Yogācārabhūmiśāstra: Volume 34 (36)

Therefore, based on presently perceived intensified attention, one should rationally infer correctly. How to infer? It means that those conditioned phenomena (行) must have momentary production and cessation; it is only through destruction that sequential transformation can be observed. Transformation cannot occur while abiding unchanged. Thus, conditioned phenomena must certainly possess momentary production and cessation. Because they arise through the combination of specific causes and conditions, such conditioned phenomena come into being. Once produced, they naturally cease without awaiting destruction when their causal conditions cease. Therefore, all such causal conditions for transformation enable conditioned phenomena to undergo change and arise.

Explanation: Thus, relying on presently perceived intensified attention, one should correctly rationally infer to know the momentary production, cessation, and transformation of material activities (色行). How should one infer? One should recognize thus: Conditioned phenomena must have momentary production and cessation; only when material activities cease and are destroyed can sequential transformation be observed. Transformation is not known by phenomena abiding unchanged. Therefore, it is said that conditioned phenomena must certainly possess momentary production and cessation. It is because they arise through the combination of numerous causes and conditions that these conditioned phenomena can be produced. After production, without awaiting the destruction of the phenomena themselves, when their combined causes and conditions cease, the phenomena naturally cease and are destroyed. Thus, it is said that all causal conditions causing the transformation of conditioned phenomena enable them to undergo change and arise.

Rationally inferring (比度) is inferential cognition (比量). Only inferential cognition based on direct perception (现量见) yields true results. That is, the basis for inference is direct perception, which is factual. Only then can the result of inference possibly be factual. Otherwise, it is incorrect inference, and the result will be untrue and unreliable.

Material activities (色行) are the functioning of material dharmas, the material aggregate (色蕴). Although material activities are directly present and perceptible (现量可见), the moment-to-moment production, cessation, and transformation of material dharmas cannot be directly observed due to insufficient meditative power (禅定力) and wisdom power (慧力). One must rely on material activities as directly and truly perceived to engage in correct rational inference. Material dharmas continuously produce, cease, and are destroyed; only then can material dharmas exist, manifest, and have material activities. Sequential transformation is necessary for material activities to occur. If material dharmas did not transform, there would be no activity (行), and thus the dharmas would not exist. Therefore, to correctly know and realize the momentary production, cessation, and transformation of material activities, one must engage in correct rational inference based on the direct perception of material dharmas.