法苑珠林 71.19

71.19

The commentary says: This explains that the holy ones, in relation to the subsequent meritorious actions, speak of sinful actions. However, these sinful actions falsely perceive the defilement of external objects, rigidly grasp at self and others, and cling to what is agreeable or disagreeable, thereby causing both self and others to commit evil karma. Thus a sūtra says: "Sensual desire does not arise or cease; it cannot afflict the mind. If a person has a notion of self and holds views of attainment, this person, because of sensual desire, will enter into the hells." Therefore, although there is no separate object outside the mind, conforming to their deluded sentiments, they forcibly perceive and produce defilements. It is like dreaming of an object and giving rise to greed and anger: conforming to the dreamer, one considers it real and not false; but in truth there is no object, only the false perception of sentiment. Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: "Just as in a dream one is pleased without a pleasing matter, angry without an anger-provoking matter, and frightened without a frightening matter, so it is with sentient beings of the three realms: because of the sleep of ignorance, they become angry when they should not be angry, and so forth." Therefore we know that although there is no separate object outside the mind, conforming to their deluded sentiments they falsely perceive and produce defilements. Although there are no marks of hell and so forth outside the mind, when evil karma is accomplished, they falsely perceive and experience suffering.