Yogācārabhūmi, Volume 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 clearly understands the characteristic of the truth of suffering; through the four aspects of cause, accumulation, arising, and condition, one clearly understands the characteristic of the truth of origination; through the four aspects of cessation, tranquility, excellence, and relinquishment, one clearly understands the characteristic of the truth of cessation; through the four aspects of path, suchness, practice, and emergence, one clearly 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 have already been explained; below we explain how to cultivate the four aspects of the truth of origination in order to clearly 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: Through the four aspects of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self, having realized the characteristic of the truth of suffering exactly and without error, one then again contemplates what is the cause of the arising of this truth of suffering, how suffering is accumulated, how suffering arises, and by what condition suffering appears. Only by eradicating these four aspects—cause, accumulation, arising, and condition—will suffering be eradicated accordingly. Therefore, one must contemplate the four aspects of the truth of origination in order to eradicate the characteristic of the truth of origination. Knowing that craving can draw forth suffering, craving is said to be the cause of suffering. Having drawn 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 that suffering to manifest—this is said to be arising. It can further take hold of the seeds of the various sufferings of future lives, sequentially drawing forth the accumulation of the various sufferings—this is said to be the condition.