成唯識論述記 5.64

5.64

The Commentary states: Below is the explanation of its thesis, and its intended meaning has four parts: 1. revealing the essence and meaning; 2. refuting the prior errors; 3. setting forth the correct principle; 4. resolving contradictory objections. Below is the first part. The 'opening-and-guiding basis' differs from the equal-and-immediate condition among the four conditions: whatever is an opening-and-guiding basis must be an equal-and-immediate condition; but there are cases that are equal-and-immediate conditions yet not opening-and-guiding bases, namely the mental factors (caitasika) of the same category that ceased in the preceding moment. An opening-and-guiding basis refers to a 'dharmic entity having an object (sālambana)': that is, if a dharma's essence has an object, this excludes form (rūpa), non-associated formations (citta-viprayukta-saṃskāra), unconditioned dharmas (asaṃskṛta), and so on; having an intentional object and having efficacy, it is capable of inducing and generating [the next moment]. 'Being devoid of a master' excludes all mental factors and the like, because they are not masters. It must be a master and have efficacy to be able to serve as a basis. 'Capable of acting as an equal-and-immediate condition' excludes other consciousnesses of a different category acting as the basis for this consciousness, or later minds of the same category of consciousness acting as the basis for preceding minds, or minds that, although simultaneous, cannot serve as a basis for mental factors, because in all these cases they do not open and guide. Therefore it is said: an equal-and-immediate condition applies solely to the same category.