Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/147

 v] A fvaghoa' S A bsolutisllz 13 1 subjectively does not exist by itself, that the negation (Sienyata) is also void (Simya) in its nature, that neither that which is negated nor that which negates is an independent entity. It is the pure soul that manifests itself as eternal, permanent, immutable, and completely holds all things within it. On that account it may be called affirmation. Rut yet there is no trace of affirmation in it, because it is not the product of the creative instinctive memory (smrtz) of conceptual thought and the only way of grasping the truth-the thatness, is by transcending all conceptual creations. "The soul as birth and death (SaltlSara) comes forth from the Tathagata womb (tathiigatagarbha), the ultimate reality. But the immortal and the mortal coincide with each other. Though they are not identical they are not duality either. Thus when the absolute soul assumes a relative aspect by its self- affirmation it is called the all-conserving mind (alayavi.fjiana). I t embraces two principles, (I) enlightenment, (2) non-enlighten- ment. Enlightenment is the perfection of the mind when it is free from the corruptions of the creative instinctive incipient memory (smrti). It penetrates all and is the unity of all (dharma- dhatu). That is to say, it is the universal dharmakaya of all Tathagatas constituting the ultimate foundation of existence. "Vhen it is said that all consciousness starts from this funda- mental truth, it should not be thought that consciousness had any real origin, for it was merely phenomenal existence-a mere ima- ginary creation of the perceivers under the influence of the delusive smrti. The multitude of people (bahu.fmza) are said to be lacking in enlightenment, because ignorance (a1.Jit(}'ii) prevails there from all eternity, because there is a constant succession of smrti (past confused memory working as instinct) from which they have never been emancipated. But when they are divested of this smrti they can then recognize that no states of mentation, viz. their appearance, presence, change and disappearance, have any reality. They are neither in a temporal nor in a spatial relation with the one soul, for they are not self-existent. "This high enlightenment shows itself imperfectly in our cor- rupted phenomenal experience as prajna (wisdom) and karma (incomprehensible activity of life). By pure wisdom we under- stand that when one, by virtue of the perfuming power of dharma, disciplines himself truthfully (i.e. according to the dharma) and accomplishes meritorious deeds, the mind (i.e. the iilaYa1. J ijiltilla)