宗鏡錄 48.15

48.15

Answer: The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra says: 'All seeds are originally existing by nature and are not produced from perfuming; through the power of perfuming, they merely increase and grow. As a sūtra says: "All sentient beings from beginningless time have various elements (dhātus), like a cluster of akṣa fruits, existing naturally by dharma-nature." "Element" is an alternate name for seed. Furthermore, a sūtra verse says:
"The element from beginningless time
Is the common basis of all dharmas."
"Element" means cause. The Yogācārabhumī also says: "Although the substances of all seeds are originally existing by nature from beginningless time, they are newly perfumed and stimulated by defilement and purity. From beginningless time, if sentient beings have the dharma of entering parinirvāṇa, they are fully endowed with all seeds; if they do not have the dharma of entering parinirvāṇa, they lack the seeds of the three kinds of bodhi." Passages such as these provide reliable evidence in no small number. When sūtras say that the nature of mind is pure, they speak of the tathatā revealed by the principle of the emptiness of mind, because tathatā is the true nature of mind. Or they say that the mind substance, not being kleśa, is named "originally pure by nature"; it is not that the nature of the defiled mind is uncontaminated and therefore called originally pure. From this, one should believe that all sentient beings, from beginningless time, possess uncontaminated seeds that do not derive from perfuming, being naturally accomplished by dharma-nature. Later, at the stage of superior advancement, they are perfumed and caused to increase and grow, and uncontaminated dharmas arise, taking these as cause; when the uncontaminated arises, it again perfumes to form seeds. Seeds of defiled dharmas should be known analogously.' The commentary explains: 'The nature of mind is tathatā. Unconditioned tathatā is not the cause of mind, nor is it a seed capable of possessing result dharmas, like empty space and so forth. Therefore, it is not that the nature of the defiled mind is uncontaminated that it is called originally pure by nature.' Furthermore, if one takes the correct doctrine, the originally existing and the newly perfumed combine to produce the actualized, without there being before and after. First, as for the originally existing: within the maturation consciousness from beginningless time, the capacities and differences of the aggregates, bases, and elements arise naturally by dharma-nature. Relying on this, the World-Honoured One said that all sentient beings have various elements from beginningless time, like a cluster of akṣa fruits, existing naturally by dharma-nature. All seeds and the eighth consciousness exist simultaneously; from this, the actualization of the first seven can be produced, and atop the actualized, seeds are again perfumed. Second, as for the newly perfumed: they exist from beginningless time through the repeated perfuming of actualization, hence called newly perfumed. Relying on this, the World-Honoured One said that the mind of sentient beings is perfumed by defiled and pure dharmas, and is accumulated through immeasurable seeds. Dharmapāla's intent is: contaminated and uncontaminated seeds both have newly perfumed and originally existing [aspects], which combine to produce the actualized without confusion. If the newly perfumed meets conditions, it arises from the newly perfumed; if the originally existing meets conditions, it arises from the originally existing. If one one-sidedly clings that they are only from the newly perfumed, or one-sidedly clings that they are only originally existing, both contradict the teachings. If one takes both meanings, it accords well with teaching and reason.'