宗鏡錄 2.17

2.17

答。真如是識性。識既該萬法。即是有為無為諸法平等之性。故經云。未曾有一法。而出於法性。司馬彪云。性者。人之本也。蔡邕云。性者。心之本也。故古師云。唯識論。是十支中高建法幢支。何法而不收。何宗而不立。唯以簡為義。識以了為義。離識之外。無別唯體。即識。有遮心外之用。故名為唯。唯之名獨。性相俱收。真如是識性。依他相分色等是識相。心所。以識為主。皆不離識故。總名唯識。

Answer: Tathatā is the nature of consciousness. Since consciousness already encompasses the ten thousand phenomena, it is the equal nature of all conditioned and unconditioned phenomena. Therefore a sūtra says: 'Never has there been a single phenomenon that falls outside the dharmatā.' Sima Biao said: 'Nature is the root of human beings.' Cai Yong said: 'Nature is the root of the mind.' Therefore an ancient teacher said: 'The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra is the branch that "erects high the Dharma banner" among the ten branches [of treatises]. What phenomenon does it not gather? What source does it not establish?' 'Only' has the meaning of exclusion; 'consciousness' has the meaning of discernment. Apart from consciousness, there is no separate substance of 'only'; consciousness itself has the function of blocking what is external to the mind, and is therefore called 'only'. The name 'only' means solitary, gathering both nature and characteristics. Tathatā is the nature of consciousness; dependent-arising, nimittabhāga, form, and so forth are the characteristics of consciousness. The mental factors have consciousness as their master; because none of them are separate from consciousness, it is collectively called representation-only.