大乘起信論裂網疏 4.10

4.10

'The defiled marks of nescience' refers generally to the mind, mental factors, and so forth arisen from nescience. They are also constituted by the entire substance of tathatā, and their nature is neither defiled nor pure; but precisely because they have received defiled perfuming, like foul clothing, they have no pure karma. 'Because tathatā perfumes it' means perfuming it with the untainted pure dharmas of cultivated virtue, like perfuming that foul clothing with fragrance. 'It is said to have pure functions' is like: because the foul scent is removed, the function of fragrance is then manifested. Now, where there are defiled marks, there must be defiled functions; but since defiled functions wander through birth and death and their faults are profound and grave, they are not mentioned here. Where there are pure functions, there must be pure marks; but since pure marks unite silently with the pure essence and cannot be measured by worldly means, they are not mentioned here. The first part, a general indication of the meaning of perfuming, is concluded.