The Twelvefold Chain of Dependent Origination and Samsara

Ignorance (ignorance of the mental faculty) → Volitional formations (the mental factor of volitional choice by the mental faculty) → Consciousness (the six consciousnesses) → Name-and-form (the five aggregates) → Six sense bases (the six sense faculties) → Contact (contact between the six sense faculties and the six sense objects) → Feeling (feeling of the six consciousnesses; the mental faculty also has feeling) → Craving (craving of the six consciousnesses; the mental faculty also has craving) → Clinging (clinging of the six consciousnesses, primarily clinging by the mental faculty) → Becoming (the three realms of existence) → Birth → Aging, death, and suffering.

Due to ignorance, the mental faculty gives rise to thoughts, makes choices, and intends to create karmic actions. Consequently, the six consciousnesses arise and create bodily, verbal, and mental karmic actions, thereby leaving karmic seeds within the three realms of existence. Once karmic seeds exist, future rebirth is inevitable. The mental faculty of the intermediate state body enters the womb following karma, giving rise to the initial name-and-form. Subsequently, the six sense bases gradually become complete, contact arises, and following contact, the feeling of consciousness manifests. With feeling, ceaseless coveting arises, leading to clinging to feelings and sense objects. Karmic seeds are stored, ensuring the continued birth and existence of future becoming. Consequently, future birth occurs, and aging, sickness, and death inevitably follow.

Name-and-form initially consists of the mental faculty and the fertilized ovum, and ultimately becomes the body of the five aggregates. At the time of entering the womb, the mental faculty and the ālaya consciousness enter the womb, combining with the fertilized ovum to form name-and-form. Complete name-and-form comprises the six consciousnesses, six sense faculties, and six sense objects—the eighteen elements. So, upon what consciousness does name-and-form depend to arise? Which consciousness is necessary for its arising? It relies on the six consciousnesses of the previous life, because the actions of the six consciousnesses can leave karmic seeds for the five-aggregate body of future lives. Only with seeds can the five-aggregate body exist. When name-and-form is complete, contact with the internal and external six sense bases can occur, after which the six consciousnesses of the present life arise. Only when the six sense bases are complete can the six consciousnesses exist. When the six sense bases are complete, the five-aggregate body is complete, and the six consciousnesses can create bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Then, karmic seeds are left again, moistening the five-aggregate body for future lives. Sentient beings continue birth after birth in this way.

To liberate oneself from the suffering of birth-and-death cycles, the six consciousnesses must cease creating and leaving karmic seeds. The non-creation of actions by the six consciousnesses is entirely determined by the volitional mental factor of the mental faculty. If the mental faculty does not intend to create actions, the six consciousnesses will not leave seeds of bodily, verbal, or mental actions. To eliminate the mental formations of the mental faculty's volitional factor, the ignorance of the mental faculty must be eradicated. To eradicate the ignorance of the mental faculty, one must cultivate the Four Noble Truths, practice the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, cultivate meditative observation, and after realizing the emptiness and non-self of the five-aggregate world, liberation will gradually be attained.