Abhidharmakośa, Fascicle 9

(Three) Original text:又诸缘起。差别说四。一者刹那。二者连缚。三者分位。四者远续。云何刹那。谓刹那顷。由贪行杀。具十二支。痴谓无明。思即是行。于诸境事。了别名识。识俱三蕴。总称名色。住名色根。说为六处。六处对余。和合有触。领触名受。贪即是爱。与此相应诸缠名取。所起身语二业名有。如是诸法起即名生。熟变名老。灭坏名死。复有说者。刹那连缚。如品类足。俱遍有为十二支位。所有五蕴。皆分位摄。即此悬远。相续无始。说名远续。 

Explanation: All dependent origination, according to its differences, is said to be of four kinds: first, the instantaneous (kṣaṇika); second, the connected (saṃbandhika); third, the staged (āvasthika); fourth, the far-continuing (prākṛtika). What is the instantaneous? The instantaneous means that within the space of a single instant, when one commits killing out of greed, that karmic act is complete with the twelve links. Delusion is ignorance; volition (cetanā) is the formations; the discernment of the various sense objects is consciousness; consciousness together with three aggregates—feeling, perception, and volitional formations—is collectively called name-and-form; that in which name-and-form abide is the material faculty, spoken of as the six sense bases; the six bases in contact with the rest, in combination, there is contact; receiving contact is called feeling; when feeling arises, greed is craving; the afflictions bound up with that craving are called grasping; the bodily and verbal karmic actions arising from grasping are called existence; thus all dharmas arising is called birth; the maturation and alteration of what is born is called aging; perishing and destruction is called death. There is also another saying: the instantaneous and the connected, as stated in the Prakaraṇapāda (Treatise on the Categories), both pervade the twelve-link stages of conditioned dharmas; all five aggregates are subsumed under the stages; and that which extends far back, continuing without beginning, is called the far-continuing. 

Original text:世尊于此意说者何。颂曰。传许约位说。从胜立支名。论曰。传许世尊唯约分位。说诸缘起有十二支。若支支中皆具五蕴。何缘但立无明等名。以诸位中。无明等胜故。就胜立无明等名。谓若位中。无明最胜。此位五蕴。总名无明。乃至位中。老死最胜。此位五蕴。总名老死。故体虽总。名别无失。 

Explanation: How did the World-Honored One view this position? There is a verse: "It is traditionally accepted that He spoke in terms of stages; from what is predominant the names of the links are established." According to the treatise, it is traditionally accepted that the World-Honored One spoke of the twelve links of dependent origination only in terms of stages. If each and every link contains all five aggregates, why were only the names such as ignorance established? This is because in all the stages, ignorance and the others are predominant, and the twelve names such as ignorance were established based on what is predominant. If in a given stage ignorance is most predominant, the five aggregates of that stage are collectively called ignorance; and so on until, in the final stage where aging-and-death is most predominant, the five aggregates of the aging-and-death stage are collectively called aging-and-death. Therefore, although the essential nature is spoken of collectively, there is no fault in the names being differentiated. 

Original text:何缘经说。此十二支与品类足。所说有异。如彼论说。云何为缘起。谓一切有为。乃至广说。素怛缆言。因别意趣。阿毗达磨依法相说。如是宣说。分位刹那远续连缚。唯有情数。情非情等是谓差别。契经何故。唯说有情。颂曰。于前后中际。为遣他愚惑。论曰。为三际中。遣他愚惑。三际差别。唯在有情。 

Explanation: For what reason does the sūtra say that these twelve links differ from what is stated in the Prakaraṇapāda? As that treatise says: "What is dependent origination? It is all conditioned dharmas," and so forth, extensively stated. The words of the sūtra differ in intent; the Abhidharma speaks in accordance with the characteristics of dharmas. Thus it expounds the staged, the instantaneous, the far-continuing, and the connected—these differences exist only within the scope of sentient beings. Sentient and non-sentient are called the differentiated characteristics. Why does the sūtra speak only of sentient beings and not of insentient things? There is a verse: "Regarding the prior, subsequent, and middle periods, in order to dispel others' delusion." The treatise says: in order to dispel others' delusion regarding the three periods, the differentiation of the three periods exists only in sentient beings. Insentient things have no deluded mind, so they are not spoken of. The treatise says that only in the three periods—prior, subsequent, and middle—can others' delusion be dispelled; this differentiation of the three periods exists only in sentient beings, not in insentient things.