宗鏡錄 68.5

68.5

Answer: First, the nature-object takes the real five sense-data as its substance, because it is formed by possessing the eight phenomena. The eight phenomena are the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—and the four subtle particles—color/form, odor, taste, and tangible. This is spoken with respect to the conditioned. If spoken of the apprehending aspect in the defiled state, with the exception of the seventh consciousness, the remaining seven [consciousnesses] all take their own citta and caittas as substance. Second, the solitary-image object takes the nominal nimittabhāga transformed by the darśanabhāga of the sixth consciousness as substance; its apprehending aspect takes its own citta and caittas as substance. Third, the substance-bearing [object] takes the nominal nimittabhāga transformed and arisen in between as substance; if spoken of the apprehending aspect in the defiled state, it takes the citta and caittas of only the sixth and seventh consciousnesses as substance. Furthermore, the Record of the Essentials of the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra states: “Real forms and real minds are both apprehended objects; the transformed nimittabhāgas are both called nature-objects. Or again, the apprehending mind that is not false clinging, discrimination, or conceptual construction is called the real mind. When the real mind cognizes those objects such as real form, only the transformed nimittabhāga is called a nature-object. If mind cognizes the nimittabhāga transformed by mind, the nimittabhāga has no reality, but merely bears the substance. ‘Nature’ is substance; its substantial nature being real, it is named a nature-object. As for the solitary image: ‘solitary’ means single; it singly has a shadow-image without having an archetype; therefore the characteristic is called solitary. For example, cognizing characteristics such as turtle’s hair and the child of a barren woman. Or, although there is an archetype, the nimittabhāga cannot perfume the seed of that archetype; facing the archetype it is powerless and has only a nominal image, so it is also called solitary. For example, when the discriminating mind cognizes the characteristic of the unconditioned, and the characteristics of the mental factors of the eighth consciousness, and so forth; the rest may be understood accordingly. As for the substance-bearing object: regarding ‘substance’ (zhi), the Zhouyi says it means bodily form. Regarding ‘bearing’ (dai), the Shuowen says it means a sash; a sash means binding. Again, the Fangyan says that ‘dai’ means walking. Now in saying ‘substance-bearing,’ the meaning connects to both. If relying on the Shuowen, it means carrying along and adhering closely, like the binding of a sash. If relying on the Fangyan, the image arises dependent on the archetype, just as walking only occurs by means of a road. However, although this nimittabhāga has the ability to perfume its own seed and the seed of the archetype, it has no real function—just as when cognizing the mental characteristic, the mind of the nimittabhāga lacks the function of deliberation. As for connecting both feeling and archetype: ‘feeling’ means the darśanabhāga, and ‘archetype’ means the substance. This shows that the transformed characteristic follows the seeing and follows the substance in determining its seed-nature, the two senses being indeterminate.” Furthermore, there are two kinds of objects: 1. The affective objects of ordinary beings’ conceptual clinging, where seeing phenomena outside the mind is named “object.” 2. The wisdom-objects of the unimpeded virtuous functions of all noble ones, which, because they manifest from the mind, constitute the wisdom-objects of their wondrous functions. Again, there are two: 1. The object of delimitations, because it is vast and boundless. 2. The object of knowables, which only a Buddha can exhaust. Furthermore, there are two kinds: The first is the mind-object, because it is manifested solely by the mind; when mind expands, there is no object outside mind, and when object expands, there is no mind outside object, always containing one single flavor. The second is the object of the objective realm, meaning that mind and object are unobstructed, concealment and manifestation occurring simultaneously, substance and function mutually completing each other, and principle and phenomena appearing together.