, for there is basically nothing to be attached to. The seven destinies are like illusory flowers in emptiness; they are nothing to cling to. They are entirely vain and false, and they have no source or beginning.

"A-nan, những chúng-sinh đó, không nhận được tâm-tính bản-lai, chịu cái luân-hồi như thế trong vô-lượng kiếp, mà không chứng được chân-tính thanh-tịnh, đó đều do chúng thuận theo những sát, đạo, dâm, hoặc ngược lại ba cái đó, thì lại sinh ra không-sát, không-đạo, không-dâm; có, thì gọi là loài quỷ, không, thì gọi là loài trời; có và không thay nhau, phát-khởi ra tính luân-hồi.

Sutra:

Ananda, these living beings, who do not recognize the fundamental mind, all undergo rebirth for limitless kalpas. They do not attain true purity, because they keep getting involved in killing, stealing, and lust, or because they counter them and are born according to their not killing, not stealing, and lack of lust. If these three karmas are present in them, they are born among the troops of ghosts. If they are free of these three karmas, they are born in the destiny of gods. The incessant fluctuation between the presence and absence of these karmas gives rise to the cycle of rebirth.

Commentary:

Ananda, these living beings in the seven destinies, who do not recognize the fundamental mind, all undergo rebirth for limitless kalpas. They don.t know of the wonderful perfection of the fundamental mind which is without any doing, and so they keep having to undergo birth in the six paths. They are born and then die; they die and then are reborn. In this life they're a cow, and in the next life they're a horse, and maybe in the life following that they become a person. It's a continuing cycle. How long does it go on? There's no way to calculate how many aeons one passes through in this way. They do not attain true purity. They never uncover their inherent pure substance. Why? Because they keep getting involved in killing, stealing, and lust. They get all hung up in them and can.t stop their involvement. Or it is because they counter the three karmas of killing, stealing, and lust and are born according to their not killing, not stealing, and lack of lust. If these three karmas are present in them, they are born among the troops of ghosts. If they commit acts of killing, stealing and lust, they go to the realm of ghosts where all their friends and relatives are also ghosts.

If they are free of these three karmas, they are born in the destiny of gods. The incessant fluctuation between the presence and absence of these karmas gives rise to the cycle of rebirth. The continuous battle between creating those karmas and not creating them goes on and on. Sometimes they create them, sometimes they don't. That's the nature of rebirth.

 

"Nếu khéo tu-tập phát-huy phép Tam-ma-đề, thì trong bản-tính thường-diệu, thường-tịch, cả hai cái có, cái không đều không và cái không có, không không cũng diệt, còn không có gì là bất-sát, bất-đạo, bất-dâm, làm sao lại còn thuận theo được những việc sát, đạo, dâm.

 

Sutra:

For those who make the wonderful discovery of samadhi, neither the presence nor the absence of these karmas exists in that magnificent, eternal stillness; even their non-existence is done away with. Since the lack of killing, stealing, and lust is non-existent, how could there be actual involvement in deeds of killing, stealing, and lust?
 
Commentary:

For those who make the wonderful discovery of samadhi, neither the presence nor the absence of these karmas exists in that magnificent, eternal stillness. Some beings in the seven destinies can attain wonderful and genuine samadhi power. That refers to the great Shurangama Samadhi. They return the hearing to hear the self-nature, and the nature accomplishes the Unsurpassed Way. They cultivate the perfect penetration of the organ of the ear and attain true and proper samadhi-power. If the three karmas are present, one goes into the three evil destinies of hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, and animals. If they are absent, one can attain rebirth among humans, immortals, gods, or asuras. But in this samadhi, those karmas are neither present nor absent; even their non-existence is done away with. The absence of divisions into the three evil destinies and the four good paths is dispensed with as well. Since the lack of killing, stealing, and lust is non-existent, how could there be actual involvement in deeds of killing, stealing, and lust? If they fundamentally don't exist, how could there be involvement in those acts of karma? How could such karma actually be created? It isn't.

"A-nan, không đoạn được ba nghiệp, thì mỗi mỗi chúng-sinh đều có phần riêng, nhân những cái riêng ấy, mà quả-báo đồng-phận-chung của các cái riêng, không phải là không chỗ nhất-định; đó là do vọng-kiến của tự mình phát-sinh ra; hư-vọng phát-sinh vốn không có nhân, không thể tìm-xét nguồn-gốc được.

Sutra:

Ananda, those who do not cut off the three karmas each have their own private share. Because each has a private share, private shares come to be accumulated, making collective portions. Their location is not arbitrary, yet they themselves are falsely produced. Since they are produced from falseness, they are basically without a cause, and thus they cannot be traced precisely.

Commentary:

Ananda, those who do not cut off the three karmas each have their own private share. Every creature that does not sever the three karmas of killing, stealing, and lust creates its own individual share of karma. Because each has a private share, private shares come to be accumulated, making collective portions. Their location is not arbitrary. When beings create similar kinds of individual karma, they will undergo similar retributions; this is called the collective portion. It' not a random coincidence; it's not an arbitrary circumstance. However, though it seems to be precise, that precision is itself a result of falseness. Its source is false to begin with, and so the text says: yet they themselves-- the individual shares and collective portions -- are falsely produced. Since they are produced from falseness, they are basically without a cause. The falseness is insubstantial.

Falseness has no seed. It is vain and empty and not actual. Thus they cannot be traced precisely. You can search but you cannot find the root. They arise falsely and just as falsely cease to be. You may be determined to find their source, but it doesn't exist. They are like a person's shadow. It's only a shadow, and you won't
succeed in finding its source. You may say that its source is the body, but the appearance of the shadow is not the body itself. The shadow is merely an illusion.

 

"Ông khuyên người tu-hành, muốn được đạo Bồ-đề, cốt-yếu phải trừ tam-hoặc; tam-hoặc không hết, thì dầu được thần-thông, cũng đều là những công-dụng hữu-vi của thế-gian; tập-khí mê-lầm đã không diệt, thì lạc vào đường ma.

Sutra:

You should warn cultivators that they must get rid of these three delusions if they want to cultivate Bodhi. If they do not put an end to these three delusions, then even the spiritual penetrations they may attain are merely a worldly, conditioned function. If they do not extinguish these habits, they will fall into the path of demons.

Commentary:

Shakyamuni Buddha calls to Ananda: You should warn cultivators that they must get rid of these three delusions if they want to cultivate Bodhi. The "three delusions" here are the three karmas of killing, stealing, and lust. They are called "delusions" here because the karma arises from delusion. If one were not confused and deluded, the karma would not be created. If they do not put an end to these three delusions -- that is, if there is even the tiniest bit of any of these three delusions in your makeup -- a hair's breadth of killing, stealing, or lust that you don't get rid of -- then even the spiritual penetrations they may attain are merely
a worldly, conditioned function. Perhaps they may get a bit of spiritual power or a small amount of wisdom, but even that cannot be considered to be unconditioned spiritual penetration. It resides in form and appearance and depends upon an intent in order to function. It is spiritual penetration which is attached to appearances. If they do not extinguish these habits, they will fall into the path of demons. If the habits of killing, stealing, and lust are not brought to a stop, you will sink into the demonic paths in the future. Now you see why I say that such-and-such a cultivator is a demon king. He does not observe precepts regarding killing, stealing, or lust. If one is like that, how can one obtain genuine wisdom? It's impossible.

Tuy muốn trừ cái vọng, nhưng lại càng thêm giả-dối; Như-lai bảo là rất đáng thương-xót. Như thế, đều do vọng-kiến tự mình tạo ra, không phải là lỗi của tính Bồ-đề.

Sutra:

Although they wish to cast out the false, they become doubly deceptive instead. The Thus Come One says that such beings are pitiful. You have created this falseness yourself; it is not the fault of Bodhi.

Commentary:

Although they wish to cast out the false, they become doubly deceptive instead. They add falseness to falseness, falsehood to falsehood. They start out by telling a lie, by speaking incorrectly. But afterwards they say that they didn't lie, and that's another lie. If you tell a lie, there's no use in arguing. Admit it and then it's just
one lie. But someone who denies the lie he told ends up by telling two. In this way he increases his offenses. The Thus Come One says that such beings are pitiful. People who never do things properly are really pathetic. You have created this falseness yourself; it is not the fault of Bodhi. All this false delusion and karma is something that you brought into being. There's no fault on the part of Bodhi. Therefore, you can't say, "If we were all Buddhas how come we gave rise to falseness?" You make a mistake if you talk like that.

Nói như thế ấy, tức là lời nói chân-chính; nếu nói khác thế, tức là lời nói của Ma-vương". 

Sutra:

An explanation such as this is proper speech. Any other explanation is the speech of demon kings.

Commentary:

An explanation such as this is proper speech. If you talk in this way, you are in accord with the Buddhadharma. Any other explanation is the speech of demon kings. If the explanation is not along these lines, you can know it.s a demon king talking. You should make the distinction clearly. The dharma spoken by demon kings is based on falseness. For instance, he knows about a particular situation but says he doesn't know. That's lying. Cultivators should know that the straight mind is the Bodhimanda. Be straightforward in all situations. Don't be deceptive.