大乘起信論略述 1.174

1.174

Treatise: "Ignorance is also like this: [it moves in reliance upon the essence of the mind; if the essence of the mind ceases, sentient beings would be severed and have nowhere to rely upon; because the essence does not cease, the mind can continue. Only because delusion ceases does the characteristic of the mind cease along with it,] not that the wisdom of the mind ceases."
Exposition: This is the application to the doctrine. "Ignorance is also like this: it moves in reliance upon the essence of the mind" reveals that apart from the mind it cannot move on its own. "If the essence of the mind ceases, sentient beings would be severed and have nowhere to rely upon" means that if the essence of the mind ceased when objects cease, then the wind of ignorance would have nothing to move; its activity, turning, and manifesting sentient beings would be severed and have nowhere to rely upon. "Because the essence does not cease, the mind can continue" means that because the essence does not cease when objects cease, the three fine unconcorded minds of ignorance are able to continue. In truth, it is because ignorance ceases that objects cease, not that because objects cease ignorance ceases. By this principle, when objects cease, the mind moved by ignorance and the three fines continue. This answers the first question, revealing the meaning of the cessation of the concordant mind. "Only because delusion ceases does the characteristic of the mind cease along with it, not that the wisdom of the mind ceases" means that when the wind of delusion of that ignorance is exhausted, the moving characteristics such as activity also cease and are exhausted along with it, not that the pure essence of the mind also ceases along with them. This answers the latter question, revealing the meaning of the cessation of the unconcorded mind.