英語訳
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Answer: According to Sthiramati's intention, the meaning of the grasped (grāhya) that the self-witnessing consciousness clings to becomes the perceived aspect (nimitta-bhāga), and the meaning of the grasper (grāhaka) that the self-witnessing consciousness clings to becomes the perceiving aspect (darśana-bhāga). Since these are phenomena clung to by the self-witnessing consciousness, they are called "imagined nature" (parikalpita-svabhāva). Since they are called "imagined," they are non-existent phenomena. According to Dharmapāla's intention, the self-witnessing consciousness is a direct perception mind that does not engage in false discrimination. Only its perceiving aspect extends to the three types of cognition and involves false discrimination. The perceived aspect, though being the object of the three types of cognition, is real within the dependent nature. Both are not imagined but are dependently arisen, therefore they are existent phenomena.
Question: The naturally pure seeds of the three vehicles are not the consciousness's own characteristics. Since conditioned and unconditioned differ in essence, they are not transformations of consciousness. Since consciousness does not cognize them, how can they be consciousness-only? They exist in dependence upon ālayavijñāna. Since the eighth consciousness that serves as the basis for these pure seeds is conditioned, they are not consciousness's own characteristics. Since ālaya only cognizes conditioned seeds and they are not objects of consciousness, this doubt arises.
Answer: They are categories of consciousness-transformations, therefore they are consciousness-only. Also, because they depend on consciousness and are consciousness's own characteristics, they are consciousness-only.
Question: Which of these two explanations is superior?
Answer: Since they are the pure consciousness's own characteristics and are objects of pure consciousness, both explanations are valid.
Within consciousness's positional states: Question: Among the non-associated formations there are twenty-four phenomena. Why does the Consciousness-Only treatise, when refuting the Hinayana calculations, only refute fourteen and not the rest?
Answer: It refutes according to Hinayana calculations. Because they establish them, fourteen are refuted. This does not mean that Mahayana has fourteen phenomena.
Within consciousness's true nature: Question: Since suchness (tathatā) as unconditioned is substantially real, it can be consciousness's nature. The other five unconditioned phenomena are merely nominal, not real. Why do they become consciousness's true nature?
Answer: Because they are nominally established upon suchness, they become the true nature following the true basis upon which they depend.
Question: There are eight internal consciousnesses. How many internal objects are there?
Answer: How many internal objects are calculated? There are three categories of objects: first, real objects (svabhāva-ālambana); second, solely conceptual objects (pratibimba-ālambana); third, both real and conceptual objects (pratibimba-svabhāva-ālambana).
Question: Since there are already eight consciousnesses, why are there only three categories of objects?
Answer: Though there are eight consciousnesses, they are subsumed under three transforming consciousnesses. Though there could theoretically be eight objects, they are subsumed under three categories.
Question: What constitutes a real object?
Answer: The objects of the five sense consciousnesses and mental factors in the causal stage, and what the eighth consciousness mind-king cognizes in the causal stage, constitute real objects. Form is substantial form, having material obstruction, being real objects, hence called "real objects." What the sixth consciousness cognizes—such as rabbit horns, flowers in the sky, barren women, unconditioned phenomena, other realms—constitute solely conceptual objects. What the seventh consciousness cognizes—the perceived aspect manifested by the eighth consciousness's perceiving aspect—constitutes both real and conceptual objects.
In the upper volume of the Pivotal Essentials (Cheng Weishi Lun Shu Yao), Dharma Master Cien composed a verse:
"Real objects don't follow the mind, conceptual objects only follow perception, both real and conceptual connect with subjective and objective, nature and seeds correspond appropriately."
Question: Why don't real objects follow the mind?
Answer: There are three meanings of not following the mind: first, nature doesn't follow the mind; second, seeds don't follow the mind; third, binding doesn't follow the mind. Having all three non-following meanings, they become real objects. For example, when the five consciousnesses cognize the five sense objects of their own realm, the cognizing five consciousnesses extend to minds of the three natures, but the cognized five sense objects are only morally neutral. This is nature not following the mind. The cognizing five consciousnesses arise from their own seeds, and the cognized five sense objects also arise from their own seeds—each arising from separate seeds. This is seeds not following the mind. The cognizing five consciousnesses are bound only to the desire realm, while the cognized forms and sounds extend to being bound to the form realm. This is binding not following the mind.
【Left Page】
Among nature, seeds, and binding, even if subject and object are the same, they are merely the same and not following. The three phenomena are each separate while having commonalities. Taking sameness as following is unreasonable. Therefore, all others should be understood similarly. If they are solely conceptual objects, they all follow the mind. If they are both real and conceptual objects, they all connect with both subjective and objective aspects.
Question: Are these three categories of objects each separate, or do they extend to combinations of two or three?
Answer: Among them, extending means there are single sentences of the three objects, or sentences combining all three objects. Regarding one phenomenon, there are only two combinations, no three-combination sentences. Regarding collections, there are also three combinations.
Question: How do collections have three combinations?
Answer: Like when the eighth consciousness cognizes the concentration-produced forms transformed by the sixth consciousness, what the mind-king cognizes is both a real object and both real and conceptual. What the mental factors cognize is solely a conceptual object. This constitutes three combinations.
Question: Regarding one phenomenon, is there necessarily no three combinations?
Answer: It is necessarily absent.
Question: Like the eighth consciousness cognizing productive seeds, how is there non-following?
Answer: The cognized seeds are produced from seeds of the previous moment, while the cognizing eighth consciousness's perceiving aspect is produced from seeds of the present moment. Since the productive seeds already have the distinction of two temporal periods, they don't follow the mind.
Question: Regarding the eight consciousnesses in the causal stage, which consciousnesses obtain real objects and which obtain nominal objects?
Answer: The fifth and eighth consciousnesses in the causal stage necessarily obtain real objects. The seventh conditioned consciousness only obtains nominal objects. The sixth extends to both nominal and real objects.
Question: How do the four wisdoms of the result stage obtain objects?
Answer: They obtain both nominal and real. Fundamental wisdom obtains the real. Subsequently attained wisdom obtains both.
Within consciousness's own characteristics: Question: Consciousness has four aspects. Which aspect constitutes consciousness's own characteristics?
Answer: Distinguishing among them: the school establishing one aspect takes only the self-witnessing aspect as consciousness's own characteristics. The school establishing two aspects takes the perceiving aspect as the own characteristics and the perceived aspect as the transformed. The school establishing three aspects takes the self-witnessing aspect as consciousness's own characteristics and the two aspects as transformed. The school establishing four aspects takes only the self-witnessing aspect as consciousness's own characteristics and the three aspects as transformed.
Question: The fourth aspect is the internally cognizing aspect. Why does it become transformed?
Answer: Because it is a consciousness function arising to witness the self-witnessing consciousness, it is included in the transformed. Or the two aspects are own characteristics and the two aspects are transformed. If so, the consciousness essence still has two phenomena. Since there would already be two essences in one phenomenon, this is unreasonable, as can be seen. The former explanation is superior. The self-witnessing is the consciousness essence, and the three aspects are consciousness functions.
Question: Within consciousness-association, the ten phenomena such as enmity have no real essence. How can they be called associated?
Answer: They are called associated by following the substantial basis upon which they depend. Others should be understood similarly.
The masters of the Sautrāntika school challenge the consciousness-only doctrine established by Mahayana treatises.
Question: There are only eight mind-kings, namely the eight consciousnesses. Why are there fifty-one mental factors?
Answer: Just as in one country there is only one territorial king...