The Crucial Link in the Cessation of Suffering

If one wishes to eradicate birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress, which link in the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination is the most crucial? Or rather, which link in the Twelve Links most directly leads to birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress? Some say it is grasping (upādāna); some say it is craving (tṛṣṇā); some say it is feeling (vedanā); some say it is contact (sparśa); some say it is the six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana); some say it is name-and-form (nāmarūpa); some say it is the six consciousnesses (ṣaḍvijñāna); some say it is volitional formations (saṃskāra); some say it is ignorance (avidyā).

First, consider that if grasping is eradicated, and one no longer clings, then becoming (bhava) in future existences will not arise, and birth and death will cease from then on. Therefore, grasping is indeed crucial. Without grasping, there are no causes and conditions for rebirth in future lives. If one wishes to eradicate grasping, how should one proceed? If a person is deeply afflicted by craving, can they eradicate grasping? Absolutely not. Therefore, eradicating craving is also crucial. The eradication of craving can only occur after severing the view of self (satkāyadṛṣṭi) and attaining the first dhyāna (meditative absorption). Only then does one gain the capacity to eradicate craving, which characterizes a third or fourth fruition practitioner (anāgāmin or arhat).

However, if a person continuously experiences feelings (vedanā), can craving be eradicated and prevented from arising? Absolutely not. Therefore, eradicating feeling is also crucial. How does one eradicate feeling? Feeling arises due to contact with objects. Only by reducing and eradicating contact can feeling be reduced and eradicated. Hence, eradicating contact is crucial. How does one eradicate contact? As long as the internal six sense bases exist, contact is inevitable. Avoiding contact is difficult and uncomfortable; it is impossible not to have contact. Therefore, eradicating the internal six sense bases is crucial.

How does one eradicate the internal six sense bases? The internal six sense bases arise from name-and-form. Where there is name-and-form, there are the internal six sense bases. Therefore, eradicating name-and-form is crucial. How does one eradicate name-and-form? Name-and-form arises from karmic seeds (bīja) within the three realms (triloka). These karmic seeds are left by the actions of body, speech, and mind performed by the six consciousnesses. If the six consciousnesses do not perform actions of body, speech, and mind, there will be no karmic seeds for the three realms, and consequently, no future rebirth of the name-and-form aggregate (nāmarūpa-skandha). Thus, birth and death cease. Therefore, eradicating the six consciousnesses and their actions of body, speech, and mind is crucial. How does one eradicate the six consciousnesses? The arising of the six consciousnesses is determined by the mental faculty (manas, or the defiled mind). If the mental faculty intends to perform actions of body, speech, and mind, the six consciousnesses will inevitably arise and comply with the mental formations (caitasika) of the mental faculty. Therefore, eradicating the mental formations of the mental faculty is crucial. How does one eradicate the mental formations of the mental faculty? The mental faculty has attachment to phenomena of the three realms and operates within them due to the ignorance (avidyā) of the mental faculty. As long as the mental faculty possesses ignorance, it will inevitably have mental formations and inevitably intend to create karmic actions. Therefore, eradicating the ignorance of the mental faculty is the most crucial point. Once ignorance is eradicated, the five aggregates (skandha) and the world of the three realms will inevitably cease entirely, not even a trace remaining. How does one eradicate ignorance completely?

In practice, one must first subdue the formations of the mental faculty, subdue the actions of body, speech, and mind of the six consciousnesses, subdue the contact of the six sense bases, subdue feelings, subdue greed and desire, and subdue the mind of grasping. Only after this process of subduing can one proceed to sever and ultimately eradicate [the defilements] completely. The process of subduing is the practice of the Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment (bodhipakṣikā dharma), the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path (āryāṣṭāṅgamārga), and the practice of morality (śīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). After subduing [the defilements], when morality is purified, concentration is enhanced, wisdom is increased, and body and mind become light and tranquil, one will soon undergo the first rebirth and transformation. Then, the Dharma-eye (dharmacakṣus) is purified, one attains the first fruition (srotāpanna), and enters into samādhi. The second rebirth and transformation occurs after attaining the first dhyāna, as afflictions (kleśa) are progressively shed and severed. When the view of self (ātmagrāha) is completely severed, one is liberated from the suffering of the three realms.

By subduing one link, the other links are progressively subdued. By severing one link, the other links are progressively severed. The eradication of ignorance is the most fundamental. If ignorance is not severed, the others cannot be completely eradicated and will regrow. When one possesses meditative absorption (dhyāna), contact decreases, feelings decrease, craving decreases, and grasping decreases—these links are thereby subdued. However, if ignorance is not severed, these links can still flourish again. The lack of renunciation (niḥsaraṇa) arises from not recognizing suffering. Failure to recognize suffering stems from ignorance, which is quite profound.

The key to these birth-and-death afflictions and the ignorance of birth and death lies entirely within the mental faculty. Subduing the mental faculty and eradicating its ignorance is paramount. When the mental faculty possesses ignorance, it will grasp at objects, then make decisions, after which the six consciousnesses arise, followed by actions of body, speech, and mind, which then deposit karmic seeds. Subsequently, rebirth occurs with name-and-form, and a new round of birth and death begins. Thus, the cycle repeats—when will it end? Severing the view of self and attaining the first fruition is the initial severance of the mental faculty's ignorance, though only a portion is severed initially. Continuing the practice, one severs another portion, as wisdom and samādhi increase, attaining the second fruition (sakṛdāgāmin), then the third fruition (anāgāmin). When the ignorance and afflictions of the three realms are completely eradicated, one attains the fourth fruition (arhat). Therefore, the first fruition necessarily involves severing the mental faculty's view of self, but only a small part, only a portion.