注大乘入楞伽經 2.130

2.130

This presents a simile and applies it to clarify the manifesting consciousness. That is to say, the manifesting consciousness is like a mirror, and the objective realms that appear are like images. Therefore the Awakening of Faith says: 'The three realms are unreal and false, created only by mind; apart from mind, there are no objective realms of the six sense-data.' It also says: 'Because the eighth storehouse consciousness serves as the support, the seven consciousnesses are produced in succession. Among them, the sixth creates the projecting and fulfilling karma that brings about collective and particular retributions, just like a mirror presenting images without the slightest discrepancy.' Regarding 'collective and particular retributions': first, the collective retribution belongs to the eighth consciousness; second, the particular retribution belongs to the first six consciousnesses. Taking uncontaminated wholesome karma as an example: upholding the five precepts brings about a human body—this is collective retribution karma. Due to [past] causes of anger, patience, and so forth, within this collective retribution of being human there are beauty, ugliness, and so forth—these are called particular retribution karma, and are also called projecting and fulfilling karma. That is, what can bring about the eighth [consciousness's] projecting ripening result is called projecting karma; what can bring about the sixth [consciousness's] fulfilling ripening result is called fulfilling karma. However, regarding projecting karma, the intention (cetanā) that can create it must be generated by the sixth mental consciousness. As for fulfilling karma, the intention that can create it arises from the five consciousnesses; although they create fulfilling karma, they cannot do so on their own—they can only do so because they are guided by the mental consciousness. The seventh consciousness has only the innate affective and cognitive hindrances; it has neither karmic hindrances nor retribution hindrances. Although it is endowed with the four defilements, because it only grasps internally, it is subsumed under the defiled neutral (nivṛtāvyākṛta) category, and therefore cannot generate wholesome or unwholesome karma. Only the first six consciousnesses give rise to defilements and create karma; once karma is completed, it cannot be avoided, bringing about various diverse retributions, just as a mirror presents images without the slightest omission. Thus the Śūraṅgama says: 'The six consciousnesses create karma, and the unwholesome retributions incurred arise from the six sense faculties.' Some commentators on this sūtra point to the seventh consciousness as being able to generate wholesome and unwholesome karma, but there is no explicit scriptural passage to support this. (Only at the beginning of fascicle 73 of the Zongjing lu, relying on an ancient commentary, does it say 'the seventh consciousness creates karma.' Moreover, this contradicts the passages throughout the rest of that work where scriptural and treatise treatises are cited in succession to clarify the various consciousnesses; its error can be clearly recognized.)