The Middle Way in the Real Door of Vijñāna-Only

“As is the mind, so is the Buddha;

As the Buddha, so living beings;

Know that Buddha and mind

Are in essence identical."

 Avatamsaka Sutra, Vol. 10

Remarks:

    The ālaya-consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna) set forth in the real door of Consciousness-Only (Vijñāna-Only) is as follows: The ālaya possesses both the nature of existence and the nature of emptiness, the nature of cyclic existence and the nature of nirvāṇic liberation, and the nature of defilement and the nature of purity. This means that the ālaya-consciousness of a sentient being who does not follow Buddhism and does not pursue the Path to Liberation will cause him to transmigrate, while that of a sentient being who follows Buddhism and pursues the Path to Liberation will cause him to transcend cyclic existence. 

    Furthermore, the ālaya-consciousness of a sentient being who does not follow Buddhism and does not pursue the Path to Buddhahood will never transform into the reality-suchness of the Buddha Ground and will always be the illusory consciousness, while that of a sentient being who follows Buddhism and pursues the Path to Buddhahood will be the principal entity of the reality-suchness of the Buddha Ground in the future. Therefore, the ālaya-consciousness is the true consciousness, the true “Self.” Thus, on the causal ground, it contains an illusory nature but at the same time is not illusory. This embodiment of being neither false nor non-false constitutes the notion of the Middle Way.

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