俱舍論記 13.60

13.60

「以闇遠中至唯知總聚」者，經部通釋。以闇、遠中觀眾顯色不多明了，非全不緣，是故意識但起長、短、方、圓等分別，非見實形。寄喻來況。如於遠、闇觀眾樹、人，意識但了眾樹假行、眾人假軍，不知眾樹、眾人別相。又解：意識但了樹行、人軍，眼識不知樹、人別相。行軍喻形，別相喻顯。理必應爾。其理何者？以或有時意識不了顯、形差別，意識唯知總聚假相。又解：眼識不了顯、形二種，意識唯知總聚假相，不明了故名不了顯，不緣形故名不了形。又解：眼識不了，顯不分明，故名不了顯，非全不了。意識不了形，不分別形故，名不了形。意識唯知總聚假相。

On "Because in the dark or at a distance ... only knows the gross accumulation": The Sautrāntika resolves and explains: Because in the dark or from a distance, when observing many visible colors, they are not very clear, yet they are not entirely unapprehended; therefore mental consciousness merely gives rise to conceptual discriminations of long, short, square, round, and the like, not seeing a real shape. Drawing an analogy to illustrate: Just as from afar or in the dark, when looking at a grove of trees or a crowd of people, mental consciousness only cognizes the nominal line of trees or the nominal army of people, without knowing the distinct characteristics of the trees or people. Another explanation: Mental consciousness only cognizes the line of trees or the army of people, while eye-consciousness does not know the distinct characteristics of the trees or people. The line and army illustrate shape; the distinct characteristics illustrate visible color. The principle must certainly be so. What is this principle? Because sometimes mental consciousness does not cognize the distinction between visible color and shape; mental consciousness only knows the gross accumulation of nominal marks. Another explanation: Eye-consciousness does not cognize either visible color or shape; mental consciousness only knows the gross accumulation of nominal marks. Because it is not distinct, it is called 'not cognizing visible color'; because it does not apprehend shape, it is called 'not cognizing shape'. Another explanation: Eye-consciousness does not cognize it clearly, so visible color is not distinct, which is called 'not cognizing visible color', not that it fails to cognize it entirely. Mental consciousness does not cognize shape, because it does not discriminate shape, which is called 'not cognizing shape'. Mental consciousness only knows the gross accumulation of nominal marks.