原夫聖人體用之旨者。有性相二義之門也。夫性相二門者。是真如性中。有生滅門。有不生滅門也。今生滅者。是相宗心意識也。不生滅者。是性宗空體之旨也。然則性外無相。相外無性。是故真如門中。生滅與不生滅。實無異相之法體也。既無異體。所以觸境明如。若無性相。故曰。唯心無境。若無境者。自心誰生。故心境泯泯廓然無聖。彰大象而不見其形。渾太虗而不見其相。是故在上不皦。其下不昧。大包天地。細入微塵。非色非空。非智非識。以五目不能覩其形。即四辯莫能談其狀。故繩繩不可名。寂寂不可見。迎之不見首。隨之不見後。鑽之彌堅。探之無影。微妙玄通。深不可識。希夷絕朕。究不可知。(噫)只可冥之于心。契之于神。為三藏之祖。作十地之宗。迷之者。化智性而成識色。悟之者。轉識色而成智性。成色識者。六道齊彰。成智性者。即幻有俱寂。又齊彰者。成黎耶之心王。俱寂者。捐萬象之形質。又心王起。則憎愛心所之紛紛。藏識空。破無明轉識之息息(噫)。若能通唯識之真宗。達實相之無境者。則不愧於學法之人矣。然(余)自慚無識。未入升堂。謁究玄宗。竭思不已。實祈聖之冥加。誠叩于歷祖。聊為論識以示將來。No. 898

Now, consider the principle of the sage’s essence and function: it has two gates—the gate of conditioned phenomena and the gate of ultimate nature. These two gates represent, within the reality of true suchness, a gate of arising-and-ceasing and a gate of non-arising-and-non-ceasing.

Arising-and-ceasing refers to the mind, consciousness, and mental factors taught in the Dharma-character school. Non-arising-and-non-ceasing refers to the empty essence taught in the Dharma-nature school. Yet apart from nature there is no phenomena, and apart from phenomena there is no nature. Therefore, within the gate of true suchness, arising-and-ceasing and non-arising-and-non-ceasing are ultimately not separate Dharma-essences. Since they are not separate, when you encounter any object, you directly see true suchness. Without this nature and phenomena distinction, it is said, “Only mind, no objects.” But if there are no objects, what gives rise to mind itself? Thus mind and objects both dissolve, vast and empty, with nothing sacred manifest. The great image appears without revealing its form; the great void blends without showing its shape.

Therefore, it is not bright above, nor dim below. It encompasses heaven and earth, yet enters the tiniest dust. It is neither form nor emptiness, neither wisdom nor consciousness. The five eyes cannot see its shape; the four辯 (rhetorical skills) cannot describe its state. It is so subtle it cannot be named, so still it cannot be seen. Meeting it, you see no beginning; following it, you see no end. Bore into it, and it only grows firmer; search for it, and there is no shadow. Mysterious, subtle, and profound—it is too deep to be known. Indistinct, trackless, beyond all trace—it can never be grasped. (Ah!) It can only be absorbed in the heart, realized in the spirit. It is the ancestor of the Three Treasuries (Tripitaka), the foundation of the ten stages. Those who are deluded transform wisdom-nature into consciousness and form. Those who awaken transform consciousness and form into wisdom-nature. When it becomes form and consciousness, the six realms of rebirth all shine forth. When it becomes wisdom-nature, even illusory existence is stilled. And when all shine forth, they become the king of mind—the ālaya-consciousness. When all are stilled, the shapes and forms of the ten thousand things are abandoned.

When the king of mind arises, love and hate and the attendant mental factors swarm chaotically. When the store-consciousness is emptied, then ignorance and the evolving consciousness are smashed into stillness. (Ah!) If you can penetrate the true doctrine of consciousness-only and realize that reality has no objects, then you are not unworthy of one who studies the Dharma.

Yet (I), ashamed of my own ignorance, have not yet entered the hall. I have earnestly inquired into the profound mystery and exhausted my thoughts without ceasing. Truly I pray for the secret aid of sages, and sincerely call upon the patriarchs of the past. I have written this brief discourse on consciousness, as an offering to those who come after.

Eight Consciousnesses Treatise (八識規矩論義)

Eight Consciousnesses Treatise (八識規矩論義)