六字大明咒
The Six-Character Great Bright Mantra
上宣下化老和尚開示 Venerable Master Hsuan Hua's Dharma Talks
唵‧嘛‧呢‧叭‧彌‧吽
OM MANI PADME HUM
◎三藏法師宣化上人‧講述於一九七一年
LECTURE GIVEN BY TRIPITAKA MASTER HSUAN HUA, 1971
你能常誦持這〈六字大明咒〉，就有六道光明能把六道輪迴的黑暗變成光明。
If you are able to constantly recite the Six-Character Great Bright Mantra, th
ere will be six paths of light changing the darkness of the six destinies into
brightness.
這六個字，叫〈六字大明咒〉，每一個字都會大放光明。
　
These six characters together make up the Six Character Great Bright Mantra; e
ach one individually is able to emit brilliant light.
　
密宗是專門研究咒語和它的意思。佛教分成五宗：禪，教，律，密，淨。禪宗就是參禪打
坐；教宗就是講經說法；律宗就是嚴淨毘尼，弘範三界，就是專持戒律的；密宗，密就是
秘密的，彼此互不相知；淨土宗，就是專持名號，念這個「南無阿彌陀佛」
這六字洪名，這叫淨土宗。
　
Mantras and their meanings are studied in the Secret School, one of the five s
chools into which the principles of the Buddha's teachings are divided:
1) the Dhyana School;
2) the Teaching School;
3) the Vinaya School;
4) the Secret School;
5) the Pure Land School.
The Dhyana School teaches constant investigation of dhyana meditation; the Tea
ching School, lecturing sutras and speaking dharma; the Vinaya School, exclusi
ve maintenance of moral prohibitions: "awesome, majestic, and pure in vinaya,
great models for the three realms". Then there is the Secret School. Secret me
ans "no mutual knowing". The Pure Land School teaches the exclusive mindfulnes
s and recitation of "Na Mo A Mi T'o Fo", the "Vast Six Character Name".
　
這五宗裡邊，有的人就說禪宗最高，有的人就說教宗最高，有的人又說律宗最高，修密宗
的，就說我密宗最高，修淨土法門的，就說淨土法門這是最第一了、最高了。實際上，這
個法是平等的，沒有高下──是法平等，無有高下。所謂高，就是個人私見，自己歡喜哪
一種，就說哪一種是高。
　
Some people say the Dhyana School is highest of the five. Others claim that th
e Teaching School, or the Vinaya School, is highest. Cultivators of the Secret
School say, "The Secret School is supreme". Practicers of the Pure Land Dharm
a-door say, "The Pure Land Dharma-door is first, it is superior". Actually, Dh
arma is equal; there is no high or low. "Highest" is everyone's own personal o
pinion; whatever school you like you claim it to be the highest.
　
現在我們講這個密宗。一般人所知道的密宗，就是喇嘛教。其實密宗不是秘密的，在這個
顯教裡頭，顯密圓通──顯教裡頭也有密宗，好像〈大悲咒〉、〈六字大明咒〉都是密，
〈楞嚴咒〉那更是密。所謂「密」，就是彼此不知道。
　
Now I will explain the Secret School. What most people understand to be the Se
cret School is actually Lamaism. In fact, the Secret School is not secret. Wit
hin the "explicit" teaching, the manifest and secret perfectly penetrate. The
"explicit" teaching also includes the Secret School; for example, the Great Co
mpassion Mantra, and the Six-Character Great Bright Mantra both belong to the
Secret School. The Shurangama Mantra is even more secret. "Secret" is just "no
mutual knowing".
　
那麼，不明白的人就認為這個秘密的東西是最好的，因為它不是公開地傳。有一些不懂佛
法的人，就更神乎其神，說：「這不能講給你聽了，我這密宗啊，密宗不能講給你聽。」
你不能講給人聽，為什麼你又要說呢？為什麼又要說「我不能講給你聽」啊？你根本就是
密宗，就是不說就好了，為什麼又要說我不能說給你聽──我不能講給你聽，你不能講這
又是講了。你不能講這是不是講？這也是講。這為什麼他要這樣說呢，就因為他不明白佛
法，根本就不知道什麼叫「密宗」。
　
Ignorant people say that secret things are the best. Why? Because they are sec
ret, and not publicly transmitted. So people who don't understand the Buddhadh
arma speak of the supernatural and mysterious saying, "Oh! I can't tell this t
o you! It's from the Secret School, and it can't be spoken for you to hear!" I
f they can't speak of it to others, why mention it? Why do they say they can't
talk about it? If it's really the Secret School, and it's best not to speak o
f it, why do they say, "I can't tell you"? Their "not talking" is just talking
about it. Is this "refusal to speak of it" speaking of it or not? Yes, it's s
peaking of it. Why do they talk this way? Because they don't understand the Bu
ddhadharma, and are completely unaware of what the Secret School is.
　
所謂「密宗」，我現在告訴你們，這個咒啊，並不密。所謂密宗，就是你念這個咒啊，有
你的靈感，我不知道；我念這個咒呢，就有我的靈感，你不知道。這彼此互不相知它的功
能──它的功能和它的力量，不知道，這叫密宗。並不是這個咒是密宗，那個咒的力量才
是密。這是密宗的意思。
　
Now I will tell you about the Secret School. Mantras are not secret. The Secre
t School is the magical response which comes from your recitation of mantras;
I can't know your response. I recite mantras and have my magical response, and
you do not know of it. This is "no mutual knowing". The ability and power are
unknown, and therefore are called the Secret School. It's not mantras, but th
e power of mantras that is the Secret School. This is the meaning of the Secre
t School.
　
那個咒，既然是密了，你就不應該傳給人。你傳給另外一個人，這已經不密了。同樣的，
六祖和惠明有這麼一番對答：
惠明：「上來所說，密意，若有秘密嘛，還有比這秘密的嗎？」
六祖：「與汝說者。即非密也。汝若返照。密在汝邊。」
　
If mantras are really secret, they should not be transmitted to other people;
for if you transmit a mantra to someone else, it is no longer secret. It is th
e same as the Sixth Patriarch's answer to Hui Ming's question:
"He (Hui Ming) further asked, 'Apart from the above secret speech and secret m
eaning, is there yet another secret meaning?'
Hui Neng said, 'What has been spoken to you is not secret. If you reverse the
illumination, the secret is on your side."'
　
你看，這說的明明白白的嘛，你能說出來的就不密了，能傳給你已經不密了。你要是密就
不應該傳。密在汝邊嘛，密在你那個地方。這就是說的這個秘密。
　
Speak it and it is not secret. Take a look; he said it very clearly. Once spok
en, it is no longer secret. The "secret" is that which is not transmitted. If
it can be transmitted, it is not "secret". The "secret" can not be transmitted
; it is on your side; it is where you are.
　
我相信就是密宗的法師，他也對這個密宗怎麼樣解釋法他不知道，他只以為這咒是秘密的
。但是什麼咒都可以傳給人，什麼咒都可以說，沒有不可說的咒；要不可說的他就沒有法
子傳給你，是不是啊？我們講這個真理，因為它可以傳給你，這就不是密宗了，這就不是
密了。
　
I don't believe that Secret School Dharma Masters understand how validly expla
in "secret" dharma. They simply think that mantras are secret, but all mantras
can orally transmitted to people; there are no mantras, which cannot be spoke
n. If they couldn't be spoken, there would be no way to transmit them. Isn't t
hat right? We are now speaking true principle. If it is transmittable, it is n
ot secret