Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume Ten (The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination)

(Ten) Original text: 问。若说无明。以不如理作意为因。何因缘故。于缘起教中不先说耶。答。彼唯是不断因故。非杂染因故。所以者何。非不愚者。起此作意。依杂染因。说缘起教。无明自性是染污。不如理作意自性非染污。故彼不能染污无明。然由无明力所染污。又生杂染业。烦恼力之所熏。发业之初因。谓初缘起。是故不说不如理作意。

Explanation: Question: If ignorance is said to have non-accordant mental engagement as its cause, for what reason is it not stated first in the teaching of dependent arising? Answer: Because it is only a cause that cannot be eliminated, not a cause of defilement. Why is this? It is not the case that those who are not foolish give rise to this mental engagement. The teaching of dependent arising is expounded based on the cause of defilement. The intrinsic nature of ignorance is defiled, while the intrinsic nature of non-accordant mental engagement is undefiled; therefore, non-accordant mental engagement cannot defile ignorance, yet it is itself defiled by the power of ignorance. Moreover, the defiled formations of arising are perfumed by the power of afflictions, and the initial cause of activating karma is the initial link of dependent arising. Therefore, non-accordant mental engagement is not mentioned first.

Original text: 问。何故不说自体。为自体缘耶。答。由彼自体。若不得余缘。于自体杂染。不能增长。亦不损减。是故不说。问。何因缘故。福行不动行。由正简择功力而起。仍说用无明为缘耶。答。由不了达。世俗苦因为缘。起非福行。由不了达。胜义苦因为缘。生福及不动行。是故亦说。彼以无明为缘。问。如经中说。诸业以贪嗔痴为缘。何故此中。唯说痴为缘耶。答。此中通说。福非福不动业缘。贪嗔痴缘。唯生非福业故。

Explanation: Question: Why is it not said that the self-essence serves as the condition for the self-essence itself? Answer: If the self-essence obtains no other conditions, its defilement of the self-essence can neither increase nor decrease; therefore, this is not stated.

Question: What is the cause and condition that the formations of meritorious karma and the formations of non-meritorious, non-immovable karma—arising through the power of merit from correct discernment of dharmas—are nevertheless said to arise with ignorance as their condition? Answer: Because, due to failure to comprehend that the cause of worldly suffering is greed, hatred, and delusion as conditions, one engages in non-meritorious formations; and because, due to failure to comprehend that the cause of suffering in the ultimate sense is ignorance as condition, one engages in meritorious and immovable formations. Therefore, it is also said that these formations take ignorance as their condition.

Question: As stated in the sūtras, all karmic formations of sentient beings are created with greed, hatred, and delusion as conditions. Why is only delusion mentioned as the condition here? Answer: Here the conditions for all three—meritorious formations, non-meritorious formations, and immovable formations—are spoken of comprehensively; greed, hatred, and delusion as conditions can only give rise to non-meritorious formations.