Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Fascicle 34 (49)

By cultivating the sixteen aspects of the Four Noble Truths, one can clearly understand the characteristics of the Four Noble Truths. Through the four aspects of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self, one understands the characteristic of the truth of suffering; through the four aspects of cause, accumulation, arising, and condition, one understands the characteristic of the truth of origination; through the four aspects of cessation, tranquility, excellence, and relinquishment, one understands the characteristic of the truth of cessation; through the four aspects of path, suchness, practice, and emergence, one understands the characteristic of the truth of the path. Among these, the contemplation of the truth of suffering through ten aspects, and the realization of the four aspects of the truth of suffering, has already been explained. Below is an explanation of how to cultivate the four aspects of the truth of origination in order to understand its characteristic.

Original text:复由四行。于苦谛相正觉了已。次复观察如是苦谛。何因何集。何起何缘。由断彼故。苦亦随断。如是即以集谛四行。了集谛相。谓了知爱能引苦故。说名为因。既引苦已。复能招集令其生故。说名为集。既生苦已。令彼起故。说名为起。复于当来诸苦种子能摄受故。次第招引诸苦集故。说名为缘。

Explanation: After having correctly and without error awakened to the characteristic of the truth of suffering through the four aspects of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self, one then again contemplates what is the cause for the appearance of this truth of suffering; how suffering is accumulated; how suffering arises; and by what condition suffering appears. Only when these four aspects—cause, accumulation, arising, and condition—are eliminated will suffering be eliminated accordingly. Therefore, one must contemplate the four aspects of the truth of origination in order to eliminate the characteristic of the truth of origination. Knowing that craving can draw forth suffering, craving is said to be the cause of suffering. After drawing forth suffering, it can further gather and accumulate it, causing suffering to be born; this is said to be the accumulation of suffering. After suffering is born, it causes the feeling of suffering to manifest; this is named arising. It can also grasp and hold the seeds of all future suffering, sequentially drawing forth the accumulation of all suffering; this is said to be the condition.