大乘法苑義林章 3.9

3.9

Regarding distinguishing through questions and answers: Question: In the matter aggregates of the desire realm, how many substances are obtainable? Fascicle 3 of the Yogācārabhūmi says: "In some aggregates there is only one primary element, such as [in] stone, mani gems, rivers, ponds, flames, lamplight, and dust-free wind; or only two primary elements, such as hot mani gems, snowy and wet trees, and so forth; or only three primary elements, such as wet, hot trees, or trees that are shaking and wet; or all four primary elements together. Or there is only visible matter, such as light separated from the solar disc; or only sound, such as sound separated from its source; or only odor, such as solitary wafting fragrance; if there are taste and touch, there must also be odor and visible matter. Or there are only the four of the external vessel world, excluding sound; or only five, when the external vessel world has sound. Or there is the body faculty together with the four, visible matter and the rest; or only six, depending on whether there is the eye faculty or another, together with the five, the body and the rest. With sound, there are seven. As for the matter derived from the body above, adding earth makes six; adding the eye and so forth makes seven; adding water, fire, and wind makes eight, nine, or ten; adding sound makes eleven. Light separated from the disc and so forth, according to what is appropriate, increase the four primary elements to become more or fewer." Fascicle 64 and others say: "If in this aggregate primary elements and derived matter are obtainable, one should know that in this aggregate there are these primary elements and derived matter. If their own-marks are entirely absent, one should know that in this place those dharmas do not exist. It is not like other schools where, absent the manifest thing, its subtle atoms exist." The various extensive questions and answers are all as stated there. The presence or absence of marks spoken of here—if subsumed according to the realms—all exist as appropriate, as extensively explained in fascicle 3 of that treatise. Fascicle 66 says: "The desire realm has earth, and also visible matter, odor, and taste. The form realm has only visible matter, and things bound to the form realm exclude odor and taste. And matter in the formless realm is spoken of as obtainable according to how it may exist." Fearing tedious verbosity, we should briefly cease. Question: When primary elements of the form realm arise in a body of the desire realm, do those primary elements occupy the same place as or a different place from the matter of the lower realm? Answer: Like water in sand, they do not abide in different places. Because within the fundamental consciousness there are two types of seeds—purely generated and mixedly generated—which induce those primary elements to arise. The pure cease and the mixed arise, so they do not abide in different places. There is an interpretation: this is an accommodating approach. In the Mahāyāna, occupying the same place is like heterogeneous primary elements; these two kinds of matter originally do not obstruct each other, so why would they need to abide interstitially? Hence this is an accommodating approach. Question: Since primary elements and derived matter are resistant and yet co-located without obstruction, why are they not called non-resistant? Answer: Because they mutually assist each other's arising and do not obstruct each other. Furthermore, they are produced by the sovereign power of karma of this kind, and the faculties pervade them to be shared in enjoyment. Just as the intermediate existence and so forth are resistant yet do not obstruct each other, this too should be understood in the same way. Question: How do primary elements and derived matter abide? Do they have an above and below? Are they internal and external places? Or are they chaotically mixed? Fascicle 65 says: "They exist simultaneously and are not separate from each other, because they are accomplished by causes of that kind. Like a ball of a single taste, they mutually interpenetrate and pervade all places; it is not like an agglomeration of roasted flour, rice, mani gems, and so forth." Furthermore, there are three types: first, co-location; second, mingling; third, intermingled non-separation. Again, fascicle 3 of the Yogācārabhūmi says: "Matter-bases have two kinds of non-separation: first, co-located non-separation; second, mingled non-separation. As for co-located non-separation: like the aṇu matter of a single eye faculty, the aṇus of the four primary elements and the aṇus of derived matter, according to what is present, all mutually interpenetrate to form a single location, without distinct places." Thus within a single aṇu of matter there are eight aṇus; adding sound makes nine; adding the body makes ten; depending on other faculties, it makes eleven. Or the seven aṇus of eye, body, earth, visible matter, odor, taste, and touch—one cause and one effect—abide together in one location and mutually interpenetrate. It is not like the Sarvāstivāda school where subtle atoms are each distinct and each form an aṇu, nor is it like the Sautrāntika combining them to form an aṇu. Now, in the Mahāyāna, there are originally no subtle atoms; when subtle things like visible matter reach the aṇu level, depending on how many there appropriately are, they are co-located in a single place. The faculties are capable of completely enjoying them, because the mind knows the object, and because the mind arises due to the object. Thus it is co-located non-separation. As for mingled non-separation: the aforementioned co-located, non-separated aṇu matter of producer and produced that mutually interpenetrate, though abiding together in one location, do not merge into a single entity, because when the faculties grasp them, they are each distinct. Yet it cannot be said to be like a heap of sesame seeds, beans, and so forth, because it can be analyzed and obtained. This is called mingled non-separation. Another explanation: primary elements and derived matter of the same category, viewed with respect to each other, abide in the same single location; this is called co-located non-separation. Primary elements and derived matter of different categories, viewed with respect to each other, also abide together in this single location; this is called mingled non-separation. It is not like other schools where subtle atoms of the same or different categories are each distinct and not in the same location. Question: Maturation sometimes increases and expands; why then is maturation not itself nurture? Answer: Because that nurture is capable of gathering and maintaining, the continuum of maturation manifests increase and so forth, just as an outer rampart defends and protects an inner citadel; hence it is not identical to it. Question: Does a single set of four primary elements produce a single derived matter? Or does it produce many? Do multiple sets of four primary elements produce multiple derived matters? Or do they produce one? Answer: Existing in mutual dependence is designated by the name "producing"; whether producing one or producing many, there is logically no impediment. The Viniscayasamgrahaṇī says: "Primary elements must arise first occupying a location, and afterwards derived matter arises. Because it is not separated from that location, it is called 'producing'." Light from the solar disc and the like is a case of the small producing the many; sound produced simultaneously by a cause and the like is a case of the many producing the few. Categories such as these should all be understood accordingly. Since there are no subtle atoms, both are entirely admissible.