大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 4.25

4.25

[Treatise:] What are the four? [First is the pure phenomenon, called tathatā. Second is the cause of all defilements, called avidyā. Third is the deluded mind, called karmic consciousness. Fourth is the deluded object, called the six sense-dusts.]
[Commentary:] This lists the names of defiled and pure perfumings. What is called the pure phenomenon, named tathatā: because this tathatā is within the gate of arising and ceasing, it is called a pure phenomenon by virtue of the meaning of the three greatnesses. Although it is associated with defilement, because its self-nature is pure, its internal perfuming turns away from defilement to accomplish initial purity; because its external perfuming responds to spiritual capacities, it accomplishes pure conditions. Therefore the Liang translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, in clarifying the Madhyamaka meaning, says: 'That which can establish refers to the ten kinds of merits fundamentally possessed by the real; that which is established refers to the newly arisen ten kinds of superior practices.' What is called the cause of all defilements, named avidyā: 'all defilements' refers to the three subtleties and six coarsenesses. Fundamental avidyā serves as the cause of subtle defilement, and branch avidyā serves as the cause of coarse defilement. What is called the karmic consciousness as the deluded mind: its substance is not real, fundamentally non-existent within the true, arising because of the false perfuming of that avidyā. However, this deluded mind also includes the phenomenal consciousness, etc.; here, based on its fundamental [state], it is merely called karmic consciousness. What is called the six sense-dusts as deluded objects: arising from the deluded mind, their substance is falsely manifested of itself, being grasped by that deluded mind of phenomenal consciousness. However, among the four perfumings, one is pure and three are defiled; because the self-nature of those defiled phenomena is differentiated and relies upon causes and conditions, three are spoken of in full. Although the pure phenomenon forms the meaning of perfuming in opposition to defilement, because substance and activity are without distinction, only one kind is clarified. Furthermore, wishing to show that purity is superior and defilement is inferior, and that the few can oppose the many, one is adduced against three.