大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 57.6

57.6

The commentary states: "Now, transforming the impermanent consciousness..." and so on, explaining that it is now the locus of transformation. That is, the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi-śāstra states: "The noble path transforms it, causing it to abandon the defiled and attain the pure." This means that in the causal stage it holds both the defiled and the pure; now, upon attaining the noble path, it abandons the defiled and attains the pure, which is called transformation of the locus. Therefore, this "transformation" also means "abandonment."
In the commentary, it first explains the dependent cognitions and later explains the locus depended upon. First, regarding the former: the meaning of the four cognitions has already appeared at the beginning of the first fascicle of the sūtra. As for why there are only two here, the Cheng weishi lun states: "The mental associate corresponding to the cognition of equality first arises at the initial stage when the bodhisattva's path of seeing becomes manifest, because it opposes the two grasps. The mental associate corresponding to the cognition of wondrous observation and the observation of the emptiness of phenomena first arises at the stage of the bodhisattva's path of seeing, because the uncontaminated cognition of the emptiness of phenomena has already been attained. As for the mental associate corresponding to the great round mirror-like cognition, there is one opinion that it is attained in the unobstructed path of the vajropamasamādhi; there is another opinion that it only first arises upon reaching the path of liberation, because when the seeds of the ripening consciousness are present before the vajropamasamādhi, they are not yet abruptly abandoned, as they are not incompatible with the unobstructed path. It is not that it obstructs the contaminated and inferior uncontaminated dharmas, but it is definitively incompatible with the Buddha-fruit. Because there is no consciousness to be perfumed in the vajropamasamādhi, the uncontaminated does not increase, and one must attain buddhahood." Explanation: this meaning specifically clarifies that only after abandoning the ripening consciousness is it first transformed and named the great round mirror-like cognition. "As for the mental associate corresponding to the cognition of accomplishing activities, there is one opinion that during the bodhisattva's path of cultivation, being induced by the subsequent [cognition], it also first arises." Explanation: this means that, being induced by the subsequent [cognition] of the sixth mental consciousness, it generates the five consciousnesses in the pure land. The treatise states: "There is an opinion that it only first arises upon attaining buddhahood, because during the ten bhūmis the eyes and other [faculties] manifested based on the ripening consciousness are not uncontaminated; it is unreasonable for contaminated uncommon, necessarily simultaneous, and shared-object faculties to generate uncontaminated consciousnesses. These two differ in clarity and obscurity regarding their objects. Therefore, this category can only manifest upon attaining buddhahood, based on uncontaminated faculties, and because it is repeatedly interrupted, it arises through deliberate attention." Explanation: "Uncommon" refers to the uncommon eye faculty, because the faculty is the basis solely for the visual consciousness and so on. "Necessarily simultaneous" refers to the simultaneous basis, because faculty and consciousness are concurrent. "Shared-object" refers to the shared-object basis, because faculty and consciousness together apprehend a single object. Although these three names differ, they are all the five faculties and are subsumed under the simultaneous basis among the three bases. Since the eye and other [faculties] depended upon are contaminated, they cannot generate uncontaminated consciousness and cognition. Saying that "these two differ in clarity and obscurity regarding their objects" means that the two are the contaminated and the uncontaminated: the uncontaminated is clear, while the contaminated consciousness is obscure. Since the five consciousnesses of the ten bhūmis are contaminated, they only become the basis upon reaching the Buddha-fruit. The meaning of the simultaneous basis is cited in detail as in the chapter "Inquiry on the Manifest" (Wensheng pin). Here the commentary takes the position that it is attained at the time of buddhahood, and therefore it is not mentioned here.