大乘起信論裂網疏 1.8

1.8

Next, to explain "faith": According to the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi: "It is foremost among all wholesome mental factors (caitta). It means having deep conviction (adhimokṣa), delight, and desire regarding reality, virtue, and capacity, with purity of mind as its nature; its function is counteracting lack of faith and delighting in the wholesome. The explanation says: 'However, the distinctions of faith are briefly of three kinds: first, believing in real existence, which means having deep conviction in the real phenomena and principles of all dharmas; second, believing in virtue, which means having deep faith and delight in the true, pure virtues of the Three Jewels; third, believing in capacity, which means having deep faith that all mundane and supramundane wholesome [dharmas] have power, are capable of obtaining pleasurable fruits, and are capable of accomplishing the noble path, thereby giving rise to aspiration. Through this, one counteracts lack of faith, and that mind loves and delights in realising and cultivating mundane and supramundane wholesome [dharmas].'" (Text) Now, this treatise says: "Faith has four kinds: first, believing in the root, which means delighting in contemplating the dharma of tathatā; second, believing that the Buddha possesses boundless virtues, which means constantly delighting in paying homage, making offerings, hearing the Dharma and practicing it, and dedicating [merit] toward all-knowledge; third, believing that the Dharma has great benefit, which means constantly delighting in cultivating the pāramitās; fourth, believing in the Saṅgha of correct practice, which means constantly making offerings to the assemblies of bodhisattvas and correctly cultivating practices that benefit oneself and benefit others." (Text) One should know that the Siddhi's first, "believing in real existence", is identical to this treatise's first, "believing in the root". The Siddhi's second, "believing in virtue", and third, "believing in capacity", combine to make the second, third, and fourth faiths in this treatise. Furthermore, the Siddhi says: "This mental factor of faith is clear and pure by its own nature, and can also purify other minds and mental factors, just as a water-clearing jewel can clarify turbid water. Moreover, each of the defiled dharmas has its own distinct characteristics, but lack of faith alone is turbid in its own characteristic, and furthermore can turbidly defile other minds and mental factors, just as extremely foul matter defiles itself and defiles others. Faith precisely overturns this; hence purity is its characteristic." (Text) This is truly because the nature of the tathāgatagarbha is immutable yet accords with conditions, its entire essence becoming all primary minds (citta) and mental factors. And these all, primary minds and mental factors, accord with conditions yet are immutable; each and every one is nothing other than the entire essence of the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore, though this single character "faith" is differentiated in terms of conventional truth as no more than just one among the wholesome mental factors, in reality it is the entire essence of the womb-nature (garbha), not a partial fraction of it. Moreover, although all defiled mental factors are likewise the entire essence of the womb-nature, because they run contrary to the nature, they have many faults—just as gold made into a foul vessel cannot be enjoyed. Only this mind of faith, because it accords with the nature, has many virtues—just as gold made into a crown for a wheel-turning king makes its nobility all the more evident. That is why as soon as faith is present, all wholesome dharmas without exception correspond together with it. The first part, explaining them separately, is finished.