瑜伽論記 3.97

3.97

Regarding 'ignorance that does not understand the previous limit': it does not understand the two kinds of suffering of the previous limit—conventional and ultimate—and hence the two kinds of delusion arise. Conventional suffering refers to the three evil destinies, because all worldly conventions know them to be suffering; ultimate suffering refers to humans and devas, because superior wisdom knows them to be suffering. Fascicle 7 of the Abhidharma states: 'Delusion regarding conventional suffering is called delusion of karmic maturation, which initiates non-meritorious action; delusion regarding ultimate suffering is called delusion of real meaning, which initiates meritorious and unshakeable action.' Because one is mostly deluded about the previous limit and manifests the two maturations, this delusion is said not to understand the previous limit. In truth, this delusion also is deluded about the subsequent limit; because one is mostly deluded about present causes, it is omitted. Regarding 'Because of this, the consciousness following karma... transmigrates without interruption until the end of life': why does it not mention the four links such as name-and-form? Master Ba has three explanations: First, it raises the superior to subsume the inferior: among the five links, consciousness is the most superior, because it is the primary and fundamental one; without the link of consciousness, the rest would not arise. Second, this clarifies the essence of consciousness: it is not only seeds, but also includes manifest consciousness; consciousness is able to uphold the seeds of the four links, so having mentioned consciousness, the four links are also stated, because the seeds of the four links have no distinct nature from their supporting consciousness. Third, the treatise's statement 'consciousness following karma' is precisely the link of consciousness; passing over the four links, it therefore says 'and so forth'. Although the seeds of this consciousness and the rest have previously been perfumed by verbal proliferation, their place of rebirth is not yet known; summoned by karma, they will be born into the fruits of the good or evil destinies. The consciousness rolling along in accord with causes is called 'consciousness following karma.' Once perfumed and collected, it does not cease until the end of life of the prior existence, and is able to act as the cause for the continuous consciousness of the present. When it is about to generate fruits in the present lifetime, it cannot arise on its own; it must rely on past internal and external craving and attachment manifesting to moisten and accompany it before it can be born. In the prior existence, the link of feeling is twofold: 1. Experiencing karmic maturation feeling, which arises conditioned by the internal body; 2. Experiencing object feeling, which arises conditioned by external objects. Due to these two feelings, internal and external craving are generated to act as the moisteners. Previously, raising the consciousness following karma subsumed the five seeds of consciousness and the rest; now, raising internal and external craving also subsumes the link of grasping; or internal craving is called craving, and external craving is grasping. The meaning reveals that the six links, such as karmic formations that are moistened, are transformed and called the 'becoming' of the prior limit; in the present lifetime, the fruit-consciousness rolls along in sequence, and the rest, name-and-form and so forth, come to be born in sequence.