大乘起信論內義略探記 1.45

1.45

Question: What is the breadth or narrowness of this consciousness's objective realm? As in this śāstra, it only mentions the five sense-objects. The Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra says: "The ālayavijñāna discriminates manifesting objects: one's own body, resources for life, the receptacle world, and so on; they exist simultaneously, not sequentially." The Yogācārabhūmi says: "This consciousness transforms through discerning two kinds of realms: First, through discerning internal appropriation, meaning discerning the vāsanā of false clinging to the imaginary nature and the physical sense-faculties with their bodily bases—this refers to the form realm; if in the formless realm, there is only the discernment of the vāsanā of false clinging. Second, through discerning the external receptacle [world] of non-conceptual characteristics, meaning discerning the characteristics of the receptacle world uninterrupted at all times, relying upon and taking as object the internally appropriated ālayavijñāna. Like the flame of a lamp: when it arises, internally it takes hold of the wick, and externally it emits illumination. In this way, the principle of the arising of the ālayavijñāna—internally taking appropriation as object and receiving objects externally, taking the receptacle world as object—should be known to be likewise." The Madhyāntavibhāga says: "This consciousness has four kinds of objective realms: sense-objects, faculties, consciousness, and what is grasped by consciousness. Since there is no perceiving fundamental consciousness, it also cannot arise." If one relies on the Madhyāntavibhāga and the Laṅkāvatāra, then vāsanā and so forth are not the realm of this consciousness; if one relies on the Yogācārabhūmi, sound-objects and the seven consciousnesses are not its perceived objects; if one relies on this śāstra, faculties and consciousnesses are also not the realm manifested by this consciousness. Being contradictory like this, how are they reconciled? Answer: This is not contradictory; it merely speaks of taking these phenomena as objects, and does not say that the remaining phenomena are not its objective realm.