成唯識論述記 1.2

1.2

I reflect that the subtleties of the six positions depend on the "Wings" of the images to trap the truth, and the obscurities of the two texts rely on Zhuangzi and Liezi to probe their impulses. How much more so is this true of neither existence nor emptiness, which stills explications beyond speech and snares; and neither arising nor ceasing, which cuts off names and characteristics at the ford of eternal quiescence! The Supreme Enlightenment shone afar on its principle, and the near-sage alone discerned its helm. The breeze of wordless words stirred, veiling deep colors as the moon grew obscure; the waves of non-existent existence surged, settling bright patterns as the ocean billowed. Were it not for one possessing full realization and bordering on wisdom, clarifying the abstruse and plumbing the deep, the definitive meaning of the nature of emptiness would have all but ceased! The Triṃśikā-vijñaptimātratāsiddhi is one branch among ten branches, composed by the Bodhisattva Vasubandhu. When the white rainbow flew as an omen and the white urna's radiance dissolved, the profound tenets of the threaded flowers became distorted like false phonetics, and the sacred leaves of palm books deviated like misread glyphs. Reflecting that the Dharma jewel was about to decline, he gave birth to this synthesis of consciousness, continuing the transmission of the lamp with preeminent steps: dimming his solitary radiance in the Abhidharmakośa to harmonize with the mundane by teaching existence, and untying the knot of wisdom in the Mahāyānasaṃgraha to manifest the ultimate sage by explaining emptiness. His discernment was profound, his wisdom comprehensive, plumbing the spiritual and exhausting the sagacious; he refined his mind upon these verses to set forth the profound apex. Before his explanatory text was completed, he returned to the real and ascended above; the meanings were manifold, the words concise, their source doubly secret. Thereupon, the ten great bodhisattvas, including Dharmapāla, purified their sentiments across the seven inflections, releasing a river of eloquence to praise the subtle words; they roamed their spirits through the eight treasuries, striking the golden sound to produce marvelous commentaries. Purifying that true consciousness, they completed this elegant treatise, named the Treatise on the Establishment of Consciousness-Only (Cheng weishi lun), or named the Treatise on the Purification of Consciousness-Only. Its meanings encompass the provisional and the real, soaring high above Vulture Peak; its principles plumb the obscure and subtle, outshining the Dragon Palace with blazing splendor. Gathering the overarching guidelines of the various sūtras, it traces the hidden and embraces the doctrine; grasping the quintessence of the myriad treatises, it collects the rare and highlights the extraordinary. With wind scattering the three pramāṇas, the heterodox lowered their banners; with springs gushing the two causes, the Hīnayāna broke ranks. Thus, it models itself on Heaven and Earth, carrying all alike; it conceives the sun and moon, blending their brightness. How could it merely contend for flow with the vast rivers, or vie in resonance with the thunderclaps! In the past, when the Zhou star hid its light, the Supreme Way was stifled and unpromulgated; when the Han sun shed its rays, the semblance teaching spread and reached afar. Translating sūtras, vinaya, and treatises proceeded in unbroken succession; yet most encountered only talents from west of the Pamirs, rarely hearing from the luminaries of India. Sound and rhythm were separated like earth and heaven, confusing the standard tones between Chinese and barbarians; scripts were as distant as the skies, obscuring graph and sound between Indic and Jin. Although they roughly grasped the dregs, they failed to exhaust the deep and dark; great principles were sometimes violated, subtle phrasing caused deviations, vast doubts and weighty obstacles gathered like mist and congealed like clouds, and obscure splendor was repeatedly displayed—the details of which may be passed over. Only our preceptor, the Tripiṭaka Dharma Master Xuanzang, embodied perfection and surpassed the ordinary, illuminating the morning sun upon his spiritual terrace; accumulating virtue and presiding over the school, surging ripples of discourse from the pool of wisdom. Galloping along the jeweled tracks of the three turnings, he traveled far to the Golden Sands; clarifying the true waves of the eight liberations, he drew pure water from the distant Jade Well. Forgetting his body and sacrificing himself for the Dharma, entrusting himself to destiny and praying for passage, he secretly coincided with the heavenly truth, barely relying on acquired habit. Without displaying the miraculous to reveal anomalies, he inherently harbored merit and attracted auspiciousness, fully treading the divine paths and plumbing the secret repositories. What former worthies had not seen, he grasped entirely at the axis of insight; what past sages had left behind, he embraced to the utmost limit of mind. Vowing to broadly nurture, he returned to his former land; his virtue was commended by the emperor's heart, and his way invited the celestial brush. Consequently, these precious verses were praised in the south, and the golden leaves flowed east, elucidating obscured principles at the profound ford, clearing away doubtful mists from intricate thoughts. Preeminent among the three treasuries, unmatched by any single man, rising distinguished across the five Indias, surpassing a thousand ages. How could he merely be compared to Śarvavarman gaining renown only in grammar, or Kumārajīva achieving fame merely celebrated for the Madhyamaka! As for these manuscripts collected together, the ten commentaries were divided; now they are translated in comprehensive detail and blended into one work, weighing Chinese and Sanskrit, examining the weight of expressions, firing and refining the discrepancies among the various meanings, bringing them into harmony with the master's composition. "Establishing Consciousness-Only" (Cheng weishi) raises the great outline, designating the overall title of the entire work; adding "Treatise" (lun) presents the polished mirror, distinguishing it among the two divisions of the Canon. "Cheng" (establishing) is the name of what is capable of establishing, taking the act of establishment as its function. "Weishi" (vijñapti-mātra) is the name of what is established, taking distinguishing and understanding as its meaning. The principle of the Great Awakening—that there is only consciousness—flourishes, and the root verses' demonstration of the meaning of the Middle Way is manifest. "Only" (wei) means distinguishing, excluding external objects; "consciousness" (shi) means capable of understanding, expressing the existence of the inner mind. The substance of consciousness is itself "only": this is a karmadhāraya compound. Both the nature of consciousness and the marks of consciousness are not separate from the mind; mental factors and the mind-king take consciousness as their sovereign; returning to mind and quelling characteristics, it is collectively called "vijñapti-mātra." "Only" excludes the existence of objects; those who cling to existence lose its reality. "Consciousness" distinguishes the emptiness of mind; those who stagnate in emptiness deviate from its actuality. Therefore, obscuring this emptiness and existence, one drowns long in the two extremes; awakening to that existence and emptiness, one treads high upon the Middle Way. The root treatise Triṃśikā is titled "Vijñapti-mātra"; relying on this to establish that, it is titled "Cheng weishi" (Treatise on the Establishment of Consciousness-Only). The establishment of consciousness-only manifests the intent of the treatise; in the compound (samāsa) analysis, it is named as a tatpuruṣa; in the vibhakti case-endings (subanta), it is designated by the genitive case. As for "Treatise" (lun), host and guest are arrayed like clouds, banners and drums are raised, obscure gates are thrown wide open, and subtle meanings are plumbed here. Establishing teaching by means of teaching, relying on teaching to establish principle—this establishment itself is the treatise: this is a karmadhāraya compound. Establishing principle by means of principle, relying on principle to establish teaching—this is the treatise of establishment: this is a tatpuruṣa compound. I, Kuiji, am ashamed of my shallow learning, yet I have humbly served as a translator to wield the brush, far inferior to Yanzi and Ziyou, unworthy of taking a place at the master's seat. Joining in the refined music, I am truly like one who plays the yu flute without skill; gazing at the fine master, I vainly reflect the radiance of the concealed jade. All this compiled narration has received his complete direction, hoping that future talents of profound insight will mirror and examine its hidden depths. (The extensive explanation of this title and all the separate meanings below are each individually explained in the Shuyao.)