Exposition on the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination in the Yogācārabhūmi
Section 3 Detailed Analysis of the Twelve Links
Original text:问。此十二支。几是烦恼道。几是业道。几是苦道。答。三是烦恼道。二是业道。余是苦道。
Explanation: Question: Among these twelve links of dependent origination, how many links belong to the path of afflictions? How many belong to the path of karma? How many belong to the path of suffering? Answer: Three links belong to the path of afflictions, two links belong to the path of karma, and the remaining links all belong to the path of suffering.
The links of the path of afflictions contain the affliction of ignorance, which can give rise to afflicted karma; the three links of ignorance, craving, and grasping belong to the path of afflictions. The link of ignorance is an affliction that can produce defiled bodily, verbal, and mental actions and karmic seeds; the link of craving is an affliction that can produce grasping, causing the karmic retribution of future lives to continue without end; the link of grasping is an affliction that can lead to the arising of defiled karmic retribution in future lives, making birth and death continue in succession. The path of karma refers to the links that can create karmic actions; the two links of volitional formations and consciousness are the path of karma. The link of volitional formations creates bodily, verbal, and mental karma, and the link of consciousness leaves behind karmic seeds of suffering in birth and death. The path of suffering refers to the links that involve the feeling of suffering; the seven links of name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, existence, birth, and aging-and-death are all the path of suffering, all having fruits of suffering and feelings of suffering.
Original text:问。几唯是因。几唯是果。几通因果。答。初一唯因。后一唯果。余通因果。又即于此问。更作余答。三唯是因。二唯是果。当知所余。亦因亦果。
Explanation: Question: Among the twelve links, how many links are only causes? How many are only effects? How many function as both cause and effect? Answer: The first link, ignorance, is only a cause; the last link, aging-and-death, is only an effect; the remaining links in between function as both cause and effect. To this same question there is another answer: three links are only causes, two links are only effects, and the remaining links should be known as being both cause and effect. The three links that are only causes are ignorance, volitional formations, and consciousness; the two links that are only effects are birth and aging-and-death; the remaining seven links—name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, and existence—function as both cause and effect.
Regarding the first answer: only ignorance is the cause for the arising of the cycle of birth and death; it is the cause for the arising of the subsequent eleven links, and there is no cause that gives rise to ignorance, so ignorance is not an effect. The final link of aging-and-death can only be an effect; the preceding eleven links are all causes for the arising of the link of aging-and-death, and after aging-and-death there are no further links, so there will be no further effects. Regarding the second answer: there are three links that are only causes and not effects—ignorance, volitional formations, and consciousness. The operation of these three links directly leads to the arising of the karmic retribution of name-and-form in future lives, so these three links are the causes from past lives; the links from name-and-form to grasping are the effects in this present life, connecting the cause and effect of past and present lives. Meanwhile, the operation of the links from name-and-form to grasping, together with the existence of future lives, is the cause, and the links of birth and aging-and-death in future lives are the effects; in this way the cause and effect of this life and future lives are connected. Cause and effect span the three times: this life is the effect of past lives and the cause of future lives, functioning as both cause and effect; future lives are only effects, not causes.
Original text:问。几是独相。几是杂相。答。三是独相。行等是杂相。问。何故行有是杂相。答。由一种说故。谓能引爱非爱果故。及能生趣差别故。
Explanation: Question: Among the twelve links, how many links have a distinct mark, and how many have a mixed mark of wholesome and unwholesome defilement? Answer: Three links have a distinct mark; volitional formations and the rest have mixed marks. Question: Why do volitional formations and the rest have mixed marks? Answer: According to one explanation, it is because they can lead to desirable and undesirable fruits of retribution, and because they can produce the differentiations among the realms of rebirth. Therefore the links such as volitional formations are said to have mixed marks.
The distinct mark means having only a defiled mark, not mixed with pure marks; the mixed mark means defiled and pure marks are mixed together. Among the twelve links, the one having only a defiled mark is the link of ignorance, the affliction, which is impure—this is the distinct mark. The links of afflictions are ignorance, craving, and grasping. All the rest are mixed links in which defiled and pure marks are intermingled; these links can lead to desirable pure retributive fruits and undesirable defiled retributive fruits, and can bring forth different karmic retributions among the six realms of rebirth.
For example, the links of volitional formations, consciousness, and name-and-form include pure wholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions, defiled unwholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and neither-wholesome-nor-unwholesome bodily, verbal, and mental actions, which can perfume and condition the six consciousnesses into three kinds—wholesome, unwholesome, and neither—generating three kinds of seeds, so that in future lives there will be three kinds of retributive fruits and three kinds of name-and-form retributive bodies. Since name-and-form is a mixed mark, the six sense bases that arise upon name-and-form are mixed, and contact and feeling are mixed. The existence, birth, and aging-and-death of future lives that follow the links of craving and grasping, the afflictions, are mixed, and will all be divided into three kinds of marks: wholesome, unwholesome, and neither.
Original text:问。何故识与名色六处。一分有杂相。答。由三种说故。谓依杂染时故。依润时故。依转时故。
Explanation: Question: Why is it said that consciousness and name-and-form, the six sense bases, share a portion of mixed marks? Answer: There are three explanations: One explanation is that when name-and-form and the six sense bases have defiled bodily, verbal, and mental actions, this shows that the six consciousnesses are defiled, and therefore name-and-form and the six sense bases share a portion of mixed marks with consciousness. Another explanation is that when the seeds of the six consciousnesses are moistened by craving and grasping, the name-and-form and six sense bases of future lives are born, and the mark of consciousness is contained within the marks of name-and-form and the six sense bases; therefore name-and-form and the six sense bases share a portion of mixed marks with consciousness. Yet another explanation is that when name-and-form is born, the mark of consciousness is already present within name-and-form and the six sense bases; therefore name-and-form and the six sense bases share a portion of mixed marks with consciousness.
Original text:问。何故识乃至受与老死有杂相。答。由二种说故。谓别显苦相故。及显引生差别故。
Explanation: Question: Why is it said that the links of consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling have mixed marks with the link of aging-and-death? Answer: There are two explanations. One is that the links of consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, and so on can each distinctly manifest the mark of suffering that is aging-and-death. The other is that the links from consciousness to feeling can manifest the differentiations of the living beings that are led forth; since the living beings differ, aging-and-death also differs, and therefore the links such as consciousness are said to have mixed marks.
The links from consciousness to feeling all contain the mark of suffering, because they are the bodies undergoing retribution, and since defiled karma is abundant, these links inevitably all contain the mark of suffering; the link of aging-and-death is even more so the mark of suffering, and therefore the links such as consciousness have mixed marks with the link of aging-and-death. Furthermore, when the consciousness of past lives is defiled differently, the name-and-form through feeling links of this present life that are led forth will differ; when the name-and-form through feeling links of this present life differ, the aging-and-death link of future lives that is led forth will also differ, and therefore the links from consciousness to feeling have mixed marks with the link of aging-and-death.
Original text:复次于缘起中。云何数往义。谓生已不住义。云何和合义。谓诸缘聚集义。
Explanation: Within the twelve links of dependent origination, what is the meaning of "repeatedly passing on"? It means that after name-and-form is born into the cycle of rebirth among the six realms, it does not remain forever unchanged in one kind of form-body, but arises and ceases, ceases and arises, transmigrating without stop. What is the meaning of "convergence"? Convergence means that all the conditions upon which a dharma arises have gathered together; when causes and conditions are complete, the dharma is born.
"Repeatedly" means many times, without interruption. After sentient beings are born into one of the six realms, they do not remain forever in that realm; because of the karma created in past lives and the karma created in this life, when the karma changes, after death they will leave that realm and take rebirth in another realm. For countless eons they have thus transmigrated through the six realms; because unwholesome karma far exceeds wholesome karma, sentient beings spend the vast majority of their time reborn in the three evil realms. After each conception and birth, because ignorance is unceasing, sentient beings follow along with the twelve links of dependent origination, continually creating defiled karma, causing future lives to continue without end, never escaping the cycle of rebirth among the six realms. Each time name-and-form is born, all causes and conditions must be complete and gathered together for conception and birth to occur; lacking even one condition, name-and-form does not arise. The conditions required for the birth of name-and-form are four in total: the causal condition, the sequential condition (samanantara-pratyaya), the object condition (ālambana-pratyaya), and the dominant condition.
Original text:云何起义。谓诸缘和合。之所引摄。新新生义。云何缘起。云何缘生。谓诸行生起法性。是名缘起。即彼生已。说名缘生。
Explanation: What is the meaning of "arising"? Arising means the newly born dharmas that are led forth and received after all conditions have converged; a newly arisen dharma, coming into being from non-being, is called arising. What is dependent origination? What is dependent arising? Dependent origination means that after all formations operate, they can give rise to the dharma-nature, being able to manifest the characteristics and properties of dharmas. Once the dharma has arisen, it is called dependent arising.
There are four kinds of conditions for the arising of dharmas: the causal condition, the sequential condition, the dominant condition, and the object condition. For example, when the four conditions are complete, the appearance of the fertilized egg—this name-and-form—in the mother's womb is called dependent origination; when the fertilized egg reaches full development and the fetus is born, it is called dependent arising. When the dharmas are not yet complete it is called arising; once complete it is called birth—first arising, then birth, connected sequentially as cause and effect. When dharmas continuously appear in succession, one after another, it is called arising; the dharmas formed through unbroken continuity are called dependently arisen dharmas.
Original text:问。几支苦谛摄。及现法为苦。答。二。谓生及老死。问。几支苦谛摄。当来为苦。答。识乃至受种子性。问。几支集谛摄。答。所余支。
Explanation: Question: Among the twelve links, how many links are subsumed under the truth of suffering and are suffering in the present state? Answer: There are two links: birth and aging-and-death. Question: How many links are subsumed under the truth of suffering and will become suffering in the future? Answer: The seed-nature of the five links from consciousness to feeling; when the seeds ripen in future lives and manifest as dharmas, there will be suffering. Question: How many links are subsumed under the truth of origination? Answer: The remaining links are all subsumed under the truth of origination—the five links of ignorance, volitional formations, craving, grasping, and existence.
The suffering dharmas in the present life are the two links of birth and aging-and-death; birth is suffering for sentient beings, aging is suffering, and death is even more so. The links that can bring forth suffering in future lives are the link of consciousness, in which the karmic seeds of bodily, verbal, and mental actions are stored, which will give birth to the suffering name-and-form of future lives. The seeds of name-and-form, the seeds of the six sense bases, the seeds of contact, and the seeds of feeling can give rise to the name-and-form of future lives and the suffering of feeling. The five links of ignorance, volitional formations, craving, grasping, and existence belong to the truth of origination: because of the accumulation of ignorance, suffering can be brought forth; the accumulation of bodily, verbal, and mental actions can bring forth suffering; the accumulation of craving can bring forth suffering; the accumulation of grasping can bring forth suffering even more; and the accumulation of existence creates the necessary conditions for the birth of suffering. If there were no ignorance, there would be no seeds of any subsequent dharmas; without seeds there would be no subsequent suffering. Without bodily, verbal, and mental actions there would be no karmic seeds; without karmic seeds there would be no suffering in future lives. Without craving there would be no grasping; without grasping there would be no threefold existence in future lives; without threefold existence there would be no suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Original text:问。无明与行。为作俱有缘。为作无间灭缘。为作久远灭缘。答。当知具作三缘。谓由无知。于随顺诸行法中。为俱有覆障缘。为彼彼事。发起诸行。又由恶见放逸。俱行无知。为无间灭生起缘。发起诸行。又由无知。为久远灭引发缘故。建立顺彼。当生相续。
Explanation: Question: With respect to the link of volitional formations, does ignorance serve as its coexistent condition, as its immediately-ceasing condition, or as its condition of cessation in the distant future? Answer: Ignorance serves as all three kinds of conditions for the link of volitional formations. First, because of unknowing in the mind, in the course of according with the operation of all formations, it serves as the coexistent, obscuring condition; for the sake of various undertakings, it initiates the operation of various formations—therefore ignorance is the coexistent condition of the link of volitional formations.
Second, because the mind holds wrong views of ignorance and is heedless, not actively extinguishing those wrong views, unknowing constantly accompanies the formations; it serves as the condition for the unbroken ceasing and arising of all dharmas, initiating the continuous operation of all formations—therefore ignorance is the immediately-ceasing condition of the link of volitional formations. Third, because of unknowing in the mind, according with that unknowing, all dharmas will ultimately cease and not endure forever; ignorance is the initiating condition for the cessation of all dharmas in the distant future—therefore ignorance is the distant-cessation condition of the link of volitional formations.
Original text:问。云何应知。诸行望识。为三种缘。答。由能熏发。彼种子故。为俱有缘。次后由彼。势力转故。为无间灭生起缘。由彼当来果得生故。为久远灭引发缘。如行望识。如是识望名色。名色望六处。六处望触。触望受亦尔。
Explanation: Question: How should one understand that the various formations of the manas serve as three kinds of conditions for the six consciousnesses? Answer: First, because the formations of the manas can perfume and elicit the seeds of the six consciousnesses, the formations are said to be the coexistent condition of consciousness; the birth of the six consciousnesses cannot be separated from the formations of the manas. Second, because of the momentum of the manas' formations operating, they become the condition for the unbroken ceasing and arising of the six consciousnesses. Third, because the karmic fruits of the six consciousnesses in future lives can be born, the formations of the manas become the initiating condition for the cessation of the six consciousnesses in the distant future. Such is formations conditioning consciousness; likewise, consciousness conditioning name-and-form, name-and-form conditioning the six sense bases, the six sense bases conditioning contact, and contact conditioning feeling are all the same.
Consciousness has three kinds of conditions with respect to name-and-form. The first condition: because of the perfuming of the seeds created by the six consciousnesses, the birth of name-and-form in future lives cannot be separated from those seeds; the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses are the coexistent condition for the birth of name-and-form. The second condition: because of the momentum of the seeds of the six consciousnesses operating, the seeds are the immediately-ceasing arising condition of name-and-form. The third condition: because the karmic fruits of name-and-form in future lives can be born, the seeds created by the six consciousnesses are the initiating condition for the cessation of name-and-form in the distant future.
Name-and-form has three conditions with respect to the six sense bases: first, name-and-form is the coexistent condition for the birth of the six sense bases; second, name-and-form is the immediately-ceasing arising condition of the six sense bases; third, name-and-form is the initiating condition for the cessation of the six sense bases in the distant future. The six sense bases have three conditions with respect to contact: first, the six sense bases are the coexistent condition for the birth of contact; second, the six sense bases are the immediately-ceasing arising condition of contact; third, the six sense bases are the initiating condition for the cessation of contact in the distant future. Contact has three conditions with respect to feeling: first, contact is the coexistent condition for the birth of feeling; second, contact is the immediately-ceasing arising condition of feeling; third, contact is the initiating condition for the cessation of feeling in the distant future.
Original text:问。云何应知。受望爱为三种缘。答。当知由彼。起乐着故。为俱有缘。从此无间。由彼势力。起追求等。作用转故。为无间灭生起缘。建立当来。难可解脱。彼相续故。为久远灭引发缘。
Explanation: Question: How should one understand that feeling serves as three kinds of conditions for craving? Answer: One should know that because delight and attachment arise at the time of feeling, feeling becomes the coexistent condition for the arising of craving, and from then on craving continues without interruption. Because of the momentum of craving, mental formations such as pursuit arise; because the function of feeling operates, it becomes the immediately-ceasing arising condition of craving, and in this way the five-aggregate body of future lives will arise continuously, being difficult to liberate. Because feeling continues without interruption, it becomes the initiating condition for the cessation of craving in the distant future.
Original text:问。云何爱望取。为三种缘。答。由欲贪俱行。于随顺取法中。欲乐安立故。为俱有缘。由无间灭。势力转故。为生起缘。建立当来。难可解脱。彼相续故。为久远灭引发缘。
Explanation: Question: Why is it said that craving serves as three kinds of conditions for grasping? Answer: Because sensual greed operates together with grasping, and in the process of according with the grasping of dharmas there exist mental formations of greedy delight and attachment, craving is said to be the coexistent condition of grasping. Because of the momentum of craving operating, it becomes the arising condition of the unbroken, ceasing grasping; in this way the five-aggregate body of future lives will arise and operate continuously, and liberation will be difficult to attain. Because craving continues without interruption, it becomes the initiating condition for the cessation of grasping in the distant future.
Original text:问。云何取望有。为三种缘。答。由与彼俱。令业能招诸趣果故。为俱有缘。又由彼力。于此生处。能引识等故。为无间灭生起缘。又能引发。彼界功能故。为久远灭引发缘。
Explanation: Question: Why is it said that grasping serves as three kinds of conditions for existence? Answer: Because the mental formations of sentient beings constantly accompany grasping, causing the karmic actions performed to summon the karmic retribution of rebirth among the six realms, grasping is the coexistent condition of existence. Furthermore, because of the momentum of grasping, it can lead forth consciousness and the other links at the place of birth; therefore grasping becomes the immediately-ceasing arising condition of consciousness and the other links. Furthermore, because grasping can elicit the functions of the various links of the three realms of existence, grasping is the initiating condition for the cessation of consciousness and the other links in the distant future.
Original text:问。云何有望生。为三种缘。答。熏发彼种子故。为俱有缘。由彼势力。无间随转故。为生起缘。虽久远灭。而果转故。为引发缘。如有望生。当知生望老死。为缘亦尔。
Explanation: Question: Why is it said that existence serves as three kinds of conditions for birth? Answer: Because existence can perfume and elicit the karmic seeds of birth, existence is said to be the coexistent condition of birth; all karmic actions within the three realms of existence are conditions for birth in future lives. Because the momentum of the three realms of existence operates without interruption, existence becomes the arising condition of birth in future lives. Although the three realms of existence will cease in the distant future, the karmic retribution within the three realms of existence will continue to operate; therefore the three realms of existence are the initiating condition of birth. Such is the principle of existence conditioning birth; birth conditioning aging-and-death is also the same, its conditions likewise being these three.
Birth likewise has three conditions with respect to aging-and-death: because there is birth, there will inevitably be aging and death, so birth is the coexistent condition of aging-and-death. Because the momentum of birth operates without interruption, birth becomes the arising condition of aging-and-death, as well as the initiating condition for the cessation of aging-and-death in the distant future.
Original text:复次建立有支有二种。一就胜分建立。谓取所摄受业。如前已说。二全分建立。谓业及识。乃至受所有种子。取所摄受。建立为有应知。
Explanation: There are two ways of establishing the link of existence. The first is establishing the three realms of existence from the perspective of the superior portion, namely the karmic functions received by grasping, as previously explained—the three conditions of grasping with respect to existence. The second is establishing the three realms of existence comprehensively, including all the seeds of karmic actions, the six consciousnesses, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling; all these existences are received by grasping, and then these existences of future lives come about.
The cycle of rebirth among the six realms is the fruit of grasping, the manifestation of the superior portion of the three realms of existence—this is the meaning of establishing existence from the superior portion. All karmic actions and karmic functions leave behind seeds: the creations of the six consciousnesses have seeds; the arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing of name-and-form have seeds; the operation of the six sense bases has seeds; contact has seeds; feeling also has seeds. These seeds lead to the appearance of existence in future lives; these seeds also fall within the scope of existence. Because of existence, there are these links, and these links also fall within the scope of existence—this is the meaning of establishing existence comprehensively.
Original text:问。是诸有支。唯有次第。与行为缘。乃至老死。更有余业用耶。答。即此业用。及于各别。所行境中。如其所应。所有业用当知。是名第二业用。
Explanation: Question: Do these links of existence serve only sequentially as conditions for the link of volitional formations, up through the link of aging-and-death, or do they have other karmic functions as well? Answer: Besides this karmic function of serving as conditions from volitional formations through aging-and-death, within each of their respective realms of operation they also have their corresponding karmic functions. All such karmic functions should be known as the second karmic function; the first karmic function is birth—only after birth can there be karmic functions such as volitional formations, consciousness, name-and-form, up through aging-and-death, within the three realms of existence.
Original text:问。无明唯与行为缘。亦与余支为缘耶。答。无明乃至。亦与老死为缘。前言唯与。行为缘者。但说近缘义。如是所余。尽应当知。
Explanation: Question: Does ignorance serve only as a condition for the link of volitional formations, or does it also serve as a condition for the other links? Answer: Ignorance serves as a condition not only for the link of volitional formations, but also for consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, and birth, up through aging-and-death; all eleven links operate because of ignorance. The earlier statement that ignorance serves as a condition only for volitional formations refers only to the nearer condition; the conditions mentioned later should also all be understood.
For example, the operation of the six consciousnesses takes ignorance as a condition and creates defiled karmic actions; name-and-form takes ignorance as a condition and has defiled fruits; the six sense bases take ignorance as a condition and give rise to defiled contact; contact takes ignorance as a condition and gives rise to defiled feeling; feeling takes ignorance as a condition and gives rise to defiled craving; craving takes ignorance as a condition and gives rise to defiled grasping; grasping takes ignorance as a condition and gives rise to undesirable existence; existence takes ignorance as a condition and gives rise to defiled birth; birth takes ignorance as a condition and gives rise to undesirable aging-and-death.
Original text:复次后支非前支缘。何以故。如为断后支故。勤作功用。断于前支。由前断故。后亦随断。非为断前故。勤作功用。断于后支。是故当知。唯此为彼缘。
Explanation: Among the twelve links, a later link is not a condition for an earlier link. Why is this said? Because if one wishes to sever a later link, one must sever the earlier link by diligent effort; thereby the earlier link is severed, and because the earlier link is severed, the later link is severed along with it. It is not the case that in order to sever an earlier link one diligently exerts effort to sever a later link. Therefore you should know that only the earlier link is a condition for the later link, and not the later link for the earlier link.
Original text:问。云何说言。此有故彼有。答。由未断缘。余得生义故。问。云何此生故彼生。答。由无常缘。余得生义故。
Explanation: Question: Why is it said, "When this exists, that exists"? Answer: Because the conditions of the three realms of existence have not yet been severed, other dharmas are able to arise—hence it is said, "When this exists, that exists." Question: Why is it said, "From the arising of this, that arises"? Answer: Because of the condition of impermanent arising, other dharmas are able to arise—hence it is said, "From the arising of this, that arises."
Original text:问。何故说言。有生故有老死。要由生缘。而有老死。如是乃至。无明望行。答。由此言教道理。显从无实作用缘。余得生义故。
Explanation: Question: Why is it said that because there is birth there is aging-and-death, and that aging-and-death exists only through the condition of birth? Why are the other eleven links also like this—there must be ignorance for there to be volitional formations; there must be volitional formations for there to be consciousness; there must be consciousness for there to be name-and-form; there must be name-and-form for there to be the six sense bases; there must be the six sense bases for there to be contact; there must be contact for there to be feeling; there must be feeling for there to be craving; there must be craving for there to be grasping; there must be grasping for there to be existence; there must be existence for there to be birth?
Answer: The principle of "birth conditions aging-and-death" demonstrates that from conditions lacking real function, other dharmas can arise. The link of birth is not a real dharma and has no real function, yet it can serve as the condition for the arising of the phenomenon of aging-and-death; the other eleven links are also like this. Although ignorance is not a real dharma and has no actual function, it is the condition for the birth of the link of volitional formations; by the same principle, the link of volitional formations is also the condition for the birth of the link of consciousness.
Original text:问。何故说言。有生故有老死。非离生缘。而有老死。如是乃至。无明望行。答。由此言教道理。显从自相续缘。即自相续。余得生义故。
Explanation: Question: Why is it said that because there is birth there is aging-and-death, and that there is no aging-and-death apart from the condition of birth? Why is it said that with ignorance as a condition there are volitional formations, and there are no volitional formations apart from ignorance? Why is it said that with volitional formations as a condition there is consciousness, and there is no consciousness apart from volitional formations? And so forth up to: with existence as a condition there is birth, and there is no birth apart from existence? Answer: Because the teaching principle of "birth conditions aging-and-death" demonstrates that through the condition of birth's own continuity—that is, the continuity of birth itself—the other links are able to arise; hence it is said that birth conditions aging-and-death. Ignorance conditioning volitional formations, volitional formations conditioning consciousness, and so on are all likewise.
Question: If a dharma has ignorance as its condition, is that dharma a volitional formation? If it is a volitional formation, does it have ignorance as its condition? Answer: This question should be analyzed in four alternatives. (1) Some formations do not have ignorance as their condition, namely untainted (anāsrava) bodily, verbal, and mental actions that are unobscured and indeterminate (avyākṛta). (2) Some dharmas have ignorance as their condition yet are not volitional formations, namely the links of existence other than those subsumed under the link of volitional formations, such as consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, and aging-and-death. (3) Some dharmas both have ignorance as their condition and are volitional formations, namely meritorious formations (puṇyābhisaṃskāra), unmeritorious formations (apuṇyābhisaṃskāra), and immovable bodily, verbal, and mental actions (ānaiñjya). (4) Apart from such characteristics, the remainder is subsumed under the fourth alternative, namely dharmas that neither have ignorance as their condition nor are volitional formations.
Explanation: Untainted karmic actions no longer fall within the scope of the twelve links of dependent origination; they exceed the range of the twelve links and are not formations elicited by ignorance. Unobscured indeterminate (avyākṛta) bodily, verbal, and mental actions are also not subsumed under ignorance and exceed the range of the twelve links of dependent origination; therefore they carry no karmic actions of birth-and-death and no fruits. Among the twelve links, eleven links are all subsumed under ignorance and all contain ignorance, but ignorance eliciting the link of volitional formations is the most direct, while for the other links it appears relatively indirect; hence it is said that ignorance conditions volitional formations. Within the link of volitional formations subsumed under ignorance, the formations that create meritorious karma are also subsumed under ignorance: because of not understanding the principle of the Four Noble Truths and the principle of ultimate reality, formations seeking mundane meritorious karma are the formations of ignorance. The unmeritorious formations that create unwholesome karma are even more so formations subsumed under ignorance. The formations of the non-Buddhists who cultivate the immovable mind of the four dhyānas are also cultivated because of not understanding the principle of liberation, and so they too are formations subsumed under ignorance.
Original text:问。若行为缘。彼亦识耶。设是识者。行为缘耶。答。应作四句。或行为缘非识。谓除识所余有支。或识非行为缘。谓无漏识。及无覆无记识。除异熟生。或亦识亦行为缘。谓后有种子识及果识。除如是相。是第四句。由此道理。乃至触缘受。随其所应。四句应知。
Explanation: Question: If a dharma is born with volitional formations as its condition, is that dharma also consciousness? If that dharma is consciousness, is consciousness born with volitional formations as its condition? Answer: This question should be analyzed in four alternatives. (1) Some dharmas have volitional formations as their condition yet are not consciousness—namely the links of existence other than consciousness, such as name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, and aging-and-death, which also have volitional formations as their condition. (2) Some consciousnesses do not have volitional formations as their condition, namely untainted consciousness and unobscured indeterminate consciousness, excluding the consciousness of retributive arising (vipāka-ja). (3) Some consciousnesses are also born with volitional formations as their condition, such as the seed-consciousness and fruit-consciousness that lead to future existence. (4) Apart from such characteristics, the remainder is subsumed under the fourth alternative, namely dharmas that are not born with volitional formations as their condition and are also not consciousness. By this same principle, up through contact conditioning feeling, the four alternatives should be understood as applicable in each case.
Name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence, birth, and aging-and-death—these links all have volitional formations as their condition; they are dharmas born after the formations of the manas operate. The operation of any dharma is the result of the manas' formations; if the formations do not operate, none of the subsequent dharmas will appear. However, the direct link of existence for the formations is the six consciousnesses: the direct condition for the birth of the six consciousnesses is the formations, while the direct condition for name-and-form through aging-and-death is the preceding link, with the formations being the indirect condition. There is also the matter that once the six consciousnesses are free from the defiling taint of afflictions, the direct condition for their birth is no longer the ignorant formations of the manas but the enlightened formations of the manas; these no longer fall within the dharmas of the twelve links of dependent origination, and their retribution has already transcended the birth-and-death cycle of the twelve links. Sentient beings have also eliminated the seed-nature of ordinary beings (pṛthagjana-nature), no longer undergoing rebirth among the six realms; the phenomenon of being born at different times, in different places, in different realms, and in different bodies no longer exists—this is the realm of bodhisattvas at the eighth bhūmi and above.
Both the seed-consciousness and the fruit-consciousness refer to the six consciousnesses. The seed-consciousness, in this life, takes the formations as its condition to create karmic actions and leave behind karmic seeds, moistening the name-and-form of future lives; after the name-and-form of future lives is born, the retributive six consciousnesses arise upon that name-and-form to undergo retribution. Both of these consciousnesses are born with the formations as their condition. Taking ignorant formations as the condition can only give birth to ignorant six consciousnesses; only with enlightened, untainted formations can untainted six consciousnesses be born, including the untainted seed-consciousness and the untainted fruit-consciousness. This also shows that the manas is the defiled-and-pure basis (āśraya) of the six consciousnesses: the mind consciousness cannot purify itself unilaterally, cannot unilaterally eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) and sever afflictions; it must rely on the manas to eradicate the view of self and sever afflictions, thereby attaining the untainted state.
Original text:问。若受为缘。皆是爱耶。设是爱者。皆受为缘耶。答。应作四句。或有是爱。非受为缘。谓希求胜解脱。及依善爱而舍余爱。或受为缘。而非是爱。谓除无明触。所生受为缘。所余有支法生。或有受为缘亦是爱。谓无明触所生受为缘。染污爱生。除如是相是第四句。
Explanation: Question: If dharmas are born with feeling as their condition, are they all craving? If they are all craving, are they all born with feeling as their condition? Answer: This question should be analyzed in four alternatives. (1) Some craving is born not with feeling as its condition, such as the yearning for supreme liberation, and the abandoning of other cravings by relying on wholesome craving. (2) Some dharmas are born with feeling as their condition yet are not subsumed under craving—namely, apart from dharmas born with the feeling born of ignorant contact as their condition, the arising of the remaining links of existence; for example, the feeling born with ignorant contact as its condition, and the feeling born with untainted contact as its condition—dharmas born with such feeling as their condition are not dharmas subsumed under craving. (3) Some dharmas are born with feeling as their condition and belong to the link of craving, such as the defiled craving born with the feeling born of ignorant contact as its condition. Apart from the aforementioned characteristics, all belong to the fourth alternative, namely dharmas that are not born with feeling as their condition and are also not subsumed under craving.
