大乘起信論廣釋卷第三．四．五 5.6

5.6

Treatise: There is perfuming [...] cultivating faithful mind.
Commentary: This clarifies the cultivation of practice, answering the second question. Regarding "there is perfuming," etc.: First, it analyzes the cause of practice. That is, it explains that there is the internal perfuming causal power of original awakening, and the wholesome manifestation of hearing-perfuming serves as the external condition power, enabling one to rely on one's prior capacity to cultivate wholesome roots. Regarding "faith in karma and its fruition," etc.: Next, it shows what is practiced. Relying on the preceding cause and conditions, one is able to have faith in the karmic retribution and give rise to the three kinds of wholesome roots, such as the ten wholesome actions: 1. Wholesome roots conducive to merit: Past wholesome roots can induce this body, complete with all sense faculties, making it a receptive vessel for the Dharma. Having faith in karma and its retribution, one can give rise to the ten wholesome actions, which is precisely the cultivation of wholesome roots conducive to merit. Thus, the Benye jing says: "That person furthermore practices the ten minds, which means the ten wholesome dharmas, or practices the five precepts and the six pāramitās. If for one or two kalpas they cultivate the practice of the ten wholesome actions, they receive the retribution of the six desire heavens; because of the three grades of practicing the ten wholesome actions, they become iron-wheel-turning kings, millet-scattering kings, and the like." 2. Wholesome roots conducive to liberation: Sown as a supramundane seed in the field of the body, they are capable of inducing and culminating in the fruition of liberation. 3. Wholesome roots conducive to penetration: Through the power of the noble path, one penetrates tathatā. "Conducive to" (fen) means the cause; that is, it is the cause of penetrating tathatā. What is stated here as "loathing the suffering of birth and death and seeking the meaning of unsurpassable bodhi" refers precisely to the wholesome roots conducive to liberation from suffering and conducive to penetration. However, bodhi generally comprises five kinds: 1. Bodhi of resolving the mind, located in the stage of the ten faiths; 2. Bodhi of subduing the mind, located in the stages of the three types of worthies; 3. Bodhi of clarifying the mind, located in the stage of the first bhūmi; 4. Bodhi of emerging and arriving, at the seventh bhūmi and above; 5. Unsurpassable bodhi, which is the Buddha stage. Here, one seeks the Buddha stage, hence it is called "unsurpassable." Regarding "being able to encounter," etc.: Afterwards, it clarifies the conditions for practice; that is, relying on these conditions, one cultivates the ten faiths. The ten faiths are: faith, vigor, mindfulness, concentration, wisdom, precepts, dedication, protection, giving, and aspiration. Thus, the Benye jing says: "That person briefly practices ten kinds of minds, which means the mind of faith," etc. The meaning of the ten faithful minds has already been clarified in the title section, so it is not redundantly recorded here.