[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [宗鏡錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016) › [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt) › 57.23 # 宗鏡錄 57.23 English (machine translation) 57.23 - **Language:** English ### [57.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.57.23) Answer: Although we speak of waves of consciousness, the place where they arise has nowhere from which it comes. Being beginningless and unborn, one can exhaust the nature of consciousness. It is merely called unawareness (avidyā): suddenly thoughts arise, just as on a clear wave wind abruptly stirs up. Neither going out nor entering in, surging billows flood heaven; neither inside nor outside, the mad mind of inverted views pervades its objects. The Awakening of Faith says: 'Because one does not know the oneness of the true Dharma, the mind does not correspond; suddenly thought moves, which is termed avidyā.' This reveals fundamental avidyā: it is extremely subtle; there is as yet no distinction between subjective and objective \[factors\] or between principal mind and mental factors, and thus it is called 'non-corresponding'—it is not the same as the correspondence of the principal mind and mental factors. Only this avidyā is the origin of defiled dharmas; being extremely subtle, there is no other defiled dharma that can serve as its root, which is why it says 'suddenly thought arises.' Prior to avidyā, there is no other separate dharma to serve as the root of its initial accumulation; therefore it is said to be 'beginningless,' which is precisely the meaning of 'sudden'—it does not speak of suddenly arising in terms of a temporal period, because it has no beginning. Furthermore, the Shi Moheyan lun says: '"Because of not knowing the oneness of the tathatā-dharma in accordance with reality, the unaware mind arises": this shows the causes and conditions for the arising of fundamental unawareness. Due to what causes and conditions does fundamental unawareness arise and exist? Because of "not being in accordance \[with reality\]," it arises and exists. In which dharmas is it not in accordance? It means being not in accordance with three dharmas. What is the meaning of "not being in accordance"? It means the sense of contravening and opposing. What are the three dharmas? The first is the single dharma of knowing in accordance with reality; the second is the single dharma of tathatā; the third is the single dharma of the one mind. These are called the three. The dharma of knowing in accordance with reality refers to all-encompassing awakening, namely the discerning wisdom. The dharma of tathatā refers to the principle of equality, namely the discerned objective realm. The dharma of the one mind refers to the one dharmadhātu, namely the underlying substance. Contravening all these three dharmas, avidyā originally arises. Therefore it is said: "Because of not knowing the oneness of the tathatā-dharma in accordance with reality, the unaware mind arises." These three dharmas all abide in oneness and are never separated; hence they are generally named "one."' Furthermore, that treatise says: 'Through the perfuming power of avidyā, the unaware mind moves, initially forming its karma-consciousness. Based on this karma-consciousness, it further gives rise to the evolving consciousness and so on.' The commentary on the treatise states: 'The initial unawareness is called the first, the karma-aspect: there is no distinction between seer and seen, and the principal mind and mental factors cannot be differentiated; there is only the sense of subtle movement and hidden flow, and therefore it is named karma. Such flowing movement is caused solely by unawareness. The second is the evolving aspect: taking the thought of the karma-aspect as its support, it evolves into an active perceiver, flowing to become the aspect of cognition. The third is the manifesting aspect: taking cognitive evolving as its support, the objective realms of conceptual elaboration fully appear before it, and the objective perceived aspects (nimittabhāga) are completely laid out. Dependent upon this seeing aspect (darśanabhāga), those perceived aspects manifest.' Moreover, as for the moving aspect: movement is the karma-consciousness, whose principle is extremely subtle. This means the intrinsically awakened mind, due to the wind of avidyā, stirs slightly in its entirety. The aspect of slight stirring is not yet able to cognize external objects; precisely because of unawareness, it means that unawareness is generated from intrinsic awakening, which constitutes the karma-aspect. This is like slight ripples on the sea, stirring faintly from stillness, but not yet shifting from the ocean's fundamental mass. As for the evolving aspect: relying on the power of avidyā to support the karma-aspect, it turns into an active perceiver, possessing the function of seeing, which arises toward the outside; this is called the evolving aspect. Although there is an evolving aspect, it cannot yet manifest the objective aspects of the five sense data. It is like the waves on the sea, relying on the power of the wind to further aid the slight movement, whereupon waves clash and arise in motion. As for the manifesting aspect: from the evolving aspect, the manifesting aspect is formed, and only then are there material sense data, mountains, rivers, the great earth, the receptacle world, and so on. The Humane King Prajñā Sūtra says: 'At that time the World-Honoured One addressed King Prasenajit: "You previously asked: 'By observing what characteristics should one abide?' Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should observe like this: using an illusory body to view what is illusory, properly abiding in equality, without this or that. Observing in this manner, transform and benefit sentient beings. However, all sentient beings, in the first moment of consciousness throughout distant kalpas, are distinct from wood and stone; having born-defilement and born-purity, each is capable of being the root of immeasurable, innumerable defiled and pure consciousnesses. From that first moment across inexpressible kalpas up to the final moment of the Vajrasamādhi, there are inexpressibly inexpressible consciousnesses that generate the two dharmas of matter and mind for sentient beings. Matter is called the form skandha, and mind is called the four \[mental\] skandhas; all are of an accumulative nature and obscure the true reality."' An ancient commentary says: 'Regarding "the first moment of consciousness is distinct from wood and stone": some say that the initial consciousness refers to the eighth consciousness at the very first moment in the state of rebirth in whatever realm of existence one takes birth. Consciousness possesses cognitive reflection, so it is distinct from wood and stone. Some say that the initial consciousness is as the Laṅkāvatārasūtra states: "Consciousnesses have three kinds of aspects, namely the evolving aspect, the karma-aspect, and the true aspect." The "true aspect" means the true mind of intrinsic awakening; not relying on false conditions, it is named its own true aspect. The "karma-aspect" means fundamental avidyā, which stirs stillness and makes it move, movement being the karma-consciousness, which is extremely subtle. The "evolving aspect" is the aspect of seeing; based on the preceding karma-aspect, it evolves into an active perceiver, yet although it has an active perceiver, it cannot yet reveal the objective realm. The "manifesting aspect" is the aspect of the objective realm; based on the preceding evolving aspect, it is able to manifest objects.' It also says: 'Instantaneously distinguishing and knowing the body manifested from one's own mind, and the objective realms established for the body's enjoyment, these in turn are the sense faculties with the body, the external receptacle world, and the five sense data such as form; because they manifest spontaneously at all times, these are the three subtleties, which are the fundamental consciousness itself. The initial karma-consciousness is taken as the beginning, as they are sequenced according to the approach of origination. Furthermore, in the time of distant kalpas, there is no initial beginning; past and future have no substantial entity; in perfuming, the false thought of the mind alone is the beginning, because it arises in contravention of the true. Moreover, arising from stillness into movement is named "karma"; going from inside toward outside is named "evolution." The nature of tathatā cannot be increased or decreased; it is called the "true aspect," and is also called the "true consciousness." This true consciousness is itself the three natures of karma, evolving, and manifesting, namely the nature of spiritual comprehension; not being the same as empty space, it is generically called "consciousness." It is also called the "own-characteristic," because it does not rely on another to be accomplished; it is also called the "characteristic of wisdom," because its nature is to awaken and illumine. Therefore it is said: "The true mind of intrinsic awakening does not rely on false conditions," because the substance of the true mind is intrinsic awakening itself; it is not the aspect of movement or evolution, but is the nature of awakening. Furthermore, the commentary explains: '"The consciousness of the first moment is distinct from wood and stone": this means that a single thought of consciousness possesses sentience and sensation, and therefore is distinct from wood and stone. That is, it reveals that within the previous thought there is the final mind \[of the intermediate existence\]; the red and white impurities seen by it are identical to external receptacle kinds of wood and stone. When this consciousness arises, it grasps them to form a body, and hence it is distinct from wood and stone.' - [Previous: 57.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.57.22) - [Next: 57.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.57.24) - [Up: 57](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.57) ## Linked texts (1) - [宗鏡錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016.57.23) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.57.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.57.23) · Pramāṇa