An Explanation of the Twelve Nidānas in the Āgama Sutras
Section Six: The Dharma of Conditioned Arising and Conditionally Arisen Phenomena
(296) The Dharma of Conditioned Arising and Conditionally Arisen Phenomena
Original text: 尔时。世尊告诸比丘。我今当说因缘法。及缘生法。云何为因缘法。谓此有故彼有。谓缘无明行。缘行识。乃至如是如是。纯大苦聚集。
Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: I shall now explain the dharma of conditioned arising and the dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena. What is the dharma of conditioned arising? It is "when this exists, that exists"—that is, conditioned upon ignorance there are bodily, verbal, and mental actions; conditioned upon bodily, verbal, and mental actions there are the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses; conditioned upon the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses there is nāma-rūpa; conditioned upon nāma-rūpa there are the six sense bases; conditioned upon the six sense bases there is contact; conditioned upon contact there is feeling; conditioned upon feeling there is craving; conditioned upon craving there is grasping; conditioned upon grasping there is existence; conditioned upon existence there is birth; conditioned upon birth there are aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress, and thus there is the accumulation of this entire great mass of suffering.
Original text: 云何缘生法。谓无明行。若佛出世。若未出世。此法常住。法住法界。彼如来自所觉知。成等正觉。为人演说。开示显发。谓缘无明有行。乃至缘生有老死。若佛出世。若未出世。此法常住。法住法界。
Explanation: What is the dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena? The dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena refers to what is spoken of as: conditioned upon ignorance there are bodily, verbal, and mental actions; with bodily, verbal, and mental actions as condition there are the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses; with the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses as condition there is nāma-rūpa; with nāma-rūpa as condition there are the six sense bases; with the six sense bases as condition there is contact; with contact as condition there is feeling; with feeling as condition there is craving; with craving as condition there is grasping; with grasping as condition there is existence; with existence as condition there is birth; with birth as condition there are aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress. Whether a Buddha appears in the world or does not appear in the world, these principles abide permanently in the world; this dharma dwells within the original dharmadhātu.
Those Tathāgatas who cultivated and realized accomplishment in accordance with this dharma all awakened by themselves, realized realization by themselves, and became perfectly and completely enlightened; thereafter, everywhere they expounded the dharma for people, revealing and elucidating the dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena—that is, what is spoken of as: conditioned upon ignorance there are formations, conditioned upon formations there are the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses, up to conditioned upon birth there are aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress, as well as this entire great mass of suffering. Whether a Buddha appears in the world or does not appear, this principle abides permanently in the world, and the dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena permanently abides in the dharmadhātu.
The dharma of conditioned arising is not the dharma of ultimate reality; it is a fabricated dharma subject to arising and ceasing, arising from the Ālayavijñāna. Without the Ālayavijñāna there would be no dharma of conditioned arising, nor would there be birth and death, nor the great mass of suffering. The truth revealed by the twelve links of conditioned arising is only a worldly truth, not the ultimate truth transcending the world. This kind of truth is an illusion; only the principle of the Ālayavijñāna is the most truly existent. All dharmas exist in dependence upon the Ālayavijñāna, and all dharmas possessing worldly characteristics are fabricated dharmas. The Four Noble Truths spoken by the Buddha are also truth, but this kind of truth is a truth of superficial appearance; the ultimate truth is the Ālayavijñāna, the tathāgatagarbha. Without the Ālayavijñāna there would be no Four Noble Truths, nor the twelve links of conditioned arising. Although both of these are also called truth, they are only truths on the level of worldly dharmas, and are not yet ultimate.
Original text: 彼如来自觉知。成等正觉。为人演说。开示显发。谓缘生故。有老病死忧悲恼苦。此等诸法。法住法空。法如法尔。法不离如。法不异如。审谛真实。不颠倒。如是随顺缘起。是名缘生法。
Explanation: Those Tathāgatas who cultivated and realized accomplishment in accordance with this dharma all awakened by themselves, realized realization by themselves, and became perfectly and completely enlightened; thereafter, everywhere they expounded the dharma for people, revealing and elucidating the dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena—that is, conditioned upon the phenomenon of birth there are aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress. These conditionally arisen dharmas abide permanently in the world; even so, these dharmas are all empty, being originally thus—the principle is just so. These dharmas also do not exist apart from suchness (tathatā), nor are they different from suchness; upon careful examination they are true and real principles, not inverted. Dharmas that arise in accordance with conditions in this way are called the dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena.
Original text: 谓无明行识。名色六入处。触受爱取有。生老病死忧悲恼苦。是名缘生法。
Explanation: Specifically, this means: with ignorance as condition, bodily, verbal, and mental actions arise; with bodily, verbal, and mental actions as condition, the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses arise; with the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses as condition, nāma-rūpa arises; with nāma-rūpa as condition, the six sense bases arise; with the six sense bases as condition, contact arises; with contact as condition, feeling arises; with feeling as condition, craving arises; with craving as condition, grasping arises; with grasping as condition, existence arises; with existence as condition, birth arises; with birth as condition, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress arise—this is the dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena.
The Four Noble Truths, the twelve links of conditioned arising, ignorance, birth, aging, sickness, and death—these worldly conditionally arisen dharmas all abide permanently within the world, but these dharmas exist only in appearance, not in substance; they are empty. They are all manifested by the eighth consciousness and are all the eighth consciousness itself—this is the meaning of "dharma as suchness." They are also not different from the eighth consciousness, having come from the eighth consciousness and carrying the attributes of the eighth consciousness—this is called "not different from suchness." These principles are originally just so—this is called "dharmatā" (the natural state). All the dharmas of the five aggregates, the six faculties, the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses, the Four Noble Truths, and the twelve links of conditioned arising do not depart from suchness; only suchness is real, while all other dharmas are born in accordance with suchness and are therefore fabricated, subject to arising and ceasing, and impermanent. Here the Buddha explicitly stated that the conditionally arisen dharmas do not depart from suchness and do not depart from the eighth consciousness.
Original text: 多闻圣弟子于此因缘法。缘生法。正知善见。不求前际。言我过去世。若有若无。我过去世何等类。我过去世何如。不求后际。我于当来世。为有为无。云何类何如。内不犹豫。此是何等。云何有此为前。谁终当云何之。此众生从何来。于此没当何之。
Explanation: The noble disciples of extensive learning possess right knowledge and good views regarding this dharma of conditioned arising and dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena; they do not seek after the past, saying: "In my past lives, did I exist or not exist? What kind of being was I in my past lives? What did I do in my past lives, and what was my status?" Nor do they seek after the future, saying: "In my future lives, will I exist or not exist? What kind of being will I be, and how will I live?" The noble disciples of extensive learning also harbor no such doubts within their minds, such as: "What kind of being is this? Why did it previously have such a status? What kind of being will it ultimately become? From what place did this sentient being come, and where will it go after dying in this world?"
A practitioner seeking tranquil liberation does not consider what status he had in past lives, nor does he seek after what his future lives will be like; all thoughts about past lives have completely ceased, and all imaginings about future lives have also ceased; he only seeks to extinguish suffering and attain liberation in this present life. If he still thinks about how his future lives should be, he is not a person seeking liberation. However, a practitioner treading the bodhisattva path must consider how to cultivate in future lives, how to rescue sentient beings, and how to accomplish the Buddha Way. Therefore, in the liberation of an arhat seeking liberation, there is no aggregate of form of the five aggregates, whereas in the mind-liberation of a Mahāyāna bodhisattva, the aggregate of form of the five aggregates must necessarily be present.
Original text: 若沙门婆罗门。起凡俗见所系。谓说我见所系。说众生见所系。说寿命见所系。忌讳吉庆见所系。尔时悉断悉知。断其根本。如截多罗树头。于未来世。成不生法。是名多闻圣弟子。于因缘法缘生法。如实正知。善见善觉。善修善入。
Explanation: If śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas were formerly bound by the views of worldly ordinary people that they themselves had generated—that is, bound by the view of self, bound by the view of sentient beings, bound by the view of a life-span, and bound by various worldly views of taboos and auspicious celebrations that are not in accordance with reason—then when they realize the dharma of conditioned arising, these views are all severed and fully known. They sever the root of the view of self and the view of what belongs to self, just like cutting off the top of a tāla tree, so that these unreasonable views can never again arise in future lives. Such a noble disciple of extensive learning thereby correctly knows the dharma of conditioned arising and the dharma of conditionally arisen phenomena as they really are, and is able to skillfully see their true principle, skillfully awaken to the true principle, skillfully cultivate the path, and skillfully enter the path.
(297) The Great Emptiness Sūtra
Original text: 尔时。世尊告诸比丘。我当为汝等说法。初中后善。善义善味。纯一清净。梵行清白。所谓大空法经。谛听。善思。当为汝说。云何为大空法经。所谓此有故彼有。此起故彼起。谓缘无明行。缘行识。乃至纯大苦聚集。
Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: I shall expound the dharma for you all—a dharma that is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, with excellent meaning and excellent flavor, utterly pure, complete with the pure and undefiled holy life. This dharma is called the Great Emptiness Sūtra. Listen carefully and contemplate well; I shall now explain it to you.
What is the Great Emptiness Sūtra? The Great Emptiness Sūtra teaches that because this dharma exists, that dharma exists; because this dharma arises, that dharma arises accordingly. This is what is spoken of as: conditioned upon ignorance there are formations; conditioned upon formations there are the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses; conditioned upon the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses there is nāma-rūpa; conditioned upon nāma-rūpa there are the six sense bases; conditioned upon the six sense bases there is contact; conditioned upon contact there is feeling; conditioned upon feeling there is craving; conditioned upon craving there is grasping; conditioned upon grasping there is existence; conditioned upon existence there is birth; conditioned upon birth there are aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress, up to the accumulation of the entire great mass of suffering.
Original text: 缘生老死者。若有问言。彼谁老死。老死属谁。彼则答言。我即老死。今老死属我。老死是我。所言命即是身。或言命异身异。此则一义。而说有种种。若见言命即是身。彼梵行者所无有。若复见言。命异身异。梵行者所无有。
Explanation: Regarding the question of aging-and-death conditioned upon birth: if someone asks who has aging and death, to whom does aging and death belong, you should answer: "I am precisely aging and death; now aging and death belong to me; aging and death are me." Some say that life is identical with the physical body, or say that when life changes and ceases, the physical body also changes and ceases. These statements all have one meaning, yet there are many different ways of saying it. If someone holds the view that life is identical with the physical body, yet those practicing the holy life ultimately have no aging, sickness, and death and no physical body; if someone holds the view that when life changes the physical body changes, yet those practicing the holy life ultimately have no aging, sickness, and death, and no change of life and physical body.
Original text: 于此二边。心所不随。正向中道。贤圣出世。如实不颠倒正见。谓缘生老死。如是生有取爱。受触六入处。名色识行。缘无明故有行。
Explanation: Departing from these two extreme views regarding whether life and the physical body exist or not, with the mind not moving along with them, one can single-mindedly and directly turn toward the Middle Way and nirvāṇa. After the noble and sagely ones appear in the world, they possess right view that accords with reality and is not inverted, not speaking of the twelve links of conditioned arising in an inverted manner—that is, only conditioned upon birth is there aging and death; conditioned upon existence is there birth; conditioned upon grasping is there existence; conditioned upon craving is there grasping; conditioned upon feeling is there craving; conditioned upon contact is there feeling; conditioned upon the six sense bases is there contact; due to nāma-rūpa there are the six sense bases; conditioned upon the six consciousnesses there is nāma-rūpa; conditioned upon formations there are the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses; conditioned upon ignorance there are formations.
Original text: 若复问言。谁是行。行属谁。彼则答言。行则是我。行是我所。彼如是言命即是身。或言命异身异。彼见命即是身者。梵行者无有。或言命异身异者。梵行者亦无有。离此二边。正向中道。贤圣出世。如实不颠倒。正见所知。所谓缘无明行。
Explanation: If someone asks further: "Who is the formations? To whom do the formations belong?" You should answer: "The formations are me; the formations belong to me." If someone says that life is identical with the physical body, or that when life changes the physical body changes—your view is that life is identical with the physical body, yet those practicing the holy life have no life and no physical body, no aging, sickness, and death; or someone says that when life changes the physical body changes, yet those practicing the holy life have no phenomenon of change in life and physical body, no aging, sickness, and death.
Departing from the views of the existence, non-existence, and change of life and the physical body, not clinging to either extreme, one can directly turn toward the Middle Way and nirvāṇa. After the noble and sagely ones appear in the world, they possess views that accord with reality and are not inverted, being able to possess complete right knowledge and right view, knowing that only conditioned upon ignorance are there formations, conditioned upon formations there are the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses, up to conditioned upon birth there are aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress—the entire great mass of suffering.
Original text: 诸比丘。若无明离欲而生明。彼谁老死。老死属谁者。老死则断。则知断其根本。如截多罗树头。于未来世成不生法。若比丘无明离欲而生明。彼谁生。生属谁。乃至谁是行。行属谁者。行则断。则知断其根本。如截多罗树头。于未来世成不生法。
Explanation: Bhikṣus, if one departs from craving, extinguishes ignorance, and gives rise to illumination, then regarding the questions "Who still has aging and death? To whom does aging and death belong?" one knows that when aging and death are completely severed and there is no more aging and death, aging and death no longer belong to anyone; in this way birth and death are severed at their root, just like cutting off the top of a tāla tree, and there will be no more rebirth in future lives. If a bhikṣu departs from craving, extinguishes ignorance, and gives rise to illumination, then regarding the questions "Who still has birth? To whom does birth belong?" and even "Who is the formations? To whom do the formations belong?" one knows that birth and even the formations are completely severed, that birth and death are severed at their root, just like cutting off the top of a tāla tree, and there will be no more rebirth in future lives.
Original text: 若比丘无明离欲而生明。彼无明灭则行灭。乃至纯大苦聚灭。是名大空法经。
Explanation: If the bhikṣus depart from craving, completely sever ignorance, and give rise to illumination, then when ignorance ceases, formations cease; when formations cease, the seeds of the six consciousnesses cease; when the seeds of the six consciousnesses cease, nāma-rūpa ceases; when nāma-rūpa ceases, the six sense bases cease; when the six sense bases cease, contact ceases; when contact ceases, feeling ceases; when feeling ceases, craving ceases; when craving ceases, grasping ceases; when grasping ceases, existence ceases; when existence ceases, birth ceases; when birth ceases, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress cease, up to the entire great mass of suffering ceasing. This is called the Great Emptiness Sūtra.
(298) The Dharma of Dependent Origination
Original text: 尔时。世尊告诸比丘。我今当说缘起法。法说义说。谛听。善思。当为汝说。云何缘起法法说。谓此有故彼有。此起故彼起。谓缘无明行。乃至纯大苦聚集。是名缘起法法说。
Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: I shall now explain the dharma of dependent origination, which has two modes of exposition: the exposition in terms of the dharma itself and the exposition in terms of meaning. Listen carefully and contemplate well; I shall now explain it to you. What is the exposition in terms of the dharma itself regarding the dharma of dependent origination? The exposition in terms of the dharma itself of the dharma of dependent origination is what is called "when this exists, that exists; when this arises, that arises"—that is, conditioned upon ignorance there are formations, conditioned upon formations there are the seeds of the six consciousnesses, up to conditioned upon birth there are aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress—the entire great mass of suffering. This is the exposition in terms of the dharma itself of the dharma of dependent origination.
Original text: 云何义说。谓缘无明行者。彼云何无明。若不知前际。不知后际。不知前后际。不知于内。不知于外。不知内外。不知业。不知报。不知业报。不知佛。不知法。不知僧。
Explanation: What is the exposition in terms of meaning of the dharma of dependent origination? It is that conditioned upon ignorance, formations arise. What is ignorance? If sentient beings do not know there are past lives, do not know there are future lives, do not know past and future lives; do not know there are internal dharmas, do not know there are external dharmas, do not know there are internal and external dharmas; do not know karmic actions, do not know retribution, do not know karmic retribution; do not know the Buddha, do not know the Dharma, do not know the Saṅgha;
Original text: 不知苦。不知集。不知灭。不知道。不知因。不知因所起法。不知善不善。有罪无罪。习不习。若劣若胜。染污清净。分别缘起。皆悉不知。于六触入处。不如实觉知。于彼彼不知不见。无无间等。痴闇无明大冥。是名无明。
Explanation: Not knowing the suffering of the five aggregates, not knowing the arising of the suffering of the five aggregates, not knowing how to extinguish the suffering of the five aggregates, not knowing the path of cultivation for extinguishing suffering; not knowing the causes from which dharmas arise, not knowing the dharmas that arise from causes; not knowing wholesome dharmas and unwholesome dharmas, not knowing the guilty and the guiltless, not knowing habituation and non-habituation; not knowing what is inferior and what is superior, not knowing what is defiled and what is pure, not knowing discrimination and dependent origination—being ignorant of all these dharmas. Being unable to truly awaken to and know the six sense bases of contact, not knowing and not seeing these dharmas. The uninterrupted foolish darkness within the mind and the great gloom of ignorance—this is called ignorance.
Original text: 缘无明行者。云何为行。行有三种。身行口行意行。缘行识者。云何为识。谓六识身。眼识身耳识身。鼻识身舌识身。身识身意识身。缘识名色者。云何名。谓四无色阴。受阴想阴。行阴识阴。云何色。谓四大。四大所造色。是名为色。此色及前所说名。是为名色。
Explanation: Conditioned upon ignorance there are formations. What are formations? Formations are of three kinds: bodily formations, verbal formations, and mental formations. Conditioned upon formations there are the karmic seeds of consciousness. What is consciousness? It is the six consciousness-bodies: the eye consciousness-body, ear consciousness-body, nose consciousness-body, tongue consciousness-body, body consciousness-body, and mind consciousness-body. Conditioned upon the seeds of consciousness there is nāma-rūpa. What is nāma (name)? Nāma is the four formless aggregates: the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness. What is rūpa (form)? It is the four great elements and the form created by the four great elements—this is called form. This form together with the nāma previously mentioned is called nāma-rūpa.
The three kinds of formations—bodily formations, verbal formations, and mental formations—are all controlled by the mental activities of the manas. Because of ignorance, the manas wishes to create bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and only then are the six consciousnesses born; only after the six consciousnesses are born are there actual bodily formations, verbal formations, and mental formations, and only then are karmic seeds left behind. If there are no six consciousnesses, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental actions, and no karmic seeds. For example, when asleep there are no six consciousnesses, so there are no bodily, verbal, or mental actions; when unconscious, the six consciousnesses have vanished, so there are no bodily, verbal, or mental actions; as in the concentration on non-perception and the cessation of perception and feeling—when there are no six consciousnesses, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental actions. Therefore, first there is the mental activity of the manas, then the six consciousnesses and their bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and then karmic seeds, and only then will the nāma-rūpa of future lives be born.
Original text: 缘名色六入处者。云何为六入处。谓六内入处。眼入处。耳入处。鼻入处。舌入处。身入处。意入处。缘六入处触者。云何为触。谓六触身。眼触身。耳触身。鼻触身。舌触身。身触身。意触身。
缘触受者。云何为受。谓三受。苦受乐受。不苦不乐受。缘受爱者。彼云何为爱。谓三爱。欲爱色爱。无色爱。缘爱取者。云何为取。四取。欲取见取。戒取我取。缘取有者。云何为有。三有。欲有色有。无色有。
Explanation: Conditioned upon nāma-rūpa there are the six sense bases. What are the six sense bases? They are the six internal sense bases: the eye base, ear base, nose base, tongue base, body base, and mind base. Conditioned upon the six sense bases there is contact. What is contact? It is the six contact-bodies: the eye contact-body, ear contact-body, nose contact-body, tongue contact-body, body contact-body, and mind contact-body. Conditioned upon contact there is feeling. What is feeling? It is the three feelings: painful feeling, pleasant feeling, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. Conditioned upon feeling there is craving. What is craving? It is the three cravings: craving for the desire realm, craving for the form realm, and craving for the formless realm. Conditioned upon craving there is grasping. What is grasping? It is the four graspings: grasping of desire, grasping of views, grasping of precepts, and grasping of self. Conditioned upon grasping there is existence. What is existence? It is the three existences: existence in the desire realm, existence in the form realm, and existence in the formless realm.
Original text: 缘有生者。云何为生。若彼彼众生。彼彼身种类一生。超越和合出生。得阴得界。得入处得命根。是名为生。
缘生老死者。云何为老。若发白露顶。皮缓根熟。支弱背偻。垂头呻吟。短气前输。柱杖而行。身体黧黑。四体班驳。闇钝垂熟。造行艰难羸劣。是名为老。云何为死。彼彼众生。彼彼种类没。迁移身坏。寿尽火离。命灭舍阴时到。是名为死。此死及前说老。是名老死。是名缘起义说。
Explanation: Conditioned upon existence there is birth. What is birth? Birth is when each and every sentient being, with its various kinds of physical bodies, has a lifetime; after being born, transcending and conjoining in emergence, it obtains the aggregates, obtains the elements (dhātus), obtains the sense bases, and obtains the life faculty—this is called birth.
Conditioned upon birth there is aging and death. What is aging? If the hair turns white and the crown of the head becomes bald, the skin slackens and wrinkles, the five faculties have fully matured and no longer renew themselves, the limbs grow weak, the back becomes hunched, the head droops with constant groaning, the breath is short with exhalation following immediately upon inhalation, one walks leaning on a staff, the body grows ever darker, the complexion becomes mottled and impure, one becomes dull and sluggish, approaching the end, and actions become difficult and feeble—having these phenomena is called aging. What is death? When each and every sentient being, each and every kind, vanishes, migrates with the body breaking apart, the lifespan exhausted, the fire of life departing, life extinguished, and the time arrives to relinquish the five aggregates—this is called death. This death together with the aging previously described is called aging-and-death. These contents constitute the exposition in terms of meaning of the dharma of dependent origination.
