大乘義章 8.27

8.27

言四食者，所謂段食、觸食、思食及與識食。此之四食，論釋不同。若依《成實》，羹飯等事，名為段食；冷煖等，名為觸食；或有眾生以思活命，名為思食。雖有此言，不知何思？有人釋言：過去業思是其命根，令命不斷，說為思食。若如是者，一切眾生所有壽命皆由往思，不應言無，或當應以彼現在思想而活命者說為思食，如思玄妙得不死等。有漏識心命報不壞，名為識食。若依《毘曇》，欲界地中香味觸等，是其段食。心數法中有漏觸數，能知一切心心數法，令法今不散壞，說為觸食。有漏思數起後不絕，說為思食。有漏心識是其心王，能令一切諸心數法住持不壞，說為識食。問曰：無漏何故非食？釋言：無漏壞相續相，是故非食（此一門竟）。

Regarding the four nutriments, they are so-called material nutriment, contact nutriment, volition nutriment, and consciousness nutriment. Concerning these four nutriments, the treatises explain them differently. According to the Tattvasiddhi, things such as soup and rice are called material nutriment; cold, warmth, and the like are called contact nutriment; some sentient beings maintain life through volition, which is called volition nutriment. Although there is this statement, it is not known what volition this is. Someone explains: Past karmic volition is their life-faculty, causing life not to be severed, which is spoken of as volition nutriment. If that is so, the lifespans of all sentient beings are all due to past volition, and one should not say it is absent; or perhaps those who maintain life by present thoughts and reflections should be spoken of as volition nutriment, as when reflecting on the profound and subtle, one attains immortality, and the like. Tainted consciousness whose life-retribution is not destroyed is called consciousness nutriment. According to the Abhidharma, fragrances, tastes, tangibles, and so forth in the desire realm are its material nutriment. Among the mental factors, the tainted contact factor can cognize all minds and mental factors, causing dharmas at present not to scatter and disintegrate; this is spoken of as contact nutriment. The tainted volition factor brings about what follows without interruption; this is spoken of as volition nutriment. Tainted mental consciousness is the mind-king, which can cause all mental factors to be sustained and not destroyed; this is spoken of as consciousness nutriment. Question: Why is the untainted not nutriment? Explanation: The untainted destroys the characteristic of continuity; therefore it is not nutriment (this concludes the first section).