宗鏡錄 55.3

55.3

Answer: There are five kinds: 1. extremely minute form; 2. extremely distant form; 3. form induced by reception; 4. conceptually constructed form; 5. form resulting from meditative absorption. First, extremely minute form has subtle atoms as its substance; it is merely analyzing those five faculties, five sense fields, four great elements, and forms resulting from meditative absorption down to the state of subtle atoms—these subtle atoms are precisely the substance of extremely minute form. Second, extremely distant form: that is, the six kinds of coarse forms in empty space, such as light, shade, brightness, and darkness. Now, analyzing these six kinds of coarse forms down to the state of subtle atoms, taking this subtle form constitutes the substance of extremely distant form. Furthermore, what is seen in the upper and lower spatial realms—blue, yellow, red, white, light, shade, brightness, and darkness—is collectively called the single manifest form of space; and that which appears in doors, windows, and gaps is collectively called distant form. Third, form induced by reception: 'reception' has the meaning of receiving; 'induced form' refers to the functioning that prevents [bad actions] and initiates [good actions] upon the seeds and actualities of volition, which is named induced form. The meaning is: owing to receiving it from the teacher's instruction, it serves as that which can induce and give rise to the functioning of preventing and initiating upon the seeds and actualities of volition; hence it is called induced form. Since this functioning of preventing and initiating cannot be manifested to others, it is also called non-manifest form; it takes non-manifest form as its substance. Fourth, conceptually constructed form: that is, conceptual construction by the deluded mind. Fifth, form resulting from meditative absorption: objects manifested within meditative absorption. The five kinds of form of the locus of mental phenomena described above are altogether divided into three approaches: 1. the approach of reflections; 2. the approach of the non-manifest; 3. the approach of results of meditative absorption. The first, the approach of reflections: 'reflection' has the meaning of a category; 'image' has the meaning of resemblance. That is, the transformed nimittabhāga belongs to the category of the real base and also resembles the real base; therefore it is called a reflected image. 'All subtle atoms' refers to the two forms of the extremely minute and the extremely distant. These are merely the contemplating mind analyzing the coarse into the fine and nominally positing subtle atoms; they are merely reflections of the contemplating mind and have no substantial reality at all. 'The solitary, dispersed mind' excludes [the mind] in meditative absorption and the lucid manovijñāna; here it takes exclusively the solitary, dim manovijñāna in the dispersed state. When this dispersed manovijñāna fabricates and takes as conditions the five faculties, the five sense fields, the moon in water, or images in a mirror, in that mental state it transforms and gives rise to conceptually constructed reflection nimittabhāgas. Because these are nominal and not real, together with the extremely minute and so forth, they are established under the single approach of reflections.