宗鏡錄 54.11

54.11

答。設爾何失難。二俱有過。若第八不先變佛聲。耳意二識便緣名句文者。即因中前六劣。不能直緣。須先假第八變。若第八不先變。即心外取法。唯識不成。若託自第八相分為質緣者。第六識所變相分。即無名句文。既無名句文。即意不能生解。為第八識。但變得佛本質徑直聲。本質徑直聲上。且無名句文。為第八不緣故。此答云。理實第六識緣自第八相分為境。謂佛本質聲。及自第八變影像聲。合為一聲。世尊本質聲。既有名句文等。第六識。於自耳根。緣第八相分聲。名句文三不無。為佛本質聲上有名句文。例如世間人。共看一紙文書。若不識書人。但見其紙墨黑白色。即不能知其義理差別。若識書人。見紙墨黑白。及能知其間義理差別。今耳識及第八如不識書人。第六如識書人。第六既緣實聲。亦能緣得名句文故。又聲是所依。名句文是能依。名句文依實聲上有。既有實聲。其名句文。自連帶聲上有故。意識為能分別故。自然緣得。又聞即比量。聽聞名句文三等時。向心所上比度生解。唯第六識具比量。若緣名義。便在意中。

Answer: If it were so, what fault would be entailed? Both entail faults. If the eighth does not first transform the Buddha's sound, and the two consciousnesses of ear and mind then condition the names, phrases, and syllables, then because the first six are inferior in the causal state, they cannot condition them directly, but must first depend on the transformation by the eighth. If the eighth does not first transform them, this would be apprehending dharmas outside the mind, and vijñaptimātra would not be established. If they take the nimittabhāga of their own eighth as substance to condition, then the nimittabhāga transformed by the sixth consciousness would lack names, phrases, and syllables; since there would be no names, phrases, or syllables, the mind could not produce understanding, because the eighth consciousness only transforms into the direct, unmediated sound of the Buddha's fundamental substance, and on this direct sound of the fundamental substance there are as yet no names, phrases, or syllables, because the eighth does not condition them. The answer to this is: in terms of actual principle, the sixth consciousness conditions the nimittabhāga of its own eighth as its object. That is, the sound of the Buddha's fundamental substance and the reflected sound transformed by one's own eighth combine into one sound. Since the World-Honoured One's fundamental sound already possesses names, phrases, syllables, and so forth, when the sixth consciousness conditions the sound of the eighth's nimittabhāga at its own ear sense-base, the three—names, phrases, and syllables—are not absent, because they exist on the Buddha's fundamental sound. For example, people in the world together look at a piece of writing on paper: if a person cannot read, they only see the black and white colors of the paper and ink, and cannot know the differences in meaning and principle; if a person can read, they see the black and white of paper and ink and can also know the differences in meaning and principle within them. Now, the ear consciousness and the eighth are like the illiterate person, while the sixth is like the literate person. Since the sixth conditions the real sound, it can also condition names, phrases, and syllables. Furthermore, sound is that on which they rely, and names, phrases, and syllables are that which rely; names, phrases, and syllables exist dependent on the real sound. Since the real sound exists, its names, phrases, and syllables naturally adhere to and exist on the sound; and because the manovijñāna has the capacity for discrimination, it naturally conditions them. Furthermore, hearing is inference (anumāna): when listening to and hearing the three—names, phrases, and syllables—one infers and generates understanding toward the mental factors (caitasikas). Only the sixth consciousness is endowed with inference. If it conditions names and referents, they are already within the mind.