大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 3.44

3.44

[Treatise:] One should know that avidyā [… down to …] because they are characteristics of non-awakening.
[Commentary:] Above, it has broadly revealed the branches and twigs; here, it concludes the twigs by returning them to the root. 'One should know that avidyā is able to produce,' and so forth, is first the direct concluding return: as the preceding nine characteristics subsume all defilements, arising from fundamental avidyā deluded about the real, hence it says that avidyā produces all defilements. 'Because all defiled dharmas are all [...]' explains the reason. Fearing the doubt: 'Defiled dharmas have many kinds of distinctions; how could the root be solely the one avidyā?', [it explains that] although defiled dharmas are many, they are all the influence of avidyā, and all are characteristics of non-awakening, not different from non-awakening; therefore defiled dharmas are all non-awakening.