起信論疏筆削記 2.13

2.13

"Relying on what root": this questions that when a bodhisattva composes a treatise, there must be something upon which he relies; if there were no ground, it would be equivalent to empty fabrication. "The Buddha's holy words" is the pramāṇa of supreme teaching (śabdapramāṇa / āgama); "correct reason" is inference (anumāna); "certain pramāṇa" is direct perception (pratyakṣa). As for the supreme teaching: the omniscient person leaves nothing unperceived, is endowed with the five kinds of speech, and his words are necessarily sincere and true. Composing a treatise relying on this, it is definitely worthy of trust and free from falsehood; hence it is taken as the root. The phrasing "holy words" extends to the Three Vehicles, but there are things others do not know, and to distinguish this, it says "Buddha." Stating inference first is because the treatise takes sūtras as its core. Inference means observing meaning by relying on multiple characteristics. "Multiple characteristics" refers to the three characteristics of the reason; taking those as the reason, correct cognition arises with regard to the thesis being inferred, fully knowing that there is fire or impermanence, etc. Now saying "correct reason" is to exclude all erroneous reasons. If the reason is not correct, the thesis will also be flawed; for this reason it says "correct reason." Direct perception means non-differentiation. If there is correct cognition that is free from all conceptual differentiations of name, genus, and so forth regarding objects like form, operating distinctly before the senses, it is called direct perception. This has four types: first, the five sense consciousnesses; second, the mental consciousness accompanying the five; third, all self-awareness (svasaṃvedana); fourth, all meditative minds. These four types above are all direct perception. Now saying "certain pramāṇa" is because these four modes cognize objects such as form with certainty. It is also permissible that "correct reason" contains both pramāṇas, meaning that generating understanding through inference and personal self-realization are both free from error and both are correct reason. The single phrase "certain pramāṇa" points collectively to the three pramāṇas, all of which are definitive; taking this as the root, it can be trusted and followed.