大乘起信論裂網疏 3.61

3.61

Question: The seventh takes the perceiving part of the eighth as an object and clings to it as a real self and real dharma; this is called 'taking the mind as an object with the mind'—how is this not the mind seeing the mind? Answer: If the seventh were able to see the eighth, it should be called direct perception (pratyakṣa); why is it called non-valid cognition (apramāṇa)? Therefore we know that the perceiving parts of all minds and mental factors are devoid of any apprehensible form, and are decisively unseeable. Now, when the mind capable of transforming is itself without marks to be seen, how could the transformed sense-objects have any reality? Therefore one should know that all marks of worldly sense-objects are established based on the ignorance and false thoughts of sentient beings; this means that because of relying on the unshared ignorance of the seventh and not truly knowing the oneness of the true dharma, it causes minds and mental factors to transform into the four parts, so that all these worldly sense-objects are nothing more than the perceived parts of one's own mind and mental factors. The essence of the mind and mental factors is like a mirror, and the perceived parts are like images in the mirror; the images do not leave the mirror and have no separate intrinsic nature to be apprehended, operating solely from the falsely discriminating mind. Apart from the arising and ceasing of the various minds and mental factors, has there ever been any dharma that arises and ceases of itself? The explanation of thought is finished.