華嚴經內章門等雜孔目章 1.55

1.55

Third, the establishment of the ālayavijñāna according to the Prakaraṇāryavācā-śāstra has nineteen headings: 1. It is said to be the karma performed and accumulated in past lives. (Exposition: This means the consciousness precedes all dharmas. Hence the Treatise on the Awakening of Faith says: "Because it is constantly in front at all times.") 2. Afflictions serve as the condition. (Exposition: Because the consciousness serves as the predominant condition for all dharmas.) 3. Perfuming by beginningless conceptual proliferation serves as the cause. (Exposition: Seeds perfumed by beginningless conceptual proliferation serve as the cause for the initial arising of consciousness.) 4. All seeds that are produced. (Exposition: This explains that the seeds of all dharmas are produced by the consciousness.) 5. The ripening consciousness (vipākavijñāna) serves as its essential nature. (Exposition: Based on the seeds and the active minds, consciousness is generated; in the present it is ripening (vipāka), so it takes this ripening as its essential nature.) 6. This consciousness is capable of appropriating. (Exposition: Explaining that that fundamental consciousness is one with all dharmas, and all dharmas are also one with the fundamental consciousness, like clarified butter (tarpī) in the same vessel.) 7. It perceives the physical sense-faculties. (Exposition: The consciousness maintains the physical faculties, making them distinct and clear.) 8. It is the locus relied upon by the sense-faculties. (Exposition: The consciousness serves as the support upon which all faculties rely, becoming their sustaining cause.) 9. And the perfuming by conceptual proliferation. (Exposition: Explaining that the consciousness serves as the locus of support for the seeds of the active minds perfumed by conceptual proliferation.) 10. At all times it arises and ceases in a uniform manner, unfathomable to cognition. (Exposition: Explaining that the continuous arising of that fundamental consciousness is free from all conceptual discrimination, and cannot be known by discrimination.) 11. Furthermore, it can appropriate and perceive the external receptacle world. (Exposition: Explaining that that fundamental consciousness is identical with the receptacle world, and the world is one with the fundamental consciousness, and being thus established, it is termed 'perceiving'.) 12. It is associated with neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensations and the like. (Exposition: Explaining that because the characteristics of that fundamental consciousness are without conceptual discrimination, it accords with neither-painful-nor-pleasant sensation, which is termed 'associated'.) 13. It is uniformly veiled-neutral (anivṛtāvyākṛta). (Exposition: Explaining that because that fundamental consciousness is free from all discrimination in conventional truth, it does not obscure the noble path, nor does it have moral designation as wholesome or unwholesome among phenomena.) 14. It acts as the cause of support for the evolving consciousnesses (pravṛttivijñāna) and so forth. (Exposition: Explaining that when that fundamental consciousness acts as a cause for the evolving consciousnesses and so forth, they mutually serve as productive causes and also as supporting causes.) 15. It evolves together with defiled and pure evolving consciousnesses, sensation, and so forth. (Exposition: Explaining that that fundamental consciousness, at the same time and in the same place as defiled and pure dharmas, is associated with them, arising together and ceasing together with their seeds, while the stream of active minds appears before one, which is termed 'evolving together'.) 16. Its activity (karma) is to be able to increase the defiled evolving consciousnesses and so forth. (Exposition: Explaining that that fundamental consciousness brings about defiled dharmas, having capability therein, which is therefore its activity.) 17. And its activity is to be able to diminish the pure evolving consciousnesses and so forth. (Exposition: Explaining that that fundamental consciousness has capability in returning to purity, causing saṃsāra to return to purity, which is its activity.) 18. How is it known that this consciousness exists? As the Bhagavān said: Obscured by ignorance and bound by the fetters of craving, the foolish obtain a body possessed of consciousness. (Exposition: The treatise itself explains: "These words reveal the existence of the ripening consciousness", which is citing the consciousness as proof.) It is also said that, just as there are five seeds—namely, mind, mental factors, form, non-associated formations, and unconditioned dharmas—this is termed the consciousness with grasping. (Exposition: The treatise itself explains: "These words reveal the existence of the all-seed consciousness", which has the same meaning of citation as before.) 19. The treatise cites a verse: "The appropriating consciousness is profound and subtle; / all seeds flow on like a torrent. / Fearing they would grasp it as an 'atman', / I do not reveal it to the foolish." (Exposition: This reveals the scope and purpose for which the teaching arose: it is not spoken for śrāvakas and ordinary people.) Question: The previous treatise says: "The ālayavijñāna refers to the karma performed and accumulated in past lives with afflictions as conditions, beginningless perfuming by conceptual proliferation as cause, and takes the ripening consciousness generated from all seeds as its essential nature." According to the wording of this passage, the fundamental consciousness is the very body of saṃsāra. If it were not the cause of saṃsāra, why would it be spoken of where the causes and effects of saṃsāra ride upon one another? Answer: Relying on the *Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi*, this merely discriminates the principle of causes and effects generating one another within saṃsāra; these are all gates of provisionally shifted principles, lacking the real principle. One should know that apart from consciousness there is no other dharma; consciousness itself is the gate of 'defiled without being defiled', which is one meaning of the tathāgatagarbha. Therefore the four-fascicle *Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra* says: "Briefly spoken there are three kinds of consciousness; extensively spoken there are eight aspects. What are the three? Namely, the true consciousness, the manifesting consciousness, and the consciousness that discriminates phenomena." Since the extensive is extensive, one should know that the brief is not different from the true. It also says: "It is not that the intrinsic true-aspect consciousness ceases, but only the karmic aspect ceases. If the intrinsic true aspect were to cease, then the storehouse consciousness would cease. Mahāmati! If the storehouse consciousness ceased, that would not differ from the doctrine of nihilism held by the non-Buddhists. Such a subtle storehouse consciousness, its ultimate boundary, cannot be deliberated or decisively understood by any śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, or non-Buddhist practitioners through the power of samādhi and wisdom they have attained, except for the Tathāgatas and bodhisattvas abiding on the bhūmis. Mahāmati! Wholesome and unwholesome refer to the eight consciousnesses. What are the eight? Namely, the tathāgatagarbha named the storehouse consciousness, mind (manas), mentation (manovijñāna), and the five sensory consciousness bodies. This is not what non-Buddhists teach. Mahāmati! The tathāgatagarbha experiences suffering and pleasure together with causes, whether arising or ceasing. Intoxicated by the four abiding-stages and the abiding-stage of ignorance, ordinary fools do not realize it, and in an instant they perceive false marks that perfume their minds." The ten-fascicle *Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra* says: "Mahāmati! The mind that perfumes and accumulates seeds does not cease, but the consciousnesses that grasp external objects cease. Mahāmati! The non-Buddhists make such a statement, saying that when separated from external objects, the continuous consciousness ceases, and when the continuum ceases, all consciousnesses cease. Mahāmati! The tathāgatagarbha-consciousness is not within the ālayavijñāna; therefore the seven consciousnesses have arising and ceasing, while the tathāgatagarbha-consciousness has neither arising nor ceasing. Why is this? Those seven consciousnesses arise relying on the conceptual contemplation of external objects. The realm of these seven consciousnesses cannot be awakened to or known by any śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, or non-Buddhist practitioner, because they do not know the selflessness of persons as it truly is, because they grasp common characteristics and particular characteristics, and because they view dharmas such as aggregates, dhātus, and āyatanas." The meaning here is that if one penetrates the selflessness of persons—that is, the habit of grasping to a person—one then penetrates the selflessness of dharmas, and the seven consciousnesses are then identical with the tathāgatagarbha. "Mahāmati! The ālayavijñāna is called the tathāgatagarbha, yet the ignorant seven consciousnesses dwell together with it, like waves on the great ocean constantly uninterrupted, because they are born together with the body. It is free from the fault of impermanence, free from the fault of a self, and intrinsically pure." Furthermore, the text of the sūtra says: Relying on wrongful thoughts and dharmas, consciousness exists. It produces eight or nine various consciousnesses, like waves on water.