大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 2.29

2.29

經云「祕密主！復次殊勝行，隨彼所說中殊勝住，求解脫慧生」等者，謂即此第八無畏依中復有殊勝心也。既聞如上所說世間諸薄伽梵宜應供養歸依，後遂生心：「此諸三寶何者為勝？我當擇其善者隨順修行。」由前善根力故，隨彼所說法中得殊勝住，有求解脫智生。然以未知緣起法故，所有觀空智慧不離斷常，故曰常無常空，但隨順如是說而勤修學。此中復有二種：若求解脫智生名殊勝心、已於空法作證名決定心。若離分說之，并前凡有十心也。世尊欲對明出世間觀空智慧，故次說言：「祕密主！非彼知解空非空義、了知斷常，雖作非有非無平等觀絕諸戲論，然亦不能雙離是見，由彼未解正因緣故。」然佛法中，以知因緣有故則離無見，以觀自性空故不生有見。若離有無見者，即不墮斷常；若不達如是空義，雖復不著有無、離言絕相，終是以分別想作此無分別心。猶如長爪梵志觀諸法實相，不受一切法而受是見。夫真空離於分別，云何分別空耶？若不解空義者，雖復一心精進勤求解脫，非彼能知涅槃。是故佛言：「汝欲求涅槃者，應了知緣起之空，離於斷常也。」由彼初種子心減損少分貪垢，即順少分淨心，從此以後齋施漸增，即是淨心勢力漸得萌動。由此熏習則能甄擇所歸依處，有求解脫慧生。若不遇善緣，還從斷常空，退入邪見。然其八心種子終不敗亡，若聞佛法，但於斷常空，令觀緣起空，即入正道。若是未生種子無機之人，雖種種為說，終不能信解也。又如行者於第八心求生死無畏依時，若遇善知識為說三寶真歸依處，由彼漸識現世因果故，即能信受。復置是事。如彼修齋時，是人若遇善知識告言：「汝觀何利故為此齋施？」彼即答言：「我觀貪求保護因緣有種種憂苦，少欲行施得歡喜安樂住故。」時善知識告言：「善哉善男子！如佛所說，眾生以慳貪故，現世有種種憂苦，命終以此因緣墮惡趣中。以心離慳貪垢故，現世安樂有大名稱，命終生天，後得涅槃。是故汝今更應以勝上心受八齋法。」彼聞已即便信受如說修行。若無機之人，但說世間苦樂皆是自在天造，或地等變化、以時為因，則聞如是八齋少分安淨尚不能信，何況餘深事耶？問曰：如是八心最初種子，復以何為因？答曰：由世間自久遠以來有善惡之名，種子從是生也。如劫初眾生貪食地肥，爾時即以多食者為不善、少食者為善。或有見多食因緣起諸過患，便作是念：「我今少食此味。常自誡節，不亦善乎。」然此眾生亦未識因果後世之報，但展轉相承，謂仁義慙愧等以為善法，有能如是行者，世間共稱譽之。又如少劫終竟時，眾生忽爾發心，知世間惡法過患，更相勸導共行善事。爾時亦無善知識勸導使然，當知皆是自心實相熏習因緣力也。如最初種子，離微塵許心垢時，即顯如微塵許淨心勢力。雖云善種子生，其實即是不生生，以是堅固性故，在眾生識心終不敗亡，未至自心實際大金剛輪中間，更無住處。離果復成種，展轉滋長，然亦不出阿字門，故云「最上大乘句，心續生之相。諸佛大祕密，外道不能知。」《法華．藥草喻品》亦意在於此也。復次行者歸依三寶，隨順如來律儀，於一日中受八齋法，由聖戒所防護故，寂靜安樂。以安樂故，則信賢聖所行，數數修習，是名初種子。為令此善增長而修諸善，乃至由戒醇淨決定生天，後至涅槃，是名受用種子。復由親近善知識故，聞正法利，不起異歸依心，是生死流轉凡夫第八真實無畏依。又於此中殊勝住，有求解脫慧生，思惟觀察生決定想，從此即發聲聞菩提初種子心。皆應准傍前文廣分別說。乃至三乘一一地皆具十心，迄第十地亦具種子牙疱葉花果等，有求佛地智生，觀畢竟空得至金剛際也。

The sūtra says: “Vajrapāṇi, furthermore, as for the superior practice, abiding in what is superior among that which is spoken by them, the wisdom seeking liberation arises...” and so forth, which means that within this eighth fearless refuge there is again a superior mind. Having heard that the worldly bhagavats spoken of above ought to be worshipped and taken refuge in, a thought subsequently arises: “Among these Three Jewels, which one is superior? I shall select the good one and follow and practice it.” By the power of the previous good roots, one attains a superior abiding within the teachings spoken by them, and there arises the knowledge seeking liberation. However, because they do not yet know the principle of dependent origination, whatever wisdom contemplates emptiness does not depart from annihilationism and eternalism; hence it is called “empty of permanence and impermanence,” merely following such teachings and diligently cultivating them.
Herein there are again two kinds: if the knowledge seeking liberation arises, it is called the “superior mind”; having realized the phenomenon of emptiness, it is called the “resolute mind.” If differentiated, together with the preceding there are ten minds in all.
The World-Honoured One, wishing to contrast and clarify the supramundane wisdom that contemplates emptiness, next said: “Vajrapāṇi, it is not that they understand the meaning of emptiness and non-emptiness, or comprehend annihilation and permanence; although they engage in an equal contemplation of neither-existence-nor-non-existence terminating all conceptual proliferation, they still cannot be free of both of these views, because they do not understand correct cause and condition.” However, in the Buddhadharma, because one knows the existence of cause and condition, one is free from the view of non-existence; because one contemplates the emptiness of intrinsic nature, the view of existence does not arise. If one is free from the views of existence and non-existence, one does not fall into annihilationism or eternalism. If one does not master such a meaning of emptiness, even though one does not cling to existence or non-existence and is detached from words and marks, in the end one is merely constructing this non-conceptualizing mind with conceptualizing thought. It is like the long-nailed renunciant (Dīrghanakha) who contemplated the true nature of all phenomena, not accepting any phenomenon, and yet accepted this view. True emptiness is free from discrimination; how could emptiness be discriminated? If one does not understand the meaning of emptiness, even though one single-mindedly and vigorously strives to seek liberation, one cannot know nirvāṇa. Therefore the Buddha said: “If you wish to seek nirvāṇa, you should fully understand the emptiness of dependent origination and be free from annihilationism and eternalism.”
Because that initial seed-mind diminishes a minute fraction of the defilement of greed, it accords with a minute fraction of the pure mind. From then on, as fasting and giving gradually increase, the power of the pure mind gradually begins to sprout. Through this perfuming, one is able to discern and select where to take refuge, and wisdom seeking liberation arises. If one does not encounter good conditions, one will fall back from the emptiness of annihilation and permanence into wrong views. Yet the seeds of those eight minds will never be destroyed; if one hears the Buddhadharma, merely directing them from the emptiness of annihilation and permanence to contemplate the emptiness of dependent origination, they will enter the correct path. If one is a person without capacity who has not yet generated the seed, though one explains it to them in various ways, they will ultimately be unable to believe and understand.
Furthermore, like a practitioner who, at the eighth mind, seeks a fearless refuge in birth and death: if they encounter a spiritual friend who explains the true refuge of the Three Jewels to them, because they have gradually recognized cause and effect in the present life, they will be able to believe and accept it. Setting this aside for a moment: as when observing the fast, if this person meets a spiritual friend who says to them: “Seeing what benefit do you perform this fasting and giving?” they will answer: “I see that through the conditions of greedy seeking and guarding there are various sorrows and sufferings, whereas with few desires and practicing giving, one obtains joyful and peaceful abiding.” Then the spiritual friend says: “Excellent, good man! Just as the Buddha taught, because sentient beings are stingy and greedy, in the present life they have various sorrows and sufferings, and at the end of life, through these causes and conditions, they fall into the bad destinies. Because their minds are free from the defilement of stinginess and greed, in the present life they enjoy peace and happiness and great renown, at the end of life they are born in heaven, and later they attain nirvāṇa. Therefore, you should now accept the eightfold fasting precepts with a superior mind.” Having heard this, they will believe, accept, and practice as taught. If it were a person without capacity who merely says that worldly suffering and happiness are all created by Īśvara, or transformations of earth and the like, or have time as their cause, then upon hearing of such minor peace and purity of the eightfold fast, they would not even be able to believe it, how much less the other profound matters?
Question: What is the cause of the very first seed among these eight minds?
Answer: From long ago in the world there have been the names of good and evil; the seed arises from this. For example, when sentient beings at the beginning of the kalpa greedily ate the fat of the earth, at that time eating much was regarded as unwholesome, and eating little as wholesome. Or some, seeing that from eating much various faults and afflictions arose, formed this thought: “I shall now eat little of this flavor and constantly discipline myself; would this not be good?” Yet these sentient beings had not yet recognized the retribution of cause and effect in future lives; merely handing it down successively, they took benevolence, righteousness, shame, and conscience to be wholesome qualities, and when there were those able to act thus, the world praised them together. Again, for example, when the small kalpa comes to an end, sentient beings suddenly generate the resolve, recognizing the faults of unwholesome worldly things, and mutually encourage each other to practice good deeds together. At that time, there was also no spiritual friend to encourage or cause it; one should know that all this is the power of the perfuming causes and conditions of the true nature of one's own mind. Just as with the initial seed, when it is separated from a dust-mote of mental defilement, the power of a dust-mote of the pure mind is revealed. Although it is said that the wholesome seed is born, in reality it is the birth of the unborn; because of this firm and solid nature, it is never destroyed within the consciousness of sentient beings, and until reaching the great vajra wheel of the ultimate reality of one's own mind, there is no other dwelling place in between. Leaving the fruit it again becomes a seed, successively flourishing, yet it never departs from the syllable A gateway. Therefore it is said: “The supreme Mahāyāna verse, the mark of the mind's continuous arising: the great secret of all Buddhas, which non-Buddhists cannot know.” The “Chapter on the Parable of the Medicinal Herbs” in the Lotus Sūtra also has its purport here.
Furthermore, the practitioner takes refuge in the Three Jewels, follows the Tathāgata’s vinaya, and receives the eightfold fasting precepts for a single day; protected by the noble precepts, they are tranquil and at peace. Being at peace, they believe in the conduct of the noble ones and repeatedly cultivate it; this is called the initial seed. To cause this goodness to increase, they cultivate various goods, until through the purity of the precepts they are definitely born in heaven and later reach nirvāṇa; this is called the enjoyment seed. Furthermore, through approaching a spiritual friend and hearing the benefit of the true Dharma, they do not produce any other thought of refuge; this is the eighth true fearless refuge for ordinary persons wandering in birth and death. Moreover, abiding in what is superior within this, the wisdom seeking liberation arises, and through pondering and observing, a resolute thought is produced; from this, the initial seed-mind of śrāvaka bodhi is generated. All these should be broadly differentiated by analogy with the previous text. Even to each and every bhūmi of the three vehicles, each possesses ten minds, and up to the tenth bhūmi, each also possesses seeds, sprouts, buds, leaves, flowers, and fruits, wherein the wisdom seeking the Buddha-stage arises, and contemplating ultimate emptiness, one is able to reach the limit of the vajra.