華嚴經內章門等雜孔目章 1.56

1.56

Second, explaining the manas consciousness has briefly eight headings: 1. Listing the names; 2. Explaining its essential nature; 3. Distinguishing its establishment; 4. Distinguishing its associations; 5. Determining its presence or absence and the stages of its severance in relation to the path of antidotes; 6. Differentiating it with respect to the three natures; 7. Clarifying its demarcations in terms of the three natures such as parikalpita; 8. Returning to the origin to reveal the real. First, distinguishing the name: in the Western regions it is called *manas*, which here translates as 'defiled mentation' (kliṣṭamanas); this name is established from its fault. Second, its essential nature: deriving its nature from the three dharmas, it takes the aggregate of mind as its essential nature. Third, explaining its establishment: the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* says: "It adduces six faults to prove the existence of manas: 1. If there were no manas, the mental consciousness would not be similar to the five consciousnesses, incurring the fault of non-establishment. Because the meaning expressed by the Mahāyāna Buddha's words implicitly includes a simultaneously supporting sense-faculty. If there were no manas, the mental consciousness would have no simultaneously supporting faculty, failing to be similar to the five consciousnesses and incurring the fault of not being simultaneous. 2. If there were no manas, the sixth consciousness obtaining the name 'mental consciousness' (manovijñāna) would incur the fault of having no sense for 'mental'. Because 'mental' signifies immediately preceding cessation, which presently lacks an substantial entity. 3. If there were no manas, there would be the fault that the concentration without thought (asaṃjñisamāpatti) and the concentration of cessation (nirodhasamāpatti) would have no distinction. If there is a manas, the concentration without thought has it and the concentration of cessation lacks it, so the two concentrations differ. 4. If there were no manas, there would be the fault of naturally becoming taintless. Why? When the mental consciousness gives rise to the wholesome [roots] leading to liberation, it would necessarily be taintless, due to the absence of the view of self, conceit, and so forth. 5. If there were no manas, there would be the fault that the grasping to self would not pervade the three natures. If there were no manas consciousness, when the mental consciousness gives rise to the wholesome leading to liberation, it would necessarily lack grasping to self. 6. If there were no manas, isolated ignorance (āveṇikī avidyā) would fail to be established. If there is a manas, when there is no mental consciousness, the ignorance on the plane of manas becomes isolated. If there were no manas, while the mental consciousness is functioning, manas would constantly serve as the defiled support, and the ignorance of the mental consciousness would not become isolated. If there is a manas, then there are six virtues, which are the exact reversals of the preceding." 4. Associations: Once manas arises, it continues unbroken, associated with the four afflictive propensities—the view of self, conceit, love of self, and ignorance—and associated with the five omnipresent mental factors, making nine factors in total. Question: Why does the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* not explain the mental factors, but only says it is associated with the four propensities? Answer: The emergence of the teaching of the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* lies in the mature teaching, which is how we know this. As in the text below on the differences of wisdom, it raises the twelve profound meanings to reveal the profound doctrine, not shared with śrāvakas. One should know this teaching is high, not an initial teaching. If it were to establish mental factors, there would be obstruction and no benefit for the path; therefore it does not explain them. 5. Determining presence or absence and the stages of severance in relation to the path of antidotes: With respect to the taintless path, it is said that the manas consciousness does not exist. Why? Because it forms an obstruction to the principle of selflessness. When speaking of its cessation, manas is ceased at the very stage of the initial path of seeing (darśanamārga). Why? Because it obstructs the vision of the principle of selflessness. Therefore Asvabhāva's commentary on the *Mahāyānasaṃgraha* says: "By transforming the defiled manas, one attains the wisdom of equality (samatājñāna). At the time of the initial direct realization, it has already been attained. At the stage of the path of cultivation (bhāvanāmārga), it transforms and turns into further purity." 'Purity' refers to extinguishing the residual habit-energies. Some say: 'The innate [grasping to] self is severed in the path of cultivation; the innate manas together with the afflictions of the ignorant mind are severed in the path of cultivation.' This statement is incorrect. Once manas arises, it continuously takes the self as its object without interruption; how could it alter its object to generate grasping to dharmas? If it generated grasping to dharmas, how could it be said to take a uniform object of self as its referent? Question: Why is manas exclusively innate? Answer: Manas does not take external referents as its object, and does not take names as its object; therefore it cannot give rise to discriminating view of self. Question: The treatise says "the innate self is severed in the path of cultivation"; why is it that manas is the innate self yet is not severed in the path of cultivation? Answer: The statement that the innate is severed in the path of cultivation is provisional language assigned to stages, just as the first asaṃkhyeya kalpa severs the skin, the second asaṃkhyeya kalpa severs the flesh, and the third asaṃkhyeya kalpa severs the marrow; this is plausible. Now, using the coarse and subtle characteristics of discriminating and innate to provisionally illustrate seeing and cultivation does not mean actual severance. 6. Differentiating by the three natures: Because the manas consciousness is defiled, it is subsumed under the veiled-neutral nature (nivṛtāvyākṛta). 7. The three natures such as parikalpita: The manas consciousness is parikalpita, is paratantra, is pariniṣpanna, and is the three non-natures—this is according to the initial teaching. If according to the final teaching, it is just true suchness. If according to the perfect teaching, it is endowed with all of them. Why? Because the manas consciousness is able to be mind. 8. Returning to the origin to reveal the real: Since the manas consciousness is originally saṃsāra, originally non-existent, when now sought with wisdom, it is empty and without reality; therefore all dharmas are suchness (tathatā), and the assemblies of noble ones and sages are also suchness.