Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Volume Ten (Twelve Links of Dependent Origination)

(1) Original text:欲爱云何。谓欲界诸行为缘所生。于欲界行染污希求。由此能生欲界苦果。色爱云何。谓色界诸行为缘所生。于色界行染污希求。由此能生色界苦果。无色爱云何。谓无色界诸行为缘所生。于无色界行染污希求。由此能生无色界苦果。

Explanation: What is desire-craving (kāma-tṛṣṇā)? Desire-craving is the craving and delight born with all the volitional formations of the desire realm as their condition—the defiled longing, pursuit, thoughts, and aspirations enacted within the desire realm; from these longings and cravings, the suffering fruits of the desire realm are born. What is form-craving (rūpa-tṛṣṇā)? Form-craving is the craving and delight born with all the volitional formations of the form realm as their condition—the defiled longings and aspirations enacted within the form realm; from these defiled longings, the suffering fruits of the form realm are born. What is formless-realm craving (ārūpya-tṛṣṇā)? Formless-realm craving is the craving and delight born with all the volitional formations of the formless realm as their condition—the defiled longings and aspirations enacted within the formless realm; from these, the suffering fruits of the formless realm are born.

The volitional formations of the desire realm include all life activities within the desire realm: the contact arising from the convergence of the faculties, sense objects, and consciousnesses, along with the resulting feelings, and the defiled mental activities of greed and craving that arise when the six consciousnesses perceive all dharmas. "Defiled" means the mind is not pure, not tranquil, without relinquishment, still seeking something, still holding to a self, and having afflictions such as greed, hatred, and delusion. Because sentient beings' minds are constantly steeped in the pit of defilement, and the defilement is so severe, it is very difficult for them to introspect and see their own mind's defilement; nor do they know the boundary and standard between defilement and purity, believing that all their mental activities are perfectly normal, only natural, and as they should be. Therefore, it is very difficult for sentient beings' cultivation to get on the right track; the path of realization is indeed long and arduous. To be utterly transformed and to realize the first fruit or the path to the first fruit is by no means an easy matter.

The form realm and the formless realm have the four dhyānas and eight meditative absorptions—so why do they still have longing, defilement, and defiled actions? Those of the first and second fruits do not possess the four dhyānas and eight absorptions; those who possess them are already of the third and fourth fruits. The four dhyānas and eight absorptions of ordinary beings can only suppress and subdue afflictions, not eradicate them. They have not eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), and due to ignorance and the view of self, they have various kinds of inappropriate attention and defiled longings. The volitional formations of the form realm include feelings born from eye-contact, feelings born from ear-contact, feelings born from body-contact, and feelings born from mind-contact; afterward, form-craving arises, and there are defiled longings. The volitional formations of the formless realm consist only of feelings born from mind-contact; being attached to the states of meditative concentration, there are defiled longings.

By the same reasoning, the devas of the form realm and formless realm have defiled longings and defiled actions; apart from anāgāmins of the third fruit and arhats of the fourth fruit, all the rest have defilements to varying degrees. Those of the first fruit, srotāpanna, and the second fruit, sakṛdāgāmin, do not have the first dhyāna; if they are reborn in the heavens at death, they can only go to the desire-realm heavens, not to the form-realm or formless-realm heavens. Those of the third fruit have meditative concentration of the first dhyāna and above, and at death will be reborn among the five Pure Abodes (avinivartanīya heavens); some will attain the fourth fruit in the antarābhava and enter nirvāṇa without remainder; those of the fourth fruit who do not turn their minds toward the Great Vehicle directly enter nirvāṇa without remainder.

Therefore, the devas of the form-realm and formless-realm heavens are almost all ordinary beings possessing the four dhyānas and eight absorptions. Ordinary beings have not eradicated the view of self, and thus have not eradicated afflictions; relying on meditative concentration, they can only subdue the relatively coarse afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion. Because ordinary devas have not eradicated the view of self, they take some dharma among the five aggregates and eighteen realms, or multiple dharmas, or all dharmas, as the self and grasp onto it; they almost invariably have defiled mental activities and inclinations, and almost invariably have defiled longings and aspirations. For example, they long for eternal youth and longevity, long for immortality, long for the bliss and merit of meditative concentration—these longings are desires, are karmic actions of saṃsāra, and can summon the suffering of birth and death, never escaping the cycle of rebirth. What suffering is there in the form realm and formless realm? Arising, ceasing, change, and alteration are suffering; death is suffering; knowing that after death there is still rebirth is suffering; knowing that after death one may take rebirth in the three evil destinies to undergo retribution is suffering; that life cannot endure forever is suffering; that the body cannot remain eternally young is suffering.