注大乘入楞伽經 2.128

2.128

"Briefly speaking there are only two: namely, the manifesting consciousness and the object-discriminating consciousness": Guṇabhadra's translation says there are briefly three kinds, adding a true consciousness above the manifesting consciousness. If explained as three kinds: 'true' refers to original enlightenment pure in nature; 'manifesting' refers to the ālaya's manifesting consciousness; the remaining seven are all named object-discriminating consciousnesses. Although the seventh consciousness does not take external dust as object, because it takes the eighth as object, it is also named object-discriminating consciousness. 'True' referring to original enlightenment is precisely the true nature of consciousness. This translation states: the manifesting consciousness belongs to the ālaya, and the object-discriminating consciousness belongs to the first six consciousnesses. It does not mention the seventh because the seventh, manas, conceptualizing what is internal as ātman, belongs to the ālaya, and conceptualizing what is external as ātmīya, belongs to the first six consciousnesses. 'True' is precisely the true nature of consciousness, which also belongs to the pure aspect of the ālaya. Therefore it merely says briefly there are only two, which does not conflict with the number in the intermediate explanation.