華嚴經內章門等雜孔目章 1.34

1.34

How are the āyatanas established? The ten form dhātus are the ten form āyatanas; the seven consciousness dhātus are the mind āyatana; and the dharmadhātu is the dharma āyatana. By this principle, all the aggregates, dhātus, and āyatanas are subsumed under three dharmas: the form aggregate, the dharmadhātu, and the mind āyatana. Because the form aggregate subsumes the ten form dhātus, the dharmadhātu subsumes the dharmadhātu, and the mind āyatana subsumes the seven consciousness dhātus, these three dharmas subsume all dharmas. Question: What is the meaning of āyatana? Answer: The meaning of gateway for the arising and growth of consciousness is the meaning of āyatana; one should know that the meaning of seed, which subsumes all dharmas, is also distinctively the meaning of āyatana. Furthermore, as the Buddha said: 'Form is like a mass of foam; sensation is like a bubble; perception is like a mirage; conditioning factors are like a plantain tree; consciousness is like an illusion.' Question: For what reason is form like a mass of foam, up to consciousness being like an illusion? Answer: Because it is without self, free from purity, of little taste, not firm, and not real. Meaning that non-existence, being distant from falsity, and lacking firmness and reality are the meanings of the phrases spoken in the sūtra. Furthermore, to counteract the four inversions of self, purity, pleasure, and permanence, selflessness and the rest are spoken of respectively. The distinctions among these phrases should be understood according to this meaning. The meaning in the initial teaching is not the same as in the Hīnayāna; if entering the final teaching up to the perfect teaching, it is as explained in the gateway of dhātus; the remaining meanings are as in the separate chapter.