Excerpts from A Discourse on the Treatise on the Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna
Venerable Xiao Pingshi
What is called establishing the essence? That is, Mahāyāna generally comprises two aspects: existent dharma and dharma. The notion of existent dharma denotes the mind of all sentient beings. This mind subsumes all dharmas of the mundane and transmundane worlds, from which the essence of Mahāyāna manifests. Given that based on the characteristics of the reality-suchness of this mind, the noumenal aspect of Mahāyāna is revealed, and the characteristics of the causes and conditions of this mind’s arising and ceasing can manifest the noumenal aspect, attribute, or application of Mahāyāna.
The Awakening of Faith In the Mahāyāna, Vol. 1
「云何立義分？謂摩訶衍略有二種，有法及法。言有法者，謂一切眾生心。是心則攝一切世間出世間法，依此顯示摩訶衍義，以此心真如相即示大乘體故，此心生滅因緣相能顯示大乘體相用故。」大乘起信論 卷1
The second chapter discusses “establishing the essence.” Establishing the essence constitutes laying the foundation of the true meaning and correct principles. Why is it necessary to establish the essence? One would first establish the essential tenets of what one wishes to elucidate. In the case of Bodhisattva Xuanzang in ancient times, after he completed his Buddhist learning in India, he traveled through 18 countries and held unhindered doctrinal debate assembly in each location. He first set forth the principal doctrine of the “true pramāṇa of vijñaptimātratā (consciousness-only); 真唯識量” This tenet denotes that all dharmas are mere consciousness. The pramāṇa of consciousness-only is real, meaning the direct perceptional state of consciousness-only is real; dharmas are all brought forth by this consciousness only; this ālaya-consciousness gives rise to and manifests all dharmas, whether worldly or transmundane. Nonetheless, the notions of arising differs from the manifestation. The arising pertains to all conditioned dharmas, while the manifestation pertains to all unconditioned dharmas. This is an example of what it means to "establish the essence.”
Treatise’s quote: What does it mean by establishing the essence? That is, Mahāyāna generally comprises two aspects: existent dharma and dharma.
The Awakening of Faith In the Mahāyāna, Vol. 1
【云何立義分？謂摩訶衍略有二種：「有法」及「法」。】大乘起信論 卷1
Explanation:
What is the notion of establishing the essence? Bodhisattva Ashvagosha says that the teachings of Mahāyāna, the wonderful Dharma of achieving Buddhahood, can be roughly divided into two kinds: existent dharma and dharma. “Mahāyāna” is a combination of the words “mahā,” meaning “great,” and “yāna,” meaning capable of bearing the load. Therefore, “Mahāyāna” means the “Great Vehicle.” In other words, unlike the Hināyāna (Middle Vehicle and Small Vehicle) teachings, which can convert very few people, Mahāyāna practitioners can help liberate and convert many people (to Buddhism) during the process of achieving the Path to Buddhahood.
Treatise’s quote: The notion of existent dharma denotes the mind of all sentient beings. This mind subsumes all dharmas of the mundane and transmundane worlds, from which the essence of Mahāyāna manifests. Given that based on the characteristics of the reality-suchness of this mind, the noumenal aspect of Mahāyāna is revealed, and the characteristics of the causes and conditions of this mind’s arising and ceasing can manifest the noumenal aspect, attribute, or application of Mahāyāna.
The Awakening of Faith In the Mahāyāna, Vol. 1
【言有法者，謂一切眾生心；是心則攝一切世間、出世間法，依此顯示摩訶衍義；以此心真如相，即示大乘體故；此心生滅因緣相，能顯示大乘體相用故。】大乘起信論 卷1
Explanation:
This treatise passage talks about the two dharmas and three kinds of greatness, essentially explaining the notion of “one mind, two dharmas, and three kinds of greatness.” The two dharmas are the existent dharma and dharma, while the three kinds of greatness are the noumenal aspect, attribute, and application. The existent dharma of the Mahāyāna teachings refers to the “existence in the three realms.” The origin of the existence in the three realms is the true mind of all sentient beings—that is, the eighth consciousness’s mind-entity is truly existent dharma, commonly referred to as emptiness-nature or emptiness-dharma. Why did Bodhisattva Ashvagosha not also refer to them as emptiness-nature or emptiness-dharma, instead calling them "existent dharma"? This is because the eighth consciousness is in accord with reality and is certainly not empty.
“Existent dharma” refers to the mind of the ultimate reality of all sentient beings. This “mind” encompasses all phenomena in the mundane and supramundane worlds. Based on this mind, the actual meaning of Mahāyāna is able to truly manifest. Although this mind entity is an empty and formless mental phenomenon, relying on its signs of reality-suchness nature to manifest the noumenon aspect of Mahāyāna; it undeniably exists and possesses real great applications and virtues, allowing enlightened practitioners to deepen their experiences and verify the applications of this mind. This will prevent them from being plunged into mere emptiness or nothingness.
The mind of each sentient being actually includes the mind-kings consisting of the eight consciousnesses (C: Bā shí xīn wáng), which all sentient beings inherently possess. However, for ordinary sentient beings dwelling in the mundane dharma, these eight consciousnesses operate in unison to form what appears to be one mind rather than eight different minds, so for them, there is no mind-kings consisting of the eight consciousnesses to speak of. Before learning about Buddhism, others might ask you, “Do you know you have eight minds?” You would reply, “Where are they? I have only a single mind! You might even exclaim, “Nonsense!” Yet there are indeed eight minds: The eye consciousness can see all form objects, but can it smell fragrances? No! Thus, it is a mind. Similarly, the ear consciousness can hear sounds, but can it smell fragrances? No! Thus, it is another mind. The nose, tongue, and body consciousnesses are also different. We cannot use our noses to smell the sensation felt by the skin from the whole body. This is absolutely impossible, except under one condition: upon attaining the Buddha Ground, where the six sense faculties can interoperate unobstructed and where the six sense consciousnesses are unhindered by the six sense faculties and able to interconnect.
In other words, the five consciousnesses of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and physical body have limits or boundaries. Because of these limitations, they are called the eye-faculty realm, the ear-faculty realm, through to the mental-faculty realm. The eye faculty can deal only with visual objects, not olfactory objects (smells). This is a limiting boundary; thus, the eye faculty is called the eye-faculty realm. The eye consciousness can discriminate only the colors shown. When it sees many form appearances, it cannot differentiate other attributes, such as long and short, square and circle, high and low, and far and near. It can distinguish only colors, including blue, yellow, red, and white, which are called apparent colors. As for attributes such as length (e.g., long or short), shape (e.g., square or circle), distance, and height, they are distinguished by our mental consciousness and belong to shaped-form. Because each consciousness has its own duties and responsibilities based on its limitations, the realms are also called functional potentialities, which are referred to as seeds in the vijñaptimātratā (consciousness-only) teachings. Due to the different functional potentialities of the mind-kings consisting of the eight consciousnesses, the different realms of the six sense faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses arose, bringing about the dharma of eighteen elements in the desire realm.
Each of the eight minds also has its corresponding mental concomitants. These concomitants denote the working nature of the eight consciousnesses themselves and of the corresponding afflictions, wholesome dharma, neutral dharma, and so on. With the addition of these eight consciousnesses, our physical body, our five sense faculties, the eleven material factors, etc., when they cooperate and work together, all the phenomenal dharmas appear. Bodhisattva Ashvagosha collectively calls the working nature of the mind-kings consisting of the eight consciousnesses, together with all the phenomena that have arisen indirectly, existent dharma.
Why is the “existent dharma” called the minds of all sentient beings? It is because these are the minds that all sentient beings will display and manifest. This manifestation is the same for all humans, dogs, and even ants. As a result, these mind-kings consisting of the eight consciousnesses and all dharmas are referred to as the minds of all sentient beings. This is what “the teaching of the one and ‘only’ mind encompasses the eight consciousnesses” means in the vijñaptimātratā teachings.