宗鏡錄 76.13

76.13

Answer: All ordinary beings are deluded on account of awakening; delusion has no intrinsic essence. The Laṅkāvatārasūtra says: 'The Buddha said: "Mahāmati, the seven consciousnesses do not transmigrate, do not experience suffering and pleasure, and are not the cause of nirvāṇa. Mahāmati, the tathāgatagarbha experiences suffering and pleasure together with causes, whether being born or ceasing."' Ancient commentaries explain: The seven consciousnesses arise and cease in thought after thought, and cannot come and go in the six destinies; hence they are called 'not transmigrating'. Because they cease in thought after thought, they do not know suffering and pleasure, and do not serve as the cause for nirvāṇa. Furthermore, the seven consciousnesses arise from conditions and fundamentally have no intrinsic nature; they cannot even serve as the root of the suffering and pleasure of birth and death, how much less could they act as the cause for nirvāṇa! This clarifies that the tathāgatagarbha constantly causes the various consciousnesses to know suffering and pleasure. If the seven consciousnesses lacked the tathāgatagarbha, their intrinsic essence would cease in thought after thought and would not know suffering and pleasure. Depending on the tathāgatagarbha, they therefore know suffering and pleasure; this is called the tathāgatagarbha experiencing suffering and pleasure. The substance of the tathāgatagarbha does not experience suffering and pleasure. The statement 'together with causes' means that the tathāgatagarbha is together with the cause of the suffering and pleasure of birth and death of the seven consciousnesses, arising and ceasing in thought after thought. It also states: The seven consciousnesses are impermanent, arising and ceasing in thought after thought; as soon as they arise, they immediately perish. How could they transmigrate? Having no intrinsic essence of their own, they therefore do not experience suffering and pleasure. Since they are not the support of defilement, neither are they the support of untainted nirvāṇa. The tathāgatagarbha is truly permanent and all-pervasive, yet within the six destinies, delusion regarding this can cause it to adapt to conditions and accomplish phenomena, experiencing the fruits of suffering and pleasure; it is together with the seven consciousnesses, hence called 'together with causes'. Because it does not preserve its own nature and is thus accomplished, the seven consciousnesses depend upon this to undergo production and cessation; this is called 'whether being born or ceasing'. This clarifies that the tathāgatagarbha is precisely tathatā adapting to conditions, and therefore experiences suffering, pleasure, and so forth. Another commentary explains: Because the root harms the branches, causing the branches to be empty, there is nothing that can transmigrate. As for only the tathāgatagarbha experiencing suffering and pleasure: because the branches harm the root, it does not preserve its own nature, and its pure substance adapts to conditions to become existent. If they are in accord, they are like the blending of water and milk, constantly and perpetually sharing the same vessel. If they are in opposition, they are like the enemies of one's father and mother, not dwelling under the same heaven. Furthermore, upon preservation there is the meaning of non-preservation; upon abolition there is the meaning of non-abolition. If there were only abolition without non-abolition, form and emptiness would both perish, and there would be nothing that could be mutually identical. Because of non-abolition, although they are mutually identical, form and emptiness remain distinctly apparent. If there were only preservation without non-preservation, form and emptiness would each have a fixed nature and could not be mutually identical. Because there is non-preservation, although distinctly apparent, they can be mutually identical. Just as the non-obstruction of the two gates of tathatā and production-and-cessation in the Awakening of Faith is solely the one mind, this concludes and returns to the Awakening of Faith: depending on the dharma of the one mind, two kinds of gates are established. Therefore, one must be fully endowed with both meanings to be called 'complete-division consciousness-only'.