宗鏡錄 66.26

66.26

答曰。有二初者。然此分別計我。藉三緣生。謂邪師。邪教。邪思惟等。由此三緣久久熏力慣習。遂計彼為他。執自為我。此但由計有實有故。若言實有。非熏習而計有者。初出胎時。何不執自及以他身。既初出胎時。未熏習故。不計自他。故知計有自他。由妄熏故也。如說分別我執。藉三緣生故。又云。惡見熏習等。二者。凡所見執實。必迷似生。離似則無所執性。故知如計水火。由執似生也。何者。以水火似有。但是虛相。誑心。以不了相。虛執為實有。何以故。所得冷熱。但是觸塵。所見青黃赤白。是色法故。流相騰焰是法塵故。執實水火。但唯法塵妄見有也。如說從自心生。與心作相等是也。

Answer: 'There are two points. First: this discriminative conception of a self arises by relying on three conditions, namely evil teachers, evil teachings, and evil reflection. Through the habitual force of long-term perfuming by these three conditions, one then conceives that as other and grasps oneself as self; this is merely posited as real existence due to conceptualization. If you say it is a real existent and not conceived as existent through perfuming, why upon first emerging from the womb does one not grasp oneself and another's body? Since upon first emerging from the womb, because perfuming has not yet occurred, one does not conceptualize self and other, know therefore that conceptualizing the existence of self and other is due to false perfuming. As it is said, discriminative self-grasping arises dependent on three conditions; and it is also said to be the perfuming of evil views, and so forth. Second: wherever one sees and grasps something as real, it must arise from delusion regarding a semblance; apart from the semblance, there is no nature that is grasped. Therefore, know that just as conceptualizing water and fire, it arises from grasping a semblance. How so? Because water and fire seem to exist, but they are only false characteristics deceiving the mind; because of not understanding the characteristics, one falsely grasps them as real existents. Why is this? The cold and heat obtained are merely tangible objects; the blue, yellow, red, and white seen are form dharmas; and the flowing characteristics and leaping flames are mental objects. Grasping water and fire as real is only seeing them falsely as mental objects. As it is said: they arise from one's own mind, creating marks for the mind, and so forth.'