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

(15) Original text: Furthermore, regarding dependent origination, what is the meaning of 'repeated occurrence'? It means the characteristic of not abiding after arising. What is the meaning of 'conjunction'? It means the gathering together of various conditions. What is the meaning of 'arising'? It means the inducement and apprehension by the conjunction of various conditions, signifying the newly arising phenomenon. What is dependent origination? What is the dependently arisen? The nature of arising in all conditioned phenomena is called dependent origination. Once that has arisen, it is called the dependently arisen. 

Explanation: In the doctrine of dependent origination, what is the meaning of repeated recurrence? It means that after dependent origination arises, it does not remain unchanged and without birth and cessation; rather, it ceaselessly transforms and does not abide, undergoing constant birth and cessation. After cessation, it will arise again, causing dependent origination to undergo repeated birth, cessation, and transformation until ignorance is extinguished. All twelve limbs except the limb of ignorance are like this. What is the meaning of conjunction? Conjunction means that all the conditions upon which a phenomenon should rely for its arising have gathered together; when the causes and conditions are complete, the phenomenon arises. The ten limbs from consciousness onward are like this. The conditions required for the volitional formations limb are relatively fewer, making the volitional formations limb harder to sever than the other limbs. 

What is the meaning of 'arising'? 'Arising' means the newly born phenomenon, the phenomenon arising from non-existence to existence, which is induced and apprehended after all conditions have conjoined. What is dependent origination? What is the dependently arisen? Dependent origination is the nature inherent in all phenomena that enables them to arise after their operation; it is the nature that gives rise to phenomena. When the phenomenon has arisen, it is brought forth by conditions and is called the dependently arisen. Conditions can be supporting conditions and object-conditions. 

Original text: Question: How many limbs are included in the truth of suffering and are suffering in the present life? Answer: Two, namely birth and aging-and-death. Question: How many limbs are included in the truth of suffering and will be suffering in the future? Answer: The seed-nature of consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, and feeling. Question: How many limbs are included in the truth of the origin of suffering? Answer: The remaining limbs. 

Explanation: Question: Among the twelve limbs, how many are included in the truth of suffering and are suffering in the present state? Answer: There are two limbs: the birth limb and the aging-and-death limb. Question: How many are included in the truth of suffering and will cause suffering in the future? Answer: The seed-nature of the five limbs: consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, and feeling; after the seeds mature in future lives and manifest as phenomena, suffering arises. Question: How many limbs are included in the truth of the origin of suffering? Answer: The remaining limbs are included in the truth of the origin of suffering; there are five limbs: ignorance, volitional formations, craving, clinging, and existence.

Original text: Question: Does ignorance serve as a coexistent condition for volitional formations, or as an immediately preceding condition, or as a remote past condition? Answer: It should be understood that it serves all three conditions. That is, due to ignorance, it acts as a coexistent obscuring condition within the factors conducive to all volitional formations, initiating various activities for those specific purposes. Also, due to ignorance accompanied by wrong views and heedlessness, it acts as an immediately preceding condition for the arising and ceasing [of phenomena], initiating volitional formations. Furthermore, due to ignorance acting as a remote past instigating condition, it establishes continuity in accord with that [ignorance], ensuring the arising of the subsequent life continuum. 

Explanation: Question: Do the two limbs of ignorance and volitional formations serve as a coexistent condition for the arising of subsequent phenomena, or as a condition for the immediate cessation of phenomena, or as a condition for the distant future cessation of phenomena? Ignorance and volitional formations serve as three types of conditions for the arising of phenomena due to causes and conditions: Due to ignorance, during the process of conforming to the operation of all phenomena, it acts as a coexistent condition for all phenomena, functioning as an obscuring factor, initiating and operating various activities. Also, due to ignorance and wrong views, its activity is heedless and does not eliminate the wrong views; ignorance accompanies the activity, serving as the condition for the uninterrupted cessation and arising of all phenomena, inducing the operation of all phenomena. Furthermore, due to ignorance acting as a remote future instigating condition for the cessation of all phenomena, conformity to ignorance causes all phenomena to continue uninterrupted in the present life.