The Seven Primary Elements
Ananda said to the Buddha, “I often hear the Tathagata talking about the mixture of conditions, saying that all transformations in the world are due to the uniting of four elements. Why does the Tathagata negate all concepts of spontaneity? I do not know how to understand it now. Please be so compassionate as to explain it in full to save all living beings from getting stuck in idle theories.”
阿難白佛言：世尊。如來常說和合因緣，一切世間種種變化，皆因四大和合發明。云何如來，因緣略然，二俱排擯。我今不知，斯義所屬。惟垂哀愍，開示眾生，中道了義，無戲論法。
The Buddha replied, “You have renounced the Small Vehicle Dharmas of the Sound Hearers and have resolved to diligently seek unsurpassed Bodhi. I will, therefore show you the Supreme Truth. But why do you still bind yourself up in the false mind-patterns of worldly people? You are very learned, yet you are like someone who can talk about medicines but cannot distinguish real medicine from false ones when it is placed before you. Now listen attentively to what I am about to tell you, so that you all can cultivate the Great Vehicle, penetrate appearances and attain Reality.
爾時世尊，告阿難言：汝先厭離聲聞緣覺諸小乘法，發心勤求無上菩提。故我今時，為汝開示第一義諦。如何復將世間戲論，妄想因緣，而自纏繞。汝雖多聞，如說藥人，真藥現前，不能分別。如來說為真可憐愍。汝今諦聽，吾當為汝，分別開示。亦令當來修大乘者，通達實相。阿難默然，承佛聖旨。
“Ananda, as you have said, when the four elements mix and fuse, they cause all kinds of transformation in the world. But if it is against their nature, they cannot mix and unite, just as empty space cannot combine with form. If they do mix and unite though, they depend on each other for existence from beginningless to endless. In the process of transformation, they are subject to birth and death in endless succession, like the unbroken wheel of fire caused by a torch being spun in a circle.
“Ananda, the process is like water becoming ice and ice becoming water again.
“Now let us look at the element of earth, which ranges in size from the great earth to a tiny speck of dust. Then split this speck which is near to nothing and reduce it to the finest mote. Then split it again and again until it becomes the void. Ananda, if this mote can be reduced to nothing, you should know that form comes from the void.
“Now let us take the tinniest mote which is nearest to the void and see how much voidness should be mixed and united to produce it? We can then see it is absurd to suppose that it can be done by uniting motes. A mote can be split and reduced to voidness, but how many particles of form should be fused together to create the void? The union of form with form produces form but not voidness, and the union of void with void produces voidness but not form. Besides, although form can be split up, how can emptiness be massed together?
“You simply do not know that the nature of form is emptiness, and the nature of emptiness is form – both form and emptiness are identical, arising from self-nature. Pure at its origin, the element of earth pervades the Dharma Realm and manifests in response to living beings’ individual capacity of knowing, in accordance with the laws of karma. Ignorant worldly people wrongly attribute its origin to causes, conditions, or to spontaneity. These delusions, which arise from the discriminating and reasoning processes of the conscious mind, are nothing but the child play of empty words.
阿難。如汝所言四大和合，發明世間種種變化。阿難。若彼大性，體非和合，則不能與諸大雜和。猶如虛空，不和諸色。若和合者，同於變化。始終相成，生滅相續。生死死生，生生死死，如旋火輪，未有休息。阿難。如水成冰，冰還成水。汝觀地，麤為大地，細為微塵。至鄰虛塵，析彼極微色邊際相，七分所成。更析鄰虛，即實空性。阿難。若此鄰虛，析成虛空，當知虛空，出生色相。汝今問言，由和合故，出生世間諸變化相。汝且觀此一鄰虛塵，用幾虛空，和合而有。不應鄰虛，合成鄰虛。又鄰虛塵，析入空者，用幾色相，合成虛空。若色合時，合色非空。若空合時，合空非色。色猶可析，空云何合。汝元不知如來藏中，性色真空，性空真色，清淨本然，周遍法界。隨眾生心，應所知量，循業發現。世間無知，惑為因緣，及自然性皆是識心，分別計度。但有言說。都無實義。
“Ananda, fire has no nature of its own but exists because of external causes and conditions. When people in a town are about the prepare their meals, they hold up a speculum to obtain fire from the sun. Now let us look into your suggestion that the fire comes forth from mixing and uniting. Take our community as example, which consists of you, I, and other bhikshus. Though the group is one, each member has his own body, clan and name, like Sariputra is a Brahman, Uruvilva is a Kasyapa, and you, Ananda, comes from the Gautama clan.
“Ananda, suppose fire came from the mixture and fusion of the elements, when a mirror is held up to obtain fire from the sun, would the fire come from the mirror, or the moxa tinder, or the sun? If it came from the sun, not only it would burn the moxa in your hand, but it should also scorch all the trees. If it came from the mirror, the mirror should get melt and your hand should get burned. If it came from the moxa, why would you need the sun and the mirror? Look at the speculum held in the hand, the sun high up in the sky, and the moxa grown from the ground – they are very far apart and obviously don’t mix and unite with each other. And fire cannot exist by itself either, without an origin.
“You simply do not realize that both fire and emptiness arise from the self-nature, and they are identical with each other – that the element of fire is fundamentally pure, that it pervades the Dharma Realm and manifests because the minds of living beings make distinctions about things. You should know that fire is generated wherever a person holds a speculum to the sunlight, and that if mirrors are held up throughout the Dharma Realm, fire would spring up everywhere. To what extent it will be experienced is dictated by the laws of karma. Ignorant worldly people wrongly attribute its origin to spontaneity without realizing that it is their consciousnesses making all the discriminations and distinctions. These delusions, which arise from the discriminating and reasoning processes of the conscious mind, are nothing but the child play of empty words.
阿難。火性無我，寄於諸緣。汝觀城中未食之家，欲炊爨時，手執陽燧。日前求火。阿難。名和合者，如我與汝，一千二百五十比丘，今為一眾。眾雖為一，詰其根本，各各有身，皆有所生氏族名字如舍利弗，婆羅門種。優樓頻螺，迦葉波種。乃至阿難，瞿曇種姓。阿難。若此火性，因和合有。彼手執鏡於日求火。此火為從鏡中而出，為從艾出，為於日來。阿難。若日來者，自能燒汝手中之艾，來處林木，皆應受焚。若鏡中出，自能於鏡，出然於艾。鏡何不鎔。紆汝手執，尚無熱相，云何融泮。若生於艾，何藉日鏡光明相接，然後火生。汝又諦觀，鏡因手執，日從天來，艾本地生，火從何方遊歷於此。日鏡相遠，非和非合，不應火光，無從自有。汝猶不知如來藏中，性火真空，性空真火，清淨本然，周遍法界，隨眾生心，應所知量。阿難。當知世人，一處執鏡，一處火生。遍法界執，滿世間起。起遍世間，寧有方所，循業發現。世間無知，惑為因緣，及自然性。皆是識心，分別計度。但有言說，都無實義。
“Ananda, water is unstable by nature. It is either flowing or being still. Kapila, Chakra, Padma, Hasta, and all other great magicians in Shravasti often obtain water to mix with their drugs by holding up a crystal ball to the light of a full moon at midnight. Does the water come from the ball, the moon or the void?
“If the water came from the distant moon, it would also flow through all the grass and trees on its way to the crystal ball. Since no water drips from the trees, obviously the water does not descend from the moon. If it came from the crystal ball, it would flow regularly, not only when the moon is full. If it came from the void of space, which is boundless, it would then flow everywhere, submerging everything – how could living beings still walk on the earth, fly in the air, and swim in the water? Yet meanwhile it would be absurd to say that the water does not come from any source.
“You still do not know that in the Tathagata Store the nature of water is true emptiness, and the nature of emptiness is true water. Pure in its origin, it pervades the Dharma Realm. It accords with living beings’ minds, in response to their capacity to know. Thus water flows wherever crystal balls are used to collect it. Since water can come forth throughout the entire world, can there be any fixed place to which it is confined? It is experienced in accordance with the laws of karma. Ignorant worldlings wrongly attribute it to causes, conditions or spontaneity. These mistakes, arisen from the discriminations of the mind, are nothing but the play of language which has no real meaning.
阿難。水性不定，流息無恒。如室羅城，迦毗羅仙，斫迦羅仙，及砵頭摩，訶薩多等，諸大幻師，求太陰精用和幻藥。是諸師等，於白月晝，手執方諸，承月中水，此水為復從珠中出，空中自有，為從月來。阿難。若從月來，尚能遠方令珠出水，所經林木，皆應吐流。流則何待方諸所出。不流，明水非從月降。若從珠出，則此珠中，常應流水，何待中宵承白月晝。若從空生，空性無邊，水當無際，從人洎天，皆同滔溺。云何復有水陸空行。汝更諦觀，月從天陟。珠因手持，承珠水盤，本人敷設，水從何方，流注於此。月珠相遠，非和非合，不應水精，無從自有。汝尚不知，如來藏中，性水真空，性空真水，清淨本然，周遍法界。隨眾生心，應所知量。一處執珠，一處水出。遍法界執，滿法界生。生滿世間，寧有方所，循業發現。世間無知，惑為因緣，及自然性。皆是識心，分別計度。但有言說，都無實義。
“Ananda, the nature of wind is emptiness. It is neither always in motion nor always still. As you enter the great assembly, you always adjust your robe, and when the corner of it brushes the person next to you, that person can feel a slight breeze. Does this puff of wind come from the corner of your robe? Or does it arise from the space? Or does it come from the person next to you?
“If the wind arises from the corner of your robe, you’re then clad in the wind, and your robe would billow out and fly off your body. Yet as I am now expounding upon the Dharma in the midst of the assembly, my robe remains still. Look at my robe – it hangs straight down, where is the wind? There is nowhere in the robe for the wind to hide.
“If the wind comes from space, then why wouldn’t it brush against the person when your robe did not move? Moreover, space is always present, so the wind should be constantly blowing if it comes from space. Besides, since we don’t see any wind now, does it mean that the empty space ceases to exist as well? But if it’s something that came into being and then ceased to be, it wouldn’t be called space or emptiness in the first place, would it?
“Suppose the wind comes from the person next to you, then it would be you rather than your neighbor feeling the breeze. Therefore it cannot be the case either.
“To sum up – it is you who adjust the robe; it is your neighbor who feels the breeze; space itself remains still. From where then does the wind come from? Wind and space cannot mix with each other; the wind has got to have an origin of its own. You still do not know that in the Tathagata Store, the nature of wind is emptiness, and emptiness is wind, which is fundamentally pure and pervades throughout the Dharma Realm. The extent to which a living being realizes this depends on each individual’s capacity of understanding.
“Ananda, in the same way that when you move your robe a puff of wind arises, it can arise anywhere throughout the Dharma Realm. How could it be confined to one particular place? The extent to which a living being can experience it depends on each individual’s karma. People in the world, due to their ignorance, mistakenly suppose that the wind comes into being from causes and conditions or on its own. These mistakes arise from the reasoning processes of the conscious mind, which produces all kinds of constructs, distinctions and discriminations – they are merely empty wordplays, devoid of any real meaning.
阿難。風性無體，動靜不常。汝常整衣入於大眾，僧伽梨角動及傍人，則有微風拂彼人面。此風為復出袈裟角，發於虛空，生彼人面。阿難。此風若復出袈裟角，汝乃披風，其衣飛搖，應離汝體。我今說法會中垂衣。汝看我衣，風何所在，不應衣中，有藏風地。若生虛空，汝衣不動，何因無拂。空性常住，風應常生。若無風時，虛空當滅。滅風可見，滅空何狀。若有生滅，不名虛空。名為虛空，云何風出。若風自生被拂之面，從彼面生，當應拂汝。自汝整衣，云何倒拂。汝審諦觀，整衣在汝，面屬彼人，虛空寂然，不曾流動，風自誰方鼓動來此。風空性隔，非和非合，不應風性，無從自有。汝宛不知如來藏中，性風真空，性空真風，清淨本然，周遍法界隨眾生心，應所知量。阿難。如汝一人微動服衣，有微風出。遍法界拂，滿國土生周遍世間，寧有方所，循業發現。世間無知，惑為因緣，及自然性。皆是識心，分別計度。但有言說，都無實義。
“Ananda, the nature of space is emptiness, which has no shape. It is discerned only in the presence of form. For instance, when the Brahmins and all the clans build their homes in the city of Shravasti, which is far from the river, they have to dig wells to find water. When a foot of earth is removed, a foot of emptiness is discerned. When ten feet of soil are dug out, ten feet of emptiness are discerned. How much space is discerned depends on how much earth has been removed. Now, does the space in the well come into being out of the soil? Does it come into being because of the digging? Or does it come into being on its own?
“Ananda, suppose it came on its own without any cause, then why it didn’t show up before the well was dug? If it came out of the soil, then we should have seen it entering the well as the soil was removed. If it came about because of the digging, then the digging should have brought the emptiness out of the well along with the dirt. The soil that is removed is solid matter, while the space is insubstantial matter – they simply do not function on the same plane.
“Although the nature of emptiness is all-pervasive, it is basically unmoving. You should know that the true nature of earth, water, fire, wind, together with space, which we may consider as five primary elements, are completely interfused with each other, and are one with the Tathagata Store, fundamentally devoid of production and extinction.
“When we discussed the first four primary elements, Ananda, you didn’t understand that their source is none other than the Tathagata Store, so you still have to wonder where the fifth primary element space comes from. You still do not realize that in the Tathagata store, the nature of space is emptiness, and emptiness is space. Pure at its origin, space pervades throughout the Dharma Realm. The extent to which a living being can realize this depends on the individual’s capacity of understanding.
“Ananda, when a place is dug and empty of earth, emptiness fills up that place. Likewise, when places in the ten directions are dug, emptiness fills up in the ten directions. Space is everywhere throughout the ten directions – it cannot be limited to one particular place. The extent to which a living being can experience it depends on each individual’s karma. People in the world, due to their ignorance, mistakenly suppose that space comes into being from causes and conditions or on its own. These mistakes arise from the reasoning processes of the conscious mind, which produces all kinds of constructs, distinctions and discriminations – they are merely empty wordplays, devoid of any real meaning.
阿難。空性無形，因色顯發。如室羅城，去河遙處，諸剎利種，及婆羅門，毗舍，首陀，兼頗羅墮，旃陀羅等，新立安居，鑿井求水。出土一尺，於中則有一尺虛空。如是乃至出土一丈，中間還得一丈虛空。虛空淺深，隨出多少，此空為當因土所出，因鑿所有，無因自生。阿難。若復此空，無因自生，未鑿土前，何不無礙，唯見大地迴無通達。若因土出，則土出時，應見空入。若土先出無空入者，云何虛空因土而出。若無出入，則應空土元無異因。無異則同，則土出時，空何不出。若因鑿出，則鑿出空，應非出土。不因鑿出，鑿自出土，云何見空。汝更審諦，諦審諦觀，鑿從人手，隨方運轉，土因地移，如是虛空，因何所出。鑿空虛實，不相為用，非和非合，不應虛空，無從自出。若此虛空，性圓周遍，本不動搖。當知現前地水火風，均名五大。性真圓融，皆如來藏，本無生滅。阿難。汝心昏迷，不悟四大元如來藏。當觀虛空，為出為入，為非出入。汝全不知如來藏中，性覺真空，性空真覺，清淨本然，周遍法界。隨眾生心，應所知量。阿難。如一井空，空生一井。十方虛空，亦復如是。圓滿十方，寧有方所，循業發現。世間無知，惑為因緣及自然性。皆是識心，分別計度，但有言說，都無實義。
“Ananda, one does not become visually aware unless space and visible forms are present. For example, you are now in Prince Jetri’s Grove, where it is light in the morning and dark in the evening. When there is a full moon, it is bright at midnight; when there is no moon, it is dark. You can discern light and darkness because of your visual awareness. Now, Ananda, is your seeing identical to light, darkness and space? Or is it separate from them? Or are they the same yet different? Or are they neither the same nor different?
“If seeing were one with light, darkness, and space, then it would disappear when it is light or it would cease to exist when it is dark, as light and darkness cancel each other out. Then again, once seeing ceased to exist, how could it perceive light or darkness? Besides, if light and darkness differ from each other, how could they form a unity with seeing in the first place?
“But if we say that seeing is separate from light, darkness, and emptiness, how could we then establish perception when those three qualities are absent? Without light, darkness, and space, how could your visual awareness come to exist? That wouldn’t seem right either.
“Further, since no boundary there is between seeing and space, how can we say they are not the same? On the other hand, since seeing always remains unchanged no matter it is light or it is dark, how can we say they are not different?
“You should examine this matter in great detail, investigate it minutely, contemplate it thoroughly. Light comes from the sun, and it is dark on a moonless night. We can see through space but not through earth. From what does our visual awareness arise? It cannot come into being on its own, without an origin. And it cannot mix with space either, since seeing has awareness, while emptiness is inanimate and insentient.
“Given that the faculties of seeing, hearing, and cognitive awareness are all-pervasive and unmoving, you should know that the stationary infinite space, as well as the moving elements earth, water, fire, and wind, which together are known as the six primary elements, are completely interfused with each other and all devoid of creation and cessation in the Tathagata Store.
“Ananda, your mind is so clouded that you have not yet realized that your seeing, hearing, and knowing are fundamentally the Tathagata Store. You should investigate deeply to see whether your vision awareness, your sound awareness, your touch awareness, and your cognition awareness are subject to creation and cessation or not – do they come into existence and cease to exist? Or do they neither come into being nor ever cease to be? Are they identical to each other or different? Or are they neither identical nor different?
“You still do not know that in the Tathagata Store the true nature of your vision is enlightenment, and the essence of enlightenment is your illuminating awareness. Fundamentally pure, it pervades throughout the Dharma Realm. The extent to which a living being can perceive this depends on their individual capacity of understanding. The same is true for the powers of hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and knowing, which all extend throughout the Dharma Realm. They fill up the entirety of emptiness in the ten directions throughout the Dharma Realm. How could they be limited to just one particular place?
“To what extent a being can experience this is in accord with their individual karma. Ignorant of this fact, people in the world mistakenly believe that awareness comes into existence out of causes and conditions or on its own. These mental distinctions and discriminations, arising from the reasoning processes of the conscious mind, are nothing but empty wordplays without real meaning.
阿難。見覺無知，因色空有。如汝今者在祇陀林，朝明夕昏。設居中宵，白月則光黑月便暗。則明暗等，因見分析。此見為復與明暗相，并太虛空，為同一體。為非一體。或同非同，或異非異。阿難此見若復與明與暗，及與虛空，元一體者。則明與暗，二體相亡。暗時無明，明時無暗。若與暗一，明則見亡。必一於明，暗時當滅。滅則云何，見明見暗。若明暗殊，見無生滅，一云何成。若此見精，與暗與明，非一體者。汝離明暗，及與虛空，分析見元，作何形相。離明離暗，及離虛空，是見元同，龜毛兔角。明暗虛空，三事俱異，從何立見明暗相背，云何或同。離三元無，云何或異。分空分見，本無邊畔，云何非同。見暗見明，性非遷改，云何非異。汝更細審微細審詳，審諦審觀，明從太陽，暗隨黑月，通屬虛空，壅歸大地，如是見精，因何所出。見覺空頑，非和非合，不應見精，無從自出。若見聞知，性圓周遍，本不動搖。當知無邊不動虛空，并其動搖地水火風，均名六大。性真圓融，皆如來藏，本無生滅。阿難。汝性沉淪，不悟汝之見聞覺知，本如來藏。汝當觀此見聞覺知，為生為滅，為同為異。為非生滅，為非同異。汝曾不知如來藏中，性見覺明，覺精明見，清淨本然，周遍法界。隨眾生心，應所知量。如一見根，見周法界。聽嗅嘗觸覺觸覺知，妙德瑩然，遍周法界。圓滿十虛。寧有方所，循業發現。世間無知，惑為因緣，及自然性。皆是識心，分別計度。但有言說，都無實義。
“Ananda, the nature of consciousness has no source, but is a false manifestation based on the six organs and their objects. It comes into being in response to the six faculties and their activities. The manifestation is nothing but an illusion. Look around now at the assembly here. As you glance from one to another, whatever you see is like what is seen in a mirror – it simply stares back at you, without any distinction. However, your consciousness will make distinctions and identify them one by one, for example, as Manjushri, Purnamaitrayaniputra, Maudgalyayana, Subhuti, and Sariputra. Now, does this distinction-making faculty, this primary element consciousness, come from your seeing, or from the objects perceived? Or does it arise from emptiness? Or does it arise on its own without a cause?
“Ananda, suppose your consciousness came from seeing. But in the absence of light, darkness, form, and space, your eye-faculty would not function, then how could your consciousness arise? If your consciousness came from form, then in the absence of light or darkness, since you would not see objects and space, where would your consciousness arise from?
“Now suppose the consciousness came from space rather than form or eye-faculty. But in the absence of seeing and all things perceived (such as light, darkness, and form), how could consciousness arise? The same applies to hearing, touching, and knowing. Even if space could cause your consciousness to arise, how would you be able to make distinctions about anything amid nothingness?
“As for whether consciousness comes forth on its own without a cause, let me ask you this – why doesn’t the moon start shining in the sun?
“You should look into this matter closely, investigate it in great detail. Seeing is a function of your eye-faculty. The perceived objects that appear in your environment have form, while space lacks form. Consciousness is active and the eye-faculty is still, so they do not mix. The same is true for consciousness and your ear-faculty, your nose-faculty, your body-faculty, and your cognitive faculty. Given that the primary element consciousness is not caused by any of these factors, you should know that the distinction-making eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, body-consciousness, and mind-consciousness do not come from anywhere.
“So the true nature of consciousness and awareness, together with earth, water, fire, wind, and emptiness, which are called the seven elements, are completely pure and do not come from anything but perfectly interfused with each other in the Tathagata Store, fundamentally devoid of creation and extinction.
“Ananda, your mind is shallow, and your thoughts are too superficial. You simply do not know that inherent in the Tathagata Store there is a deep mind, which is bright and all knowing, and that enlightened brightness is your true consciousness. It is pure, tranquil and wondrous, pervading throughout the Dharma Realm. It encompasses all emptiness of the ten directions and beyond. How could it be confined to one particular location? To what extent a living being can experience it depends on their individual karma. Ignorant of this fact, people in the world try to assign its origin to causes and conditions or spontaneity. These are all limited distinctions and discriminations arisen from the reasoning processes of the conscious mind, merely empty wordplays devoid of real meaning.”
阿難。識性無源，因於六種根塵妄出。汝今遍觀此會聖眾，用目循歷。其目周視，但如鏡中，無別分析。汝識於中次第標指，此是文殊，此富樓那，此目犍連，此須菩提，此舍利弗，此識了知，為生於見，為生於相，為生虛空，為無所因，突然而出。阿難。若汝識性，生於見中，如無明暗及與色空，四種必無，元無汝見，見性尚無，從何發識。若汝識性，生於相中，不從見生，既不見明，亦不見暗，明暗不矚，即無色空，彼相尚無，識從何發。若生於空，非相非見，非見無辨，自不能知，明暗色空，非相滅緣，見聞覺知，無處安立。處此二非，空則同無，有非同物。縱發汝識，欲何分別。若無所因，突然而出，何不日中，別識明月。汝更細詳，微細詳審，見託汝睛，相推前境，可狀成有，不相成無，如是識緣，因何所出。識動見澄，非和非合。聞聽覺知，亦復如是，不應識緣，無從自出。若此識心，本無所從。當知了別見聞覺知，圓滿湛然，性非從所。兼彼虛空地水火風，均名七大。性真圓融，皆如來藏，本無生滅。阿難。汝心麤浮，不悟見聞，發明了知，本如來藏。汝應觀此六處識心，為同為異，為空為有，為非同異，為非空有。汝元不知，如來藏中，性識明知，覺明真識，妙覺湛然，遍周法界。含吐十虛，寧有方所，循業發現。世間無知，惑為因緣，及自然性，皆是識心，分別計度，但有言說，都無實義。
At that time, Ananda and everyone else in the Great Assembly were awestruck by such powerful teachings of the Buddha and felt that their bodies were emptied and minds opened. They were free of all concerns and impediments, realizing that their true consciousness extends to all ten directions, that they could see everything throughout the entirety of space as clearly as one might see a leaf in the palm of one’s hand, and that all things in the world are simply the luminous Buddha Mind that knows, and that this pure, pervading, perfect mind encompasses the entire universe.
Now looking back upon their own bodies born of their parents, they saw that the transient bodies are like dust motes drifting about everywhere in the emptiness, like bubbles floating on vast seas, appearing for a short while before vanishing without a trace, while the fundamental Buddha Mind – the light of the Buddha-nature is everlasting and never perishes.
Bowing to the Buddha with their palms placed together, they spoke verses in praise of the Buddha, for the sublime instructions they received:
“The Foremost Honored One, all-knowing and tranquil,
Surangama, the King of Mantras, most sublime in the world,
It extinguishes my distorted thoughts
Gathered in countless eons past.
So I no longer have to endure asamkhyeya eons
To attain the Dharma-body.
“Now I vow to reach enlightenment
And return as a Dharma-king
To rescue as many beings
As there are sand grains in the Ganges.
This firm resolve I offer in the myriad Buddha-lands.
By this may I repay the kindness shown me by the Buddha.
“I ask the Buddha to be witness as I take this vow
To enter first the murky realms of five turbidities,
If even just one being still has not become a Buddha,
Then I will not take the leisure of nirvana.
“Greatest in valor and in power! The Most Compassionate One!
I pray you’ll now eradicate even the most subtle of my doubts
And lead me to quickly attain the supreme enlightenment,
And sit in the Bodhimanda of the worlds.
“Should even the vast emptiness shatter,
This vajra mind will never waver.”
爾時阿難，及諸大眾，蒙佛如來，微妙開示，身心蕩然，得無罣礙。是諸大眾，各各自知，心遍十方。見十方空，如觀手中所持葉物。一切世間諸所有物，皆即菩提妙明元心。心精遍圓，含裏十方。反觀父母，所生之身，猶彼十方，虛空之中，吹一微塵，若存若亡。如湛巨海，流一浮漚，起滅無從。了然自知，獲本妙心，常住不滅。禮佛合掌，得未曾有。於如來前，說偈讚佛。
偈讚發願
妙湛總持不動尊 首楞嚴王世稀有
消我億劫顛倒想 不歷僧祇獲法身
願今得果成寶王 還度如是恆沙眾
將此深心奉塵剎 是則名為報佛恩
伏請世尊為證明 五濁惡世誓先入
如一眾生未成佛 終不於此取泥洹
十雄大力大慈悲 希更審除微細惑
令我早登無上覺 於十方界坐道場
舜若多性可銷亡 爍迦羅心無動轉
Buddha Mind 