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

(Eighteen) Original text:复次建立有支有二种。一就胜分建立。谓取所摄受业。如前已说。二全分建立。谓业及识。乃至受所有种子。取所摄受。建立为有应知。

Explanation: There are two ways to establish the link of existence (bhāva). One is to establish the existence of the three realms from the perspective of the preeminent link, which refers to the karmic function grasped and appropriated by clinging (upādāna), as previously explained that clinging is one of the three conditions for existence; the second is to establish the existence of the three realms in an all-encompassing way, including all the seeds of karmic formations, the six consciousnesses, nāma-rūpa, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling, all of which are grasped and appropriated by clinging, and then there is the existence of future lives. 

The transmigration through the six realms is the fruit of clinging, and it is the manifestation of the most preeminent link of the three-realm existence; this is the meaning of establishing existence from the perspective of the preeminent link. All karmic formations and karmic functions leave behind seeds: the activities of the six consciousnesses leave seeds, the arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing of nāma-rūpa leave seeds, the operation of the six sense bases leaves seeds, contact leaves seeds, and feeling also leaves seeds. These seeds lead to the appearance of existence in future lives, and these seeds also fall within the scope of existence. Because of existence, there are these links, and these links also fall within the scope of existence; this is the meaning of establishing existence in an all-encompassing way. 

Original text:问。是诸有支。唯有次第。与行为缘。乃至老死。更有余业用耶。答。即此业用。及于各别所行境中。如其所应。所有业用当知。是名第二业用。 

Explanation: Question: Do these links of existence only sequentially serve as conditions for the link of volitional formations, all the way up to serving as the condition for the link of aging-and-death, or do they have other karmic functions as well? Answer: This karmic function of serving as a condition for volitional formations up through aging-and-death, as well as the corresponding karmic functions within each of the respective domains in which they operate—all such karmic functions should be known as the second karmic function. The first karmic function is birth; only after birth can there be karmic functions such as volitional formations, consciousness, nāma-rūpa, up through aging-and-death within the three-realm existence. 

Original text:问。无明唯与行为缘。亦与余支为缘耶。答。无明乃至，亦与老死为缘。前言唯与行为缘者。但说近缘义。如是所余。尽应当知。 

Explanation: Question: Does ignorance (avidyā) serve only as a condition for the link of volitional formations, or does it also serve as a condition for the other links? Answer: Ignorance serves not only as a condition for the link of volitional formations, but also as a condition for consciousness, nāma-rūpa, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, existence, birth, and even aging-and-death; all eleven links operate because of ignorance. The earlier statement that ignorance serves as a condition for volitional formations only refers to the meaning of the proximate condition. The other conditions mentioned afterward should also be known: for example, the operation of the six consciousnesses takes ignorance as its condition, creating defiled karmic formations; nāma-rūpa takes ignorance as its condition and has defiled fruits; the six sense bases take ignorance as their condition and give rise to defiled contact; contact takes ignorance as its condition and gives rise to defiled feeling; feeling takes ignorance as its condition and gives rise to defiled craving; craving takes ignorance as its condition and gives rise to defiled grasping; grasping takes ignorance as its condition and gives rise to unlovely existence; existence takes ignorance as its condition and gives rise to defiled birth; birth takes ignorance as its condition and gives rise to unlovely aging-and-death. 

Original text:复次后支非前支缘。何以故。如为断后支故。勤作功用。断于前支。由前断故。后亦随断。非为断前故。勤作功用。断于后支。是故当知。唯此为彼缘。 

Explanation: Among the twelve links, a later link is not the condition for an earlier link. Why is this said? Because in order to sever a later link, one must sever the earlier link; thus one diligently applies effort and thereby severs the earlier link. Because the earlier link is severed, the later link is also severed accordingly. It is not the case that in order to sever an earlier link, one diligently applies effort to sever the later link. Therefore you should know that only the earlier link is the condition for the later link, and not the later link being the condition for the earlier link.