大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 4.80

4.80

[Treatise:] it has no intrinsic nature; [Commentary:] This contrastively reveals the meaning of the nature being free from the defilement of afflictions. Here it should say: "If the mind has movement, it has no intrinsic nature; the nature of the mind is free from movement, which is the meaning of the intrinsically pure mind." Because the meaning is difficult to know, it only raises one sentence. One opinion holds: this speaks of grasping and attachment to names, because at the stage of the coarse division of phenomenal consciousness, grasping grows ever deeper, initiating karma and producing suffering; therefore it is called "having no intrinsic nature". Another opinion holds: this also generally contrasts with all defilements. If only the two characteristics lacked intrinsic nature, then the other defiled minds outside them would have intrinsic nature. Due to false movement forming the nine defiled characteristics, they lack intrinsic nature; because the nature of the mind is free from movement, it expresses the meaning of the intrinsically pure mind.