Saṃyukta Āgama (292) Part 8

Furthermore, when a monk contemplates and observes the correct cessation of suffering and reaches the ultimate end of suffering, he contemplates what cause, what accumulation, what birth, what contact there is for those volitional formations. He knows that those volitional formations arise due to ignorance, are accumulated by ignorance, are born from ignorance, and are contacted by ignorance. Those wholesome volitional formations are conditioned by ignorance; those unwholesome volitional formations are also conditioned by ignorance; and those neutral volitional formations are also conditioned by ignorance. Therefore, it should be known that those volitional formations arise due to ignorance, are accumulated by ignorance, are born from ignorance, and are contacted by ignorance. When ignorance is completely and permanently extinguished without remainder, then volitional formations cease. He should truly know the path to the cessation of ignorance that he practices, cultivate the methods for advancing on the path, and practice the subsequent dharmas. This is called the monk advancing toward the correct cessation of suffering and reaching the ultimate end of suffering, which is the cessation of ignorance.

Explanation: Furthermore, if a monk wishes to contemplate and observe the correct cessation of suffering and reach the ultimate end of suffering, he must contemplate and observe what cause produces the mental formations of the mind faculty, what dharma causes the mental formations of the mind faculty to appear when accumulated, what dharma causes them to be born when produced, and what dharma causes them to arise when contacted. After contemplation, he realizes that the mental formations of the mind faculty appear due to ignorance, that ignorance causes the mental formations of the mind faculty to arise when accumulated, that ignorance causes them to be born when produced, and that ignorance causes them to appear when contacted. The mental formations where the mind faculty intends to create wholesome karmas are produced due to ignorance; the mental formations where the mind faculty intends to create unwholesome and non-virtuous karmas are produced due to ignorance; and even the mental formations where the mind faculty intends to create neither wholesome nor unwholesome karmas are produced due to ignorance. Therefore, monks should know that the mental formations of the mind faculty are born conditioned by causes, are born due to the accumulation of ignorance, are born due to the birth of ignorance, and are born due to the contact of ignorance. If the ignorance of the mind faculty is permanently extinguished without remainder, the mental formations of the mind faculty will cease accordingly. Monks should truly know the path to the cessation of ignorance that they practice, cultivate the methods for advancing on the path and the auxiliary methods, and thus it is called the monk advancing toward the correct cessation of suffering and reaching the ultimate end of suffering, which is the cessation of ignorance.