起信論註 1.39

1.39

[Treatise:] What are the six? First is defilement associated with attachment, which is distanced by relying on the liberation of the two vehicles and the stage of corresponding faith. [Commentary:] "And" includes the bodhisattvas of the three stages of worthies. Those of the two vehicles obtain the gateway of the two emptinesses, practicing through causal power without yet realizing tathatā; therefore it says, "the stage of corresponding faith." In commentary: Below, the six defilements are explained individually, thus dividing into six parts. Question: What are the six defilements? Answer: The five kinds of mind mentioned previously, now together with the sixth consciousness, are called the six defilements. The five minds above went from subtle to coarse. Now, intending also to distinguish the meaning of counteracting and severing, they are elucidated in order from coarse to subtle, and divided from ordinary people to noble ones. Afflictions have the coarse and the subtle: the coarse are conceptually differentiated, while the subtle are innate causes. Because of this, there are the coarse and the subtle. Subtle afflictions can be severed by bodhisattvas of the ten stages. If they are coarse and evil afflictions, ordinary people can sever them. Question: What are the coarse? For example, killing and slaughtering are surely fierce, coarse, and evil afflictions. If an ordinary person generates the mind [of renunciation], all these coarse and evil afflictions can be severed; therefore it is said that ordinary people can sever them. Hence it is said that the lowest of low-grade afflictions are [severed by] the highest of high-grade [stages], and the highest of high-grade afflictions are [severed by] the ordinary people, while bodhisattvas of the ten stages [sever subtle afflictions]; thus it is said that ordinary people can sever them. Here, the first, defilement associated with attachment, is the aforementioned sixth consciousness, which arises together with coarse attachments to self and what belongs to self; hence it is called associated attachment. Polluting the pure mind is called defilement. The meaning of this and the two below is associated, as explained below. For a person of the two vehicles reaching the stage beyond study, afflictions of view and cultivation can be severed ultimately, hence this first defilement [is abandoned]. For a bodhisattva abiding in the stage where the marks of faith are perfected without falling back, it is called corresponding faith. A bodhisattva at this stage attains the gateway to the emptiness of persons, and the afflictions of view and craving do not become manifest. (Question: What is manifest activity? All the highest-grade coarse afflictions do not arise, hence it is said that they do not become manifest. Although they do not become manifest, the seeds are not yet corrected; when encountering conditions, they arise.) Therefore it says "distanced", not that the latent propensities are eliminated. (Question: What are the latent propensities? Answer: Persons of the two vehicles forcibly suppress afflictions, and the seeds remain hidden in the ālayavijñāna. It is like when sleeping, no afflictions arise; but when suddenly waking, the afflictions are still there. When encountering conditions they suddenly arise, because the seeds are not yet corrected; hence they are called latent propensities. It is also like persons of the two vehicles,) whose six consciousnesses do not operate; they cultivate and attain the absorption of the formless realm, and are born in the formless realm for eighty thousand great kalpas. When their merit in absorption is exhausted, they fall back into hell. Why is this? Because previously, when cultivating absorption, they made an evil vow. Although they attained absorption and were born in the formless realm, because their past evil karma followed the bodily activities and the seeds were not eradicated. (Question: What evil vow did they have? Answer: In a previous situation, when cultivating absorption, one sat under a tree. The birds in that tree made noise, so one went to sit beside the water. The aquatic creatures in the water made noise again, so an evil vow was made, saying: "May I abandon this body and become a flying, evil yakṣa. When flying, I will eat all flying birds; when entering water, I will eat all aquatic creatures in the water." Although he attained absorption and by causes and conditions of good karma was born in the formless heaven, remaining there for eighty thousand kalpas, due to the power of the evil vow, when his merit there was exhausted, he fell back into hell and again became a yakṣa. Therefore it is said that the seeds of latent propensities were not yet eradicated.)