大乘起信論別記 1.115

1.115

As for "just like a bright mirror manifesting visual forms": as the Four-fascicle Laṅkāvatārasūtra says: "Mahāmati! Broadly speaking, there are three kinds of consciousness and eight characteristics. What are the three? They are the true consciousness, the manifesting consciousness, and the consciousness that discriminates objects. Just as a bright mirror holds all forms and images, so too does the manifesting consciousness manifest [them]." Furthermore, in this text, explaining the meaning of manifestation, it says: "Because at all times it arises spontaneously and is always present before [the mind]." One should know that the manifesting consciousness definitely belongs to the eighth [consciousness]. The karmic consciousness and so forth serve as the root for this, and their characteristics are even more subtle; how could one forcibly place them among the seven consciousnesses? How could that be acceptable?