0223 Verse 275

Original

निरालम्बन एवायमहङ्कारः प्रवर्त्तते ।
अनादिसत्त्वदृग्बीजप्रभावात्क्वचिदेव हि ॥ २७५ ॥

nirālambana evāyamahaṅkāraḥ pravarttate |
anādisattvadṛgbījaprabhāvātkvacideva hi || 275 ||

As a matter of fact, the ‘notion of I’ comes about without a real basis, through the force of the beginningless seed of the vision of being; and that also only in some places.—(275)

Kamalaśīla

It has been argued (under Text 229) that “The conception of I in the notion I know apprehends the Cogniser”;—the following Text proceeds to show that this is ‘unproven’ (not admitted by all parties):—[see verse 275 above]

The said ‘I-notion’ has no real background, by virtue of which the ‘Cogniser’ could form its object.

“If that is so, then what is the cause of its origin?”

The answer is that—It proceeds from the beginningless, etc. etc. ‘Vision of Being’ is the vision of the existing body;—the ‘seed’ of this vision is the Potency of Dispositions; and this ‘seed’ is beginningless;—and it is through the force of this that ‘I-consciousness’ is brought about;—and that also only in some places,—i.e. only in the internal economy of the Sextuple Body.—(275)