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煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

26 Jul 2019    Friday     1st Teach Total 1721

The Mahayana Sutra of the Manifestation of Consciousness (65)

Original: Due to the existence of seeds, there are form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharmas. When the ālaya-vijñāna abandons the present physical body, the seeds of the six dust realms migrate along with the ālaya-vijñāna to another physical body. On that other physical body, the eye-consciousness realm of form arises, the ear-consciousness realm of sound arises, the nose-consciousness realm of scent arises, the tongue-consciousness realm of taste arises, the body-consciousness realm of touch arises, and the mind-consciousness realm of dharmas arises. Thus, the six consciousnesses arise accordingly, and the realm of sensation and dharmas also arises accordingly. The eighteen realms of the six sense faculties, six dusts, and six consciousnesses all manifest. This constitutes a complete sentient being.

Explanation: Due to the existence of seeds, the six dust realms of form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharmas come into being. After the ālaya-vijñāna abandons the present physical body, the seeds of the six dust realms migrate along with the ālaya-vijñāna to another physical body. On that other physical body, the realm of form for the eye faculty arises, the realm of sound for the ear faculty arises, the realm of scent for the nose faculty arises, the realm of taste for the tongue faculty arises, the realm of touch for the body faculty arises, and the realm of dharmas for the mind faculty arises. In this way, the six consciousnesses arise accordingly, and the realm of sensation and dharmas also arises accordingly. The eighteen realms of the six sense faculties, six dusts, and six consciousnesses all manifest. This is a complete sentient being.

Key Terminology Choices: 1. 种子 (zhǒngzi): Seeds -> Translated as "seeds" (standard Buddhist term for bīja). 2. 色香味 (sè xiāng wèi): Form, scent, taste -> Expanded to "form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharmas" based on the explanation which clarifies it refers to the 六尘 (liù chén) or six dusts/six sense objects (rūpa, śabda, gandha, rasa, sparśa, dharma). The original text uses "色香味" as shorthand for the five physical sense objects, but the explanation explicitly lists the full six including "触" (touch) and "法" (dharmas/mental objects).
——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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