宗鏡錄 50.29

50.29

Answer: The meaning of seeds differs from that of citta: taking the active manifestation of the eighth consciousness, it is also called seed; simply because it is a seed capable of producing active manifestation, it is called the seed-consciousness. This active manifestation of consciousness can give rise to the first seven consciousnesses, possessing the functional aspect of being a seed that produces dharmas, in terms of which the eighth consciousness is called the seed-consciousness. What was previously called citta is named citta merely in the sense of accumulating and gathering-and-arising. Furthermore, the eighth consciousness has various names established according to differences in meaning: it is sometimes called the root consciousness (mūlavijñāna), the cause of saṃsāra, the cause of cessation, the substance of realms, destinies, and births, and the master of the comprehensive retribution (leading result). Ālaya translates here as 'storehouse grasped with self-love'. The vipāka consciousness is the stage of the fruition of good and evil karma: taking the fruit of good and evil karma as the cause, it brings about and attains this leading result; karma of a past life is the cause, and the cause is good or evil, while the eighth consciousness induced in this life is morally indeterminate vipāka, meaning the fruit differs from the cause, hence it is called vipāka. Furthermore, it possesses four meanings: first, real; second, constant; third, pervasive; fourth, unmixed. This is called the true vipāka consciousness.