Shurangama Mantra with Verses and Commentary

by Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua

13. TA XÁ RA BÀ CA 

娑舍囉婆迦

Thâm sơn cùng cốc tu đạo huyền

Vạn vật sinh diệt Thập Nhị Duyên

Xuân hoa tự khai thu diệp lạc

Khoát nhiên lãng chiếu ngộ chân thuyên.

深山窮谷修道玄

萬物生滅十二緣

春花自開秋葉落

豁然朗照悟真詮

SWO SHE LA PE JYA

AMID DEEP MOUNTAINS AND HIDDEN VALLEYS

            THEY CULTIVATE THE MYSTERIOUS WAY.

THE MYRIAD THINGS ARE PRODUCED AND DESTROYED

            IN THE TWELVE CAUSAL CONDITIONS.

SPRING FLOWERS SPONTANEOUSLY BLOSSOM;

            AUTUMN LEAVES FALL.

SUDDENLY, IN BRIGHT ILLUMINATION,

            THEY ENLIGHTEN TO THE REAL MEANING.

COMMENTARY:

SWO SHE LA PE JYA translates as "Solitary Once Returner," and PE JYA translates as "Conditionally Enlightened." AMID DEEP MOUNTAINS AND HIDDEN VALLEYS/ THEY CULTIVATE THE MYSTERIOUS WAY/. They cultivate the Twelve Causal Conditions--the mysterious and wonderful Way--in the isolated valleys. THE MYRIAD THINGS ARE PRODUCED AND DESTROYED/ IN THE TWELVE CAUSAL CONDITIONS/. Ignorance conditions activity; activity conditions consciousness; consciousness conditions name and form; name and form condition the six entrances; the six entrances condition contact; contact conditions feeling; feeling conditions love; love conditions grasping; grasping conditions becoming; becoming conditions birth; birth conditions old age and death. When ignorance is extinguished, activity will be extinguished; when activity is extinguished, consciousness will be extinguished; when consciousness is extinguished, name and form will be extinguished; when name and form are extinguished, the six entrances will be extinguished. When the six entrances are extinguished, then contact will be extinguished; when contact is extinguished, then all the others in turn will be extinguished. This is the extinction of the flow of conditioned existence. In cultivating pure causes and conditions, investigate these. Cultivate pure causes and conditions.

SPRING FLOWERS SPONTANEOUSLY BLOSSOM;/ AUTUMN LEAVES FALL/. In the spring, they watch the white flowers bloom. In the autumn they see the yellow leaves fall. This all happens naturally, as a matter of course.

SUDDENLY, IN BRIGHT ILLUMINATION, /THEY ENLIGHTEN TO THE REAL MEANING/. Suddenly they understand. When a Buddha is in the world, they are called Those Enlightened to Conditions. When there is no Buddha in the world, they are called Solitarily Enlightened Ones.