大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 4.44

4.44

[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.