大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 4.44

4.44

論。答曰真如至起差別　釋曰。下答有二。初約惑厚薄以明不等。後約緣前後以明差別。初中有二。初正顯惑差。後結明不等。此初也　聞有三節。初顯無明厚薄不同。真如一者。顯熏平等。定前所說真雖等熏。而依真有根本無明厚薄不同。而諸凡夫無明厚薄者。現在有信厚者無信諸賢聖等無明薄者先入涅槃厚者不爾非由內熏使之然也。過恒沙上煩惱等者。次顯現行煩惱不等。上煩惱者。即餘四住現行煩惱。梁攝論中說現行惑名上心故。雖自住地惑種而起。亦因無明住地而有。故依無明起差別也。新論無此文。極種約言。我見愛染煩惱等者。此顯四住煩惱障種。我見謂即初一住地。愛染謂即餘三住地。此住地惑數過恒沙。亦因無明起成差別。

[Treatise:] "Reply: Tathatā [...] arise differences." [Commentary:] The reply below has two parts: first, explaining the inequality in terms of the thickness or thinness of afflictions; later, explaining the differences in terms of the earlier or later of conditions. In the first there are two parts: first, properly revealing the differences of afflictions; later, concluding and clarifying the inequality. This is the first part. The text has three sections. First, revealing the differences in the thickness and thinness of avidyā. "Tathatā is one" reveals the equality of perfuming, confirming the previous statement that although tathatā perfumes equally, based on tathatā there is fundamental avidyā differing in thickness and thinness. As for the thickness and thinness of avidyā in all ordinary beings: in the present, those with faith have it thin, and those without faith have it thick; among all the worthy and noble ones, those with thin avidyā enter nirvāṇa first, and those with thick avidyā do not. It is not caused to be so by internal perfuming. "Afflictions more numerous than the sands of the Ganges..." and so forth: next, revealing the inequality of active afflictions. "Afflictions above" are precisely the active afflictions of the remaining four abiding stages. In the Liang translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, active afflictions are called "mental afflictions above". Although arising from the affliction-seeds of their own abiding stages, they also exist because of the abiding stage of avidyā; therefore, based on avidyā, differences arise. The new translation does not have this text, its wording being extremely concise. "Afflictions such as self-view and passionate attachment..." and so forth: this reveals the seeds of the affliction-hindrances of the four abiding stages. "Self-view" refers precisely to the first single abiding stage; "passionate attachment" refers to the remaining three abiding stages. The afflictions of these abiding stages outnumber the sands of the Ganges; they also arise based on avidyā, constituting differences.