Shurangama Mantra with Verses and Commentary

by Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua

543. BÀN ĐÀM CA LÔ DI

槃曇迦嚧彌

 

 

Lăng Nghiêm pháp hội viên mãn thành

Kết giới đàn trung phục ác thần

Thật tế lý địa cứu cánh lực

Hộ trì hành giả Phật giáo hưng.

 

楞嚴法會圓滿成

結界壇中伏惡神

實際理地究竟力

護持行者佛教興

 

English Translated by the International Translation Institute

Revised by Bhikshu Heng Shun

 

543. Pan Tan Jia Lu Mi

 

Verse:

 

The Shurangama Dharma Assembly is perfect and complete.

Within the platform of the sacred boundary, all evil spirits are subdued.

 It is the ultimate power of the essential ground of Reality.

 When there are protectors who cultivate, Buddhism will flourish.

 

Commentary:

 

The Shurangama Mantra has 554 lines and 2,620 words, including the last ten lines which are the Heart of Mantra. There is no way that the Shurangama Mantra can be fully explained because what it encompasses is just too vast. However, now these four-line verses, which leave out much more of the meaning than they contain, give a very general explanation. These verses are very plain and simple, and easy to understand by everyone. I hope that these four-line verses will lead people to go from a shallow understanding to a profound understanding of the Mantra. And in the future, it will lead them to investigate the Shurangama Mantra and know the advantages from reciting the Shurangama Mantra. And that they will gain the Dharma-joy and benefits from using the Mantra. Although these verses that I have composed are simple, they are very important. They can be a great help to those who are investigating the Shurangama Mantra. If these verses do not get lost in the future, they will be considered a complete work to illustrate the meaning of the Shurangama Mantra. Will this work be useful to Buddhist disciples in the future? At the present time, we do not know. The verse for this mantra line follows:

 

The Shurangama Dharma Assembly is perfect and complete.

 

The Shurangama Mantra Dharma Assembly within the boundary is now already perfect and complete. The solid and firm Dharma Assembly is perfect and accomplished. “Shurangama” when translated means “ultimately solid and firm.”

 

Within the platform of the sacred boundary, all evil spirits are subdued.

 

Within this platform, all the cow-ghosts, snake-spirits, celestial demons, those on heterodox paths, deviant and strange demons and ghosts, Chih Mei ghosts, Wang Liang ghosts, and all other evil spirits, including the various kinds of misbehaving spirits, will have to behave themselves as long as we are in the sacred Shurangama boundary that has been set up.

 

It is the ultimate power of the essential ground of Reality.

 

The Shurangama Mantra is a kind of power that is also called to the “essential ground of Reality.” The essence and nature of the power of the Shurangama Mantra is the ultimate power. It is the most lofty and high, awe-inspiring spiritual power of the Buddha. It is a Vajra-indestructible power. This Dharma is limitless.

 

When there are protectors who cultivate, Buddhism will flourish.

 

You must purely uphold and keep the moral precepts. You cannot just let your imagination run wild and have all kinds of false thinking! You must be able to truly keep the pure moral precepts and believe in the power of the Mantra. You must be a person who can cultivate in this way! Buddhism does not have slightest bit of favoritism or bias whatsoever. Whoever does not go towards the true and whoever always puts on false facade for others, is only cheating themselves. Therefore, you absolutely must “be same inside and outside.” The way you are towards others outside, should be same as you are inside. You should never have slightest bit of falseness! You should just act in this way!

 

If you say you will uphold the moral precepts, then you should keep moral precepts. If you say you will sleep sitting up, then you should sleep sitting up. If you say you will keep the precept against holding money, then you should keep the precept of not holding money. If you say you will eat only one meal a day, then you must eat only one meal a day. You don’t want to stealthily go about and engage in deeds that you are too ashamed to do in public. It is said, “Do not do evil deeds under all circumstances, and do not cheat in dark room alone.” Take a look at the Venerable Master Hsu Yun, who always same when met with people or when he was alone by himself. He was never casual or lax when he was alone. Thus, it is said, “Only be mindful of impermanence and be careful not to be lax.” Why not be lax? Because you never know when the ghost of impermanence will come. When there are true cultivators, the Proper Dharma will abide in the world. Without true cultivators, the Dharma will perish. Therefore, when there are true cultivators, then Buddhism will flourish.