Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra (295), Part Two

(2) Original text: 尔时。世尊告诸比丘。此身非汝所有。亦非余人所有。谓六触入处。本修行愿。受得此身。云何为六。眼触入处。耳鼻舌身意触入处。彼多闻圣弟子于诸缘起。善正思惟观察。有此六识身。六触身六受身。六想身六思身。所谓此有故。有当来生老病死忧悲恼苦。如是如是纯大苦聚集。是名有因有缘世间集。

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: This present physical body does not belong to you, nor does it belong to anyone else. It is because the six sense bases of contact (ṣaḍāyatana) continually operate without ceasing, in order to fulfill one's own various vows and actions, that this physical body was received through rebirth. What are the six sense bases of contact? They are the eye base of contact, the ear base of contact, the nose base of contact, the tongue base of contact, the body base of contact, and the mind base of contact. Disciples who are noble and learned in the sūtras should, with regard to all phenomena of dependent arising, be skilled in correct and reasoned contemplation and observation: because there is the body of the six consciousnesses, there are the six bodies of contact, the six bodies of feeling, the six bodies of perception, and the six bodies of volition. That is to say, because this exists, there is future birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress; in this way, in this manner, the great mass of suffering alone is assembled. This is called the arising of the world through causes and conditions.

The Buddha said that sentient beings have the six bodies of consciousness, the six bodies of contact, the six bodies of feeling, the six bodies of perception, and the six bodies of volition. The six bodies of consciousness are the eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness. The six bodies of feeling are feeling born of eye contact, feeling born of ear contact, feeling born of nose contact, feeling born of tongue contact, feeling born of body contact, and feeling born of mind contact. The six bodies of contact are eye contact, ear contact, nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, and mind contact. The six bodies of perception are perception born of eye contact, perception born of ear contact, perception born of nose contact, perception born of tongue contact, perception born of body contact, and perception born of mind contact. The six bodies of volition are volition born of eye contact, volition born of ear contact, volition born of nose contact, volition born of tongue contact, volition born of body contact, and volition born of mind contact. Volition means decision-making and behavioral formation. For example, when the eye faculty contacts material form, volition arises; the eye consciousness gives rise to decision-making and engages in some behavioral formation, which then continues to operate—this belongs to the aggregate of formations (saṃskāra).

When the eye sees form, the eye consciousness has volition and action, with decision-making and behavioral formation; when the ear hears sound, the ear consciousness has decision-making and behavioral formation. Having discrimination is behavioral formation—this is called the six bodies of volition, also called the six actions, also called the aggregate of formations. Therefore volition includes action. Volition and perception are different: perception is the activity of discerning and grasping, or the mental activities of the seventh and sixth consciousnesses such as deluded thoughts, discrimination, and planning. This volition mainly lies in decision-making and the behavioral formation after decision-making. The behavioral formations of the six consciousnesses are bodily, verbal, and mental actions, but after decision-making, there may instead be stillness and quiescence, without the formation of bodily, verbal, or mental actions.

"Because this exists, that exists" is speaking of the twelve links of dependent origination: the preceding link is the cause, and the following link is the effect. Starting from the second link, each link is both the effect of the previous one and the cause of the next one. The final great mass of suffering is only an effect, not a cause; the first link, ignorance, is only a cause, not an effect—having no preceding cause, it has existed from beginningless time. The twelve links of dependent origination are the dharma of dependent arising. All dharmas in the world are dharmas of dependent arising; if there were no cause and no condition, no dharma would appear. This is called the arising of the world through causes and conditions—the world is assembled through causes and conditions. The cessation of the world through causes and conditions: cessation also has its causes and conditions; it does not cease without cause or reason.

However, there is one dharma that is not within causes and conditions, not produced by causes and conditions. He is the cause of all dharmas; it is because of Him that all dharmas appear. He is the eighth consciousness, the ālayavijñāna. He exists without relying on any condition; no dharma can give rise to Him—He exists naturally so, intrinsically so. As for the existence of this dharma, there is no "why," no reason; the existence of all other dharmas has a "why," has causes and conditions. Because of the eighth consciousness, all the illusions of the world are established—the universe, empty space, the great thousand worlds, and the five-aggregate bodies of sentient beings. He is the cause of all dharmas, and also the root and the condition of all dharmas, while He Himself has neither root nor condition.