大乘法苑義林章 1.28

1.28

Third, regarding the presence or absence among the eight consciousnesses: In the first fascicle of the Yogācārabhūmi, it is only stated that the six consciousnesses have these five mental states; it does not mention the seventh and eighth. Furthermore, it is only intermittent consciousnesses that possess all five, not those that are continuously uninterrupted. However, when the seventh consciousness has not yet transformed its basis, because the object it cognizes is constantly fixed, spontaneous, and subtle, it possesses only the latter three, for they can be said to be complete within a single thought-moment. The eighth consciousness is not like this: at the stage of initial birth in a realm, it has the spontaneous mind, because the scope of the objective realm is broad or narrow in the form and formless realms. The three minds—determining, defiled or pure, and commensurate flow—can be fully possessed because its objects are new or old, or in comparison between earlier and later [moments]; it lacks only seeking, because it does not operate in conjunction with desire. Because the seventh consciousness in the cause [stage], even at initial birth in a realm, has an object that is constantly of one kind, it lacks the two minds of spontaneity and seeking. At the stage of initial transformation of the basis, it may be termed spontaneous, which is just the determining and defiled or pure mind; after the second thought-moment, it is commensurate flow. In combining the meanings of the two thought-moments, it is said to have four minds. Alternatively, at a second moment, a pure consciousness arises anew; its initial moment constitutes these four minds, because it is the commensurate flow of the earlier arisen mind, and because it has spontaneity as it newly falls upon an object. Here, the discussion has primarily followed the treatise in speaking of the six consciousnesses, yet according to reason the seventh and eighth possess their respective mental states; rationally speaking, the sixth possesses all five. Taking the cause and result [stages] together, the five forward consciousnesses can have all five minds, but in the cause [stage] they have only four. In the interval while seeking through seeing and hearing has not yet reached full comprehension, the five consciousnesses follow the mental consciousness and are also seeking, because there is anticipation. Were it not so, this mind would not be subsumed under the five: since the spontaneous mind is for a single thought-moment and the determining mind has not yet arisen, if it were not seeking, this would be a major fault. Given that the determining mental consciousness is permitted to last for many moments before defilement and purity arise, if the five consciousnesses that follow the mental consciousness were not determining, what mind would they be? In the cause [stage], the five consciousnesses lack the fourth, defiled or pure mind, because in the cause [stage] they lack the force to induce it themselves. In the result [stage], however, they possess it fully, because their force is superior. There is an opinion that, from the eighth bhūmi upward, the five consciousnesses attain mastery and can mutually induce each other in sequence to form defiled or pure minds as well. Since it is accepted that earlier moments of the seventh and eighth consciousnesses can induce later moments to become defiled or pure minds, why should the five consciousnesses not be so as well? Therefore, we know that in the cause [stage] the five consciousnesses also possess all five. Summarizing this: the first six consciousnesses possess all five minds, while the seventh and eighth have four each. Here, there is another opinion: the five consciousnesses have only two—they possess only the spontaneous mind and the commensurate flow mind. When the five consciousnesses arise alongside seeking and so forth, they are just the commensurate flow mind, since it is accepted that it arises in confusion. The present text primarily speaks according to the prominent and superior teachings; the rest may be inferred accordingly. The Yogācārabhūmi states: 'Among the first three minds, the first belongs to the five consciousnesses, and the second belongs to the mental consciousness.' It also states that defilement and purity belong to the mental consciousness, while commensurate flow only then belongs to the five consciousnesses; this is stated on the basis of a single, middling, unmixed, and easily known object. Why should it not be accepted that, when seeking does not achieve comprehension, one repeatedly seeks? The Cheng weishi lun states: 'At the stage where mastery is attained, it determines spontaneously without relying on seeking, and at that time the five consciousness bodies must reasonably continue in unbroken succession.' Therefore, we know that the five consciousnesses possess all five minds; this does not contradict the Yogācārabhūmi and is also superior in reasoning.