宗鏡錄 49.53

49.53

Answer: The treatise states: 'This consciousness is solely unobstructed indeterminate, because its nature is maturational. If maturation were wholesome or defiled in nature, cyclic transmigration and its cessation could not be established. Furthermore, this consciousness is the support for wholesome and defiled [dharmas]; if it were wholesome or defiled, then being mutually contradictory, it should not serve as the support for both. Furthermore, this consciousness is the nature of that which is perfumed; if it were wholesome or defiled, like extreme fragrance or foulness, it would not receive perfuming. Lacking perfuming, both the defiled and pure causes and fruits would fail to be established. This is solely unobstructed indeterminate: "obstructed" refers to defiled dharmas, because they obstruct the noble path and can also veil the mind, causing it to become impure. This consciousness is not defiled, and hence is "unobstructed". "Determinate" refers to wholesome and unwholesome, which possess desirable and undesirable fruits as well as distinguished individual substances that can be recorded and distinguished; being neither wholesome nor unwholesome, it is therefore called "indeterminate". Contact and so forth are also like this: that is, just as the ālayavijñāna is subsumed solely under the nature of unobstructed indeterminate, contact, mental advertence, feeling, perception, and intention are also like this, because all concurrent dharmas must be of the same nature.' The commentary says: 'Regarding "If maturation were wholesome or defiled in nature, cyclic transmigration and its cessation could not be established": since the wholesome destinies are wholesome, they would not produce unwholesome [states], and since they would constantly produce the wholesome, there would be no cyclic transmigration. Regarding the meaning of the unwholesome destinies: due to karma, birth-and-death flows; due to suffering, birth-and-death turns. The reverse is also true for unwholesome destinies: since they would constantly produce unwholesomeness, there would be no cessation. Due to the path, there is return; due to cessation, there is cessation. Furthermore, regarding "this consciousness is the support for wholesome and defiled [dharmas]": since this consciousness is the master of retribution, if it were constantly wholesome, it should not serve as a support for unwholesome [dharmas]; if it were unwholesome, it should also not serve as a support for wholesome [dharmas], because they are mutually contradictory. Regarding "if it were wholesome or defiled, like extreme fragrance or foulness, it would not receive perfuming": this consciousness is solely indeterminate in nature, so it can receive perfuming. If it lacked perfuming, there would be no seeds; if there were no seeds, that would mean there is no cause; since there is no cause, its fruit also would not exist. This is solely unobstructed indeterminate: there are three kinds of indeterminate: first, concurrent indeterminate, namely, all indeterminate minds and mental factors; second, non-concurrent indeterminate, namely, indeterminate forms and non-concurrent dharmas; third, real indeterminate, namely, space and uncalculated cessation. Furthermore, four kinds of indeterminate are broadly distinguished: first, transforming indeterminate, namely, indeterminate minds and mental factors; second, transformed indeterminate, namely, all form dharmas, all seeds, and so forth; third, positional indeterminate, namely, those nominal indeterminate dharmas established as positions among the twenty-four non-concurrent formations; fourth, ultimate indeterminate, namely, the unconditioned of space and uncalculated cessation. Furthermore, within the first, transforming indeterminate, there are further four kinds of indeterminate: first, maturational; second, deportment; third, craftsmanship; fourth, magically transformed. As for maturational indeterminate: "maturational" (vipāka) means "differently mature", which refers to the distinction between the natures of cause and fruit; the cause ranges over wholesome and unwholesome, while the fruit is solely indeterminate. "Mature" refers to ripening, which belongs solely to the fruit. Explaining cause and fruit together, it is called "differently mature" (maturation). "Indeterminate" means that one cannot record and distinguish a future fruit, so it is called indeterminate; or, among wholesome and unwholesome, there is nothing to record and distinguish, so it is called indeterminate. This true maturational indeterminate induced by karma is the eighth consciousness. "Karma" is the two intentions of wholesome and unwholesome. "Induced" has the meaning of accumulating and summoning: because this active intention can create and induce the accumulation of the seeds of the five fruits, such as the consciousness of future total retribution, and can also summon the active fruits of the future maturational five aggregates, it is therefore called "induced by karma". "True" means real, excluding the life-faculty which, although maturational, is nominal. Furthermore, "true" means constant: its substance is constantly continuous without further interruption, and it exists pervading all realms and stages; this is called true maturational indeterminate. Furthermore, if a dharma's substance is maturational, arises from the maturational consciousness, is without interruption, and exists pervading all realms and stages, it is called true maturational, and is also called maturational-born. If a dharma's substance is maturational and arises from the maturational consciousness, but has interruptions and does not pervade all realms and stages, it is merely called maturational-born and cannot be called true maturational; this excludes the substance of the six consciousnesses. If its substance is definitely not maturational, has interruptions, and does not pervade all realms and stages, even though it arises from the maturational consciousness, it is not called true maturational, but can only be called maturational-born. As for deportment, craftsmanship, magical transformation, and so forth, although they are capable of actions, they do not summon wholesome or unwholesome fruits, and are therefore called indeterminate.