Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Volume 10 (Twelve Links of Dependent Origination)

(Nineteen) Original text: 问。云何说言。此有故彼有。答。由未断缘。余得生义故。问。云何此生故彼生。答。由无常缘。余得生义故。问。何故说言。有生故有老死。要由生缘。而有老死。如是乃至。无明望行。答。由此言教道理。显从无实作用缘。余得生义故。

Explanation: Question: Why is it said that "when this exists, that exists"? Answer: Because the condition has not yet been severed, the other dharmas are able to arise; therefore it is said that "when this exists, that exists." Question: Why is it said that "when this arises, that arises"? Answer: Because of the impermanent (arising) condition, the other dharmas are able to arise; therefore it is said that "when this arises, that arises."

Question: Why is it said that because there is birth there is aging-and-death, and that aging-and-death can only exist by relying on the condition of birth? Why is it the same for the other eleven links—why must there be ignorance for volitional formations to exist, volitional formations for consciousness to exist, consciousness for name-and-form to exist, name-and-form for the six sense bases to exist, the six sense bases for contact to exist, contact for feeling to exist, feeling for craving to exist, craving for grasping to exist, grasping for existence to exist, and existence for birth to exist? Answer: The principle of "birth conditioning aging-and-death" can demonstrate that from a condition lacking real function, the other dharmas are able to arise. The link of birth is not a real dharma and has no real function, yet it can serve as the condition for the arising of the phenomenon of aging-and-death. The other eleven links are also like this: although ignorance is not a real dharma and has no actual function, it is the condition for the arising of the link of volitional formations; likewise, the link of volitional formations is the condition for the arising of the link of consciousness.

Original text: 问。何故说言。有生故有老死。非离生缘。而有老死。如是乃至。无明望行。答。由此言教道理。显从自相续缘。即自相续。余得生义故。

Explanation: Question: Why is it said that because there is birth there is aging-and-death, and that aging-and-death does not exist apart from the condition of birth? Why is it said that with the condition of ignorance there are volitional formations, and volitional formations do not exist apart from ignorance? Why is it said that with the condition of volitional formations there is consciousness, and consciousness does not exist apart from volitional formations? And so forth down to: with existence there is birth, and birth does not exist apart from existence? Answer: Because the teaching principle of "birth conditioning aging-and-death" can demonstrate that, due to the condition of birth's own continuity—that is, birth's own continuity—the other links are able to arise; therefore it is said that birth conditions aging-and-death. The same applies to ignorance conditioning volitional formations, volitional formations conditioning consciousness, and so on.