成唯識論了義燈 6.7

6.7

The treatise: "Because it is extremely subtle and perfect." Ximing offers three explanations. The third says: 'The preceding passage generally explains the eighth [consciousness] in both cause and fruit, which means having nothing to be perfumed. The subsequent passage generally explains the eighth in both cause and fruit, where the cause is subtle and the fruit is perfect.' The Yaoji states: 'Among the various explanations, there is one that takes the third as logically concordant.' Now I say this is not so: 'the seven evolving consciousnesses' separately explains the first seven; below 'the eighth mental factor complex', it separately explains the eighth. 'Because it is extremely subtle and perfect' generally explains the eight consciousnesses, being the karmic maturation in the causal stage and anāsrava in the fruit stage, the reason why they are not perfumed: because the karmic maturation is extremely subtle and inferior, it is not perfumed; because the anāsrava state of the fruit stage is extremely perfect, it is not perfumed. Otherwise, what reason would there be for stating earlier that, except for the wholesome of the Buddha-fruit and the extremely inferior neutral, they cannot be perfumed? Therefore, the original explanation is logically superior. For the subcommentary explains: 'Another explanation is that the eighth in the causal stage and the ripening mind among the six consciousnesses are both not perfumed because they are extremely subtle; the eighth on the fruit stage, because it is extremely perfect, specifically excludes the eighth as being anāsrava only on the fruit stage. There are divergent explanations of the five consciousnesses, some allowing them to extend to the causal stage. Since the wholesome phenomena of the Buddha body neither increase nor decrease, in reality all eight consciousnesses of the fruit should be excluded, generally explaining the eight consciousnesses.' Hence, the earlier treatise merely stated that there are seven that can perfume the fundamental consciousness to produce seeds of their own category.