宗鏡錄 50.19

50.19

Answer: The treatise says: "However, based on the seeds that directly produce this consciousness, through the differentiated capacity induced by karma, whose duration of abiding is determinate, the life-faculty is nominally established." The commentary explains: "Saying 'this' excludes seeds that directly produce other consciousnesses. Saying 'consciousness' excludes seeds of associated dharmas, because only consciousness is taken. Saying 'seeds' excludes active manifestation, because the active manifestation of the eighth [consciousness] is not taken as the life-faculty. What are thus excluded are not all the life-faculty. Here, taking the nominal seeds that directly produce [it], upon which the differentiated capacity to sustain the body—induced by karma of prior lives—determines the duration of abiding of matter, mind, and so forth: based on this capacity, it is designated as the life-faculty, not by taking the sense of producing the actively functioning consciousness. Because this seed is driven by karmic force, it possesses a differentiated capacity to sustain the body of a single retribution, causing it to be determinate. If this seed lacked this capacity, the body would immediately rot and decay. The active manifestation of the ālayavijñāna, due to this seed, is able to take objects and to maintain dharmas such as the eyes; it is also called 'able to sustain'. This seed directly sustains the actively functioning consciousness. Were it not so, the actively functioning consciousness could not exist, and there would be nothing able to sustain dharmas such as the remaining faculties. Due to this capacity, consciousness sustains the body. Through the power of the internal seeds of active manifestation, the dharmas of arising, taking objects, and sustaining are not called the life-faculty, because they are not fundamental; they arise from seeds, whereas this seed does not exist by depending on active manifestation, for seeds are the root of all dharmas. Furthermore, the actively functioning consciousness is that which is sustained; spoken of from the perspective of what is sustained, the conscious seed that is able to sustain is called the life-faculty. The dharmas that are the life-faculty sustain the substance, but are not [themselves] the life-faculty. Now, because the duration of abiding of the six bases is determinate, seeds are the life-faculty. The remaining actively functioning matter, mind, and so forth are not the life-faculty, because they are not continuous and are not induced by karma. When karma directly impels, it impels only this seed; only then can the seed generate and produce active manifestation. It is not that active manifestation is called the life-faculty; therefore, only the seed is the faculty. Furthermore, the life-faculty is nominally established based on mind; life is that which relies, and mind is that upon which it relies. Master Sengzhao said: 'The fire that burns firewood, when swung around, forms a circle; the circle necessarily gathers the fire to produce illumination. Sentience is also like this; it necessarily relies on mind to accomplish its function.' Life's reliance on mind is just like sentience's reliance on mind."