No. 438-A毗盧遮那成佛神變加持經義釋序
釋 溫古
Translated by Wen Gu
持明藏，宗分條流，傳譯久矣。世之學者，多存有相，罕契中道，其瑜伽行法，隱而未明。夫法流不通，弘道者之憂也。此毗盧遮那經，迺祕藏圓宗，深入實相，為眾教之源爾。厥有中天竺三藏，字輸婆迦羅僧訶，唐號善無畏，業該八藏，名冠五天，傳受此經，寔為宗匠。頃有詔迎之，常為扈從。禪師一行命世之生也，明鑒縱達，智周變通，今上屈之，久宴中掖，具如國史所載。聞三藏蘊法寶之囊，思起予之請，承詔與三藏譯出此經，仍為筆受。譯語比丘寶月，練諸教相，善解方言，非禪師不能扣其幽關，非三藏莫能𫾻其至賾。此中具明三椉學處，及最上椉持明行法，欲令學者知世間相，性自無生，故因寄有為，廣示無相，一一推覈，㠯盡法界緣起耳。當知無量事迹，所有文言，結會指歸，無非祕密之藏者也。分為三十一品，尚慮持誦者守文失意。禪師又請三藏解釋其義，隨而錄之，無言不窮，無法不盡。舉淺祕兩釋，會眾經微言，支分有疑，重經搜決，事法圖位，具列其後。次文刪補，目為義釋，勒成十四卷。以梵文有一二重缺，纖芥䊸回。開元十五秊，禪師沒化都，釋門威儀智儼法師與禪師同受業於無畏，又閑梵語。禪師且死之日，屬仗法師求諸梵本，再請三藏詳之。法師閟其文墨，訪本未獲之頃，而三藏棄世，咨詢無所。痛哉！禪師臨終，歎此經幽宗未及宣衍，有所遺恨，良時難會。信矣！夫經中文有隱伏，前後相明，事理互陳，是佛方便。若不師授，未尋義釋，而能遊入其門者，未之有矣。溫古嘗接諸賢，末肆預聞此經，至於絕待玅行，非敢窺測。不揆愚昧，注心歸仰，輒㠯疎拙之思，敘其本末焉。
The scripture of Vidyadhara (Knowledge-Holding) has been passed down in various branches and traditions through translation for a long time. Scholars of this world tend to cling to concrete forms and rarely grasp the Middle Way. Its practice of Mahayana Yoga has remained obscure and unilluminated. When the flow of the Dharma is obstructed, it becomes a concern for those who spread the path.
This Mahāvairocana Sūtra is the ultimate esoteric teaching of the Perfect School, deeply entering the true nature of reality, and serves as the source of all teachings. There was a master from Central India, whose ordained name was Śubhakarasiṃha, known in Chinese as Shanwuwei (善無畏). He mastered all eight canons and was renowned throughout the Five Regions of India. He personally transmitted this sutra and was a true authority in this tradition.
Recently, an imperial decree welcomed him, and he often served as an attendant to the emperor. The meditation master Yixing (一行, Yi Xing) was a sage born into this world—clear in insight, penetrating in wisdom, and versatile in understanding. The current emperor honored him and often kept him at court, as recorded in the national histories. Hearing that the Indian master held the treasure of Dharma in his mind, Yixing sought to bring out its meaning and was authorized by imperial decree to translate this sutra together with him, acting as the recorder.
The translator-monk Baoyue (寶月, Precious Moon) was well-versed in various teachings and skilled in understanding local languages. Without Master Yixing, no one could unlock its profound gate; without the Indian master, no one could expound its ultimate depth.
This sutra clearly explains the practices of the Three Vehicles and the supreme Vidyadhara practice of the Highest Vehicle. It aims to help practitioners understand that the nature of all worldly phenomena is inherently unborn. Therefore, by relying on the conditioned, it extensively reveals the unconditioned. Each point is examined thoroughly, exhausting the full scope of reality's dependent origination.
Know that all its countless teachings and words ultimately converge into one guiding principle—the secret treasury itself. Although divided into thirty-one chapters, there was concern that those reciting it might become attached to the words and miss the meaning. The meditation master Yixing then asked the Indian master to explain the sutra's meaning. He recorded these explanations, leaving nothing unexplored and no teaching incomplete. Drawing on both straightforward and esoteric interpretations, Master Yixing brought together the subtle words of many scriptures. Whenever doubts arose in the subdivisions, he revisited and clarified them through repeated study. Diagrams of practices and positions were appended at the end. After editing and supplementing the text, he compiled the Commentary on Meaning (義釋, Y) in fourteen volumes. Because the Sanskrit text had one or two missing sections, there were subtle gaps.
In the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era (727 CE), the meditation master (Yixing) passed away in the capital. The Dharma Preceptor Zhiyan (智儼), who had also studied under Śubhakarasiṃha and knew Sanskrit, was entrusted by Master Yixing on his deathbed to seek out the Sanskrit manuscripts and ask the Indian master to review them again. Before he could retrieve the texts or find the manuscripts, the Indian master also passed away. There was no one left to consult. How tragic!
On his deathbed, Meditation Master Yixing lamented that the profound teaching of this sutra had not yet been fully expounded and propagated. He felt regret. Indeed, the right time is hard to meet. How true!
The sutra's text contains hidden meanings that become clear only when earlier and later passages illuminate each other. Events and principles are interwoven; this is the Buddha's skillful means. Without a teacher's transmission and without consulting the Commentary on Meaning, it is impossible to enter its gate.
I, Wengu (溫古), have been fortunate to accompany these great masters and was present from the start to hear this sutra. However, as for its ultimate, transcendent practices, I dare not presume to fully comprehend. Setting aside my own ignorance, I have focused my mind on veneration and offered these humble, unpolished thoughts to narrate its origins and history.