釋摩訶衍論 5.5

5.5

The commentary says: Within this text there are naturally five gates. What are the five? The first is the gate of demonstrating the characteristics where the designation and explanation are both established; the second is the gate of assigning the characteristics to provisional persons; the third is the gate of revealing that upon which the coarse and subtle rely; the fourth is the gate of the successive stages of antidotes by original awakening; and the fifth is the gate of raising questions and answers to resolve doubts. Regarding the gate of demonstrating the characteristics where the designation and explanation are both established: coarse arising and ceasing corresponds with the mind, whereas subtle arising and ceasing does not correspond with the mind. What is meant by "coarse arising and ceasing"? With which consciousness does it correspond? Because it is the furthest derivative, it corresponds with the consciousness that discriminates phenomena. What is meant by "subtle arising and ceasing"? With which consciousness does it not correspond? Because it is the derivative, it does not correspond with the fundamental consciousness in its three states. On what canonical text did Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa rely to make this explanation? On the Laṅkāvatārasūtra. What does it say in that sūtra? A branched recension of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra says: At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahāmati further addressed the Buddha: "World-Honoured One! How many kinds of arising, abiding, and ceasing do the consciousnesses have?" The Buddha told Mahāmati: "The consciousnesses have two kinds of arising, abiding, and ceasing, which are not known by discursive thought. The consciousnesses have two kinds of arising, namely, stream-like arising and characteristic arising. They have two kinds of abiding, namely, stream-like abiding and characteristic abiding. They have two kinds of ceasing, namely, stream-like ceasing and characteristic ceasing." Furthermore, another branched recension of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra says: "Mahāmati! The consciousnesses have two kinds of ceasing. What are the two? The first is the ceasing of characteristics, and the second is the ceasing of continuity. They have two kinds of arising. What are the two? The first is the arising of characteristics, and the second is the arising of continuity. They have two kinds of abiding. What are the two? The first is the abiding of characteristics, and the second is the abiding of continuity." Furthermore, the Great Recension of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra says: At that time, Mañjuśrī addressed the Buddha: "World-Honoured One! How many characteristics of impermanence are there in the dharmas of mental consciousness?" The Buddha told Mañjuśrī: "If it is the subtle consciousness bound to the first existence, it has the superior grade of non-separation arising and ceasing. If it is the subtle consciousness bound to intermediate turning, it has the middling grade of non-separation arising and ceasing. If it is the subtle consciousness bound to distant turning, it has the lower grade of non-separation arising and ceasing. If it is the coarse consciousness of pervasive discrimination, it has the separated mirror-surface non-separation arising and ceasing." What meaning do these three recensions of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra clarify? They intend to reveal the differentiated characteristics of the two kinds of arising and ceasing, the coarse and the subtle; in the sūtras, they only present the names and do not explain their meaning. For this reason, Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa, distinguishing what corresponds and what does not correspond, revealed the two kinds of arising and ceasing, the coarse and the subtle, just as the root text states: "Furthermore, when distinguishing the characteristics of arising and ceasing, there are two kinds. What are the two? The first is coarse, because it corresponds with the mind; the second is subtle, because it does not correspond with the mind."