宗鏡錄 73.25

73.25

Answer: The verse in the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra states:
'Due to the vāsanās of various karmas,
together with the vāsanās of the twofold grasping,
when the previous ripening is exhausted,
another ripening is born again.'
'Various karmas' refers to meritorious karma, unmeritorious karma, and immovable karma; that is, the volitional karmas (cetanā-karma) of contaminated wholesome and unwholesome states. The associates of volitional karma are also designated as 'karma', because together they attract and complete ripening results. Although karma ceases immediately without interval as soon as it arises, and has no actual entity capable of attracting the future ripening result, it perfumes the fundamental consciousness and generates its own functional capacity; this very capacity is called a vāsanā. It is formed by the perfuming of the karmic energy component; to distinguish it from past actual karma, it is termed 'vāsanā'. Such vāsanās continue successively in an unbroken chain, and when they reach maturity, they attract the ripening result. This shows the superior adhipati-pratyaya (predominant condition) for the future result.
Nimitta and darśana, nāma and rūpa, citta and caitta, root and branches, and grasping them—all are subsumed under the 'twofold grasping'. That which is perfumed and aroused by them, the capacity on the fundamental consciousness that is directly capable of producing them, is called the 'vāsanās of the twofold grasping'. This shows the future ripening-result citta and its associated causal seeds (hetupratyaya-bīja). That they are 'together' means the karmic seeds and the seeds of the twofold grasping exist together, which means the distal and proximal conditions mutually assist one another. Because karma prominently initiates rebirth, it is stated first in the verse.
'The previous ripening' refers to the ripening results of karmas in earlier and earlier lives. 'Another ripening' refers to the ripening results of karmas in later and later lives. Although the seeds of the twofold grasping receive results without end, karmic vāsanās have an end in receiving results. Because a ripening result is different in nature [from its karma], it is difficult to attract; whereas an outflow-concordant result (niṣyanda-phala) and a predominant result (adhipati-phala) are identical in nature, and thus easy to induce. Because the seeds of karma and the like that induce other lives mature, when the enjoyment of the previous ripening result is exhausted, subsequently they can distinctively generate another ripening result. From this, birth-and-death turns endlessly in saṃsāra; why rely on external conditions for continuity to obtain? The meaning of this verse is to state: birth-and-death and saṃsāric transmigration, due to karma and the twofold grasping, are never apart from consciousness, because citta and caittas constitute their nature.

The commentary explains: Regarding 'Although this ceases immediately without interval as soon as it arises, and has no actual entity capable of attracting the future ripening result': Although the present function does not have a past substantial entity that can attract the true ripening result of the future, when present karma is performed, it perfumes the fundamental consciousness to give rise to the functional capacity of its own karma. 'Functional capacity' is precisely the vāsanā. The vāsanās continue successively in an unbroken chain, and upon reaching maturity, attract the ripening result.
Regarding 'Nimitta and darśana, nāma and rūpa, citta and caitta, root and branches, and grasping them—all are subsumed under the twofold grasping': First, nimitta and darśana: grasping what is genuinely the grāhaka (grasping subject) and genuinely the grāhya (grasped object) is termed the twofold grasping. Second, grasping nāma and rūpa: rūpa is the rūpa-skandha; nāma is the other four skandhas; this means holding and grasping the five skandhas. In the previous mention of 'nimitta', it also generally included unconditioned dharmas as the fundamental substance (mūladravya); here, it only shows the grasping of the immediate object-support (pratyakṣālambana), because one cannot perceive dharmas outside the mind. Furthermore, the objective image-aspect (nimittabhāga) transformed from unconditioned dharmas is also subsumed under nāma, because it is not apart from citta and so forth. Third, grasping citta and caitta: all dharmas of the five skandhas are not apart from these two. Fourth, root and branches: grasping the direct result; the eighth consciousness is the root of all ripenings, and because it is the category of general retribution, it is called the 'root'; the ripenings and distinct retributions of the remaining consciousnesses and so forth are called the 'branches'; this refers to grasping a single ripening. Fifth, 'grasping them': grasping the aforementioned four. All these graspings are subsumed under the twofold grasping; that is, they are active graspings.
Regarding 'Although the seeds of the twofold grasping receive results without end, karmic vāsanās have an end in receiving results. Because a ripening result is different in nature and difficult to attract, whereas an outflow-concordant result and a predominant result are identical in nature and easy to induce': The seeds of the twofold grasping receive results without end; the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says that [karmic] vāsanās have an end. Why is this so? Because for a ripening result: first, its nature is different, being distinct in nature from the karma and not largely conforming with it; second, it is difficult to attract, for although karma attracts it, its result necessarily matures only in a different life. Therefore, karmic vāsanās have an end, just as musk and foul herbs wither and dissipate. As for its outflow-concordant result and predominant result: first, they are identical in nature, their intrinsic nature mutually conforming; second, they are easy to induce, because they arise simultaneously; once perfumed in this mind-moment, they can immediately generate the result; therefore, the seeds of the twofold grasping easily induce results. What is outflow-concordant, and what is predominant? 'Predominant' is broader, but what is outflow-concordant is necessarily predominant. 'Outflow-concordant' means that the seed acts as a co-arising and homogeneous cause (sabhāga-hetu) for the present activity and for seeds of its own kind. The predominant sphere has no separate entity, for it is of the very nature of outflow-concordance. Furthermore, because it is an outflow-concordant result, its nature is identical; because it is a predominant result, it is easy to induce. Again, the seed in relation to present activity is predominant; in relation to seeds of its own class, it is outflow-concordant. Karmic seeds in relation to those present activities and seeds are of a different nature in both cases; therefore, they are only ripening. When the enjoyment of the previous ripening is exhausted, it cannot further produce another ripening result. This means: because the seeds of karma and so forth that induce future subsequent lives mature, when the enjoyment of the previous ripening result is exhausted in the present body—which is precisely the moment near death of this body—those matured karmas can again distinctively produce that other result to arise. That is, when the former karma is exhausted, and the seeds of the subsequent result mature, the ripening result is born again. Hence, birth-and-death is never cut off.
Therefore, karmic results have no interruption, and birth-and-death continues in unbroken succession, turning endlessly in saṃsāra. Why rely on conditions outside the mind for birth-and-death to continue? This continuing consciousness has no time of interruption. If one has not formed contemplation in every circumstance and clearly understood one's own citta, one will produce doubt toward objects and grasp that external dharmas exist. All birth-and-death is entirely this doubting state of mind. If one only comprehends mind-only, naturally there will be no fault. It is like falling ill from suspecting a snake—how could there be a real object residing in the mind? It is like hanging sand to stop hunger—it is merely a thought arising in one's own mind. As recorded in the biography of Yue Guang in the Book of Jin: Guang had a close guest who had not visited for a long time. Guang asked him the reason, and he replied, 'Previously while seated, I was favoured with wine, and saw a snake in the cup. I was deeply disgusted by it. After drinking, I fell ill.' At that time, on the wall of the Henan government office, there was a bow, and beside the bow was painted a snake. Guang realized that the snake in the cup was the shadow of the bow. He placed the wine in the previous spot again, and the guest suddenly had his doubt resolved, and his chronic illness was cured at once. Furthermore, in the chapter on the four nutritions in the Vinaya, the manual of the ancient masters' doctrinal gates states: Regarding nutrition by volition, during a famine year, a small child begged his mother for food, weeping without stopping. The mother hung up a bag of sand, deceiving him by saying, 'This is cooked rice.' For seven days the child stared intently at the bag, taking it to be food. After seven days, the mother untied it to show him. When the child saw it was sand, he lost all hope and died on that account. This proves that birth, old age, sickness, and death are all one's own citta; earth, water, fire, and wind ultimately have no separate entity. Therefore, sentient beings are attached to birth-and-death, and the two vehicles revile and fear birth-and-death; neither understands that there are no dharmas outside the mind, and both are detained by objects. Although their grasping and rejecting differ, neither is liberation. Why? Sentient beings are bound by birth-and-death; the two vehicles are bound by nirvāṇa. As the Laṅkāvatārasūtra says: 'Furthermore, Mahāmati, the śrāvakas, fearing the suffering of the false discrimination of birth-and-death, seek nirvāṇa, not knowing that the distinction between birth-and-death and nirvāṇa is entirely the existence of false discrimination; because it is non-existent, they falsely calculate that the future cessation of sense organs and objects is nirvāṇa, not knowing that by realizing the realm of self-realization, they transform the underlying ālayavijñāna into great nirvāṇa. Those foolish persons do not know the realm of self-mind taught by past, future, and present Buddhas; they grasp objects outside the mind, and constantly transmigrate in birth-and-death without cease.'