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

(33) Original text: Question: With how many kinds of wisdom should dependent arising be known? Answer: Two. Namely, with the knowledge of the abiding of dharmas and with the knowledge of reality. How is it with the knowledge of the abiding of dharmas? It is to know without inversion, just as the Buddha has expounded and revealed. How is it with the knowledge of reality? It is like a learner who has seen the path, contemplating the profound meaning.

Explanation: Question: With how many kinds of wisdom should the meaning of dependent arising be known? Answer: It should be known with two kinds of wisdom, namely, the knowledge of the abiding of dharmas and the knowledge of reality. How is it known with the knowledge of the abiding of dharmas? For example, regarding the twelve links of dependent arising as taught and revealed by the Buddha, one should know them all without inversion, possessing the wisdom that truly knows the law of causes and conditions. How is it known with the knowledge of reality? For example, after cultivating the twelve links of dependent arising, upon seeing the trace of the Noble Path, attaining the contemplation of dependent arising, and achieving purification of the dharma-eye, one can observe the profound meaning of the law of dependent arising.

Original text: Question: As the World-Honored One said, these various instances of dependent arising are neither created by me nor by others. Why is this so? Whether a Buddha appears in the world or not, [dependent arising] abides in the dharmic nature, the abiding of dharmas, the dharmic realm. What is dharmic nature? What is the abiding of dharmas? What is the dharmic realm? Answer: These various instances of dependent arising, from time immemorial, possess a principle of accomplished nature; this is called dharmic nature. Just as with the accomplished nature, by establishing it through non-inverted words and phrases, this is called the abiding of dharmas. Because this abiding of dharmas takes that dharmic nature as its cause, therefore it is called the dharmic realm.

Explanation: Question: Just as the World-Honored One said, all these instances of the law of dependent arising are not created by me, nor are they created by others. Why is this said? Because whether a Buddha appears in the world or not, the law of dependent arising abides in the dharmic nature, dwells within the dharmic realm, and is an enduring principle. What is dharmic nature? What is the dharmic realm? Answer: Dharmic nature is the principle that all instances of dependent arising, from beginningless eons, possess an accomplished nature, the nature formed by the principle. Just like the nature accomplished by the principle, when the principle is established through non-inverted words and phrases, it is called the abiding of dharmas. Taking the dharmic nature of various principles as the cause, it is therefore called the dharmic realm.

Original text: Question: As the scripture says, if birth were non-existent, there would be no place or state where birth could exist. Yet birth does exist. If birth in all aspects were non-existent, then birth as a condition for aging and death should be unobtainable. Why then is it said here that its own nature conditions its own nature? Answer: It is said based on the arising of the fruit from its own seed. That is to say, the links from consciousness up to feeling are the seeds of birth; therefore, they are figuratively spoken of as birth. Because these exist, later the fruit links arising from them are called existence conditioning birth. Similarly, the remaining links—as described in the scripture—should all be understood accordingly according to what pertains to them.

Explanation: Question: As stated in the scripture, if the link of birth did not exist, there would be no place or state for the five aggregates to exist. Yet birth does exist. If the birth of all seeds were non-existent, then birth as a condition for aging and death should be unobtainable. "Place of birth" refers to the environment where life arises, namely the three realms and nine abodes. "State of birth" refers to the stages of life's development, such as the fetal stage, infant stage, childhood stage, adolescence stage, youth stage, middle age stage, old age stage, death stage, etc.

Why then is it said here that its own nature conditions its own nature? Answer: It speaks of birth based on the fruit produced from the seeds of the life continuum itself. The links of consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, up to feeling are the seeds of birth; they are spoken of as birth to clarify this principle. Because these links exist, in the future there will arise the fruit links of these very links, which is called existence conditioning birth. Similarly, the remaining links—existence, grasping, craving, feeling, contact, six sense bases, name-and-form, consciousness, formations, ignorance, etc.—as described in the scripture, should be understood accordingly according to the dharmas pertaining to them.