金剛三昧經論 3.25

3.25

The Commentary says: In explaining the stage of reflection, there are also two sentences: first clarifying signless inquisitive contemplation, and second revealing unborn knowledge of reality. In the first, "contemplates" means reflecting and observing. "Solely mental speech" means that the external objects grasped do not exist. "Manifest in accordance with the mind" means that the appearance-aspect resembling the external is not apart from the seeing[-aspect]. "Are not my fundamental consciousness" means that the sensory realms seen outside of consciousness, since they are not my consciousness, do not exist. Here, "fundamental consciousness" refers to the sixth consciousness, because it is the root of the three realms of existence. As the verse spoken by Bodhisattva Āryadeva says: 'The mental consciousness is the root of the three realms of existence; the sensory dusts are its causes. / If one sees that the sensory dusts do not exist, the seeds of existence naturally perish.' The above generally reveals signless inquiry and the knowledge of reality; from here down clarifies its principle of being unborn. As for "knows that this fundamental consciousness is neither phenomenon nor meaning," it is neither the expressing phenomenon nor the expressed meaning, knowing that name and meaning are mutually guests. As for "neither grasped nor grasper," since the grasped sensory dusts are non-existent, the grasping agent is not established. The meaning of the grasping agent necessarily depends on the grasped object; since there is nothing depended upon, there is nothing that depends. This generally reveals unborn inquiry and the knowledge of reality. From the ten understandings on up to the worldly supreme dharmas, one cultivates this contemplation of inquiry and knowledge of reality; within it there is also observation by wisdom born of cultivation, but none has yet departed from reflection and conceptual distinction, which is why it is generally named the stage of reflection.