大乘起信論裂網疏 2.78

2.78

Regarding "relying upon pure wisdom, it can produce all superior and wondrous states," etc., the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi says: "Although these four mental categories can all universally take all phenomena as their objects, their functions differ. That is to say, the mental category associated with the great mirror wisdom is purely clean and fully endowed with virtue; it maintains active manifestations and seeds, and can manifest and produce reflections of bodies, lands, and wisdom continuously and without interruption, exhausting the future limit. The mental category associated with the wisdom of equality contemplates all phenomena and sentient beings—both self and other—as entirely equal; great benevolence and great compassion are constantly associated with it, manifesting differentiated reflections of enjoyment bodies and lands in accordance with what sentient beings delight in. Marvellous-contemplation wisdom is established by non-abiding nirvāṇa, its unique support, continuing in a single flavor to exhaust the future limit. The mental category associated with marvellous-contemplation wisdom skillfully contemplates the specific and common characteristics of all phenomena, functioning without obstruction; it gathers and contemplates immeasurable dhāraṇī and samādhi portals, as well as the gems of merits brought forth; in great assemblies it can manifest boundless varieties of functions with complete mastery, raining down the great Dharma rain, severing all doubts, and causing all sentient beings to attain benefit and joy. The mental category associated with the duty-fulfilling wisdom, for the purpose of benefiting and delighting all sentient beings, universally manifests various transformative actions of the three karmas throughout the ten directions, accomplishing the matters that should be done by the power of original vows. Although these four gotras are all originally present, they must be perfumed and brought forth before they can become actively manifest. They gradually increase on the causal stage and become fulfilled in the Buddha-fruit, neither increasing nor decreasing, to the end of the future limit. They are produced only from seeds and do not perfume to form new seeds, lest the merits of former Buddhas surpass those of later Buddhas." (End of quote.) From this we know that the preceding mark of pure wisdom and the most utterly complete, pure, permanent, and pervasive form-body arising from the mirror wisdom are the merits of the body for one's own enjoyment. The states of bodies and lands arising here in reliance upon pure wisdom, accomplishing benefits in accordance with the capacities of sentient beings, are the various merits of the superior and inferior response-bodies for the enjoyment of others. Both of these merits are realized when original awakening accords with defilement and discriminates, wandering in saṃsāra, and then overturns defilement into purity, perfuming according to the Dharma and practicing in accordance with reality. Therefore, the earlier text says "produces two kinds of differentiated marks," which corresponds to what the Vijñaptimātratā calls "named what is produced and attained." Although they are produced and attained, they are not named the marks of initial awakening, but are still named the marks of original awakening, corresponding to the Vijñaptimātratā's statement that "these four gotras are all originally present." The Śūraṅgama Sūtra also says: "Fulfilling bodhi, one returns to nothing attained." This is truly because the originally endowed untainted seeds are originally the entire essence of tathatā, and originally possess the marks and functions of tathatā without having ever diminished in the least. Now the untainted active manifestations of the Buddha-fruit are also merely the marks and functions of the entire essence of tathatā, never having increased in the least. The second section, distinguishing between the two awakenings of original and initial, is finished.