Sūtra on the Oral Explanation of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination from the Āgamas

（一）Original text: 欲断生死趣。度世道者。当念却十二因缘。何等为十二。一者本为痴。二者从痴为所作行。三者从作行为所识。四者从所识为名色。五者从名色为六衰。六者从六衰为所更。七者从所更为痛。八者从痛为爱。九者从爱为求。十者从求为得。十一者从得为生。十二者从生为老病死。是为十二因缘事。

Explanation: If one wishes to cut off the path of birth and death and transcend the world's cycle of the six realms, one should be mindful of the twelve links of dependent arising. What are the twelve? First, the root of the cycle of birth and death is ignorance and delusion; second, from the ignorance and delusion of the manas, volitional formations are engendered; third, from volitional formations, the six consciousnesses are engendered; fourth, from the six consciousnesses, name-and-form is engendered; fifth, from name-and-form, the six sense bases are engendered; sixth, from the six sense bases, contact is engendered; seventh, from contact, feeling is engendered; eighth, from feeling, craving is engendered; ninth, from craving, seeking and grasping are engendered; ninth, from seeking and grasping, existence is engendered; tenth, from existence, birth is engendered; eleventh, from birth, aging, sickness, and death are engendered. The above is the dharma of the twelve links of dependent arising.

Original text: 此十二事欲起。当用四非常灭之。何等为四非常。一为识苦。二为舍习。三为知尽。四为行道。更说念生念老念病念死。念是四事。便却是十二因缘道成。念是四事道人。欲得度世。当断十二因缘事。是为断生死根。

十二因缘有内外。一者内为痴。外为地。二者内为行。外为水。三者内为识。外为火。四者内为名色。外为风。五者内为六入。外为空。六者内为灾。外为种。七者内为痛。外为根。八者内为爱。外为茎。九者内为受。外为叶。十者内为有。外为节。十一者内为生。外为华。十二者内为老死。外为实。

Explanation: When these twelve links of dependent arising are about to arise, one should use the four truths of the extraordinary (the Four Noble Truths) to extinguish them. What are the four truths of the extraordinary? First, one must know suffering and recognize suffering; second, one must eliminate the origin of suffering and cast off habitual tendencies; third, one must aspire to cessation and come to know the dharma of the path that utterly ends suffering; fourth, one must cultivate the Eightfold Noble Path. In addition, one should constantly be mindful of the matters of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and then the twelve links of dependent arising can be cultivated to accomplishment. A practitioner of the path who is mindful of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and who wishes to transcend the world, should cut off the enterprise of birth and death of the twelve links of dependent arising; this is cutting off the root of birth and death.

The twelve links of dependent arising have an inner and an outer aspect: first, the inner is ignorance and delusion, and the outer is the element of earth; second, the inner is volitional formations, and the outer is the element of water; third, the inner is the six consciousnesses, and the outer is the element of fire; fourth, the inner is name-and-form, and the outer is the element of wind; fifth, the inner is the six sense bases, and the outer is space; sixth, the inner is calamity, and the outer is karmic seeds; seventh, the inner is feeling, and the outer is the root; eighth, the inner is craving, and the outer is the stem of a plant; ninth, the inner is feeling, and the outer are the branches and leaves; tenth, the inner is existence, and the outer are the nodes; eleventh, the inner is birth, and the outer is the flower; twelfth, the inner is aging and death, and the outer is the fruit.