大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 3.62

3.62

[Treatise:] Therefore, the three realms are made only by the mind, not apart from the objects of the six sense fields.
[Commentary:] Above, the evolving of the mind was revealed. Next below, the meaning of relying on the mind is concluded and clarified. In this there are two parts: first, properly concluding the attribution to the mind; second, resolving doubts and explaining extensively. This is the first. In the text there are two clauses. First, directly concluding the three realms: when it says "therefore", it means that because the previous one mind, following avidyā, moves and creates the five minds, and these five kinds of mind are formed relying on the mind; and since these five minds collectively subsume the three realms, it is therefore said that the three realms evolve only from the one mind. Being falsely imagined as if appearing is called "unreal"; deceitfully appearing in actual form is called "illusory". Alternatively, having attributes but lacking substance is called "unreal"; lacking substance while seeming to exist is called "illusory". Although the characteristics of the unreal and illusory are of various kinds, when their cause is investigated, they are made only by the mind. Therefore [a sutra] says: "Sons of the Buddha, the three realms are only mind; apart from the mind..." and so forth. This concludes conversely regarding the six sense fields: apart from that manifesting consciousness, there are no six sense fields. By inverse verification, the six sense fields are only the one mind. Therefore it says, "apart from the mind, there are no six sense fields."