大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 3.66

3.66

[Treatise:] Therefore, all phenomena are fundamentally separated from the characteristics of thoughts, and cannot be grasped; they are only the mind's falsity.
[Commentary:] This reveals that the substance of objective fields is also non-existent. Just as an image in a mirror has no real substance, and therefore can be grasped neither inside nor outside the mirror, objective fields are merely false appearances of the mind, and therefore can be grasped neither outside nor inside the mind. If so, then the four meanings would not be established for the various objective fields: they would have no external substance, being only the mind's falsity. The Viṃśikāvṛtti raises an objection in verse: "If consciousness lacks real objects, then determination of place and time, non-determination of continuities, and causal functions would not be established." Answer: As with objects in a dream, although the four meanings are established, in reality there are no separate objects; although the objects of waking time have the four meanings, they are also not separate from the mind. Also, just as hungry ghosts collectively see rivers of pus, and just as in hell they collectively see hell wardens, although there are no real objects, the four meanings are still established; therefore, all objective fields are only the mind's falsity. That is to say, the verse answering the objection in the Viṃśikā says: "Determination of place and time is like a dream; indetermination of persons is like ghosts collectively seeing rivers of pus and so forth; causal function is like emission in a dream; all is like hell, collectively seeing hell wardens and so forth that can perform acts of mutual torment; therefore the four meanings are all established." If so, then wholesome and unwholesome karma would not be established, because like what is seen in a dream, all would lack reality. Answer: In principle and reality, wholesome and unwholesome [actions] have no real intrinsic nature; they are all produced by the false mind. Therefore, following one's own grasping mind, those karmic fruits are formed. If known as it truly is, they have no existence, relying on the meaning of suchness. Therefore a sutra verse says: "Just as a lamp destroys darkness, exhausting it in a single thought without remainder, the darkness of all karmas accumulated through perfuming for many kalpas is quickly eradicated in a kṣaṇa when illuminated by the lamp of the Muni's cognition." Such meanings across various sutras are not singular. Therefore, those wholesome and unwholesome [actions] are also dream minds; as their mind is false, so too is karma. If so, then killing living beings would not cut off their life, nor would there be enemies and so forth, because there are no external objects. Answer: Seeing a being and killing life is also a false mind; because there is no being or life, there is nothing killed. That is to say, conditioned dharmas are by nature impermanent, having no abiding nature moment to moment. In reality, there are no two characteristics of a killer and a killed; only two false minds mutually condition each other. Due to this moment-to-moment false perfuming, determinate hostile karma and so forth are formed. Therefore the Viṃśikāvṛtti verse states this meaning: "By their mutual sovereign power, the two consciousnesses become determined." The prose explanation explains and cites this extensively. Just as in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, the Buddha relied on this meaning to refute King Ajātaśatru's attachment to the guilt of killing his father, stating that the aggregates are empty and there is neither killer nor killed; once that false mind is removed, the guilt is naturally non-existent.