Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume X: The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination

(14) Original Text:

Question: Among these twelve links, how many pertain to the path of affliction? How many pertain to the path of karma? How many pertain to the path of suffering? Answer: Three pertain to the path of affliction. Two pertain to the path of karma. The rest pertain to the path of suffering. Question: How many are solely cause? How many are solely effect? How many pertain to both cause and effect? Answer: The first one is solely cause. The last one is solely effect. The rest pertain to both cause and effect. Regarding this same question, another answer may be given: Three are solely cause. Two are solely effect. It should be understood that the remaining links are both cause and effect.

Explanation:

Question: Among these twelve links of dependent origination, how many belong to the path of affliction? How many to the path of karma? How many to the path of suffering? Answer: Three links belong to the path of affliction, two to the path of karma, and the rest to the path of suffering. The links of the path of affliction include ignorance (avidyā), which gives rise to afflicted karma. The three links—ignorance, craving (tṛṣṇā), and clinging (upādāna)—pertain to the path of affliction. The path of karma refers to the links that constitute karmic results; the links of name-and-form (nāmarūpa) and existence (bhava) are karmic results. The path of suffering refers to the links involving the experience of suffering; the seven links—volitional formations (saṃskāra), consciousness (vijñāna), six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana), contact (sparśa), feeling (vedanā), birth (jāti), and aging-and-death (jarāmaraṇa)—all involve suffering.

Question: Among the twelve links, how many are solely cause? How many are solely effect? How many pertain to both cause and effect? Answer: The first link, ignorance, is solely cause. The last link, aging-and-death, is solely effect. The intermediate links pertain to both cause and effect. Regarding this question, there is another answer: Three links are solely cause—ignorance, craving, and clinging. Two links are solely effect—existence and aging-and-death. The remaining seven links—volitional formations, consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, feeling, and birth—pertain to both cause and effect.

Original Text:

Question: How many have a singular nature? How many have a composite nature? Answer: Three have a singular nature. Volitional formations and the rest have a composite nature. Question: Why do volitional formations and existence have a composite nature? Answer: Because of one explanation: They can induce both pleasant and unpleasant karmic fruits, and they can generate distinctions among destinies.

Explanation:

Question: Among the twelve links, how many have a singular nature? How many have a composite nature? Answer: Three have a singular nature—existence, birth, and aging-and-death. The links of ignorance, volitional formations, consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, and so forth have a composite nature. "Composite nature" means these links encompass virtuous, non-virtuous, and neutral qualities, capable of inducing corresponding karmic retribution. Question: For what reason do volitional formations and other links possess this composite nature? Answer: One explanation is that volitional formations and other links can induce both pleasant and unpleasant karmic fruits, and they can generate distinctions among the six destinies (gati). Hence, volitional formations and other links are said to have a composite nature.

Original Text:

Question: Why do consciousness, name-and-form, and the six sense bases partially have a composite nature? Answer: Because of three explanations: Due to reliance on the time of defilement, due to reliance on the time of maturation, and due to reliance on the time of transformation. Question: Why do consciousness up to feeling and aging-and-death have a composite nature? Answer: Because of two explanations: To separately reveal the nature of suffering, and to reveal distinctions in the process of arising.

Explanation:

Question: Why is it said that consciousness, name-and-form, and the six sense bases partially have a composite nature? Answer: There are three explanations: One explanation is that when consciousness possesses the composite nature of virtuous, non-virtuous, and neutral defilements, the links of name-and-form and the six sense bases also exhibit the composite nature of pleasant and unpleasant qualities. Another explanation is that when consciousness is being matured and influenced, the links of name-and-form and the six sense bases exhibit the composite nature of pleasant and unpleasant qualities. A third explanation is that during the process of consciousness undergoing transformation (i.e., rebirth), the links of name-and-form and the six sense bases exhibit the composite nature of pleasant and unpleasant qualities.

Question: Why is it said that the links from consciousness to feeling and the link of aging-and-death have a composite nature? Answer: There are two explanations: One explanation is that the links of consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, and feeling separately reveal the suffering nature of aging-and-death. Another explanation is that the links from consciousness to feeling and aging-and-death reveal distinctions in the process of giving rise to the aging-and-death link. Hence, it is said that consciousness and other links have a composite nature.