Abhidharmakośa, Volume Nine

（十）Original text: 云何无明缘行。广说乃至生缘老死。我今略显。符顺经义。谓诸愚夫于缘生法不知唯行。妄起我见及我慢执。为自受乐非苦乐故。造作身等各三种业。谓为自身受当乐故。造诸福业。受当来乐非苦乐故。造不动业。受现乐故。造非福业。如是名为无明缘行。由引业力。识相续流。如火焰行。往彼彼趣。凭附中有。驰赴所生。结生有身。名行缘识。 

Explanation: What is ignorance conditioning volitional formations? What are volitional formations conditioning consciousness? And, elaborated extensively, what is birth conditioning aging and death? I will now briefly explain in a way that accords with the meaning of the sūtras. Ignorance conditioning volitional formations means that all ignorant ordinary beings, not knowing that the dharmas arising from conditions are all brought forth by volitional formations, falsely give rise to self-view and the clinging of conceit and self-attachment. In order to experience for themselves pleasant feeling and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, they create the three kinds of karma of body, speech, and mind. In order to experience future pleasant feeling for themselves, they create all meritorious formations; in order to experience future pleasant feeling and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, they create immovable formations; in order to enjoy pleasant feeling in the present life, they create non-meritorious formations. These are called ignorance conditioning volitional formations. Through the power of projecting karma, consciousness flows on in continuity, like a line of flame traveling onward, going to the various destinies. Relying on and attaching to the intermediate state, it speeds toward the place of rebirth and binds to a body of existence at conception—this is called volitional formations conditioning consciousness. This passage says that when sentient beings have not yet attained the untainted fruits, when their minds are without the untainted, the karmic formations they create are all brought forth with ignorance as the condition; they are all formations of ignorance. Whether meritorious formations or non-meritorious formations, whether wholesome or unwholesome actions, they are all formations of ignorance. Since they are formations of ignorance, they carry the karmic force of ignorance, which drives the ceaseless transmigration through the six destinies in future lives. Therefore, as long as ignorance remains, all karma is the karma of ignorance, and it binds the fruit of ignorance. 

Original text: 若作此释。善顺契经。分别识支通于六识。识为先故。于此趣中。有名色生。具足五蕴。展转相续。遍一期生。于大因缘辩缘起等。诸经皆有如是说故。如是名色。渐成熟时。具眼等根。说为六处。次与境合。便有识生。三和故。有顺乐等触。依此便生乐等三受。 

Explanation: If explained in this way, it accords well with the meaning of the sūtras. The link of consciousness that is distinguished here extends to the six consciousnesses, because the six consciousnesses come first. In the corresponding destiny, name-and-form arises, endowed with the five aggregates, which succeed one another in continuity throughout an entire lifetime. Regarding the great conditions and the discernment of dependent arising and so forth, all the sūtras contain such teachings. When this name-and-form gradually matures, the faculties such as the eye are complete, and this is called the six sense bases. Next, when they come into contact with sense objects, consciousness arises. Because of the threefold concordance, there arises contact that accords with pleasant feeling and so on; depending on this contact, the three feelings of pleasant feeling and so forth arise. 

Original text: 从此三受。引生三爱。谓由苦逼。有于乐受。发生欲爱。或有于乐非苦乐受。发生色爱。或有唯于非苦乐受。生无色爱。从欣受爱。起欲等取。 

Explanation: From these three feelings, the three cravings are brought forth. That is, due to the oppression of painful feeling and the pull of pleasant feeling, craving for the desire realm arises; or, due to pleasant feeling and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, craving for the form realm arises; or, solely from neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling, craving for the formless realm arises. From the craving that delights in feeling, grasping in the desire realm and so forth arises.