大乘起信論略述 1.152

1.152

The treatise says: "What is called the essence of mind […] is termed 'unchanging'." Dankuang explains: Having praised the profound nature of conditioned arising above, next he extensively reveals the distinctions within conditioned arising. In this there are two parts: first, revealing the essence and characteristics of conditioned arising; second, re-examining them. The first has three parts: first, explaining the meaning of the unchanging mental essence; next, revealing the cause of the conditioned arising of avidyā; last, revealing the characteristics of the defiled mind of conditioned arising. This is the first. It explains the earlier statement: "although there is defiled mind, it is constantly unchanging." Because the nature of this one mind is constantly clear and pure, free from discrimination, it is constantly unchanging; it is not defiled by subject and object thoughts, and hence by "non-thought" it is called unchanging.