宗鏡錄 47

English (machine translation) 47

Language: English

47.1

Compiled by Yanshou, Chan Master Zhijue, Abbot of Huiri Yongming Monastery.

47.2

Regarding the true meaning of Vijñaptimātra, how many kinds of consciousness are there?

Answer: Sūtras and treatises generally distinguish eight kinds of consciousness: first, eye-consciousness; second, ear-consciousness; third, nose-consciousness; fourth, tongue-consciousness; fifth, body-consciousness; sixth, manovijñāna; seventh, manas-consciousness; eighth, ālayavijñāna. The primary text comes from the ten fascicles of Bodhisattva Dharmapāla's Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra. This treatise explains the text of Bodhisattva Vasubandhu's Triṃśikā-kārikā. The Great Master of Ci'en composed a commentary to explain the treatise. This verse text was initially held by a layman; later, anyone wishing to view it had to pay one ounce of gold. Ci'en's Cheng weishi lun zhangzhong shuyao says: 'Bodhisattva Vasubandhu delighted in broadly synthesizing the three vehicles and extensively traversed the various traditions. Knowing that the lesser teaching was not ultimate, he then turned toward the Mahāyāna. Upon hearing the recitation of the Daśabhūmika chapter of the Avataṃsaka and the Mahāyānasaṃgraha chapter of the Abhidharma, he then regretted his previous errors and his former views disparaging the Dharma; he took a knife and cut his tongue to express his deep sincerity. His elder brother, Bodhisattva Asaṅga, stopped him from cutting himself and explained the advantages and disadvantages: "Although you disparaged the Dharma with your tongue, how could your transgression be eliminated by cutting off your tongue? You should praise and explain the Mahāyāna to repent your previous offense." The Bodhisattva respectfully complied with his brother's promise and thereby took refuge in the wondrous principle. He then composed the Daśabhūmikabhāṣya and the Mahāyānasaṃgrahabhāṣya. Therefore, these two treatises were the Bodhisattva's first works upon returning to the Mahāyāna. Having long harbored the profound source thereafter, with a mind expanding in deep purport, he further composed a grand treatise to express the profound ultimate; extracting subtle insights and controlling refined depths, he authored the Triṃśikā-kārikā to express the wondrous purport of the Mahāyāna. The ten thousand phenomena are contained in a single character; a thousand instructions are complete in a single word. His path transcends the multitude of scriptures, and his renown illuminates all the sages. As soon as the brief recitation was completed, he was about to set forth an extensive explanation, but before the opportune conditions could match, he quietly passed away into the unseen. There were also Bodhisattva Dharmapāla and others who appreciated the verse text and each composed doctrinal explanations. Although their peaks divided the Kunlun range and their trunks towered with jeweled branches, the only one who uniquely possessed radiance and stood out with fragrant excellence was Dharmapāla alone. The Bodhisattva had achieved fruition in a past kalpa and attained the rank of a present sage; secretly helping beings and appearing to benefit them according to their capacity, at the age of twenty-nine, knowing the end of his teaching was near and repulsed by impermanence through meditative practice, he vowed not to leave the Bodhi Tree for the rest of three years. In the intervals of meditation and worship, he composed this explanation. His writing excelled and his purport was profound; his wisdom was abundant and his fame lofty. The refutation of attachments was completed in a single word; the resolution of confusion was exhausted in half a verse. Where texts differed like fire and water, he harmonized them like glue and lacquer; where doctrines were broad like rivers and lakes, he cleared them into pure and turbid. Over leveling expanses, he towered like layered peaks reaching the Milky Way; over lofty mounds, he flattened the vault of heaven into a vast expanse. Looking down, he bored into depths without bottom; looking up, he sought heights without limit. Unfolding texts and shallow meanings branched out inexhaustibly; vast sentences and grand source were molded with utmost precision. His merit surpassed a thousand sages, and his path matched a hundred kings. At that time, there was the layman Xuanjian, who recognized the feathers of the phoenix and knew the hidden traces of the unicorn and dragon. Always exhausting his resources, he constantly made offerings; with deep sincerity and steadfast resolve, his wealth was depleted over accumulated years. The Bodhisattva guided him in many ways and gave him this explanation in return, admonishing him: "After my demise, whenever anyone comes to view it, take one ounce of gold. If you happen upon one of divine intelligence, you should transmit it." When his final time gradually approached, his mysterious teachings suddenly ceased. The Bodhisattva's name shook this continent, and the fame of his treatise-explanation surpassed that land. Among sentient beings, who did not harbor joy? Hearing it in the morning and dying in the evening, how could one begrudge gold or jade? People flocked to the sage like a marketplace, and wealth piled up like a hill; all of the Five Indias craned their necks, but it was not immediately circulated. The Great Master [Xuanzang], endowed with natural brilliance from heaven and relying on travels and inquiries, never failed to pay homage to divine traces, nor did he fail to examine and recite any sacred teachings. Hearing of this wondrous principle, he bowed deeply and earnestly sought it. The layman remembered the bequeathed words of the former sage and knew that they were entrusted to this present worthy; he then presented this draft manuscript, together with the explanation of the Pañcaskandhaka. The Great Master appreciated it as if beholding the sacred countenance; always keeping it in his palms, it was no different from a true discourse. Since the jade tablets came misting from the West and the white elephants rushed to the East, although he broadly expounded the subtle teachings, he appreciated this as a secret verdict. When he rested his spirit in a detached lodge and the sunlight was blocked from fierce glare, clearing his ears and eyes to ponder deeply and cleansing his mind to unravel the wondrous, he then said: "Only now is my mind truly gratified!" Confucius said: "I have a precious jade concealed in a case; who will pay a good price? I will sell it!" I, Ji, had unfortunate fortunes early on, suffering the loss of my parents at the age of nine. From then on, my aspirations were set on the mists and clouds, and I constantly aspired to the monastic robes. Mundane worldly pleasures were severed from my feelings in childhood. At the age of seventeen, I was admitted to the monastic forest, and specially receiving an imperial decree, I was able to serve as a disciple. Since joining the three thousand, I rejoiced in modeling myself on the seventy; my virtuous vows were bound to be fulfilled, and the karmic fruit resided with the master. Without being hindered by my mediocre talent, I was able to follow the ranks of the translation staff, undertaking the stylus to receive this treatise. At the start of the work, the ten commentaries were translated separately. Four people—Fang, Shang, Guang, and Ji—jointly engaged in polishing, taking up the brush, checking texts, and compiling meanings. Since this was an exemplary model, each had an assigned duty. After several mornings, Ji asked to withdraw. The Great Master firmly inquired, and Ji earnestly petitioned, saying: "Ever since the golden countenance appeared in a dream at night and the white horse galloped in the morning, outstanding talents have arisen successively, and spiritual wisdoms have followed closely. Hearing the five divisions, one's mind yearned; grasping the eight treasuries, one gazed far ahead. Although they obtained the dregs of the dharma-doors, they lost the pure essence of the mysterious source. Now, with the glorious gifts in the eastern lands, all have witnessed the mysterious source. Fortunately rising above all quarters, excelling over a thousand eras, if one does not achieve merit in combining and synthesizing, it can be called missing the opportune time. Moreover, the compositions of the various sages each gained fame across the Five Indias; although the texts are fully transmitted on palm leaves, the meanings are not complete in a single volume. Their views and opinions differ, leaving learners with nothing to rely on. Furthermore, as the times decline and people become superficial, lifespan is brief and wisdom deficient; investigating fragmented parts is hard to fathom, and grasping diverse points makes awakening difficult. I request to synthesize the various treatises into a single volume, establishing what is true and erroneous, and weighing flourishing doctrines." After some time, he finally agreed; thus this treatise came to circulate. The Great Master, in principle, dismissed the three worthies and uniquely transmitted it to this humble one. This treatise synthesizes the secrets of all sūtras and encompasses the purports of all sages. What obstruction does it not dissolve? What obscurity does it not illuminate? Looking up, it is boundless; looking down, it is unfathomable. From afar, it seems without wisdom; from nearby, it has discernment. For those who summarize the five sciences and search the eight treasuries, whenever the dark gates are blocked and the profound path is not open, obstacles fill up like hair and down—throw them into the blazing furnace; frost and ice accumulate in ravines—pour boiling water under the fierce sun. It is truly the silver radiance in the great night, the golden mirror between dusk and dawn! Although it originally came from the Five Indias, they did not have this synthesized explanation there; even collecting the separate works of the ten masters was difficult, let alone culling these obscure texts—it truly had never existed before. This is the origin of this treatise.'

47.4

Question: What are the activity-characteristics of these eight kinds of consciousness?

47.5

Answer: That it is established in sūtras and treatises is clearly documented. These eight kinds of consciousness possess three types of transformative [consciousness]: first, the ripening transformation, which is the eighth consciousness; second, the cogitating transformation, which is the seventh consciousness; third, the distinguishing transformation, which is the prior six consciousnesses. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "Although the forms transformed by consciousness are of immeasurable kinds, the transformative consciousnesses are distinguished into only three classes. The first is called ripening, which is the eighth consciousness, because it is predominantly of the nature of ripening. The second is called cogitation, which is the seventh consciousness, because it constantly and reflectively cogitates. The third is called perception of objects, which is the prior six consciousnesses, because they perceive the coarse characteristics of objects." The verse of the treatise states: / "The initial [transformation] is the ālayavijñāna, / ripening and possessing all seeds. / Its grasping, location, and perception are imperceptible; / it is constantly conjoined with contact, / attention, feeling, conceptualisation, and volition; / its feeling is solely equanimous feeling. / It is unobscured and indeterminate; / contact and the others are likewise. / It flows continuously like a rushing torrent, / and is abandoned at the stage of the arhat." / The initial transformative consciousness is called ālayavijñāna in the Mahāyāna teaching. This is because this consciousness has the meanings of being the repository, that which is deposited, and that which is grasped as a store—that is, because it serves mutually as a condition with defilements, and sentient beings grasp it as their inner self. An ancient commentary explains: "First, 'repository' (active store) means the capacity to contain and store. Just as a treasury can contain and store jewels and thus gets the name 'treasury', this [consciousness] can contain and store the seeds of defilements, and therefore it is named 'store' (ālaya); it also carries the meaning of sustaining. Second, 'that which is deposited' (passive store) means that which serves as the support. Just as a treasury is that upon which jewels and the like depend, this consciousness is the locus upon which defiled dharmas depend. Third, 'that which is grasped as a store' means holding firmly without letting go. Just as a hoard of gold and silver is firmly guarded by people who grasp it as their own inner possession, it is therefore called a store; this consciousness is firmly grasped as the self by defiled manas, and is therefore called a store." The Commentary on the Awakening of Faith explains: "Regarding the eighth having the meanings of active repository and passive deposit: to begin with the passive deposit, this means the substance of this consciousness as a storehouse; it is the place where the sense faculties, physical body, seeds, and the receptacle world are deposited. Because the physical body and the rest are the nimittabhāga of this consciousness, they are like objects and images within a treasury, or like a body inside a room. If one wishes to seek the ālayavijñāna, it is found only within matter and mind; if one wishes to seek the maṇi jewel, it is found only within the blue and yellow. Next, as for the meaning of active repository, it means that dharmas such as the sense faculties and physical body are all stored within the body of consciousness, like images within a jewel. If one wishes to seek all dharmas, they are completely within the ālayavijñāna; if one wishes to seek all images, they are completely within the maṇi jewel. Together with the previous meaning, they alternate as active and passive." The Yogācārabhūmiśāstra states: "By eight kinds of meaning one proves the existence of the fundamental consciousness: 1. the characteristic of being the support and grasping; 2. the characteristic of initial arising; 3. the characteristic of clear distinctness; 4. the characteristic of having seeds; 5. the characteristic of differences in karma and function; 6. the characteristic of differences in bodily sensation; 7. the characteristic of dwelling in mindless concentration; 8. the characteristic of the time of death." Furthermore, ancient masters, relying on treatises to explain and prove the existence of the eighth consciousness, noted: The treatise says that this eighth consciousness is not an object seen by worldly direct perception; its existence is known solely by relying on the pramāṇa of sacred testimony and genuine logical reasoning. It cites seven root sūtras as proof. The Abhidharmasūtra has two verses. The first verse states: / "The realm from beginningless time / is the common support of all dharmas. / Because of this there are all destinies, / as well as the attainment of nirvāṇa." / Regarding "the realm from beginningless time": the word "realm" (dhātu) means cause. It is because the eighth consciousness, from beginningless [time] until now, can uphold the seeds of all defiled and undefiled dharmas, whether material or mental, and can also impart power to the defiled and undefiled seeds to cause them to generate actual activities. Thus the eighth serves as the two causes of supporting and generating all seeds. Regarding "the common support of all dharmas": "support" means condition. Because the eighth consciousness can transform into the body and receptacle to serve as the support for sentient beings, it serves as the support for all defiled and undefiled actualised dharmas. Because it grasps the physical body of the five material sense faculties and acts as the simultaneous support for the manifest prior seven consciousnesses, the eighth consciousness can serve as the predominant condition support for all actualised material, mental, and other dharmas. Regarding "because of this there are all destinies, as well as the attainment of nirvāṇa": this eighth consciousness not only serves as the function of sustaining the defiled dharmas of transmigration, but can also serve as the function of sustaining all undefiled dharmas that accord with cessation. The second verse states: / "Because it gathers and stores all dharmas, / it is the consciousness with all seeds; / therefore it is named ālayavijñāna. / To the superior ones I have revealed it." / That is, the self-verifying portion (svasaṃvittibhāga) of the eighth consciousness, because it can hold seeds, is called the seed-consciousness. A verse of the Sandhinirmocanasūtra states: / "The ādānavijñāna is profoundly deep and subtle; / all its seeds are like a rushing torrent. / I do not reveal it to fools and ordinary beings, / fearing they would conceptualise and grasp it as a self." / "Ādāna" is translated here as "grasping and holding." Because this consciousness can grasp and hold the seeds of all dharmas, can grasp the material faculties and their bases, and can also take up the continuation of rebirth, this consciousness is called ādāna. "All its seeds are like a rushing torrent" means that all the seeds in the eighth consciousness, when struck and stirred by conditions, produce the actual activity of the transforming consciousnesses; or that the seeds undergo arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing without stopping, just like a rushing torrent. A verse of the Laṅkāvatārasūtra states: / "Just as waves upon the great ocean / are stirred up by violent winds, / and surging billows churn the deep abyss / without any cessation, / so the ocean of the storehouse consciousness is ever-abiding, / moved by the winds of external objects, / and the billows of the various consciousnesses / surge and leap into manifestation." / Furthermore, the Hīnayāna Ekottarika-āgama says: "There is a fundamental consciousness, which is that upon which all consciousnesses depend." This fundamental consciousness is none other than the eighth consciousness, because the eighth consciousness can give rise to the prior six transforming consciousnesses. Second, the Sthaviranikāya speaks of having a bhavāṅgavijñāna (constituent-of-becoming consciousness), which is precisely the eighth consciousness. The substance of this bhavāṅgavijñāna is constantly uninterrupted and pervades the three realms of existence. "Existence" refers to the three realms of existence; "constituent" (aṅga) has the meaning of cause—that is, the causes of the three realms of existence all stem from this consciousness. Third, the Mahīśāsaka school speaks of having an aggregate that exhausts saṃsāra (saṃsārakotiniṣṭha-skandha). Because this eighth [consciousness] pervades the three realms and nine levels and is constantly present, wherever there is birth and death, it constantly and universally serves as the support; it is abandoned only at the end of the diamond-like mind in the Mahāyāna, when defilements are exhausted, and therefore it is named the aggregate that exhausts saṃsāra. The transforming consciousnesses do not have this capacity, because the substance of the sixth consciousness is frequently interrupted; when entering the five mindless states, the six consciousnesses are all interrupted and inactive. At that time, [one] should not be called a sentient being, and because there would be no consciousness to sustain it, [the body] would immediately decay. Fourth, the Sarvāstivāda speaks of this consciousness as the ālayavijñāna, having four kinds of ālaya: attachment, delight, rejoicing, and pleasure. "Attachment" is the general term, generally taking the three times as its object; the other three are specific terms, specifically taking the three times as objects: "delight" is the present, "rejoicing" is the past, and "pleasure" is the future. It is precisely this eighth consciousness that sentient beings constantly grasp as their own inner self; it is the locus of true attachment, and is therefore called ālayavijñāna. The genuine logical reasonings are ten in number: First, the mind that holds seeds. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "The sūtra says: 'Because it accumulates and gives rise to the seeds of defiled and pure dharmas, it is called citta.' If this [eighth] consciousness did not exist, that mind that holds seeds could not exist." This is because the transforming consciousnesses are interrupted in the cessation concentration and so forth; because their sense faculties, objects, mental attentions, wholesomeness, and so forth are of distinct classes and easily aroused; and because, like lightning, they do not abide firmly, cannot be perfumed, and are all incapable of holding seeds, as they are not what accumulates the defiled and pure seeds. Second, the ripening mind. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "As the sūtra says: 'There is a ripening mind, karmically induced by good and bad deeds.' If this consciousness did not exist, that ripening mind could not exist." This refers to the eighth consciousness: having wholesome and unwholesome karma as causes in a previous life, it induces the eighth ripening mind as the result in the present life. The treatise says: "One must definitely admit that there is a true ripening consciousness that requites the leading karma, is pervasive and uninterrupted, transforms into the body and the receptacle, and serves as the support of sentient beings; for the body and the receptacle apart from mind are logically nonexistent." Third, the substance of realms, destinies, and types of birth. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "The sūtra says: 'Sentient beings transmigrate through the five destinies and the four modes of birth.' If this consciousness did not exist, the substance of those destinies and births could not exist." One must believe that there is an eighth consciousness serving as the substance of the three realms, nine levels, five destinies, and four modes of birth. If this consciousness did not exist, all sentient beings could not exist. Fourth, having appropriation. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'The physical body with its sense faculties is appropriated.' If this consciousness did not exist, that which appropriates could not exist." The sentient beings in the material realms possess the five material sense faculties and the internal five sense objects, which are the direct nimittabhāga of the eighth consciousness; only the eighth consciousness can appropriate them. Other consciousnesses do not have this capacity. Fifth, the three of life-span, warmth, and consciousness prove the existence of the eighth consciousness. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'The three of life-span, warmth, and consciousness mutually sustain one another to abide in continuity.' If this consciousness did not exist, a consciousness that could sustain life-span and warmth to make them abide long could not exist." Sixth, having a mind at the time of birth and death proves the existence of the eighth consciousness. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'All sentient beings, when taking birth and dying, abide in a distracted state of mind, not in mindless concentration.' If this consciousness did not exist, the mind at the time of birth and death could not exist." Moreover, when one is about to die, due to wholesome or unwholesome karma, the cold touch gradually arises in the upper or lower parts of the body; if this consciousness did not exist, that phenomenon could not take place. Seventh, citing the support of dependent origination to prove the existence of the eighth consciousness. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'Consciousness conditions name-and-form; name-and-form conditions consciousness. These two dharmas depend mutually on each other, just like bundles of reeds, arising at the same time.' If this consciousness did not exist, the self-substance of that consciousness could not exist." The Hīnayāna says: "We take the six consciousnesses as the support for name-and-form; why is the eighth required?" The treatise refutes them, saying: "The transforming consciousnesses, such as the eye [consciousness], are subsumed within 'name'. If this [eighth] consciousness does not exist, what would be called consciousness?" The author of the treatise says: The six consciousnesses, such as the eye [consciousness], are already subsumed within "name" as the aggregate of consciousness; therefore, the eighth must be obtained as the link of consciousness external to "name", to serve as the support for name-and-form. Furthermore, when humans in this world are born, at the initial moment of the intermediate state (antarābhava) when the mind grasps and links up to rebirth, because the prior six consciousnesses do not yet exist as the aggregate of consciousness within "name", name-and-form consists of only three aggregates. What do these three aggregates of name-and-form depend upon to abide for a single thought-moment? Therefore, we know and believe that the eighth consciousness exists as the link of consciousness external to "name", serving as the support for name-and-form. Eighth, citing the nutriment of consciousness to prove the existence of the eighth consciousness. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'All sentient beings abide depending on nutriment.' If this consciousness did not exist, the substance of that consciousness-nutriment could not exist." Therefore, the Buddha told the non-Buddhists: "That all sentient beings abide depending on nutriment is the correct teaching of the Perfectly Enlightened One, which others cannot know. You non-Buddhists starve your own bodies to no ultimate benefit." "Nutriment" carries the meaning of nourishing and sustaining. Ninth, citing the existence of mind in the cessation concentration to prove the existence of the eighth consciousness. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'For one who abides in the cessation concentration, bodily, verbal, and mental conditioning factors are all extinguished, yet life-span is not extinguished, nor is one separated from warmth; the faculties do not degenerate, and consciousness does not leave the body.' If this consciousness did not exist, that consciousness does not leave the body for one abiding in the cessation concentration could not exist." The author of the treatise says: For a noble person who enters the cessation concentration, bodily, verbal, and mental conditioning factors are all extinguished: inhalation and exhalation are bodily preparations; feeling and conceptualisation are mental preparations; vitarka and vicāra are verbal preparations. Because these three preparations correspond to the sixth consciousness, they are all completely extinguished in the cessation concentration. Regarding "yet life-span is not extinguished": on the seeds of the eighth consciousness, there is the continuous capacity to maintain the matter and mind of a single retributive life without interruption, which is called "life-span". Regarding "nor is one separated from consciousness": the tactile sensation of warmth is the nimittabhāga of the eighth consciousness; thus these two dharmas are not separate from the eighth consciousness. Since in the cessation concentration the preparations of body, speech, and mind of the six consciousnesses are completely inactive, yet life-span and warmth remain, we clearly know that it is precisely the eighth consciousness that serves as the support for life-span and warmth. Tenth, citing the defiled and pure mind to prove the eighth [consciousness]. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: "Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'Because the mind is defiled, sentient beings are defiled; because the mind is pure, sentient beings are pure.' If this consciousness did not exist, that defiled and pure mind could not exist." This means that defiled and pure dharmas have mind as their basis: they arise because of mind and abide dependent on mind, because it receives their perfuming and holds their seeds. "Having mind as the basis" means that all defiled and pure, conditioned and unconditioned dharmas have the eighth consciousness as their fundamental root. "Abiding dependent on mind" means that the manifest activities of the prior seven [consciousnesses] all abide depending on the eighth consciousness. "Receiving their perfuming" means that the eighth consciousness receives the perfuming of those prior seven consciousnesses. "Holding their seeds" means that the eighth can hold the defiled and pure seeds of the three natures of the prior seven. Therefore, the Ghanavyūhasūtra states: / "This body is like a revived corpse, / and also like a mirage in the heat; / it revolves according to the conditions of karma, / being neither illusory nor real. / Pulled along by feeling, / its nature is empty and devoid of a self. / What is cognised by consciousnesses such as the intellect / arises together with the mind. / The five consciousnesses, moreover, / arise depending on the manovijñāna. / In this way, at all times, / they operate together on the great earth. / The ālaya is perfumed by craving, / and thereby increases; / having increased itself, / it further augments the other consciousnesses. / Revolving in mutual succession without break, / it is just like a well-pulley. / Because there are these consciousnesses, / the various destinies arise; / and within these various destinies, / consciousness again increases. / Consciousness and worldly dharmas / serve mutually as causes for each other, / just as river waters flow / in unbroken succession before and after, / and like a sprout and a seed, / arising continuously in transformation. / Each of their various distinct characteristics / is manifested through discrimination. / The movement of consciousness is also like this: / after the three have combined, / they combine again, / and diverse characteristics arise. / Transmigrating in this way, / it is ever without cessation. / All internal and external dharmas / arise on account of this. / Fools do not understand mind-only; / you all should diligently observe this." / The Avataṃsakasūtra says: "Good sons, the accumulation of fictitious karma is called citta; manas cogitates; manovijñāna discriminates; the five consciousnesses, such as the eye [consciousness], perceive objects differently. Ignorant ordinary people cannot perceive this; fearing old age, illness, and death, they seek to enter nirvāṇa. They recognise neither saṃsāra nor nirvāṇa, and falsely generate discriminations toward all objects. Furthermore, ordinary fools consider the annihilation of future sense faculties and the objects of the five dusts to be nirvāṇa. When the buddhas and bodhisattvas realise enlightenment for themselves, they transform the ālayavijñāna and obtain the wisdom of original awakening. Good sons, all ordinary fools are confused about the Buddha's skilful means, cling to the existence of the three vehicles, and fail to understand that the three realms arise from the mind. They do not know that all the buddhas' teachings of the three times are the direct perception of their own minds; seeing the external five dusts, they grasp them as real, just like oxen and sheep, incapable of understanding, with no way to escape from the wheel of birth and death. Good sons, the Buddha teaches that all dharmas have no arising and no ceasing, and also have no three times. Why is this? Because, being manifestations of one's own mind, the objects of the five dusts are fundamentally nonexistent, and all existing and non-existing dharmas are fundamentally unarisen. Such is the realm realised by the noble ones for themselves. Good sons, ignorant ordinary people falsely generate discriminations: they grasp existence within nonexistence, and grasp nonexistence within existence; seizing upon the various aspects of the ālayavijñāna, they fall into the two views of arising and ceasing, failing to understand their own minds and generating discriminations. Good sons, you should know that one's own mind is precisely all the teachings of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Because one knows that one's own mind is the Buddha's teaching, one can purify all lands and enter all eons." Therefore, because the storehouse consciousness instantaneously transforms into the physical body and the receptacle world, it is of profoundly deep meaning: neither direct perception nor inference can measure it. Furthermore, it surpasses measure and is immeasurable, as a verse from a sūtra states: / "The dharmadhātu is not measurable, / nor is it immeasurable; / the Muni has completely transcended / both the measurable and the immeasurable." / Thus we know that the nature of consciousness is difficult for shallow wisdom to comprehend; only the Buddha can completely exhaust and penetrate it. Therefore, the Mirror of the Source extensively cites these passages, because it is subtle, secret, and difficult to know.

47.6

Question: The orthodox meaning of consciousness-only is to destroy the twofold grasping at self and phenomena, reveal the principle of twofold emptiness, and realize the one true mind. Why do both the mundane world and the various holy teachings speak of the existence of self and phenomena?

47.7

Answer: These are merely metaphorical designations, which occur purely based on the transformation of consciousness. As the Consciousness-Only verses state: “Because of the metaphorical designation of self and phenomena, / Various aspects evolve; / They are based on the transformation of consciousness, / And these transforming [consciousnesses] are only three: // Namely, the consciousness of maturation, the [consciousness] of cogitation, / And the consciousness that clearly perceives objects.”

When the mundane world and the holy teachings speak of the existence of self and phenomena, they are merely established through metaphorical designation and are not real existents in nature. “Self” means a sovereign agent, and “phenomenon” means a model and sustainer. Furthermore, [the treatise asks:] How should one know that there are actually no external objects, and that there is only internal consciousness arising in semblance of external objects? Because a real self and real phenomena cannot be obtained. How is it that a real self cannot be obtained? There are, in brief, three kinds of self grasped at [by heterodox paths]: First, they grasp that the substance of the self is permanent and omnipresent, its measure identical to empty space, because it creates karma and experiences suffering and pleasure wherever it is. Second, they grasp that although its substance is permanent, its measure is indeterminate, because it contracts or expands according to the size of the body. Third, they grasp that its substance is permanent and extremely subtle, like a single infinitesimal atom, latent and circulating within the body to carry out activities. The first is unreasonable. Why so? If one grasps that the self is permanent, omnipresent, and of the same measure as empty space, it should not experience suffering, pleasure, and so forth in accordance with the body. Moreover, because it is permanent and omnipresent, it should be devoid of movement; how could it create various karmas in accordance with the body? Next, the middle one is also unreasonable. Why so? If one grasps that the substance of the self is permanently abiding, it should not expand and contract in accordance with the body. Since it expands and contracts, it would be like the wind in a bellows and should not be permanently abiding. Next, the last is also unreasonable. Why so? If the measure of the self is extremely small, how could it quickly traverse the body like a whirling firebrand? Because it moves and turns, the grasped self would be neither single nor permanent. Whatever comes and goes is neither permanent nor single. Furthermore, the selves grasped are of another three kinds: first, that it is identical to the aggregates; second, that it is separate from the aggregates; third, that it is neither identical to nor separate from the aggregates. First, that the self is identical to the aggregates is unreasonable to begin with. The self would be impermanent and not a single unit, just like the aggregates. Furthermore, the internal forms are definitely not a real self, for like external forms, they possess physical obstruction. Citta and caitta phenomena are also not a real self, for they are not constantly continuous, relying on a multitude of conditions. The remaining formations and the remaining forms are also not a real self, for like empty space and so forth, they are not of the nature of awareness. In the middle, that the self is separate from the aggregates is also unreasonable. It should be like empty space, devoid of agency and experiencing. Finally, that it is both not [identical to nor separate from] the self is also unreasonable. If it is admitted to be established based on the aggregates without being identical to or separate from the aggregates, it should be like a vase and so forth, not a real self. Furthermore, since it cannot be said to be conditioned or unconditioned, it should also not be said to be self or not-self. Thus the real self they grasp is untenable. And so on, until: All such grasping at a self—regarding aggregates outside one's own mind, they may exist or not exist, but regarding the aggregates within one's own mind, they all exist. Therefore, grasping at a self always takes the characteristics of the impermanent five aggregates of clinging as its object, falsely grasping them as a self. However, because the characteristics of the aggregates arise from conditions, they exist like illusions; the self falsely grasped, being a product of arbitrary conceptualization, is definitively nonexistent. Therefore the sūtra states: “Bhikṣus, you should know that whatever views of self are held by the worldly śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas are all produced in dependence on the five aggregates of clinging.”

47.8

Question: If apart from the mind there are no real self and real phenomena, then metaphorical phenomena also do not exist, because metaphorical phenomena are established based on the real.

47.9

Answer: Metaphorical phenomena are merely false and deceptive, operating in semblance of existence, and definitely do not rely on the real. As the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra states: “Some make this objection: ‘If there are no real self and phenomena apart from consciousness, metaphorical [designations] should also not exist, for metaphorical designation must be established based on a real entity, a resembling entity, and a common property.’” And so on, until the reply: “Furthermore, that a metaphorical designation must be established based on a real entity is also unreasonable. The ‘real’ refers to the particular characteristic (svalakṣaṇa), whereas metaphorical cognition and designation both do not have it as their cognitive object. That is, metaphorical cognition and designation do not apprehend the particular characteristic; they operate only with respect to the common characteristics (sāmānyalakṣaṇa) of phenomena. Nor is there any other expedient apart from this by which the particular characteristic can be posited as the basis for the metaphor. However, metaphorical cognition and designation must arise based on conventional verbal sound. Where verbal sound does not reach, these do not operate. That which designates and that which is designated are both not the particular characteristic. Therefore one knows that metaphorical speech does not rely on real entities. Thus it operates solely based on resembling entities. ‘Resemblance’ means a superimposition, not an actual existing characteristic. Because verbal sound operates based on superimposed, resembling characteristics, it cannot be said that metaphorical designation must rely on the real.”

47.10

Question: How many kinds of transformation does this eighth consciousness have that cause the various consciousnesses to arise, grow, and manifest?

47.11

Answer: There are two kinds of transformation: first, transformation as cause; second, transformation as fruition. The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra states: “There are two kinds of transforming [consciousness]: First, transformation as cause, which refers to the two kinds of causal vāsanās within the eighth consciousness—namely, karmic outflow (niṣyanda) and maturation (vipāka). The karmic outflow vāsanās are perfumed and caused to grow by the wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate [states] among the seven consciousnesses. The maturation vāsanās are perfumed and caused to grow by the tainted wholesome and unwholesome [states] among the six consciousnesses. Second, transformation as fruition: this refers to the arising of the eight consciousnesses manifesting various characteristics through the power of the preceding two kinds of vāsanās. Due to the causal condition of the karmic outflow vāsanās, the substances and characteristics of the eight consciousnesses arise in their distinctions; this is called the karmic outflow fruition, because the fruit resembles the cause. With the maturation vāsanās serving as the predominant condition, they induce the eighth consciousness to requite the power of leading karma; because it is constantly continuous, the name ‘maturation’ is established. Those that induce the first six consciousnesses to requite completing karma arise from maturation and are called ‘born of maturation’—they are not called ‘maturation’ because they have interruption. The aforementioned maturation and what is born of maturation are called the maturation fruition, because the fruit differs from the cause.” Here we are provisionally speaking of the transforming fruition-consciousness that grasps and holds the tainted seeds through self-love, which is termed maturation.

47.12

Question: The eighth consciousness vast and all-accommodating, omnipresent, being the root source of all phenomena, is praised as primary by both sūtras and treatises alike. How can its subtle substance and nature be pointed out and explained?

47.13

Answer: This substance cannot be expressed in words; it is subtle, wondrous, and most difficult to know. It pervades the dharmadhātu while being a mind of no abiding; it sustains everything without manifesting its characteristics. It is like a bird flying in the sky: though it comes, goes, and soars, its traces cannot be sought. It is like the pupil inside the eye: while naturally illuminating the myriad phenomena, the eye never sees itself. It is like the moon containing a single color, everywhere reflecting the shapes of ten thousand forms; it is equal to the sun shining a thousand rays, universally illuminating all beneath the four heavens. It resembles the wish-fulfilling maṇi jewel that rains down treasures without thought, broadly delivering the multitude of living beings; it is like a lodestone that attracts and moves [iron] without sensation, turning through the six destinies. As a verse in the Ghanavyūhasūtra says: / “The storehouse consciousness sustains the world, / Just as a string threads through pearls, / And as a chariot has wheels / Moving in accordance with the karmic winds. / As the potter works the wheel and stick, / Shaping vessels according to their use, / So the storehouse consciousness and the various elements / Cooperate in power so that nothing is not accomplished. / The internal and external worlds / Are universally ordered and completely pervaded. / Just as the constellations of stars / Are arrayed across empty space, / Sustained by the power of the wind, / Ever revolving without cessation; / Just as the tracks of a bird in the sky / Cannot be seen when sought, / Yet the bird does not leave the sky, / Soaring up and down, advancing and retreating; / So too is the storehouse consciousness: / It does not leave one’s own body or others’ bodies. / As the ocean gives rise to billows and waves, / As empty space contains ten thousand forms, / So too is the storehouse consciousness: / Storing all the vāsanās within. / Just like the moon reflected in water, / And just like the lotus flowers, / Inseparable from the water, / Yet never soiled by the water; / So too is the storehouse consciousness: / No vāsanā can defile it. / As an eye has a pupil, / Yet the eye never sees itself, / So the storehouse consciousness abides in the body, / Gathering and storing all the seeds, / Everywhere sustaining life-force, heat, and consciousness, / Like a cloud covering the world; / Its karmic functions never cease, / Yet sentient beings cannot see it.”

It also says: “Virtuous Ones! All colors and forms are the ālayavijñāna in association with form-vāsanās, transforming into the semblance of their characteristics; they do not have a separate substance, as falsely conceptualized by the foolish. Virtuous Ones! All sentient beings, whether sitting or lying down, whether walking or standing, whether dazed, drunk, asleep, or even running madly—none of them are anything other than the ālayavijñāna.” And so on, until: “Just as the magnetic power of a lodestone causes iron to move, though having no mind, it appears to have a mind; the ālayavijñāna is also like this: sustained by the phenomena of birth and death, coming and going in the various destinies, it is not a self, yet resembles a self. Just as there is an object in the water that, though having no thought or awareness, moves without stopping following the water; the ālayavijñāna is also like this: though free from discrimination, it moves in dependence on the body.” And so on, until: “If someone can correctly observe this and know that all worlds are their own mind, these discriminative views will thereupon be transformed and extinguished.”

Another verse says: / “That which can hold the causes of the world / Is what is called the ālaya. / The eighth, the puruṣa-consciousness, / Moves and actuates all things. / As a wheel turns to form many jars, / As oil is everywhere within sesame seeds, / As salt contains the salty flavor, / And just as the nature of impermanence / Is omnipresent throughout all forms.”

47.14

Question: This consciousness is omnipresent, pervading the realms of ordinary beings and sages alike. Is there a true nature distinct and separate from this, or is it identical to it?

47.15

Answer: It is neither one nor different. When it receives the name of this consciousness, it is united without being joined, fulfilling the meaning of ‘storehouse’. This ālayavijñāna is none other than the true mind not abiding by its self-nature, following tainted and pure conditions, united without being joined, capable of storing all real and conventional realms; therefore it is called the storehouse consciousness. It is like a clear mirror that does not unite with the reflected images, yet contains the reflected images. This is spoken from the perspective of possessing the meaning of conjunction. As for the meaning of non-conjunction, its substance is constantly unchanging, and therefore it is called tathatā. Because of conjunction and non-conjunction, its two aspects are distinguished; originally there is only the one true mind, tranquil and unmoving. If someone does not believe that the ālayavijñāna is none other than the tathāgatagarbha and seeks the principle of tathatā elsewhere, it is like seeking a mirror apart from the images, which is bad discernment. Because they have not understood the principle of ‘unchanging yet according with conditions, according with conditions yet unchanging,’ they give rise to the two graspings.

47.16

Question: What is the meaning of ‘transformation’ in the eighth consciousness?

47.17

Answer: Transformation means that the consciousness-substance evolves resembling the two divisions. The commentary explains: The treatise clarifies that the substance of the consciousnesses, which is the self-verifying division (svasaṃvittibhāga), evolves resembling the nimitta- and darśana-divisions and arises. This states that the consciousness-substance is dependent nature (paratantrasvabhāva). Its evolving to resemble the two external [aspects of] nimitta and darśana is not non-existent; it is also dependently arisen. Based on these two divisions, grasping them as real two graspings (grāhya and grāhaka) is explained by the noble ones as non-existent. It is not that within the dependent nature these two divisions do not exist. This is because the treatise states that there are only two dependent natures. This is because [when] the cognition cognizing truth cognizes tathatā, there is no nimittabhāga; other than that, all have nimittas. If it were not so, how could they be termed the cognition of others' minds (paracittajñāna), the subsequently attained cognition (pṛṣṭhalabdhajñāna), and so forth? Because they do not grasp externally, it is accepted that there are the two natures of nimitta and darśana. Therefore, the seeds of nimitta and darśana are said to be either the same or different. If they are of the same seed, then the single consciousness-substance evolves resembling the nimittas and functions of the two divisions and arises, just as a single snail transforms and produces two horns. This says that the reflected nimitta and darśana, apart from the substance, have no distinct nature, because they are functions of consciousness. If it is said that nimitta and darśana each have distinct seeds, darśana is the self-substance, divided conceptually according to function; therefore, apart from consciousness there is no other seed. That is, the single consciousness-substance evolves resembling the distinct function of the darśanabhāga and arises. Consciousness serves as the basis, and evolves the seed of the nimittabhāga to arise resembling the nimitta. Because their functions are distinct and their natures are each different, the nimitta arising from a distinct seed is logically superior. Therefore it is said that the consciousness-substance evolves resembling the two divisions. This dependent nature is non-existent yet resembles existence; in reality it is not the two divisions, but resembles the imagined two divisions of darśana and nimitta; hence the designation 'resemblance' is established. If the nimitta has a distinct seed, why is it called the transformation of consciousness? Because it is not apart from consciousness; only when internal consciousness transforms does the nimitta arise. This shows that the two divisions of nimitta and darśana which are transformed possess distinct substance and function. Why is it also said that consciousness arises resembling the two divisions? Because the treatise states that nimitta and darśana both arise relying on the self-verifying [division]. If there were no self-verifying [division], the two would definitely not arise, just as when there is no head, horns definitely do not exist, and when there is no mirror, the reflection of the face does not arise; both manifest their appearance upon consciousness. Therefore it is said that the two divisions arise relying on the consciousness-substance. Furthermore, it is not only that the two divisions of nimitta and darśana arise relying on the consciousness-substance; even the bodies of ordinary beings and sages and the pure and defiled lands all manifest from consciousness. As Bodhisattva Maitreya said: 'The Tathāgata Candrokkādhāra taught me to cultivate the samādhi of mind-only consciousness, entering into samādhi. Across kalpas since then, I have served buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges with this samādhi, and my mind seeking worldly fame ceased and became non-existent. When Dīpaṅkara Buddha appeared in the world, I then succeeded in attaining the supreme, wondrous, and complete consciousness-mind samādhi, up to the point that all the tathāgata lands throughout empty space, pure or defiled, existent or non-existent, are all manifestations transformed by my mind. World-Honoured One, because I understood such mind-only consciousness, from the consciousness-nature there flowed forth immeasurable tathāgatas; now I have received prediction as the one who will next succeed to the position of a buddha. The Buddha asks about complete penetration: by attentively contemplating that the ten directions are consciousness-only, the consciousness-mind became completely luminous, and I entered the perfectly accomplished [nature] (pariniṣpanna), remaining far free from the dependent [nature] (paratantra) and the fully conceptualized [nature] (parikalpita), and attained the endurance of the non-arising of dharmas (anutpattikadharmakṣānti). This is the foremost.' Therefore, the pure and defiled lands of the dharmadhātus in the ten directions are all transformed out from within my mind; all are my dwelling. Truth or delusion accords with the mind; skill or clumsiness depends on wisdom. For great bodhisattvas, those pure realms are expounded; accommodating inferior sentient beings, these defiled lands are manifested. Regarding the statement that the tathāgatas of the ten directions all flow forth from within my mind, an ancient commentary explains: Like bubbles on the ocean, when each is distinct, observed with a mind of differentiation, there are 'this' and 'that'; but the water-substance is one. Thus we know that when one buddha appears, all buddha lands appear, because they are free from the characteristics of self and other. Wherever sentient beings are, the tathāgatas of the ten directions take various bodies to assist in converting them. Not only are the tathāgatas contained in this one meaning; all sentient beings also flow forth from me.

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宗鏡錄 — Classical Chinese