成唯識論演祕 5.124

5.124

Detailed analysis: The sūtra indicates an outline, citing the arising of eye-consciousness and not mentioning the other consciousnesses, hence it says "down to"; or the treatise cites it in summary, inserting the words "down to." Therefore, the first fascicle of the Xianyang lun also cites this sūtra, saying: "Thus it should be known down to the body-consciousness; the difference here is that each relies on its own faculty and each grasps its own sensory object, each distinctly discerning all; it should be cited like the previous two sūtras"; the words "down to" do not indicate that the primary mind grasps specific characteristics. Furthermore, characteristics include erroneous, proper, and both; therefore the word "and so forth" covers these. Hence the treatise itself says that when mind arises, not one of these is absent. Thus we know that the word "and so forth" does not indicate that the primary mind also apprehends specific characteristics; if it apprehended specific characteristics, earlier and later statements would be wide apart. Moreover, when mind arises, it is never without mental factors; how can one say that it grasps general characteristics on the basis of mind grasping without mental factors? If there were no mental factors, it would not even grasp general characteristics, let alone specific ones! In accordance with reason and teaching, that the primary mind grasps general characteristics can be well explained; erroneous, proper, and so forth are indeed general characteristics.