起信論疏筆削記 3.11

3.11

The words from 'Namely, Consciousness-Only' onward correlate [this] with the teachings. Reaching only up to the mark of karma means that in that school's explanation of the arising of all phenomena, they take solely the ālayavijñāna as their root; hence they call this consciousness the principal subject of karmic retribution. All seeds, sense faculties, physical bodies, and the receptacle world are transformed from this consciousness, and they furthermore assert that this consciousness alone is the perfumed object. Once perfumed into seeds, which subsequently generate active manifestations, all rely on this consciousness; hence it is called the root of arising. The words from 'Because that' onward give the reason. The reason is that their tradition does not yet state that the One Mind is the source of the two gates of tathatā and arising-and-ceasing, because this was reserved to be explained in the Final Teaching. If all were fully explained, how could the provisional and the real be distinguished? The words 'Thus they state' and so forth mean that because they do not realize that tathatā is precisely mind, they speak of that which is without cognition, without awareness, rigidly immutable. They say this non-cognitive, unaware essence is as hard as jade and stone and cannot receive perfuming, because it is not of a nature that can be perfumed. Since it does not receive perfuming, how could it follow conditions? Therefore, they merely grasp at tathatā being immutable and do not allow it to follow conditions. The words 'Merely stating' and so forth mean that since they do not allow tathatā to follow conditions to form all defilement and purity, they assert that the ālayavijñāna is the root of arising and ceasing; hence their explanation of the arising of phenomena reaches only up to the mark of karma. The words 'Even if transformed' and so forth refer to their statement that the eighth consciousness is transformed into the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, the seventh into the Wisdom of Equality, the sixth into the Wisdom of Wondrous Observation, and the prior five into the Wisdom of Accomplishing Actions. Since the fundamental root is solely arising and ceasing, the wisdom attained is also saṃskṛta. The principle is asaṃskṛta, and they cannot be identical, just as melting gold and molding clay each produce their own vessels—how could they be identical? The words from 'Therefore, that which expresses the Dharma' onward conclude the point, which is readily understood.