摄论学派=Shelun school; 阿摩罗识=Amala-vijñāna; 阿赖耶识=ālayavijñāna; 九识理论=nine-consciousness theory
摘要
The nine-consciousness theory is one of the particular theories of the Shelun school which was active in the period from Northern and Southern Dynasties to the first half period of the Tang Dynasty. In this article, there are two logical points. One is the defiled ālayavijñāna theory which proposed by Asaṅga and Vasubandhu, which provides no clear metaphysical basis for becoming a Buddha.On the other hand, the Conmentary on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha translated by Paramārtha contains the theory of tathāgata-garbha, believing that the causes of awakening is innate in all beings, thus solving the theoretical difficulty of the defiled ālaya-vijñāna theory. This logically implies that there is a more fundamental level of consciousness beyond the defiled ālayavijñāna, namely the pure and undefiled ninth amala-vijñāna.
It is precisely because the theory of eight consciousnesses has such an internal logic of developing into the theory of nine consciousnesses, the later appearances in the background of the enthusiastic discussion of the theory of Buddha nature at that time, under the influence of the Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra and other sutras. For in that period of Dilun school, Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra and Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra were seen as the teachings of Buddha himself held different opinions on consciousness. Viz., the former held that there are seven consciousnesses but the latter maintains that there are eight with the eighth ālayavijñāna sometimes being（28）seen as pure tathāgata-garbha and sometimes as defiled. These sutras were wellread among the Buddhist scholars at that time, and there was no complete and systematic introduction of the thought of Asaṅga and Vasubandhu. This made the thought of consciousness at that time quite confusing and complicated. However,if we analyze the main contradiction, it lies in the nature of ālayavijñāna, and whether it is the most fundamental consciousness. Then, Paramārtha came to China and translated systematically the works of consciousness-only theory and after decades the Shelun school spread into the north of China. As a result, the nine-consciousness theory as found in the Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra became popular.
Since the theoretical difficulty in the era of Dilun school is emblematic of the difficulty of consciousness theory in the commentery on the Mahāyāna-saṃgraha,and is also the manifestation of the theoretical difficulty between the ālayavijñāna theory in India and the tathāgatagarbha theory in China, the appearance and popularity of the nine-consciousness theory at that time is no accident,and has important theoretical significance, namely the theory of nine-consciousness is a theoretical result of the ideological interaction between tathāgatagarbha and ālayavijñāna,so it resolves the contradiction between these two kind of consciousness theories.
