宗鏡錄 78.9

78.9

答。因了相空。方談唯識。若執有相。唯識義不成。若執無相。真空理不顯。以無相即相。方達真空。相即無相。始明唯識。所以攝大乘論云。唯識道理。須明三相。一通達唯量。外塵實無所有故。二通達唯二。相及見唯識故。三通達種種色生。但有種種相貌。而無體故。所以攝大乘論云。一切相有二種。謂現住及所立。散心所緣六塵。名現住。定心所緣骨鎖等。為所立。復次似塵顯現名相。謂所緣境。似識顯現名見。謂能緣識。此二法。一是因。二是果。又一是所依。二是能依。是知因內起念。想像思惟。則外現其相貌。念若不起。相不現前。以因內生外故。攝末歸本。全境是心。何者。若心不起。境本空故。一切境界。唯心妄動。

Answer: It is because of comprehending the emptiness of characteristics that one can then speak of vijñaptimātra. If one grasps onto having characteristics, the doctrine of vijñaptimātra is not established. If one grasps onto having no characteristics, the principle of true emptiness is not revealed. Because non-characteristic is itself characteristic, one only then penetrates true emptiness; because characteristic is itself non-characteristic, one only then clarifies vijñaptimātra. Therefore, the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: "Regarding the principle of vijñaptimātra, one must clarify three characteristics: first, penetrating vijñaptimātra as measure-only, because external dust-objects truly do not exist; second, penetrating vijñaptimātra as two-only, because both characteristic and vision are only vijñāna; third, penetrating the arising of various rūpas, because there are merely various appearances without substance." Therefore, the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says: "All characteristics are of two kinds: namely, currently abiding and established. The six dust-objects cognized by a distracted mind are called 'currently abiding.' The skeleton and so forth cognized by a concentrated mind are 'established.' Furthermore, manifesting like a dust-object is called 'characteristic'—namely, the cognized object. Manifesting like vijñāna is called 'vision'—namely, the cognizing vijñāna. Between these two phenomena, the first is cause and the second is effect; again, the first is that on which one relies, and the second is that which relies. Thus we know that when thoughts arise within due to imagination and reflection, appearances are manifested externally. If thoughts do not arise, characteristics do not appear before one. Because the external is produced due to the internal, gathering the branches back to the root, the entire object is citta. Why? If citta does not arise, objects are fundamentally empty. All objective realms are merely the erroneous movement of citta."