釋摩訶衍論 4.62

4.62

In total, how many consciousnesses does this Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra elucidate? There are two approaches. What are the two? First is the approach of brief explanation; second is the approach of broad explanation. Within these two approaches, three recensions speak differently. How do they speak differently? In one branch-stream recension of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, it is said: 'Mahāmati! Briefly explained, there are three kinds of consciousness; broadly explained, there are eight kinds of marks. What are the three? Namely, the true consciousness, the manifesting consciousness, and the consciousness of distinguishing objects.' Furthermore, in another branch-stream recension of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, it is said: 'Mahāmati! Broadly explained, there are eight kinds of consciousness; briefly explained, there are two kinds of consciousness. What are the two? First, the perceptual consciousness; second, the consciousness of distinguishing objects.' Furthermore, in another branch-stream recension of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, it is said: 'Mahāmati! Briefly explained, there are four kinds of consciousness; broadly explained, there are seven kinds of consciousness. What are the four? Namely, the karma consciousness, the revolving consciousness, the manifesting consciousness, and the consciousness of distinguishing objects.' These three sūtras are truly genuine teachings; to which Laṅkāvatāra should one take refuge? The Hetu-pratyaya Laṅkāvatāra, Śāla Laṅkāvatāra, Paṃśu-dāna Laṅkāvatāra, and the like—these four kinds of scriptures are spurious and false teachings, so one cannot take refuge in them. Now one should rely upon that Great Root Laṅkāvatāra of one hundred and six thousand udāna verses, to establish, reconcile, and explain the different characteristics of the three scriptures, which should be carefully examined in their proper order. In the first sūtra, the first, the true consciousness, is directly the true mind of original awakening perfumed by fundamental ignorance. The second, the manifesting consciousness, is directly the ālaya consciousness with the mark of manifestation. The third, the consciousness of distinguishing objects, is directly the coarse aspect of the mental consciousness, because the subtle aspect of the mental consciousness is manas. Why does this sūtra [call] the subtle aspect of the mental consciousness the manodhātu consciousness? And among the three subtleties, why are the karma consciousness and revolving consciousness temporarily omitted and not shown? There are two approaches. What are the two? First is the approach of citing two to reveal three to complete the count; second is the approach of following what precedes to reach what follows to complete the count. What is the first approach? It means citing the coarse and strong to reveal the subtle and inferior. What does this mean? Among the three subtleties, the coarse is the manifesting consciousness; among the seven consciousnesses, the strong is the mental consciousness. By citing the coarse manifesting consciousness to reveal the subtle karma and revolving [consciousnesses], it speaks only of the manifesting consciousness; by citing the strong mental consciousness to indicate the inferior manas, it speaks only of the mental consciousness; therefore, the words are brief while the meaning is complete; this is called the approach of citing two to reveal three to complete the count. What is the second approach? It means blending what precedes and what follows to complete the names. What does this mean? The preceding text of the sūtra states that the consciousnesses have three kinds of marks, namely, the mark of revolving, the mark of karma, and the mark of truth. The first, the mark of revolving, is the revolving consciousness subsumed under the three subtleties. The second, the mark of karma, is the karma consciousness subsumed under the three subtleties. The third, the mark of truth, is the manas consciousness subsumed under the subtle aspect of the mental consciousness. Following this text of the sūtra and continuing to the text below, the names are fulfilled and the meaning and principle are complete; this is called the approach of following what precedes to reach what follows to complete the count. As for the eight consciousnesses in this sūtra, they are the ālaya, manas, mental consciousness, and the five consciousness-bodies; these are called the eight. Why do they constitute eight? Because within the single mental consciousness, seven kinds are divided. In the middle sūtra, the first, the perceptual consciousness, is directly the ālaya consciousness with the mark of manifestation; the second, the consciousness of distinguishing objects, is directly the mental consciousness, whose meaning is as previously explained, also expressing manas. What was called the 'mark of truth' in that first sūtra is the 'consciousness of the mark of cognition' in this middle sūtra; these are different names for the same meaning. At the stage of manas, the mental factor of wisdom begins to exist; distinguishing sense objects is called the consciousness of the mark of cognition. In the cognitive objects of such a cognitive consciousness, it operates by understanding them as real marks, hence it is called the mark of truth. The eight consciousnesses here can be known by comparison with the preceding. In the latter sūtra, the four kinds of consciousness are obvious in textual mark, so they are temporarily left unsaid. What is called the seven consciousnesses is because manas and the mental consciousness are combined into one, for although coarse and subtle differ, they are only a single consciousness. In the Dharmadhātu-dharmacakra Sūtra, it is said: 'When the sixth mental consciousness distinguishes the objects of the six sense fields, it must inwardly rely on manas as its supporting faculty before it can arise.' Therefore, the mental consciousness should be the supported, and that manas consciousness should be the support. The supported and the support cannot be of one kind; why then does it now say they are of one substance without distinction? Because the sūtras' intents differ, there is no fault of contradiction: in that sūtra, distinct seeds are established, whereas in this sūtra, identical seeds are established. By what text is it clearly and directly known that the consciousness of distinguishing objects can arise without relying on manas? Because the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra explains it clearly. How does that sūtra speak? In a branch-stream Laṅkāvatāra, it is said: 'Mahāmati! The perceptual object-consciousness and the object-distinguishing consciousness—those two consciousnesses are without difference, reciprocally serving as causes for each other.' Furthermore, in another branch-stream Laṅkāvatāra, it is said: 'Mahāmati! The manifesting consciousness and the object-distinguishing consciousness—these two, in their destructible and indestructible marks, turn into causes for each other.' By this text, we clearly know that the mental consciousness has only the ālaya consciousness of the manifesting mark as its internal support, and its arising and revolving does not rely on manas. Furthermore, in the Great Root Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, it is said: 'At that time, the Bodhisattva Vicitrālaṃkāra said to the Buddha: "By what cause and by what condition do the coarse mental consciousness and the subtle mental consciousness revolve in succession?" The Buddha said: "Such coarse and subtle mental consciousnesses revolve in succession by having the manifesting mirror-consciousness as their cause and by having the six sense objects as their condition."' By this meaning, the seventh, manas, taking the six sense objects as its cognitive domain to revolve, has its meaning already established. Why? In a gāthā of the sūtra it is said: 'Moved by the wind of sense objects, the seven consciousnesses roll like waves.' Furthermore, if there are sentient beings who [claim that] the manifesting consciousness of the sūtra is just manas, and that the mental consciousness therefore takes it as its cause—alas, such words cannot serve as a guide!