宗鏡錄 72.37

72.37

答。謂一同境。二分別。三染淨。四根本等。所依別故。言同境者。即自五色根是。如眼根照青色境時。眼識亦緣青色境。以青色境同。故名同境。乃至身根識亦爾。言分別者。即第六識能與前五為分別依。同緣境時。起分別故。此是第六自體與五識為分別依。瑜伽論云。有分別無分別。同緣現在境故。即第六名有分別。前五名無分別。解深密經云。五識起時。定有意識同緣境。言染淨者。即第七識。第七識。能與五識為染淨依。第七若在有漏位中。即與五識為染依。若成無漏時。即與前五為淨依。有此染淨依。前五方轉。若無。即不得生。言根本者。即第八識。第八識。與前五識為根本依。前五識是枝條。又第八能持前五識種。種方生現。推功歸本。皆從第八識中成故。此第八不唯與前五識為根本依。亦與萬法為根本。以能持萬法種故。於因果位中。第八皆為根本。此四重依。各各不同。即八識俱有所依。四種名義不同者。如眼等五識。即同境等四種所依。各有決定義。且如眼識。以眼根為決定同境依。以決定共取一境故。餘四境與四根。各決定取自境亦爾。以第六識為決定分別依。以第七識為決定染淨依。以第八識為決定根本依。又能所依。四句分別。一唯能依非所依。即心所法。二唯所依非能依。即五色根。三俱句。即八識心王。四俱非。即外色法。又開導依者。開者避也。即開避處所。導謂導引。導引令生。即前念心王臨滅時。開避處所。引後念心心所。令彼生起。即後念心心所。託前念開導心王所依而生。名開導依。夫因依之處。則染淨出生之始。果報之境。乃苦樂成熟之時。則十因五果以無差。三依四緣而非濫。皆為最初一念。背覺合塵。轉作能心。現為諸境。三細識全因不覺。六麁相永為所緣。入生死。旋火之輪。未曾暫歇。處塵勞。無間之獄。曷有出期。若能明萬法元起之由。了一念最初之際。方知自我心起。起處無蹤。唯我心亡。滅時無跡。則永枯苦本。六趣為之氷消。頓竭愛原。二死因茲雲散。二十八祖之正意。從此皎然。三世諸佛之本懷。於斯釋矣。

Answer: It is because the bases differ as follows: first, sharing the same object; second, discrimination; third, defilement and purity; and fourth, the root. 'Sharing the same object' refers to their own five material faculties: just as when the visual faculty illuminates a blue object, the visual consciousness also conditions the blue object; because the blue object is shared in common, it is called 'sharing the same object.' The same applies up to the bodily faculty and consciousness. 'Discrimination' means that the sixth consciousness can serve as the discriminative base for the first five: when conditioning an object together with them, it gives rise to discrimination; this is the substance of the sixth consciousness serving as the discriminative base for the five consciousnesses. The Yogācārabhūmiśāstra states: 'Because they, with discrimination and without discrimination, together condition the present object,' the sixth is named 'with discrimination' and the first five are named 'without discrimination.' The Sandhinirmocanasūtra states: 'When the five consciousnesses arise, there is definitely the manovijñāna conditioning the object together with them.' 'Defilement and purity' refers to the seventh consciousness: the seventh consciousness can serve as the defilement-and-purity base for the five consciousnesses; if the seventh is in a tainted stage, it serves as the defiled base for the five consciousnesses, and when it becomes untainted, it serves as the pure base for the first five. Only when this defilement-and-purity base exists can the first five operate; without it, they cannot arise. 'The root' refers to the eighth consciousness: the eighth consciousness serves as the root base for the first five consciousnesses, while the first five consciousnesses are the branches. Furthermore, the eighth can hold the seeds of the first five consciousnesses, and only from these seeds do active manifestations arise; tracing the achievement back to its source, they are all accomplished from within the eighth consciousness. This eighth consciousness not only serves as the root base for the first five consciousnesses, but also serves as the root for the myriad phenomena, because it can hold the seeds of the myriad phenomena; in both the stages of cause and effect, the eighth is always the root. These four tiers of bases are each distinct. That is, the eight consciousnesses all have simultaneous bases. Regarding how their four names and meanings differ: in the case of the five consciousnesses such as the visual consciousness, each has its determined meaning among the four kinds of bases, such as sharing the same object. For instance, the visual consciousness determinately takes the visual faculty as its base of sharing the same object, because they determinately grasp one object together; the remaining four objects and four faculties each determinately grasping their own objects are likewise. It determinately takes the sixth consciousness as its discriminative base, the seventh consciousness as its defilement-and-purity base, and the eighth consciousness as its root base. Furthermore, the relying and the basis are distinguished into four propositions: first, purely that which relies and not a basis, which refers to the caitta phenomena; second, purely a basis and not that which relies, which refers to the five material faculties; third, both [relying and basis], which refers to the citta-kings of the eight consciousnesses; fourth, neither, which refers to external material phenomena. Furthermore, regarding the 'opening-and-guiding base': 'to open' means to step aside, that is, to open and clear a space; 'to guide' means to lead and induce, leading and inducing so as to cause arising. That is, when the preceding moment of the citta-king is on the verge of cessation, it clears a space and guides the subsequent moment of citta and caittas, causing them to arise. Thus, the subsequent moment of citta and caittas arises by depending on the basis of the opening and guiding of the preceding citta-king; hence it is named the 'opening-and-guiding base.' Now, the place of causes and bases is the beginning of the emergence of defilement and purity; the realm of retribution is the time when suffering and pleasure mature. Thus the ten causes and five fruits are without error, and the three bases and four conditions are not confounded. It is all because of the very first thought, which turned its back on enlightenment and conformed to dust, revolving to become the subject citta and manifesting as the various objective realms. The three subtle consciousnesses arise entirely from unawareness, and the six coarse characteristics ever serve as cognitive objects. Entering birth and death like a whirling circle of fire, it never rests for a moment; dwelling in defiling toil as in the Avīci hell, when could there be a time of departure? If one can illuminate the reason for the original arising of the myriad phenomena and comprehend the inception of the very first thought, only then will one know that they arise from one's own mind, yet the place of arising has no trace; they cease only in one's own mind, yet the moment of cessation leaves no track. Then the root of suffering will forever wither, and the six destinies will melt away like ice; the source of craving will suddenly run dry, and the two kinds of death will disperse like clouds. The true intention of the twenty-eight patriarchs from this becomes radiant; the original intent of all Buddhas of the three periods is hereby clarified.