An Explanation of the Twelve Nidānas in the Āgama Sutras
Chapter Five: Yin Chi Ru Jing (Sūtra on the Aggregates, Senses, and Entrances), First Scroll
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:何等为十二种。从求如求等生。从痴因缘令有行。从行令有识。从识令有名字。从名字令有六入。从六入令有致。从致令有痛痒。从痛痒令有爱。从爱令有受。从受令后有。从有令有生。从生令有老死忧悲苦。不可心致恼。如是具足苦种。为致习。
Explanation: What are the twelve links? The twelve links of dependent origination arise from a series of pursuits and seekings directed at worldly dharmas. From the condition of the manas's ignorance, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are born; from the condition of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses are born; from the condition of the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses, nāma-rūpa is born; from the condition of nāma-rūpa, the six sense bases are born; from the condition of the six sense bases, contact is born; from the condition of contact, feeling is born; from the condition of feeling, craving is born; from the condition of craving, grasping is born; from the condition of grasping, existence is born; from the condition of existence, birth is born; from the condition of birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress are born—all matters displeasing to the mind lead to unceasing inner anguish. In this way, the karmic seeds of birth-and-death suffering are fully complete, all brought about by the habit energies of contact.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:痴已尽便行尽。已行尽便识尽。已识尽便名字尽。已名字尽便六入尽。已六入尽便致尽。已致尽便痛痒尽。已痛痒尽便爱尽。已爱尽便受尽。已受尽便有尽。已有尽便生尽。已生尽便老死尽。已老死尽。忧悲苦不可心恼便尽。如是具足苦种便得尽。
Explanation: If the manas's ignorance is completely eradicated, then the formations will be completely eradicated; after the formations are completely eradicated, the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses will be completely eradicated; after the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses are completely eradicated, nāma-rūpa will cease entirely; after nāma-rūpa ceases entirely, the six sense bases will cease entirely; after the six sense bases cease entirely, contact will cease entirely; after contact ceases entirely, feeling will cease entirely; after feeling ceases entirely, craving will cease entirely; after craving ceases entirely, grasping will cease entirely; after grasping ceases entirely, existence will cease entirely; after existence ceases entirely, birth will cease entirely; after birth ceases entirely, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress will cease entirely. In this way, the seeds of birth-and-death suffering that sentient beings fully possess are completely extinguished.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:彼痴名为不知四谛如有。不解不见。不相应不受。不解不解根。是名为痴。彼痴因缘行为何等。为六望受。何等为六。色声香味触法。是为身六望受。是名为行。
Explanation: What does that ignorance mean? Ignorance means not knowing that the truth of the Four Noble Truths exists in the world, being unable to truly understand the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, not seeing the truth of the Four Noble Truths in the world, not being in accord with the supramundane path of liberation, being unable to accept the true teachings of the Four Noble Truths, not understanding how to transcend, and not understanding whether one's own and others' faculties are sharp or dull—therefore it is called ignorance.
What are the formations produced from the condition of ignorance? They are the six kinds of reception directed toward the six sense objects. What are the six? They are form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma—these are the six receptions the physical body yearns for; this is called the formations. In other words, it is the manas yearning for and receiving form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharma, called the six hopes and inclinations of the physical body, also called bodily, verbal, and mental actions.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:彼行因缘识为六身识。眼耳鼻舌身心。是名为六身识。彼识因缘名字。字为色。名为四不色阴。痛想行识是为名。色为四大本。谓地水火风是。上为名。是四为色。是二相连共为名字。
Explanation: From the condition of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the seeds of the six consciousnesses are produced: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness, called the six consciousness-bodies. If there were no bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses would not be left behind. From the condition of the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses, the nāma-rūpa of future lives is produced. Rūpa is the aggregate of form; nāma is the four non-material aggregates—feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness; feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness are called nāma. The physical body takes the four great elements—the seeds of earth, water, fire, and wind—as its foundation. The four aggregates above are nāma, and the four great elements are rūpa; when these two are joined together, they are nāma-rūpa, the five aggregates.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:彼名字因缘。身六入受。眼耳鼻舌身心。是名身六入受。彼六入因缘。身六思望。眼耳鼻舌身心。是名为身六思望。彼思望因缘身六痛。眼耳鼻舌身心。是名为身六痛。彼痛因缘六身爱。色爱声爱香爱。味爱触爱法爱。是名为六身爱。彼爱因缘受为四受。一欲受。二见结受。三戒愿受。四身结行受。是名为四受。
Explanation: From the condition of nāma-rūpa, the six sense bases of the physical body are produced—the eye base, ear base, nose base, tongue base, body base, and mind base—called the six sense bases of the body with reception; from the condition of the six sense bases, contact is produced—eye contact, ear contact, nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, and mind contact—called the six mental yearnings of the physical body; from the condition of the six contacts, the six feelings are produced—eye-consciousness feeling, ear-consciousness feeling, nose-consciousness feeling, tongue-consciousness feeling, body-consciousness feeling, and mind-consciousness feeling—called the six feelings of the body; from the condition of feeling, the six cravings are produced—craving for form, craving for sound, craving for smell, craving for taste, craving for touch, and craving for dharma—called the six cravings of the body; from the condition of craving, grasping is produced in four kinds: craving for sense desires, craving for views, craving for precepts and vows, and craving for the self—called the four graspings.
Why does the body of the five aggregates have the six sense bases with reception? Because the physical body has the six sense bases, which serve for contacting sense objects; after contact with sense objects there is inevitably feeling, so where there are the six sense bases there is reception—this is called the six sense bases with reception.
Why is the contact of the six faculties with the six sense objects called the six mental yearnings? Because this contact is chosen by the manas, and the manas's making this choice involves having thoughts, hopes, desires, and yearnings; otherwise it would not choose to contact the six sense objects, and without contact there would be no subsequent feeling, perception, and volitional formations. Contact is a crucial step: the purpose of contact is to discern and distinguish, to engage in activity, to come to know. This shows that the manas is not tranquil, that it has grasping and clinging, and that it wants the dharmas to continue in sequence. Because the manas has these mental activities, it decides to make contact, and thus the six faculties contact the six sense objects—this is precisely the manifestation of the manas acting as the determining consciousness.
When faculties and objects contact, consciousness arises; after the six consciousnesses are born, they discern and distinguish the six sense objects, and thereafter come to know the subtle dharmas of the six sense objects. When the six consciousnesses know the six sense objects, the manas accordingly knows the subtle aspects of the six sense objects, and its aims are gradually realized. From the link of contact, one can see whether a person has cultivation, whether the mind is calm, whether one is inwardly restrained or drawn to external objects, whether one has seeking or no seeking, and whether one is tranquil and possessed of meditative concentration. After contact, many conflicts and disputes arise; without contact there are no conflicts, the mind is tranquil, and one is liberated with respect to the six sense-object realms; conversely, there is bondage.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:彼受因缘有。为三有。一欲界二色界。三无色界。是名为三有。彼有因缘生。为上五阴。六持六入。己有如有生。聚已住堕致分别根。已入得有。是名为生死。为何等名。为人人所在。在所住已。住坏已过。死时是命六根已闭塞是为死。上本为老。后要为死。是故名为老死。
Explanation: The existence produced from the condition of grasping is the existence of the three realms: existence in the desire realm, existence in the form realm, and existence in the formless realm—this is called the three existences. The living being produced from the condition of existence is the five aggregates, six faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses mentioned above. With the three existences, there is also a living being; after the living being arises and the six faculties are complete, one falls into the three existences—this is called birth and death. Why is it called birth and death? Birth and death is something everyone has; the process of arising, ceasing, and changing of the five-aggregate body is called birth and death. After birth, the period during which life persists is called abiding; after abiding, decay is called aging; when life has expired and the six faculties are closed and can no longer function, it is called death. First there is aging, then death—therefore it is called aging and death.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:痴相为何等。为冥中见冥。如有不解。令从是致堕行相处。行相为何等。为令后复有。是为行相。上从是发起。令从是致堕识处。识相为何等。为识物识事是为识相。令从是致堕名字处。
Explanation: What is the characteristic mark of ignorance? It is seeing darkness within darkness, as if there were no understanding; if one does not truly understand the dharmas, one will fall into the realm of the formations of dharmas. What is the characteristic mark of the formations? Causing there to be subsequent existence again—this is the characteristic mark of the formations. The formations are like a command or directive, having the meaning of dominating, directing, and choosing. The directive is initiated from the place of the formations, and in compliance with the directive, it descends from the place of the formations to the place of the six consciousnesses, causing the six consciousnesses to arise in compliance with the directive of the formations.
What is the characteristic mark of the six consciousnesses? The six consciousnesses exist to recognize objects and recognize matters and principles—this is the characteristic mark of the six consciousnesses. From the six consciousnesses' bodily, verbal, and mental actions, one falls into the nāma-rūpa of future lives. Who falls into the nāma-rūpa of future lives? It is the manas and the Ālayavijñāna, and then the nāma-rūpa five-aggregate body is born.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:名字相为何等。为俱猗。是为名字相。令从是致堕六入处。六入相为何等。为分别根是为六入相。令从是致堕思望处。思望相为何等。为相会更生。是为思望相。令从是致堕痛处。痛相为何等。为更觉是为痛相。令从是致堕爱处。爱相为何等。为发生是为爱相。令从是致堕受处。
Explanation: What is the characteristic mark of nāma-rūpa? Nāma-rūpa is the reliance for all dharmas; without nāma-rūpa, all dharmas would cease to exist. With nāma-rūpa, the arising of the six sense bases is brought about. What is the characteristic mark of the six sense bases? The faculties that exist for the purpose of distinguishing the six sense objects—this is the characteristic mark of the six sense bases; from the six sense bases one can fall into contact. What is the characteristic mark of contact? The dharma born for the purpose of contacting sense objects is contact; from contact one can fall into feeling. What is the characteristic mark of feeling? Causing awareness to arise—this is the characteristic mark of feeling; from feeling one can fall into craving. What is the characteristic mark of craving? Causing offerings and support to arise—this is the characteristic mark of craving; from craving one falls into grasping.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:受相为何等。为受持是为受相。令从是致堕有处。有相为何等。令堕若干处。是为有相。令从是致堕生处。生相为何等。为已有五阴是为生相。令从是致堕老处。老相为何等。为转熟是为老相。令从是致堕死处。死相为何等。为命根尽。是为死相。令从是致堕苦处。
Explanation: What is the characteristic mark of grasping? To occupy, hold, and possess—this is the characteristic mark of grasping; from grasping one can fall into existence in the three realms. What is the characteristic mark of existence? Causing the five aggregates to fall into any one place in the three realms—this is the characteristic mark of existence; from existence one can fall into birth. What is the characteristic mark of birth? Already having a five-aggregate body—this is the characteristic mark of birth; from birth one can fall into aging. What is the characteristic mark of aging? The physical body ripening—this is the characteristic mark of aging; from aging one can fall into death. What is the characteristic mark of death? Life coming to an end and all faculties becoming useless—this is the characteristic mark of death; from death one falls into the realm of suffering and distress.
Original text of the Yin Chi Ru Jing:苦相为何等。为身急是为苦相。令从是致堕不可处。不可相为何等。为心意急。是为不可相。令干从是致堕悒悒忧。悒悒相为何等。为忧五阴。令从是致堕愁恼处。悲愁相为何等。口出声言。令致悲恼懑。懑为恼。恼亦为懑。
Explanation: What is the characteristic mark of suffering? Bodily urgency is the characteristic mark of suffering, causing the five aggregates to fall into displeasing states. What is the characteristic mark of the displeasing? Mental and mental urgency is the characteristic mark of the displeasing, causing the five aggregates to fall into states of sorrow and grief. What is the characteristic mark of sorrow and grief? Being sorrowful over the five aggregates is the characteristic mark of sorrow and grief, causing the five aggregates to fall into states of anguish and distress. What is the characteristic mark of anguish and distress? The mouth emitting sounds of complaint, sighing, and indignation, falling into grief, anger, and indignation—indignation is anger, and anger is also indignation. The series of suffering and decline marks induced by death—low spirits, gloomy and distressed emotions, with the mood deteriorating ever further.
