An Explanation of the Twelve Nidānas in the Āgama Sutras
Section Seven The Law of Dependent Origination Is the Ever-Abiding Dharma of the Dharma Realm
(299) The Law of Dependent Origination Is the Ever-Abiding Dharma of the Dharma Realm
Original text: 时有异比丘来诣佛所。稽首礼足。退坐一面。白佛言。世尊。谓缘起法。为世尊作。为余人作耶。
佛告比丘。缘起法者。非我所作。亦非余人作。然彼如来。出世及未出世。法界常住。彼如来自觉此法。成等正觉。为诸众生分别演说。开发显示。所谓此有故彼有。此起故彼起。谓缘无明行。乃至纯大苦聚集。无明灭故行灭。乃至纯大苦聚灭。
Explanation: At that time, a bhikṣu who had come from another tribe saw the World-Honored One, bowed his head with palms together in salutation to the Buddha, then withdrew and sat down to one side of the World-Honored One, and said to the World-Honored One: World-Honored One, was the law of dependent origination invented by You, the World-Honored One, or was it created by someone else?
The Buddha told this bhikṣu: The law of dependent origination was not created by me, nor was it created by anyone else. Yet whether a Tathāgata appears in the world or does not appear in the world, the Dharma Realm ever abides. All Tathāgatas awaken to this law themselves, attain perfect and complete enlightenment, and for all sentient beings expound it in various ways, revealing and demonstrating the true meaning of the law of dependent origination. That is to say, when this exists, that exists; when this arises, that arises. That is, ignorance conditions volitional formations, up to the complete gathering of the great mass of suffering. When ignorance ceases, volitional formations cease, up to the cessation of the great mass of suffering.
(301) Not Grasping Existence and Non-Existence Is Called Right View
Original text: 尔时。尊者[跳-兆+散]陀迦旃延诣佛所。稽首佛足。退住一面。白佛言。世尊。如世尊说正见。云何正见。云何世尊施设正见。佛告[跳-兆+散]陀迦旃延。世间有二种依。若有若无。为取所触。取所触故。或依有。或依无。
Explanation: The Venerable [跳-兆+散]陀迦旃延 (Kaccānagotta) said to the Buddha: World-Honored One, as for the right view that You, the World-Honored One, have spoken—what is right view? How do You, the World-Honored One, establish right view? The Buddha told Kaccānagotta: In the world there are two kinds of reliance: existence and non-existence. These are touched by grasping; because they are touched by grasping, people either rely on existence or rely on non-existence. To hold that the world exists or that the world does not exist—neither is right view; whatever is grasped is wrong and is not the Middle Way.
Original text: 若无此取者。心境系着使不取。不住不计我。苦生而生。苦灭而灭。于彼不疑不惑。不由于他而自知。是名正见。是名如来所施设正见。
Explanation: If one does not grasp at these two—existence and non-existence—and the mind abides in the Middle Way, then when encountering objects, one neither grasps at existence nor grasps at non-existence, and thus will not dwell upon a self, nor will one conceive of a self that arises with the arising of suffering and ceases with the cessation of suffering. Having no doubt or confusion about this principle of the Middle Way, knowing it not through the teaching or inspiration of others but entirely through self-knowledge—this is called right view, and this is the right view established by the Tathāgata.
The Buddha said that so-called right view is self-knowledge not dependent on others. This statement is extremely important. Self-knowledge means self-realization; it is not knowing through the inspiration of others, nor knowing through hearing, but knowing through one's own diligent investigation and ultimate personal realization. What is known through the external conditions provided by others is knowledge of the mind consciousness; it is not self-knowledge, nor is it right view. Only the realization by the manas through genuine investigation is self-knowledge. Therefore, the dharma that enters through the ear is ultimately not one's own; it is an unreliable, undependable dharma. This statement is extremely important.
Original text: 所以者何。世间集如实正知见。若世间无者不有。世间灭如实正知见。若世间有者无有。是名离于二边说于中道。所谓此有故彼有。此起故彼起。谓缘无明行。乃至纯大苦聚集。
Explanation: Why is this said? When one truly and correctly knows and sees the arising of the world as it really is, if the world is truly originally non-existent, one does not regard the world as existent; when one truly and correctly knows and sees the cessation of the world as it really is, if the world phenomenally exists, one still does not regard the world as existent. This is called departing from the two extremes of existence and non-existence and speaking the Middle Way. This is what is meant by "when this exists, that exists; when this arises, that arises." Because there is ignorance, there are volitional formations; because there are volitional formations, there are the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses; because there are the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses, there is name-and-form in future lives; because there is name-and-form, there are the six sense bases; because there are the six sense bases, there is contact; because there is contact, there is feeling; because there is feeling, there is craving; because there is craving, there is grasping; because there is grasping, there is becoming; because there is becoming, there is birth; because there is birth, there are aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress—the complete gathering of the great mass of suffering.
Original text: 无明灭故行灭。乃至纯大苦聚灭。佛说此经已。尊者[跳-兆+散]陀迦旃延闻佛所说。不起诸漏。心得解脱。成阿罗汉。
Explanation: Because ignorance ceases, volitional formations cease; because volitional formations cease, the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses cease; because the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses cease, name-and-form ceases; because name-and-form ceases, the six sense bases cease; because the six sense bases cease, contact ceases; because contact ceases, feeling ceases; because feeling ceases, craving ceases; because craving ceases, grasping ceases; because grasping ceases, becoming ceases; because becoming ceases, birth ceases; because birth ceases, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress cease, up to the cessation of the great mass of suffering. After the Buddha finished speaking this sūtra, the Venerable Kaccānagotta, having heard what the Buddha said, no longer gave rise to any defilements, his mind attained liberation, and he became an arhat.
(302) The Root of Suffering
Original text: 阿支罗迦叶白佛言。云何瞿昙。苦自作耶。佛告迦叶。苦自作者。此是无记。迦叶复问。云何瞿昙。苦他作耶。佛告迦叶。苦他作者。此亦无记。迦叶复问。苦自他作耶。佛告迦叶。苦自他作。此亦无记。迦叶复问。云何瞿昙。苦非自非他。无因作耶。佛告迦叶。苦非自非他。此亦无记。
Explanation: Acela Kassapa said to the Buddha: What do you say, Gotama—is suffering self-created? The Buddha told Kassapa: If suffering were self-created, this is indeterminate (avyākṛta) and is not to be answered. Kassapa asked again: What do you say, Gotama—is suffering created by another? The Buddha replied: If suffering were created by another, this too is indeterminate. Kassapa asked again: Is suffering created by both self and other? The Buddha replied: If suffering were created by both self and other, this too is indeterminate. Kassapa asked again: What do you say, Gotama—is suffering created neither by self nor by another, but without a cause? The Buddha told Kassapa: If suffering were created neither by self nor by another, this still is indeterminate.
Original text: 迦叶复问。云何无因作者。瞿昙。所问苦自作耶。答言无记。他作耶。自他作耶。非自非他无因作耶。答言无记。今无此苦耶。佛告迦叶。非无此苦。然有此苦。迦叶白佛言。善哉。瞿昙。说有此苦。为我说法。令我知苦见苦。
Explanation: Kassapa asked again: What is meant by creation without a cause? Gotama, when I previously asked whether suffering is self-created, you answered that it was indeterminate; when I asked whether it is created by another, created by both self and other combined, or created without cause, neither by self nor by another, you all answered that it was indeterminate. So now, does this suffering not exist? The Buddha told Kassapa: It is not that this suffering does not exist; rather, this suffering does exist. Kassapa said to the Buddha: Excellent, Gotama! You say this suffering exists. Please expound the Dharma for me, so that I may know suffering and see the truth of suffering.
Original text: 佛告迦叶。若受即自受者。我应说苦自作。若他受他即受者。是则他作。若受自受他受。复与苦者。如是者自他作。我亦不说。若不因自他。无因而生苦者。我亦不说。离此诸边。说其中道。如来说法。此有故彼有。此起故彼起。谓缘无明行。乃至纯大苦聚集。无明灭则行灭。乃至纯大苦聚灭。
Explanation: The Buddha told Kassapa: If feeling were itself self-feeling, I should say that suffering is self-created; if in the feeling by another, that other were the feeler, then suffering would be created by another; if feeling, self-feeling, and other-feeling, together with suffering, were such that suffering is self-created and other-created, I would not say so—suffering is created neither by self nor by another; if suffering could arise without cause, not depending on self or another, I would not say so either—suffering arises from causes and conditions.
When the Tathāgata expounds the Dharma, He always departs from the two extremes and speaks the Dharma of the Middle Way. The Middle Way is: when this exists, that exists; when this arises, that arises. That is, ignorance conditions volitional formations, volitional formations condition consciousness, up to the conditioning of birth, from which come aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress—the gathering of the great mass of suffering. And when ignorance ceases, volitional formations cease; when volitional formations cease, the six consciousnesses cease, up to when birth ceases, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress—the great mass of suffering—cease.
Original text: 佛说此经已。阿支罗迦叶远尘离垢。得法眼净。时阿支罗迦叶见法得法。知法入法。度诸狐疑。不由他知。不因他度。于正法律。心得无畏。合掌白佛言。世尊。我今已度。我从今日。归依佛。归依法。归依僧。尽寿作优婆塞。证知我。
Explanation: After the Buddha finished speaking this sūtra, Acela Kassapa's mind departed far from the defilements and stains of the five aggregates in the mundane world, and he attained the purity of the Dharma eye. At that time, Acela Kassapa saw the Dharma and attained the Dharma, knew the Dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination and entered into it, and extinguished all doubts about the Dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination. He did not know the Dharma through other conditions, nor was he liberated through other conditions; regarding the true Dharma and the discipline, his mind had become fearless. Thereupon Kassapa put his palms together and said to the Buddha: World-Honored One, I have now been liberated. From this day forth, I take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Saṅgha. For the rest of my life I shall be an upāsaka. Please bear witness to me.
