成唯識論了義燈 4.60

4.60

The essence of morsel food is only called 'food' when it nourishes, sustains, and maintains after undergoing change and deterioration. The fifth fascicle of the Samuccaya states: 'Because there is deterioration, there is that which undergoes deterioration.' 'Deterioration' refers to the time when the substances of odor, taste, and tangibles change and deteriorate; 'that which undergoes deterioration' refers to the function of nourishment and maintenance. Question: Is it called food precisely at the time of change and deterioration, or is it only called food at the time of nourishment and maintenance? Answer: It is only called food at the time when the function of maintenance takes place. Hence the sixty-sixth fascicle of the Yogācāra-bhūmi states: 'When various morsel objects are swallowed, they gladden the mind and bring joy to the sense faculties. At that time, it is not called morsel food, but merely contact food. When, after having been enjoyed, they are peacefully digested and transformed, increasing joy and pleasure, then at the time of digestion and transformation it is called morsel food.' When it has not yet nourished, it is merely contact food; from the perspective of giving rise to joy and pleasure and conducive equanimity, it may be contact food, but otherwise it is not. Hence the basic commentary states: 'It is called contact food with respect to one single eater, not with respect to other living beings; with respect to all, some are not food.' The meaning here is that when odor, taste, and tangibles that are eaten do not give rise to joy, pleasure, and the like, they are not contact food. Question: Are all tangible dusts morsel food? Answer: Not so, because tangibles extend to the higher realms. Question: If, contrasting tangibles with odor and taste, there are tangibles that are not food, then contrasting odor and taste with tangibles, are there odors and tastes that are not food? Answer: Odor and taste exist only in the desire realm; whatever is odor and taste is entirely food. Question: Odor and taste also exist above; are there odors and tastes that are not food? Answer: That is spoken in terms of karmic fruition. Odor and taste in the higher realms are the fruition of samādhi, or because they belong to the base of phenomena, so they do not serve as an example. Question: Karmic fruition does not exist in the higher stages, and morsel food is tied only to the desire realm; since samādhi odor and taste exist above, does morsel [food] extend to being tied to the form realm? Answer: Even if bodhisattvas and others manifest fictive objects without the function of food, or if they have actual function, it is treated as a predominant condition that induces odor, taste, and tangibles manifested by sentient beings of the desire realm to serve as food; nor do they take the fundamental substance, so it does not extend to the higher realms. Question: Why is it that when morsel food is manifested in the desire realm, it is permitted to encompass both substance and image, whereas when morsel food is manifested through samādhi and the like, it encompasses only image and not substance? Answer: The defiled nature of the desire realm is food; within the same realm it encompasses both substance and image. That which arises from samādhi is uncontaminated in nature and not food; across different realms it does not encompass substance. Question: The fruition of samādhi is manifested solely by the sixth [consciousness] and can be uncontaminated; since supernormal power also prompts the eighth to manifest, should it not be contaminated? Answer: What is manifested by the sixth consciousness can indeed be uncontaminated; when the eighth of that being perceives it and gives rise to an image, it is then contaminated. However, what serves as food for the lower realm is manifested by the sixth, not manifested by the eighth. And when it is said that the eighth does not take the preceding seven as its fundamental substance, this is said from the perspective of the seeing portion; even if it extends to the image portion, it is spoken from the perspective of karmic power, not precluding samādhi and supernormal power. Another explanation: Even if the eighth manifests what becomes food for the lower realm, it serves as a condition to give rise to food, while its essence is not food. Another explanation: Saying that it is solely tied to the desire realm is spoken in terms of karmic fruition; if it arises from supernormal power and samādhi, it is also permitted to be tied to the higher realms. However, the Dharma Master's intention takes the first explanation as correct. Question: Just as when another's supernormal power induces an object, the image portion of a lower consciousness is permitted to be subsumed under the higher realm, why is it not so in this case of manifesting morsel food? Answer: Although it is called the fruit of supernormal power and samādhi, yet it is not subsumed under the higher realm, because the contaminated and the uncontaminated are not concordant. Even if one perceives the image manifested by that eighth consciousness, it does not follow it, because it is separated by the uncontaminated, because its momentum is distant, and because it is not directly capable of inducing it. Although this is somewhat difficult, the wise should discern it.