勝鬘寶窟 2.53

2.53

「世尊心不相應無始無明住地」下，第二辨無明住地也。心不相應者，簡上剎那心相應。無始者，簡心剎那剎那起。若是起煩惱，與心別體，共心相應。此無明住地，即指妄想心體以為無明，不別心外有數法共心相應，是故說為心不相應。故馬鳴言：「即心不覺，常無別異，故名相應。」此無明住地，久來性成，不同起惑作念現生，故言無始無明。暗惑之心，體無慧明，故曰無明。為彼恒沙起惑所依，名之為住。能生恒沙，故稱為地。有人言：心不相應無始無明者，無明住地惑。即於一切有漏三性心中，以三性心皆取相、不悟理實，悉名無明。與心無別體，無可說相應，故名不相應。一切時恒有，不同餘煩惱或有或無，故說無始。良以無明與一切有漏三性心無別體，故不可說相應。復以義異，故三性諸心或有或無，無明常有，故說無始也。體非慧明，故名無明。在一切心中成就，不同現起，故名為住。以此無明住，生一切煩惱，故說為地。問：四住中有住有起，無明中何故但說住不說起？答：以無明住地，更無別起，故不別說起。只以前所列見受等，通說為無明所起也。有人言：此無明是生死本因，故云無始是始。是以《攝論》云「無始者，即是顯因」也。若有始則無因，以有始則有初，初則無因；以其無始，則是有因。所以明有因者，顯佛法是因緣義。有人言：無始無明者，始背明入暗時，煩惱微細，唯同是一無明，無有四心次第起，故言心不相應。此師云：所以明相應不相應者，為欲簡惑麁細。惑麁者有四心，故相應；惑細者無四心，故不相應也。無始者有二釋：一云無明無有始，故眾生無頭、波若無底。二云無明最在初，實錄有始，但無有一法在此前者，故言無始也。

From "World-Honored One, the stage of ignorance that is unassociated with the mind and without beginning" onward is the second part, which explains the stage of ignorance. "Unassociated with the mind" distinguishes it from the previous "associated with the mind in a single instant." "Without beginning" distinguishes it from mind arising instant by instant. Active afflictions differ in substance from the mind and are associated with the mind. This stage of ignorance directly points to the substantial entity of the mind of false discrimination as being ignorance; there are no separate mental factors outside the mind that are associated with the mind, and therefore it is called "unassociated with the mind." Hence Aśvaghoṣa says: "The very mind being unawakened is constantly without difference, and is therefore called associated." This stage of ignorance has long been established as its nature, unlike active afflictions that manifest through forming thoughts, and so it is called "beginningless ignorance." A mind of dark delusion has no bright illumination of wisdom in its nature, and so is termed "ignorance." It serves as the basis for those active afflictions as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and so is named "stage." Being able to produce [afflictions as numerous as] the sands of the Ganges, it is therefore called "ground." Some say: "Beginningless ignorance unassociated with the mind" refers to the affliction of the stage of ignorance. That is to say, within all minds of the three natures that are tainted, because minds of all three natures grasp at characteristics and do not awaken to the reality of principle, they are all termed "ignorance." Because it has no separate substance from the mind, it cannot be said to be associated, and is therefore called "unassociated." Being constantly present at all times, unlike other afflictions that may be present or absent, it is therefore said to be "without beginning." Truly, because ignorance has no separate substance from all minds of the three natures that are tainted, it cannot be said to be associated. Furthermore, because their senses differ, the various minds of the three natures are sometimes present and sometimes absent, whereas ignorance is constantly present; therefore it is said to be "without beginning." Its nature is not the bright illumination of wisdom, and so it is named "ignorance." Being established within all minds and unlike active manifestations, it is called "stage." Because this stage of ignorance produces all afflictions, it is spoken of as "ground." Question: In the four stages there are both stages and active [afflictions]; why is it that in ignorance only the stage is spoken of, and not the active ones? Answer: Because within the stage of ignorance there are no separate active ones, active ones are not separately spoken of. It is merely that the aforementioned [views, attachment to desires, etc.] are collectively spoken of as what is arisen from ignorance. Some say: This ignorance is the fundamental cause of birth and death, and therefore "without beginning" is the beginning. Thus the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* says, "'Without beginning' is to reveal the cause." If there were a beginning, there would be no cause, for having a beginning entails having a first [moment], and the first [moment] would have no cause; because it is without beginning, it has a cause. The reason for clarifying that there is a cause is to reveal that the Buddha-Dharma is the principle of causes and conditions. Some say: As for "beginningless ignorance," when one initially turns one's back on the light and enters darkness, the afflictions are extremely subtle, and there is only this single identical ignorance without the sequential arising of four minds; therefore it is said to be "unassociated with the mind." This master says: The reason for clarifying associated and unassociated is to distinguish between coarse and subtle afflictions. Coarse afflictions possess four minds and are therefore associated; subtle afflictions lack four minds and are therefore unassociated. Regarding "without beginning," there are two explanations: First, it is said that ignorance has no beginning, and therefore sentient beings have no head and prajñā has no bottom. Second, it is said that ignorance is at the very beginning and truly recorded as having a beginning, but because no phenomenon precedes it, it is said to be "without beginning."