釋摩訶衍論 4.87

4.87

The commentary says: Within this text itself there are four portals. What are the four? First, the portal of selecting the common category of nominal persons; second, the portal of the arising of the coarse marks of evolution; third, the portal of establishing the distinctions of names; fourth, the portal of revealing the basis of establishment. As for the portal of selecting nominal persons, it raises three kinds of ordinary beings to set them apart from the noble ones on the stages. What are the three ordinary beings? First, ordinary beings who are rootless, blind, and deaf; second, ordinary beings like hair-tips and horns of a hare; third, diamond-like unchangeable ordinary beings: these are named the three. As in the root text: "Relying upon ordinary beings..." As for the portal of the arising of the coarse: if based on sentient beings of the definitely wrong collection, they constantly give rise to the consciousness of prapañca and discrimination, grasping and attaching to all kinds of objects, growing ever deeper and thicker without limit and without beginning or end, constantly increasing without interruption; as in the root text: "grasping and attaching ever more deeply." If based on sentient beings of the undetermined collection, although they become aware that the mark of cessation is definitively unwholesome and give rise to non-attention, yet because the wisdom of the emptiness of persons has not become manifest, they grasp conditions such as external objects and bodily parts, calculating an 'I' and 'mine', holding firmly and not letting go; as in the root text: "calculating an 'I' and 'mine'." If based on sentient beings at the ranks of the three worthies, although they have already accomplished the prajñā of the emptiness of persons and awakened from the dream of the mark of difference, yet because the wisdom of the true emptiness of dharmas has not yet become manifest, they give rise to various attachments, firmly grasp dharmas as real, and deliberate in accordance with objects, unable to penetrate the equal, correct principle; as in the root text: "various false attachments grasp conditions in accordance with objects and discriminate the six sense fields." As for the portal of establishing names, there are three kinds. What are the three? First, the subtle name based on that upon which it relies; second, the coarse manifest name based on that upon which it relies; third, the name conforming to sense objects: these are named the three. What is the first name? This consciousness relies upon that subtle manas as its supporting faculty to become established, and is therefore named the mental consciousness; as in the root text: "named the mental consciousness." What is the middle name? This consciousness relies upon the five faculties such as the eye as its supporting faculties to discriminate the five sense fields, and is therefore also named the separating consciousness; as in the root text: "also named the separating consciousness." What is the latter name? This consciousness now turns and discriminates by taking the realm of objects as its conditions, not yet having taken reality as its own realm, and is therefore named the consciousness that discriminates objects; as in the root text: "Further, it is called the consciousness that discriminates objects." As for the portal of revealing the basis: the two afflictions of view and cultivation perfume the fundamental consciousness, and through the power of this perfuming, the coarse division of the mental consciousness is established, continuously increasing and turning, and being sustained; as in the root text: "because this consciousness grows based on the defilements of views and attachment."