大毘盧遮那成佛經疏 2.29

2.29

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.