八識規矩補註 1.26

1.26

This states that the sixth consciousness connects to all three natures, three pramāṇas, and three realms, with the word "connects to" extending through both above and below. As for the three natures: wholesome has the sense of conforming and benefiting—conforming to correct principle and benefiting oneself and others; unwholesome has the sense of transgressing and harming—transgressing correct principle and harming oneself and others; indeterminate [means] "in-" is "not", and "determinate" is "to determine", meaning it cannot be determined as belonging to either the wholesome or evil classes. Hence here the three natures are explained by the meanings of conforming or transgressing, and benefiting or harming. Furthermore, it is said: that which conforms and benefits across two lifetimes is called the wholesome nature; that which transgresses and harms across two lifetimes is called the unwholesome nature; and that which cannot be determined as an agreeable or disagreeable fruit is called the indeterminate nature. That is, when the essential nature and its fruit are both lovely and pleasant, it is called the wholesome nature; unwholesome is the opposite of the above; when there is neither agreeable nor disagreeable and it cannot be determined, it is called indeterminate. This again explains the three natures in terms of the three times, defilement, and non-defilement. As for the three pramāṇas: the explanation of pratyakṣa appeared in the text above; here only the two pramāṇas of anumāna and fallacious cognition are explained. Anumāna is inferring an object without error; fallacious cognition is existing in mental reification but lacking in principle, because the inference does not hit the mark. For the sixth consciousness has five kinds: first, solitary manovijñāna in meditative absorption, which takes meditative objects as its referent—and meditative objects comprise principle and phenomena, and phenomena further comprise the most reduced matter, the most remote matter, and the various material phenomena of the dharmāyatana produced by mastery in absorption; second, solitary [manovijñāna] in dispersed states, which takes as its referent matter derived from vows and the various dharmāyatana material phenomena arisen from pervasive conceptualization, such as taking as referents sky-flowers, mirror reflections, and paintings—what is produced [thereby] is entirely subsumed under the dharmāyatana; third, solitary [manovijñāna] in dreams, which takes dream objects as its referent; fourth, distinctly clear manovijñāna, which together with the first five consciousnesses takes the five sense objects as referents; fifth, confused manovijñāna, which is dispersed consciousness, arising wildly and confusedly with respect to the five sense faculties, as when someone suffering from a fever sees blue as yellow—this is not the eye consciousness, but this [confused] mind. Manovijñāna in meditative absorption is exclusively pratyakṣa; solitary dispersed manovijñāna comprises the two pramāṇas of anumāna and fallacious cognition; the two consciousnesses in dreams and in confusion are both fallacious cognition; distinctly clear manovijñāna connects to all three pramāṇas, being mostly pratyakṣa and rarely anumāna or fallacious cognition. (Pratyakṣa appears in the text above; here anumāna and fallacious cognition are properly explained. First, explaining the names: If solitary dispersed manovijñāna infers an object without error, it is therefore called anumāna; if the inference does not hit the mark, it is called fallacious cognition. As for pramāṇa, it is the mental essence itself that is capable of cognizing. If mind and caittas arise through inferring with an object of cognition as cause, it is collectively termed anumāna. If "inference" pertains to the object and "cognition" pertains to the mind, then it is "cognition of what is inferred"—a tatpuruṣa compound; if both pertain to the mind, then the inferring capacity is itself cognition—a karmadhāraya compound. As for fallacious cognition: "fallacious" means "not", an alternative name for erroneous and mistaken. If when mind and caittas take an object as their referent, they do not know it in accordance with the object but give rise to erroneous understanding, it is called fallacious cognition. What is fallacious is itself cognition—a karmadhāraya compound. Next, explaining their essences: Anumāna has as its essence the mind and caittas of correct understanding through discriminating wisdom; fallacious cognition has as its essence the mind and caittas of erroneous and mistaken understanding.) As for the three realms: the nature-realm has already been explained in the text above; now, because of explaining the two realms of image and base, its meaning is re-explained. The nature-realm is that which is constituted by the eight dharmas of real sense faculties and real sense objects, as well as real matter resulting from absorption, all of which arise from their own real seeds; they are the various real material objects cognized by the first five and the eighth [consciousnesses] in pratyakṣa and by the sixth, which do not carry along nominal designations and lack a deliberating mind, hence called the nature-realm. Furthermore, the fundamental wisdom taking suchness as its referent is also this realm, because it operates spontaneously without discrimination. This has two kinds: The first kind of nature-realm is that which was described above; the second kind entirely lacks the above meaning, and is called a nature-realm merely from the perspective of the nimittabhāga following the base, being called the second kind by metaphorical designation. An image with real base also has two kinds: A true image with a base is when the mind cognizes the mind, and the intermediate nimittabhāga arises from both ends, arising in connected dependence, hence called a true image with a base; a seeming image with a base is when the mind cognizes matter, and the intermediate nimittabhāga arises solely from the one end of the darśanabhāga, arising through transformed dependence, hence called a seeming image with a base. Solitary images are also twofold: As for a baseless solitary image, it is the nimittabhāga transformed when the sixth cognizes sky-flowers, hare horns, the past, the future, etc.; its nimittabhāga arises from the same seed as the sixth [consciousness], and lacks any base such as sky-flowers; as for a solitary image with a base, it is when the sixth cognizes the seeds and active states of the five sense faculties; these all arise relying on a base, and its nimittabhāga also arises from the same seed as the darśanabhāga, yet it is also called a solitary image. The realm is what is cognized, and the consciousness is that which cognizes; each has its own essence. The essence of the nature-realm appears in the commentary above. As for that which cognizes, except for manas, the remaining seven all use their own mind and caittas as their essence. The solitary image realm has as its essence the provisional nimittabhāga transformed by the darśanabhāga of the sixth, and that which cognizes has as its essence its own mind and caittas; the image with real base has as its essence the intermediate provisional nimittabhāga transformed and arisen, and that which cognizes has solely the mind and caittas of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses as its essence. Here, stating that the sixth connects to the three realms means: when the manovijñāna concurrent with the [first] five does not form conceptual interpretations and grasps the svalakṣaṇa of the object, that is the nature-realm; when it takes mind and caittas as referents, that is an image with real base; when it takes non-substantial dharmas as referents, that is a solitary image realm. This is stated from the perspective of the defiled state; if in the undefiled state, all eight consciousnesses cognize the three realms because they comprehensively cognize both the provisional and the real. Thus the verse says: "The nature-realm does not follow the mind, / the solitary image comes solely from the seeing, / the image with a base connects both subject and origin, / nature and seed, etc., accord as appropriate." (Some say that the sixth has five kinds: except for the confused consciousness and dream consciousness which solely cognize solitary images, the remaining three all cognize the three realms. Namely, distinctly clear manovijñāna cognizes together with the first five, and in the initial sudden mind toward real five sense objects it is a nature-realm; if in a subsequent thought-moment it cognizes provisional matter such as square, round, long, or short superimposed upon the five sense objects, that is a solitary image with a base, also called a seeming image with a base. Solitary manovijñāna in dispersed states also connects to the three realms, being mostly solitary images because it comprehensively cognizes dharmas with and without a base across the three times; when it cognizes the active mind and caittas of one's own body, it is an image with real base; when it cognizes the five sense faculties of one's own body and the mind and caittas of others, it is a solitary image, also called a seeming image with a base. Furthermore, the very first instant of solitary manovijñāna cognizing a small portion of the five sense objects and cognizing real matter is also called a nature-realm. Manovijñāna in meditative absorption also connects to cognizing the three realms: namely, because it comprehensively cognizes dharmas with and without a base across the three times, it is a solitary image realm; furthermore, because it can cognize the active mind and caittas of one's own body, it is an image with a base; and furthermore, in the defiled state of absorption before the seventh ground, it can also induce the five consciousnesses to cognize the five sense objects, which is precisely the nature-realm.)