Shurangama Mantra with Verses and Commentary

by Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua

547. TỲ XÁ ĐỀ

毗舍提

 

 

Phật sắc chúng đẳng vân lai tập

Đảnh lễ vệ hộ bất xả ly

Hoành khắp thập phương nhất thiết sát

Trực chí vô thượng đại bồ đề.

 

佛敕眾等雲來集

頂禮衛護不捨離

橫徧十方一切剎

直至無上大菩提

Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua

English Translated by the International Translation Institute

Revised by Bhikshu Heng Shun

 

 

547. Pi She Ti

 

Verse:

 

The Buddha gives a mandate to living beings and they come and gather together. 

To bow in worship, guard and protect, and never renounce them. 

Its horizontal breadth pervades all kshetra-lands throughout the ten directions. 

Until they all reach Unsurpassed Great Bodhi.

 

Commentary:

 

Mantra syllables are also called True Words. They don’t have the slightest bit of falseness.They are also called efficacious phrases that have the most efficacious responses and results. Those who recite mantras must uphold the moral precepts, pay attention to their virtuous conduct, and not fight, not be greedy, not seek, not be selfish, not be self-benefiting, and not lie. The Dharma needs to be carried out in actions, not by just talking about it. But why am I talking about this now? Because people do not understand it, so I have to talk about it. After hearing it they can rely on the Dharma to cultivate. When one hears that the Dharma is greatly efficacious and has wonderful power, one can put it to use. In using the Dharma, if you do not uphold the moral precepts, you will have to undergo the retribution. You yourself will encounter misfortunes, unexpected calamities, and meet with adversity. Now if someone only pays attention to reciting the mantra for its efficacious power, but does not pay attention to their own virtue, their recitation will be ineffective. What is fundamentally efficacious becomes ineffective. And what is true becomes false.

 

If one’s moral conduct is good and one upholds the precepts, one will have an efficacious response by simply reciting a single word. As it is said, “Call to heaven, heaven responds. Call to earth, earth responds.” Whatever you think will be accomplished. The “thinking” referred here is not “false thinking”, but that which comes from the true mind. “When a single thought is not produced, the entire substance appears.” This is the true mind. “When the six sense-faculties suddenly move, one is covered by clouds.” When a single thought is not produced, this is the beginning of the true mind. However, this does not mean that you can do whatever you wish. All of you should especially clear about this!

 

The Buddha gives a mandate to living beings and they come and gather together.

 

This line “Pi She Ti” is the line after “E Na Li,” which means wondrous height extending vertically upwards to the ultimate. "Pi She Ti” means width or breadth that pervades horizontally. Once you recite this mantra, all the three thousand great thousand worlds know and respond to it. How do they respond? All living beings respond to it. Those living beings are not human beings, but demons, weird entities, cow ghosts, snake spirits, and those in the spirit world. You cannot see them. Some are good and some are bad. But whether they are good or bad, they all have to guard and protect this mantra and have to change from the bad go towards the good.

 

 “To come and gather together.” Those who gather together are not only good spirits, but also evil and deviant spirits. When evil and deviant spirits come and see that you are not keeping the moral precepts—for instance, if you are a man and you are thinking about women, or if you are a woman and you are thinking about men—they will find that quite unacceptable. If you don’t uphold the moral precepts, you will have big trouble. They see that you have done such bad things, yet you dare try to order them around. So, of course, they won’t obey you.

 

Reciting this mantra is the Buddha’s speaking and giving an order or mandate. Therefore, the verse says, “The Buddha gives a mandate to living beings and they come and gather together.” This means calling all the kinds of living beings who can receive this spiritual communication. Those who can receive spiritual communications means those who are replete with spiritual powers and have an efficacious response. Those beings are not as dull-witted as we human beings. Once you recite the mantra, they will come. Even if they are so far away, as far away as worlds as numerous as the sands in Ganges River, they will come. They will come and gather together just like clouds. Therefore, this line of the mantra refers to width or breadth that pervades horizontally.

 

To bow in worship, guard and protect, and never renounce them.

 

Coming here, they all have to bow in worship and change from the evil and go towards the good. To whom do they bow in worship? They bow in worship to those people who cultivate. If you don't uphold the Six Great Guiding Principles, would it be any surprise if they strike you with their hands and kick you with their legs? This is because you are not worthy. You pretend that you are a king, a Dharma king, or a good wise teacher, so for sure will have problems.

 

Don’t be proud of yourself and boast, “My recitation of the mantra is so efficacious!” If you do not abide by the rules, put on a false façade to fool and cheat people and do phony things, in the future you will suffer sudden disasters and unexpected misfortune even to the point of possibly having your body being smashed into smithereens and falling into the hells. This is not at all fun and games! Buddhism is the most just, most equal, and most compassionate teaching. Whoever does not abide by the rules will have troubles in the future. Why are some people sick every day? For sure, it is because they have false thinking about women, or if they are women, they have false thinking about men.

 

You should know that it is people who propagate the mantra. It is not the case that the mantra propagates people. This means that people can use the mantra, but the mantra cannot use people. People can control the mantra, but the mantra cannot control people. However, if you are not qualified (to propagate the mantra) you will undergo the retribution and suffer calamities and unexpected misfortune. Perhaps, you will be killed in a car accident, burned to death, drown in water, or die in an airplane crash.

 

Some people don’t understand this and think, “He upholds the mantra, so how come he had such an accident?” It is because he is not qualified to propagate the mantra. He thinks that by using the power of the mantra, he can act in an unrestrained, uncontrollable manner, just like a despot. It is not the case that his recitation of the mantra is not efficacious, rather it’s because he does not uphold the moral precepts. He does not keep them.

 

Therefore, the Buddhas never tire of telling people over and over again to uphold the moral precepts, work hard at their cultivation, and follow the Six Great Guiding Principles. If you still do not intend to uphold the Six Great Guiding Principles, then you cannot attend my class. Once you attend my class, you must change all your bad habits and faults.

 

When those living beings who can receive spiritual communications and have spiritual powers see those who possess the Path, they will put their palms together, bow in obeisance, and listen to instructions. If you have virtuous practice, whether you are walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, they will guard and protect you at all times in the day and night and never leave you.

 

Its horizontal breadth pervades all kshetra-lands throughout the ten directions.

 

This line talks about horizontal breadth that pervades everywhere. The previous line describes vertical height, that can reach the highest point. Once this mantra is recited, the highest point in heaven and on earth is reached. In this line horizontal breadth pervades the ten directions. All atomic particles, lands, planets, and moons are included, and all worlds are included as well. Its horizontal breadth pervades all kshetra-lands. All living beings will come to guard and protect you and listen to your instructions.

 

Until they all reach Unsurpassed Great Bodhi.

 

These living beings and cultivators will all become Buddhas and accomplish the fruition of Unsurpassed Bodhi. If you cultivate and uphold this mantra, Dharma protecting good spirits, gods and dragons and those of the eightfold pantheon of spiritual beings, evil spirits, cow ghosts, snake spirits, weird ghosts and demons, will become Buddhas in the future. Therefore, the verse says, “Until they all reach Unsurpassed Great Bodhi.” They will reach the fruition of Unsurpassed, Proper, and Equal Enlightenment of Great Bodhi. All residents of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas should discipline themselves and take care of themselves, especially those who are leaders. Don’t cheat others. Do not confusedly have false thoughts of men or women.