宗鏡錄 47.23

47.23

Answer: The Consciousness Treatise (Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra) states: 'It is always associated with contact (sparśa), attention (manaskāra), sensation (vedanā), ideation (saṃjñā), and volition (cetanā).' From beginningless time, until it is transformed, at all stages the ālayavijñāna is constantly associated with these five mental factors, because they are subsumed under the omnipresent (sarvatraga) mental factors. First, contact: the treatise states, 'It refers to the discernment of the modification of the harmonious union of the three; causing the mind and mental factors to touch an object is its nature, and serving as the basis for sensation, ideation, volition, and so forth is its activity.' The commentary explains: Because these five types are subsumed in their substance under the omnipresent mental factors, they are definitely associated; although they do not increase, they also cannot decrease; arising and ceasing together definitely, they are called omnipresent. Regarding 'contact refers to the harmonious union of the three': these are the sense faculty, the object, and consciousness. Being different in substance, they are called 'three'; not being in opposition to each other and interacting with each other is called 'harmonious conformity'. The faculty can serve as the basis; the object can be grasped; consciousness, produced by the three, can rely on the faculty to grasp the object. Upon these three, there is in all of them the capacity and function to facilitate the arising of all mental factors; this is called 'modification'. The function of discernment is the capacity of contact; that is, upon contact, there is a capacity resembling the previous three to facilitate the modification of arising mental factors, which is called 'discernment'. Discernment is another name for receiving and resembling, just as when a child resembles its father, it is called discerning the father.