Commentary on the Mahayana Vijnaptimatrata Sutra
Chapter Three: How Are the Functions and Activities of the Ālayavijñāna Manifested?
Section One: The Ālayavijñāna Transfers to a New Body Like a Face Appearing in a Mirror
Original text: 贤护。识是何义。识名为种。能生众类。杂报身牙。知觉想念。同苞于识。知苦知乐。知恶知善。及善恶境。故名为识。
Explanation: Bhadrapāla, what is the meaning of consciousness (vijñāna)? Consciousness is named "seed": it is the seed consciousness, the mind-substance that contains and stores seeds, holding the seeds of sentient beings' karmic actions as well as the inherently existing seeds that give birth to the world of the five aggregates. Relying on these seeds, the Ālayavijñāna can give birth to the various defiled karmic retribution bodies of sentient beings. The nature of knowing, the nature of awareness, the nature of mindfulness, and the nature of perception are also simultaneously contained as buds within the substance of the Ālayavijñāna. Only after the six consciousnesses are born can one know suffering and know pleasure, know evil and know good, as well as know the various wholesome and unwholesome realms. Because it contains these defiled seeds, this consciousness is called the Ālayavijñāna.
Because the Ālayavijñāna contains the seeds of the five-aggregate body, it can give birth to the sprout of the five-aggregate body. "Seed" means the capacity to give birth; it can give birth to karmic retribution bodies of every kind — every kind of retribution is there, because every kind of karma has been created. The "body sprout" refers to the sprout of the body faculty (kāya-indriya), generally meaning the body faculty within the embryo. At the same time, the seeds of sentient beings' nature of knowing, perceiving, awareness, and mindfulness are also contained as buds within the Ālayavijñāna. When the consciousness seeds within the mind-substance are transmitted forth, sentient beings then possess the nature of knowing, perceiving, awareness, and mindfulness; when these functions of mind-consciousness appear, one knows suffering, knows pleasure, knows good and bad, and knows wholesome and unwholesome realms. This nature of knowing is entirely the knowing of the six consciousnesses, not the knowing of the Ālayavijñāna. The Ālayavijñāna does not know suffering, does not know pleasure, does not know good, does not know evil, and does not know wholesome or unwholesome realms. These two kinds of consciousness-nature are easily confused. When we read the sūtras, we must distinguish whether the "consciousness" spoken of in a sūtra refers to the six consciousnesses or to the Ālayavijñāna; only then can we correctly understand the sūtra's meaning.
Original text: 如汝所问。云何识离此身。而受余报。
Explanation: Just as you asked — how does the Ālayavijñāna leave this material body and go on to receive the karmic retribution body of the next life?
The material bodies of sentient beings in the six realms are all karmic retribution bodies; the material bodies of the four kinds of noble ones are also retribution bodies — only they are bodies of wholesome retribution. The Ālayavijñāna itself does not receive karmic retribution; it is the six-consciousness body that He manifests and transforms which receives the retribution. The Ālayavijñāna merely goes to transform, manifest, and carry sentient beings' retribution; in actuality it is still the manas that receives the retribution, but the manas does not feel the kind of suffering and pleasure that comes from bodily tactile sensation — it only has mental feelings of suffering and pleasure. If it were the six consciousnesses that received the retribution: the six consciousnesses cease at the time of death, and the six consciousnesses of the next life are new ones, so the original six consciousnesses cannot receive the karmic retribution. The Ālayavijñāna even less receives retribution: He has no feelings of suffering or pleasure and is entirely neutral feeling (upekṣā-vedanā); He also will not go on to become an animal, a hungry ghost, a human, or a deva, and so forth. He does not become anything at all, and therefore does not receive retribution.
Who is it that becomes the sentient beings of the six realms, such as the devas? It is the manas that does so. But the manas does not know the suffering of the body or the pleasure of the body; only the six consciousnesses have feelings of suffering and pleasure in both body and mind, and only then is there unwholesome retribution. Therefore, the one who receives the retribution is still the six consciousnesses. But the six consciousnesses cease at the time of death, and in the next life they are new six consciousnesses; the original six consciousnesses, having created karma, do not receive the retribution. Then, is there a true "lord of retribution" who truly receives the karmic retribution? In fact, there is no one who truly receives retribution. All dharmas are false and illusory; the myriad dharmas are all illusory in this way, without any real existence. When we feel gain and loss, we should analyze and contemplate: is there really a person who gains and loses? Is there any real gain and real loss? Neither exists. There is no subject of gain and loss — such is the illusory nature of all dharmas.
Take what we ordinarily call "earning money": who is it that earns it, and who obtains the money? If we say the material body obtains the money — the material body is like a piece of wood; it cannot move by itself, nor can it enjoy anything, so how could it obtain money? If we say the six consciousnesses obtain the money — the six consciousnesses are formless and without appearance, and they arise and cease moment by moment, so how could they earn and obtain money? If we say the manas earns and obtains money — the manas cannot do anything at all; everything is done by relying on the six consciousnesses. The manas does not enjoy anything either; it is all enjoyed by the six consciousnesses. The eighth consciousness even less knows how to earn or obtain money. If someone receives tens of thousands of yuan each month, how is it received? What exactly counts as "obtaining"? Is it obtained by the body? After repeated and repeated observation, one still cannot find the one who earns and obtains the money.
Conversely, when we lose something, contemplate carefully: who exactly is it that loses? In fact, there is no loser, no one who gains or loses. All dharmas arise from causes and conditions; when the various causes and conditions come together, an illusory appearance arises. The myriad dharmas also cease due to causes and conditions; as the various causes and conditions gradually disperse, an illusory appearance vanishes and is seen no more. Not one of them is a real dharma, yet we take all of this as real, and then within these dharmas we suffer, rejoice, create karma, and receive retribution. Is there, then, a real recipient of that retribution? In fact, there is no real recipient of retribution either.
Original text: 识之迁身。如面之像。现之于镜。如印之文。显之于泥。譬如日出。光之所及。众闇咸除。日没光谢。闇便如故。闇无形质。非常无常。能得其处。识亦如是。无质无形。因受想显。
Explanation: The Ālayavijñāna abandons this present material body and transfers to the material body of the next life, just like a face appearing in a mirror. The Ālayavijñāna is like the mirror; the facial image is a metaphor for another material body. The material body of the next life is manifested by the Ālayavijñāna, just like the imprint of a seal appearing on the seal paste. The Ālayavijñāna is like the seal paste, and the material body is like the seal's imprint. For example, when the sun comes out, wherever its light reaches, all darkness is completely removed; when the sun sets and its light fades, darkness appears again as before. Darkness has no form, color, or material obstruction; it is neither permanent nor impermanent, and there is no true place where it resides. The Ālayavijñāna is also like darkness: it has no material obstruction and no form or color; when sentient beings' mental factors of feeling and perception appear, the functions of the Ālayavijñāna can thereby be revealed.
The Buddha compares the Ālayavijñāna to a mirror, to seal paste, and to darkness. The Ālayavijñāna is formless and without appearance, having no image just like darkness. The Ālayavijñāna is like a mirror that can display a facial image; the material body of the five aggregates is like the facial image, appearing within the mind of the Ālayavijñāna. The Ālayavijñāna is like the seal paste — the seal paste corresponds to the Ālayavijñāna, and the material body of the five aggregates is like the seal's imprint appearing upon the Ālayavijñāna seal paste. The imprint is entirely seal paste, but the seal paste is not entirely the imprint. The material body of the five aggregates entirely originates from the Ālayavijñāna, yet the Ālayavijñāna is not the five-aggregate body.
The Ālayavijñāna is like sunlight, and the material body is like darkness. Darkness appears or disappears depending on the sunlight; the material body ceases or arises depending on the Ālayavijñāna. As soon as the sunlight comes out, wherever the sunlight shines, all darkness is gone — where did the darkness go? It has no place it comes from and no place it goes to. For example, a room is originally dark; once the lamp is turned on, the darkness is gone wherever the lamplight shines — where did the darkness go? There is no true darkness; it is merely a false appearance. After the sunlight goes down, darkness appears again just as before. Darkness has no form and no material obstruction; it is empty — the hand cannot touch it, the body cannot contact it; it is neither permanent nor impermanent, and there is no true place where it resides. In the same way, the Ālayavijñāna is formless and without appearance, without material obstruction; it cannot be seen by the eye or touched by the hand. When sentient beings' feelings and thoughts appear, the Ālayavijñāna is thereby brought into relief.
Perception is the nature of discernment and the nature of grasping appearances. After sentient beings' feeling and perception appear, upon feeling and perception the functions of the Ālayavijñāna are revealed — that is, upon the five aggregates the workings of the Ālayavijñāna can be revealed. Although the Ālayavijñāna is formless and without appearance, it operates upon the five-aggregate body, which has form and appearance, and thereby the operational characteristics of the Ālayavijñāna's activity can be manifested.
