六字大明咒
The Six-Character Great Bright Mantra
上宣下化老和尚开示 Venerable Master Hsuan Hua's Dharma Talks
唵‧嘛‧呢‧叭‧弥‧吽
OM MANI PADME HUM
◎三藏法师宣化上人‧讲述于一九七一年
LECTURE GIVEN BY TRIPITAKA MASTER HSUAN HUA, 1971
你能常诵持这〈六字大明咒〉，就有六道光明能把六道轮回的黑暗变成光明。
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.
这六个字，叫〈六字大明咒〉，每一个字都会大放光明。
　
These six characters together make up the Six Character Great Bright Mantra; e
ach one individually is able to emit brilliant light.
　
密宗是专门研究咒语和它的意思。佛教分成五宗：禅，教，律，密，净。禅宗就是参禅打
坐；教宗就是讲经说法；律宗就是严净毘尼，弘范三界，就是专持戒律的；密宗，密就是
秘密的，彼此互不相知；净土宗，就是专持名号，念这个“南无阿弥陀佛”
这六字洪名，这叫净土宗。
　
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".
　
这五宗里边，有的人就说禅宗最高，有的人就说教宗最高，有的人又说律宗最高，修密宗
的，就说我密宗最高，修净土法门的，就说净土法门这是最第一了、最高了。实际上，这
个法是平等的，没有高下──是法平等，无有高下。所谓高，就是个人私见，自己欢喜哪
一种，就说哪一种是高。
　
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.
　
现在我们讲这个密宗。一般人所知道的密宗，就是喇嘛教。其实密宗不是秘密的，在这个
显教里头，显密圆通──显教里头也有密宗，好像〈大悲咒〉、〈六字大明咒〉都是密，
〈楞严咒〉那更是密。所谓“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".
　
那么，不明白的人就认为这个秘密的东西是最好的，因为它不是公开地传。有一些不懂佛
法的人，就更神乎其神，说：“这不能讲给你听了，我这密宗啊，密宗不能讲给你听。”
你不能讲给人听，为什么你又要说呢？为什么又要说“我不能讲给你听”啊？你根本就是
密宗，就是不说就好了，为什么又要说我不能说给你听──我不能讲给你听，你不能讲这
又是讲了。你不能讲这是不是讲？这也是讲。这为什么他要这样说呢，就因为他不明白佛
法，根本就不知道什么叫“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.
　
所谓“密宗”，我现在告诉你们，这个咒啊，并不密。所谓密宗，就是你念这个咒啊，有
你的灵感，我不知道；我念这个咒呢，就有我的灵感，你不知道。这彼此互不相知它的功
能──它的功能和它的力量，不知道，这叫密宗。并不是这个咒是密宗，那个咒的力量才
是密。这是密宗的意思。
　
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.
　
那个咒，既然是密了，你就不应该传给人。你传给另外一个人，这已经不密了。同样的，
六祖和惠明有这么一番对答：
惠明：“上来所说，密意，若有秘密嘛，还有比这秘密的吗？”
六祖：“与汝说者。即非密也。汝若返照。密在汝边。”
　
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，这说的明明白白的嘛，你能说出来的就不密了，能传给你已经不密了。你要是密就
不应该传。密在汝边嘛，密在你那个地方。这就是说的这个秘密。
　
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师，他也对这个密宗怎么样解释法他不知道，他只以为这咒是秘密的
。但是什么咒都可以传给人，什么咒都可以说，没有不可说的咒；要不可说的他就没有法
子传给你，是不是啊？我们讲这个真理，因为它可以传给你，这就不是密宗了，这就不是
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