Shurangama Mantra with Verses and Commentary

by Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua

78. ĐA THA GIÀ ĐA DA

跢他伽多耶

 

 

Kiền thành khẩn thiết niệm niệm chân

Phổ lễ Như Lai chúng môn nhân

Chuyên nhất bất nhị cầu thâm nhập

Viên thành giác đạo hiện Pháp Thân.

 

虔誠懇切念念真

普禮如來眾門人

專一不二求深入

圓成覺道現法身

DWO TWO CHYE DWO YE

 

Sincere, earnest, true in every thought,

We bow to all Thus Come One's disciples.

Turning to one, not two, seeking to enter with depth,

And perfectly realize the Way of Enlightenment, by manifesting the Dharma-body.

 

 

COMMENTARY:

 

The Buddha is the perfectly enlightened one. We should bow to the Buddhas. However, seeing the Buddha, we must respect the Sangha. Those who believe in the Buddha must not believe on the one hand and create offenses on the other. We must be the "refined within the refined," the pure within the pure.

 

When it comes to faith, one must have proper faith. You can't be superstitious. You shouldn't have deviant or one-sided faith. What is deviant faith? It means not believing in the Proper Dharma but believing in deviant "side-doors" and outside ways, those unpresentable religions. To have one-sided faith is to be partial and dogmatic in one's beliefs--stubborn and unchanging. Such people hold on to a stale formula and won't exchange it for a live one, because they think they are correct. Actually, they are prejudiced and holding to deviant views and deviant knowledge. Those who believe in the Buddha cannot have one-sided or deviant views. We must have proper knowledge and views, that is, we must not harbor arrogance or conceit. Deviant and confused belief, one-sided belief, all indicate pride on the part of those who hold them. Those who are prejudiced might be seduced by the promise of "secret" dharmas, thinking, "If it's secret, it's got to be good!" Actually, they are just getting off on the wrong track.

 

In Great Vehicle Buddhism, we must be Sincere, earnest, true in every thought/We bow to all Thus Come One's disciples/ "All" means to bow to all of the Buddha's disciples to the ends of space and the Dharma Realm. You can't say, "I just believe in the Buddha and bow to him, but I look down on the Buddha's disciples." That's wrong. You must be even more respectful of the Buddha's disciples. Seeing the Buddha, one must revere the Sangha.

 

As a simple analogy, let's say you claim to believe in your teacher and you are very sincere and reverent towards him. That's fine. But if you aren't respectful towards the teacher's disciples, that's just being disrespectful to your teacher. If you revere your teacher, then you should revere his disciples and all left home people. If you don't, you are just being disrespectful to your teacher. If you revere the Buddha, but fail to respect his disciples, then you are being disrespectful to the Buddha. This is something that those who believe in Buddhism should understand. One must revere all the Buddha's disciples.

 

"Sincere, earnest, true in every thought" means that you are sincere and without any phoniness. You are totally reverent and not sloppy in the least. Straight and true in every thought, you use your true mind, not deviant knowledge and views, one-sided views. If you can do this, then you are a real believer in the Buddha and you are truly revering the Triple Jewel.

 

Turning to one, not two, seeking to enter with depth/ In one thought of reverence which is turned to one, there are no other thoughts. In this way one can enter more deeply every day. One is truer every day.

 

And perfectly realize the Way of enlightenment by manifesting the Dharma-body/ When you do this you will eventually get enlightened and certify to the Way of Bodhi, enlightenment. Then your Dharma-body will manifest.