Saṃyukta Āgama (298), Part Two

(2) Original text: 缘无明行者。云何为行。行有三种。身行口行意行。缘行识者。云何为识。谓六识身。眼识身耳识身。鼻识身舌识身。身识身意识身。缘识名色者。云何名。谓四无色阴。受阴想阴。行阴识阴。云何色。谓四大四大所造色。是名为色。此色及前所说。名是为名色。

 Explanation: Ignorance conditions volitional formations. What are formations? There are three kinds of formations: bodily formations, verbal formations, and mental formations. Volitional formations condition consciousness. What is consciousness? It refers to the six consciousnesses: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness. Consciousness conditions name-and-form. What is "name"? It refers to the four formless aggregates: the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of formations, and the aggregate of consciousness. What is "form"? It refers to the four great elements and the material form created by the four great elements; this is called form. This form together with the aforementioned name is called name-and-form.

Bodily formations, verbal formations, and mental formations—these three kinds of formations are all controlled by the mental activities of the manas. Because of ignorance, the manas wants to create bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and only then are the six consciousnesses born; only after the six consciousnesses are born are there bodily, verbal, and mental formations. If there are no six consciousnesses, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental formations. For example, when one is asleep and the six consciousnesses are absent, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental formations; when one is in a coma and the six consciousnesses have disappeared, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental formations; likewise in the concentration of no-perception and the cessation of perception and feeling—when the six consciousnesses are absent, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental formations. Therefore, the mental activities of the manas come first, and only then do the six consciousnesses and the six consciousnesses' bodily, verbal, and mental formations arise. The manas comes first, and the six consciousnesses come after.

Original text: 缘名色六入处者。云何为六入处。谓六内入处。眼入处。耳入处。鼻入处。舌入处。身入处。意入处。缘六入处触者。云何为触。谓六触身。眼触身。耳触身。鼻触身。舌触身。身触身。意触身。缘触受者。云何为受。谓三受。苦受乐受。不苦不乐受。缘受爱者。彼云何为爱。谓三爱。欲爱色爱。无色爱。缘爱取者。云何为取。四取。欲取见取。戒取我取。缘取有者。云何为有。三有。欲有色有。无色有。

Explanation: Name-and-form conditions the six sense bases. What are the six sense bases? They are the six internal sense bases: the eye base, the ear base, the nose base, the tongue base, the body base, and the mind base. The six sense bases condition contact. What is contact? It refers to the six kinds of contact: eye contact, ear contact, nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, and mind contact. Contact conditions feeling. What is feeling? There are three kinds of feeling: painful feeling, pleasant feeling, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. Feeling conditions craving. What is craving? There are three kinds of craving: craving for the desire realm, craving for the form realm, and craving for the formless realm. Craving conditions grasping. What is grasping? There are four kinds of grasping: grasping of desire, grasping of views, grasping of precepts and vows, and grasping of self-assertion. Grasping conditions existence. What is existence? There are three kinds of existence: existence in the desire realm, existence in the form realm, and existence in the formless realm.