宗鏡錄 49.27

49.27

Answer: Ancient masters explained as follows: As for "direct perception" (pratyakṣa-pramāṇa), "direct" (pratyakṣa) means manifest; that is, clearly verifying the object without involving names and words, free from a deliberating mind, directly apprehending the substance of phenomena, and separated from false conceptual discrimination—hence it is called "direct." As for the word "valid cognition" (pramāṇa), measuring and judging has the meaning of definitive determination. That is, the mind measures and decisively determines the particular characteristic (svalakṣaṇa) of a phenomenon with respect to the object, and because it is not erroneous, it is called valid cognition. As for "inference" (anumāna-pramāṇa), "infer" means to compare and classify, and "valid cognition" means measuring and judging; because one knows existence by means of comparing, classifying, measuring, and judging, it is called inference. As for "pseudo-cognition" (apramāṇa), it refers to when the mind conditions an object, it is confused about the object, engages in false discrimination, and cannot know correctly; because the object does not correspond to the mind, it is called pseudo-cognition. The *Xianyang lun* states: Direct perception has three aspects: first, the aspect of not being unseen; second, the aspect of not being produced by thought and construction; third, the aspect of what is seen not being illusory. Regarding the first, the aspect of not being unseen, one should know that there are further four kinds: namely, through the sense faculties not being impaired, when attention is present, [it is characterized by] arising from the same class, arising from a different class, being unimpeded, and not being exceedingly distant. "Arising from the same class" means faculties belonging to desire objects [operating] on objects of desire; faculties of a higher realm [operating] on objects of a higher realm, whether already arisen or arising—this is called arising from the same class. "Arising from a different class" means faculties of a higher realm [operating] on objects of a lower realm, whether already arisen or the like—this is called arising from a different class. "Being unimpeded" again has four kinds: 1. not impeded by being covered and blocked; 2. not impeded by concealment; 3. not impeded by being eclipsed and overwhelmed; 4. not impeded by bewilderment. "Impeded by being covered and blocked" refers to being covered and separated by darkness, the gloom of ignorance, or opaque physical matter. "Impeded by concealment" refers to being hidden by the power of herbs, the power of incantations, or the power of supernormal abilities. "Impeded by being eclipsed and overwhelmed" refers to a small thing being eclipsed and taken over by many things so that it cannot be seen; or food and drink being eclipsed by various poisons; or the tips of hairs being eclipsed by other coarse things; and so forth, immeasurable and boundless. For instance, a small light is eclipsed by a great light so that it cannot be seen, as sunlight eclipses the stars, the moon, and the like; also, as the antidote eclipses the object to be remedied, making it unattainable—that is, the contemplation of impurity eclipses the characteristic of purity, the contemplation of impermanence, suffering, and non-self eclipses the characteristics of permanence, bliss, and self, and the power of the contemplation of signlessness eclipses all characteristics. "Impeded by bewilderment" refers to what is created by illusions, whether differentiated appearances or resembling appearances; or internal states such as dizziness, stupor, dreaming, fainting, intoxication, heedlessness, or madness—such kinds are called the impediment of bewilderment. If not impeded by these four impediments, it is called unimpeded. "Not being exceedingly distant" means not being of three kinds of extreme distance: 1. extreme distance in space; 2. extreme distance in time; 3. extreme distance by analytical reduction. These together are named "not being unseen." Because it is not unseen, it is called direct perception. Regarding the second, the aspect of not being produced by thought and construction, it means when establishing an object and grasping the object upon which it relies, it is accomplished as soon as it is grasped, and is not produced by thought and construction; hence it is called direct perception. Regarding the third, the aspect of what is seen not being illusory, there are seven kinds: 1. illusion of conception; 2. illusion of number; 3. illusion of shape; 4. illusion of color; 5. illusion of activity; 6. illusion of mind; 7. illusion of view. "Illusion of conception" means conceiving that appearance with respect to what is not that appearance, such as giving rise to the conception of water with respect to the appearance of a mirage that thirsts a deer. "Illusion of number" means conceiving the conceit of many with respect to a small number, such as one with cataracts seeing the images of many moons in place of one moon. "Illusion of shape" means conceiving the conceit of another shape with respect to a shape, such as seeing the shape of a wheel in a whirling firebrand. "Illusion of color" means conceiving the conceit of another color with respect to a color, such as when the eye faculty is impaired by jaundice (kāmalā), seeing everything as having a yellow appearance with respect to what is not yellow. "Illusion of activity" means conceiving the conceit of activity with respect to what is without activity, such as holding a scroll and running fast, seeing trees rushing by. "Illusion of mind" means taking delight in the five kinds of illusory meanings. "Illusion of view" means assenting to, proclaiming, establishing, valuing, and falsely obstinately grasping those five kinds of illusory meanings. If it is not what is seen through such illusions, it is called direct perception. It also says: As for direct perception, it is like the physical phenomena of the five sense objects, which are the nimittabhāga transformed by the eighth consciousness. When the first five transforming consciousnesses together with the clearly discerning manovijñāna condition these, at the very first moment of encountering the object, discrimination has not yet arisen, names and words are not involved, and the conditioning cognitive wisdom directly verifies the substance of the object, obtaining the svabhāva of phenomena; this is called obtaining the svalakṣaṇa through direct perception. The first five consciousnesses and the eighth consciousness are direct perception at all times, obtaining the svalakṣaṇa of phenomena; this does not distinguish between cause and fruition, or contaminated and uncontaminated stages—it is so in all cases. If the sixth consciousness, when conditioning those objects of the five sense-data, gives rise to a discriminating mind with respect to the substance of those phenomena and generates speech, what is reached by speech cannot be directly verified; because it is the object conditioned by nominal cognition, it is called obtaining the common characteristic (sāmānyalakṣaṇa). Without distinguishing between the causal stage and the fruition stage, whenever one gives rise to a discriminating mind with respect to the substance of an object and generates verbal expression, it is in all cases called obtaining the common characteristic. And when the Buddha's subsequently attained wisdom conditions conventional objects, because it gives rise to discrimination and gives rise to speech, it is also nominal cognition; it does not obtain the phenomenon-substance of that common characteristic, but merely obtains the meaning of that common characteristic. For this reason, we further explain the meaning of direct perception based on Pramāṇa (Buddhist logic). According to the commentary on Pramāṇa, there are briefly two explanations: First, "the pramāṇa of the pratyakṣa" (genitive tatpuruṣa compound): this refers to the first five consciousnesses relying on their supporting faculties to condition currently existing objects in the present era. The faculty also illumines the object before it together with the consciousness and has the function of generating consciousness. The meaning of the faculty is prominent and superior, so it receives the name "manifest" (pratyakṣa). Although it illumines the object, because its substance is physical matter and lacks the function of cognitive reflection, it cannot measure and judge; it only possesses the meaning of "manifest" and does not receive the name "pramāṇa." Only the mind and mental factors measure and judge the object; their cognitive reflection function is heightened, their substance possesses the meaning of "manifest," and they also have the ability to measure the object. Now, indicating the generated consciousness from the generating faculty, it is called "the pramāṇa of the pratyakṣa"—this is an interpretation as a dependent tatpuruṣa. Second, "the pratyakṣa that is itself pramāṇa" (karmadhāraya compound): this refers to a portion of the clearly discerning manovijñāna, excluding the remaining scattered manovijñāna and that which arises solitary, and including the manovijñāna in samādhi and the conditioning darśanabhāga of the eighth consciousness, which directly condition present objects so that their function is manifest. However, the substance of the manas sense-faculty realm upon which they rely is not manifest, and therefore it is not included; taking only the conditioning darśanabhāga, the manifest is itself the pramāṇa—this is an interpretation as a karmadhāraya compound.