摩訶止觀 5.84

5.84

The Abhidharma masters say: 'The five aggregates are simultaneous; consciousness is the mental king, and the four aggregates are mental factors.' Because they clarify the meaning according to the gate of existence, the king and factors support each other and arise simultaneously. The Treatise masters say: 'Consciousness first cognizes, then sensation receives, perception apprehends characteristics, volition gives rise to resistance or conformity, and form is induced by volition.' Because they clarify the meaning according to the gate of emptiness, they arise successively. If viewed from the producing and the produced, going from subtle to coarse, consciousness is in front; if viewed from cultivation, going from coarse to subtle, form is in front. In neither case may the factors be separated from the king. If discussed in terms of the four smṛtyupasthānas, the king is in the middle; this is merely for the convenience of verbal expression.