注大乘入楞伽經 9.96

9.96

All sentient beings subsist on food; that is, food enriches the faculties, the primary elements, and the citta and caittas, can produce joy and happiness, and sustains them continuously. In total there are four kinds: first, solid food (kavaḍīkārāhāra), which has deterioration as its characteristic, meaning the three—smell, taste, and touch—bound to the desire realm, which perform the function of food at the time of deterioration. Second, contact food (sparśāhāra), which has contacting objects as its characteristic, meaning outflow-associated contact that, upon taking in objects, gathers joy and so forth to perform the function of food. Third, volitional food (manosañcetanāhāra), which has hope as its characteristic, meaning outflow-associated thought operating together with desire, hoping for desirable realms, which can perform the function of food. Fourth, consciousness food (vijñānāhāra), which has maintaining as its characteristic, meaning outflow-associated consciousness that, augmented by the power of solid, contact, and volitional food, can perform the function of food. These four can sustain the bodies and lives of sentient beings so they do not disintegrate or terminate; therefore they are called food. Solid food is functional only in the desire realm; contact, volitional, and consciousness foods, though pervasive across the three realms, operate dependent on consciousness and follow the presence or absence of consciousness. Here, this is spoken in contrast to sentient beings eating blood and flesh, which is why it provisionally speaks of not eating solid food. In principle, all four kinds should be severed; hence it says below that 'the Dharma-body is not mixed food,' meaning it transcends feelings and consciousness, and all four are absent.