起信論疏筆削記 11.63

11.63

The treatise says: "Sustaining..." below: 2. Distinctly revealing its function, which has two parts: 1. Being able to give rise to afflictions that moisturize. "Sustaining..." etc.: "sustaining" means retaining; "holding" means maintaining; it means retaining and maintaining so that karma is not lost. The Commentary says: "Because of this..." etc. means that with respect to unripened seeds of karma and action generated by past ignorance, because of this consciousness, the afflictions of craving and grasping are aroused to moisturize them, causing them to ripen, becoming capable of constituting the "existence" (bhava) that experiences retribution in future lives; "existence" is the maturation of karmic seeds. "If there is no..." below: just as planting seeds in soil will cause them to wither without water, when accumulated karma awaits its fruit, without craving it will be ruined. A sūtra says: "The water of craving moisturizes karma." "Furthermore..." etc. means moisturizing already ripened karma to cause it to receive its retribution; wholesome and unwholesome, pleasure and pain naturally correspond without discrepancy. Like a seal stamping an object, it is said to be "without deviation." Furthermore, the present means retribution in the present life; the future means the two retributions of the next life and subsequent lives. "In this way..." below universally explains the preceding section to conclude with its name. Thus it moisturizes past unripened karma, causing it to become present ripened karma; it moisturizes present ripened karma, causing it to incur future retributions. Cycling in this way without interruption, because it is uninterrupted, it is called "continuing." However, its moisturizing of karma and so forth is precisely the meaning of causing others to continue.