大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 3.65

3.65

論。當知世間至而得住持　釋曰。次下總結。於中有三。初顯依妄有境。次顯境體亦無。後結釋所以。此初也。言無明者。根本無明。言妄心者。即業轉現。世間境界杖此而成。依之而住。不失自體。故言依妄得住持等。若爾劫壞餘殘世界誰無明妄所住持耶。答。總詳諸教有其四釋。有義。眾生本識妄心於所變境為二因力。一為生因。由種勢力生近正果故。二為引因。引遠殘果令不頓絕故。內身既爾。外器亦然。故劫壞時雖無眾生。無明妄心為正生因。由前識中種有引力故。世界不即頓空。此能引力既本是心故。所引果亦妄心也。有義前說其理不然。諸□死時身器頓滅。彼時何無引因力耶。若生界法應頓滅者。此何不爾要色引因。設爾殘界應心外有現。無妄心所住持故。由此應說妄心所變有共不共四種句義。故此世界共所變起。或共受用不共受用。雖不共用必共變起。是故設生他方自地彼無明妄亦得住持。如死無心餘變骸骨他變殘界。其理善成。有義。此說亦未應理。大千世界成壞必同。無有彼此住壞異故。若大千外世界隔遠。彼識不能變此界。故不爾。殘界應永不空。諸界眾生常共變故。不應倒彼餘骸為救。界地異同遠近別故。應言世界將壞之時有得通者往來持用彼識亦得變此殘界。如諸聖者往惡趣中必變彼趣而往來故。不爾殘界聖應不見。既照見者必變而緣不變。便取外境。故通者變其理。善成有義。此說理亦未然。論說境界皆妄心持。得通聖者無妄心故。設許聖變非利益過變殘世界無所用故。若由照見法爾變者。應同凡夫有所緣故。若由往來故所變者。界應不空。常往來故。若有為法自滅壞者。則因於果無力用故。不爾殘界尚有眾生往惡趣者不同倒故。應言殘界雖無人等必有別類重罪眾生彼識故得變此殘界。如人骸骨本識雖無餘鬼畜等所變住故。說前地獄亦雜人間不遮無間移處所故。說諸地獄處不移者。是小乘宗非大乘故。既彼劫壞不無眾生。即彼妄心變殘世界。彼眾生盡世界方空。如燈炎滅光乃無故。故諸世界妄心持也。

[Treatise:] One should know that all realms of the world rely on the avidyā and false mind of sentient beings to be sustained.
[Commentary:] Next below is the general conclusion. In this there are three parts: first, revealing that relying on falsity there are objective fields; next, revealing that the substance of objective fields is also non-existent; finally, concluding and explaining the reason. This is the first. "Avidyā" means fundamental avidyā. "False mind" means the karmic, evolving, and manifesting [consciousnesses]. The objective fields of the world rely on these to be formed, and abide depending on them without losing their own substance. Therefore it says, "rely on falsity to be sustained" and so forth. If so, then when the kalpa is destroyed, by whose avidyā and falsity is the remaining world sustained? Answer: Comprehensively examining the various teachings, there are four explanations. One opinion holds: the false mind of sentient beings' fundamental consciousness serves as two causal powers for the objective fields it transforms: first, as a productive cause, because through the power of seeds it produces immediate, direct fruits; second, as an inducing cause, because it induces distant residual fruits so that they do not abruptly cease. Since the internal body is like this, the external vessel world is also like that. Therefore, when the kalpa is destroyed, although there are no sentient beings, avidyā and the false mind serve as the direct productive cause; because seeds in the former consciousness have an inducing power, the world does not immediately become empty. Since this inducing power is fundamentally mind, the induced fruit is also the false mind. Another opinion holds: the previous explanation is unreasonable. When various [...] die, their bodies and vessel world abruptly perish; why is there no inducing causal power at that time? If the dharmas of the realm of sentient beings ought to perish abruptly, why should this not be so, requiring a physical inducing cause? If it were so, the residual world should exist outside the mind, because at present there is no false mind that sustains it. For this reason, one should say that what is transformed by the false mind has four propositions of common and uncommon. Thus this world is transformed collectively, either commonly experienced or uncommonly experienced; although not uncommonly experienced, it must be collectively transformed. Therefore, even if born in another realm or one's own plane, that avidyā and falsity can also sustain it; just as after death without mind, others transform the remaining skeleton, and others transform the residual world. Its principle is well established. Another opinion holds: this explanation is also not yet reasonable. The formation and destruction of a great chiliocosm must be simultaneous, without any difference in abiding or destruction between this and that. If worlds beyond the great chiliocosm are far distant, that consciousness cannot transform this realm. Otherwise, the residual realm should never become empty, because sentient beings of all worlds would constantly transform it collectively. One should not take the inverted remaining skeleton as a counter-defense, because the differences between realms, planes, and distances are distinct. One should say that when the world is about to be destroyed, there are those who possess supernormal powers who come and go, sustaining and using it; their consciousness can also transform this residual realm. Just as when various noble ones go into the bad destinies, they must transform that destiny to come and go. Otherwise, the residual realm would not be seen by noble ones; since they illuminate and see it, they must transform it and take it as an object; if they did not transform it, they would grasp external objects. Therefore, that those with supernormal powers transform it is well established in principle. Another opinion holds: this explanation is also not yet correct. The treatise says that objective fields are all sustained by the false mind; noble ones who have attained supernormal powers lack a false mind. Even if one grants that noble ones transform it, there would be the fault of having no benefit, for transforming a residual world has no utility. If it is transformed naturally due to illuminating and seeing, they would be identical to ordinary beings in having an intentional object. If it is transformed due to coming and going, the realm should not become empty, because they constantly come and go. If conditioned dharmas perish and decay by themselves, then the cause would have no efficacy regarding the fruit. Otherwise, in the residual world there are still sentient beings bound for the bad destinies, unlike the inverted case. One should say that although the residual world lacks humans and so forth, there must be other classes of sentient beings with heavy offenses whose consciousness can therefore transform this residual world. Just as with human skeletons, although the fundamental consciousness is absent, other ghosts, animals, and so forth transform and abide in them. It is said that the former hells are also intermingled among humans, not precluding Avīci from shifting its location. To say that the locations of the hells do not shift is the Hīnayāna tenet, not the Mahāyāna. Since at the time of kalpa destruction there are not no sentient beings, it is their false mind that transforms the residual world. Only when those sentient beings are exhausted does the world become empty, just as when a lamp flame is extinguished, the light is gone. Therefore, the various worlds are sustained by the false mind.