宗鏡錄 2.17

2.17

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.