Exposition on the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination in the Yogācārabhūmi

Chapter One  Volume Nine: The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination

Section One  The Dependent Origination of Transmigration Through the Three Periods

Original text:云何缘起体。若略说由三种相。建立缘起。谓从前际中际生。从中际后际生。中际生已。若趣流转。若趣清净究竟。

Explanation: What is the entity of dependent origination? To put it briefly, the entity of dependent origination is established through three aspects: the five-aggregate body of the past life, the five-aggregate body of the present life, and the five-aggregate body of the future life. The three aspects are: the five-aggregate body of dependent origination born in the present life due to the conditions of the past life; the five-aggregate body of dependent origination born in the future life due to the conditions of the present life; and the five-aggregate body of dependent origination born in the present life, which has two different outcomes: one is to continue heading toward transmigration through birth and death in the six realms, and the other is to head toward ultimate purity.

The entity of dependent origination refers to the self-body of the five aggregates that arises due to various causes and conditions; therefore the five aggregates are dharmas produced by causes and conditions, and dharmas produced by causes and conditions are empty. The five-aggregate body transmigrates life after life, and the transmigration of each life is related to the karmic force and conditions of the past life, and also to the karmic force and conditions of the present life, while the transmigration of the future life is mainly related to the karma and conditions of the present life. If ignorance and the bonds are eradicated in the present life, the future life will head toward purity, extinguishing the cycle of birth and death; otherwise one will continue to transmigrate through the cycle of the six realms. Therefore the present life is extremely important, determining the direction and outcome of the future life. The entity of dependent origination has three aspects: the past-life aspect, the present-life aspect, and the future-life aspect. The five-aggregate body is divided into the past life, the present life, and the future life; the three aspects, depending on causes, conditions, and karmic force, have both similarities and differences.

Original text:云何从前际中际生。中际生已。复趣流转。谓如有一。不了前际无明所摄。无明为缘。于福非福及与不动身语意业。若作若增长。由此随业识。乃至命终流转不绝。能为后有相续识因。

Explanation: How is it that the entity of dependent origination, born in the present life due to the causes and conditions of the past life, after being born in the present life, again heads toward transmigration through birth and death? This means that if there is a sentient being who is an entity of dependent origination, because of not knowing the ignorance of one's own mind in the past life, there is the transmigration of birth and death in the present life; in the present life, still because of ignorance, one creates meritorious bodily, verbal, and mental actions, or unmeritorious bodily, verbal, and mental actions, or bodily, verbal, and mental actions that are neither meritorious nor unmeritorious—pure and immovable. As a result, one may further increase the creation of meritorious karma, unmeritorious karma, and the pure, immovable bodily, verbal, and mental actions that are neither meritorious nor unmeritorious. Because of the creation of these karmic actions, the seven consciousnesses—the deluded minds that transmigrate following karmic force—continue to transmigrate without interruption until the end of life, and thus can become the cause for the uninterrupted continuity of the seven consciousnesses in the three forms of existence of the future life.

The consciousness that follows karma refers to the seven consciousnesses, with the seventh consciousness as the primary one. What specifically creates karmic actions are the six consciousnesses; what directs and commands the creation of karmic actions is the seventh consciousness, the manas. As long as karmic actions continue, the six consciousnesses continue, and the subsequent birth-and-death cycle of the five aggregates continues. All karmic actions created by the five-aggregate body are stored as seeds in the Ālayavijñāna at all times and places, and the Ālayavijñāna, when the karmic conditions ripen, will continuously give rise to and transform into five-aggregate karmic retribution bodies corresponding to those karmic seeds.

Wherever there is karmic force, there must be the operation of the manas and the six consciousnesses, and of course there must also be the operation of the Ālayavijñāna, to uphold the five-aggregate body corresponding to the karmic force. Whether it is defiled karma or pure karma, the Ālayavijñāna upholds it all, yet the Ālayavijñāna itself does not transmigrate in the stream of birth and death. The manas is the master of karmic force, while the six consciousnesses drift along following karmic force without cease. The manas and karmic force are bound together without a moment's separation, whereas the six consciousnesses transmigrate following karma intermittently; the arising and transmigration of the six consciousnesses is also because the manas and karmic force do not cease, and also because of the ignorance of the manas.

Original text:此识将生果时。由内外贪爱。正现在前。以为助伴。从彼前际。既舍命已。于现在世。自体得生。在母腹中。以因识为缘。相续果识。前后次第而生。乃至羯罗蓝等位差别。而转于母胎中。相续果识。与名色俱。乃至衰老。渐渐增长。尔时感生。受业名已。与异熟果。

Explanation: When the consciousness that follows karma is about to manifest the karmic retribution body, because craving for internal and external objects arises presently, with craving as the assisting condition and companion, after the life faculty of the past life is relinquished, the self-body of the five aggregates is born in the present life. While the five-aggregate entity of dependent origination is in the mother's womb, with the past-life six consciousnesses—the causal consciousness—as the condition, the six consciousnesses of the present life that bear the continuous karmic retribution arise in sequential order, and thus in the mother's womb, the different embryonic stages such as the kalala stage are successively brought forth and operate. The six consciousnesses that bear continuous karmic retribution transmigrate together with nāma-rūpa (name-and-form), and the five-aggregate body gradually grows until old age and decay. At that time, due to karmic force, there is the induced arising of the six consciousnesses that bear karmic results, along with the vipāka retribution.

At the time when the manas and the Ālayavijñāna are about to take rebirth, the craving of the consciousness that follows karma—the manas and the mind consciousness—for the physical body of the future life, as well as the sexual desire for the father and mother of the future life, appears; with this craving as the assisting companion, one enters the mother's womb. If there is no craving, two situations will occur: one is not going to take rebirth in the womb at all, and the other is taking rebirth with a pure mind. One who has no craving is a noble one who has relinquished the craving of the desire realm. If such a noble one does not take rebirth in a womb, one may be born in the form of spontaneous birth (upapāduka), or may enter nirvāṇa without remainder. If a noble one does take rebirth in a womb, it is because of pure great vows, taking rebirth through the power of those vows.

Here there are two concepts—the causal consciousness and the continuously retributive consciousness—that need to be explained. The cause refers to the past-life cause of the arising of nāma-rūpa in the present life. In the past life, the bodily, verbal, and mental actions created by the six consciousnesses left behind karmic seeds; when those karmic seeds ripen, the nāma-rūpa of the present life arises. Only after nāma-rūpa arises do the six consciousnesses of the present life arise, to bear the karmic results of the actions created in the past life. Therefore the six consciousnesses of the present life are the retributive consciousness that receives the retribution and connects with the past life to continue operating, while the six consciousnesses of the past life are the cause leading to the present-life retribution, and are called the causal consciousness.

Original text:又此异熟识。即依名色而转。由必依托。六依转故。是故经言。名色缘识。俱有依根曰色。等无间灭依根曰名。随其所应。为六识所依。依止彼故。乃至命终。诸识流转。

Explanation: The Ālayavijñāna is also called the vipāka consciousness (the consciousness of retributive maturation). The vipāka consciousness operates depending on nāma-rūpa; without nāma-rūpa, the Ālayavijñāna has nothing to do. Because the vipāka consciousness must rely on the six faculties in order to operate, therefore the sūtra says that nāma-rūpa arises conditioned on the Ālayavijñāna or the vipāka consciousness. The faculty that operates together with the Ālayavijñāna is called rūpa (form), that is, the fertilized egg; the supporting faculty that operates simultaneously with the Ālayavijñāna is called nāma (name), that is, the manas. The manas is the faculty upon which the six consciousnesses depend as their equal-immediate, ceaselessly arising-and-ceasing continuity of consciousness seeds and so forth. Thus the Ālayavijñāna operates together with nāma-rūpa, and the six consciousnesses arise depending on it. The six consciousnesses, depending on the Ālayavijñāna and nāma-rūpa, operate without cease until the end of life.

Because the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses create karmic actions during the process of transmigration, leaving behind karmic seeds, there will be karmic results in the future life. Karmic actions exist depending on the Ālayavijñāna, and karmic results need the Ālayavijñāna to manifest them; therefore the Ālayavijñāna is also called the vipāka consciousness, which enables the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses, when the karmic seeds ripen, to bear the karmic results in different forms. However, the Ālayavijñāna cannot operate on its own; it needs to cooperate with the manas and karmic force. Only when the manas and the karmic results require it can it operate, can there be the mental characteristics, and can it be discovered. If the manas and the karmic results have no need, the Ālayavijñāna no longer operates, and there are no operating characteristics, and it will not be detected—this refers to the state of nirvāṇa without remainder. Apart from this, the Ālayavijñāna always operates, and its operating characteristics and mental characteristics can all be discovered.

Therefore the Ālayavijñāna must operate in the mother's womb depending on the fertilized egg and the manas, and then give rise to the six consciousnesses. Therefore nāma-rūpa is also the supporting faculty for the arising of the six consciousnesses, and after the six consciousnesses arise, they are also included within nāma. Since the Ālayavijñāna must depend on the manas in order to operate, the manas is also called the co-existent support (sahabhū-āśraya) for the operation of the Ālayavijñāna; but it is not that the Ālayavijñāna exists only by depending on the manas—without the manas, the Ālayavijñāna still exists, only it can no longer operate all the dharmas of the five-aggregate world. In the mother's womb, initially there is only the rūpa of the fertilized egg and the nāma of the manas; therefore the faculty upon which the six consciousnesses of equal-immediate cessation depend is the manas. The six consciousnesses can arise and operate only by depending on the manas and the fertilized egg, and they also arise and operate by relying on the Ālayavijñāna, and also rely on the karmic seeds.

Original text:又五色根。若根所依大种。若根处所。若彼能生大种曰色。所余曰名。由识执受。诸根堕相续法。方得流转。故此二种。依止于识。相续不断。

Explanation: Furthermore, regarding the five material faculties—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body—what these five faculties depend on are the five great-element seeds of earth, water, fire, wind, and space within the Ālayavijñāna. The great elements that can produce the five material faculties are called rūpa (form), and the consciousness seeds apart from the five great elements are called nāma (name), which are upheld and appropriated by the seven consciousnesses. Thus, after the various great-element seeds give rise to nāma-rūpa, the six faculties fall into the dharma of continuity from the past life through the present life and even into the future life, and only then can the five-aggregate body transmigrate life after life without cease. Therefore it is said that the material faculties and the seven consciousnesses depend on the Ālayavijñāna, continuing life after life without interruption.

This passage is sufficient to prove the principle that nāma-rūpa is conditioned on consciousness. The arising and continuous operation of nāma-rūpa is entirely due to the existence of the Ālayavijñāna, because the rūpa of the physical body is composed of the five great-element seeds, and the nāma of the seven consciousnesses is formed from the consciousness seeds, and these six great-element seeds belong to the Ālayavijñāna. Therefore it is said that the Ālayavijñāna gives rise to the five-aggregate body of nāma-rūpa and makes the five-aggregate body transmigrate and operate without cease. The relationship between nāma-rūpa and the Ālayavijñāna is expounded here with perfect clarity.

Original text:由此道理。于现在世。识缘名色。名色缘识。犹如束芦。乃至命终。相依而转。如是名为。从前际中际。诸行缘起生。中际生已。流转不绝。当知此中。依胎生者。说流转次第。若卵生湿生者。除处母胎。余如前说。

Explanation: From this principle we know that in the present life, the Ālayavijñāna can operate only conditioned on nāma-rūpa, and nāma-rūpa can arise and continue only conditioned on the Ālayavijñāna; the two are like a bundle of reeds, able to stand only by leaning on each other, until the five-aggregate body reaches the end of life. This is called: due to the causes and conditions of the past life, the various formations of the present life arise; after the present life is born, the five-aggregate body transmigrates without interruption. It should also be known that in such transmigration through birth and death, for sentient beings born by relying on the mother's womb, this is the sequence of transmigration; for sentient beings born from eggs or from moisture, and for those born by means other than the mother's womb, the sequence of transmigration is the same as described above.

This passage again emphatically expounds the principle that consciousness is conditioned on nāma-rūpa: the Ālayavijñāna has a support only conditioned on nāma-rūpa, and only then can it operate; without nāma-rūpa, it cannot operate the five-aggregate world. But the Ālayavijñāna itself does not need to rely on nāma-rūpa in order to exist. At this point, the relationship between "nāma-rūpa conditioned on consciousness" and "consciousness conditioned on nāma-rūpa"—the relationship between the Ālayavijñāna and nāma-rūpa—has been clearly expounded.

Original text:若于有色。有情聚中。谓欲色界。受化生者。诸根决定。圆满而生。与前差别。若于无色界。以名为依。及色种子为依。识得生起。以识为依。名及色种子转。从此种子。色虽断绝。后更得生。与前差别。

Explanation: If, among the assemblies of sentient beings possessing material form—that is, in the desire realm and the form realm—there are sentient beings of the spontaneously-born (upapāduka) type, then in their process of taking birth, the five material faculties are definitely born complete in an instant, not arising sequentially and then gradually becoming complete; this differs from the womb-birth described above. If in the formless realm, sentient beings transmigrate relying on nāma—the six and seventh consciousnesses; if they wish to manifest in the desire realm and the form realm, they must further rely on the five great-element material seeds to give rise to the five consciousnesses, and then rely on the seven consciousnesses, whereby the nāma seeds of consciousness and the rūpa seeds of the great elements are brought forth and operate. Because there are material seeds to rely on, although the physical body was severed in the formless realm, a physical body can be born again in the future life; this mode of transmigration differs somewhat from the two sequences described above.

Original text:又由福业。生欲界人天。由非福业。生诸恶趣。由不动业。生色无色界。云何不生。由不生故。趣清净究竟。

Explanation: Furthermore, due to the meritorious karma cultivated by sentient beings, at the end of life they will be born among humans and devas of the desire realm; due to the unmeritorious karma created by sentient beings, at the end of life they will be born into the three evil destinies; due to the pure, immovable karma created by sentient beings, at the end of life they will be born into the form realm and the formless realm. What is it to not be born? Because there is no further birth in the future life, one escapes the three realms and heads toward the ultimate purity of liberation.

The purity of not being born in the three realms, compared with the purity of the Buddha-ground, is still not ultimate, because there are still karmic seeds in the vipāka consciousness that need to be purified; when all the karmic seeds are purified, one reaches the Buddha-ground. This is only scenery along the way; the most beautiful scenery exists only at the Buddha-ground.

Original text:云何从中际。后际诸行缘起生。谓中际已生。补特伽罗。受二种先业果。谓受内异熟果。及境界所生受增上果。此补特伽罗。或闻非正法故。或先串习故。于二果愚。

Explanation: Why is it that due to the causes and conditions of the present life, the various formations of the future life arise through dependent origination? This means that the sentient beings (pudgala) already born in the present life must bear two kinds of karmic results from the past life: one is to bear the internal vipāka result brought by the karmic actions of the past life of one's own body (internal), and the other is to bear the further intensified result brought by the conditioning of the present surrounding environment (external). This sentient being, either because of having heard teachings that are not the correct Dharma, or because of prior habitual conditioning, is ignorant and unclear about both kinds of results—the internal vipāka result and the present intensified result.

Original text:由愚内异熟果故。于后有生苦。不如实知。由迷后有。后际无明。增上力故。如前于诸行。若作若增长。由此新所作业故。说此识。名随业识。

Explanation: Because of being ignorant of the vipāka result brought from the past life, one does not truly know that the five-aggregate body of the future life will thereby give rise to suffering. Because of being deluded about the future three forms of existence, the ignorance of the future life will further increase in succession, and one will continue to create bodily, verbal, and mental formations as in the past life, or create them even more intensively. Because of these newly created karmic actions, the consciousness that can follow karmic force is called the consciousness that follows karma (the karma-following consciousness).

Both the sixth and seventh consciousnesses have ignorance and delusion, both can create various formations, and both can follow karmic force; therefore both are called the karma-following consciousness. But the seventh consciousness, the manas, follows karmic force without a moment's separation, complying with ignorance and karmic force, whereas the sixth consciousness follows karmic force intermittently, complying with karmic force and creating various formations. At the time of entering the womb and taking rebirth, it is the seventh consciousness that enters the womb following karmic force and conditions; only afterward, due to karmic force, does the sixth consciousness arise to bear the karmic results and comply with karmic force.

Original text:即于现法中说。无明为缘故行生。行为缘故识生。此识于现法中。名为因识。能摄受后生果识故。又总依一切识。说名六识身。

又即此识。是后有名色种子。之所随逐。此名色种子。是后有六处种子。之所随逐。

Explanation: Speaking in terms of all presently existing dharmas: because ignorance is the condition, formations arise; because formations are the condition, consciousness arises. This consciousness, in the presently existing dharmas, is called the causal consciousness, meaning that this consciousness is the cause; after creating karmic actions, it can induce the retributive consciousness of the future life. Speaking of the past-life six consciousnesses and the present-life six consciousnesses taken together, this consciousness is also called the six-consciousness body (ṣaḍ-vijñāna-kāya).

This six-consciousness body is pursued by the seeds that can give rise to the nāma-rūpa of the future life, meaning that the seeds of the future-life nāma-rūpa are what the six-consciousness body of this life left behind after creating karmic actions; after the six-consciousness body creates karmic actions, there are the seeds of the future-life nāma-rūpa, and depending on those seeds there will be the nāma-rūpa of the future life. These nāma-rūpa seeds are in turn pursued by the seeds of the six sense bases of the future life, meaning that the seeds of the six sense bases on the future-life nāma-rūpa exist depending on the nāma-rūpa seeds.

This passage sorts out clearly the relationship between the six consciousnesses of the past and future lives: the six consciousnesses of the past life created karma and left behind nāma-rūpa seeds; the nāma-rūpa seeds can give rise to the nāma-rūpa and six consciousnesses of the future life, and the nāma-rūpa seeds are also that upon which the seeds of the future-life six sense bases depend. Because the nāma-rūpa seeds can give rise to nāma-rūpa, where there is nāma-rūpa there will be the six sense bases upon that nāma-rūpa.

Original text:此六处种子。是后有触种子。之所随逐。此种子触。是后有受种子。之所随逐。如是总名。于中际中。后有引因。应知由此能引识。乃至受一期身。

Explanation: And the seeds of the six sense bases are in turn pursued by the seeds of contact of the future life, meaning that the seeds of contact upon the future-life nāma-rūpa exist depending on these six-sense-base seeds. The contact seeds are in turn that upon which the seeds of feeling of the future life depend; the feeling seeds exist depending on the contact seeds. In summary, when the six consciousnesses are in the present life, they become the inducing cause for the arising of the future-life nāma-rūpa. Therefore one should know that due to this six consciousness that can induce the arising of the future-life nāma-rūpa, there can be the physical body that undergoes one period of life.

Original text:故由先异熟果愚。引后有已。又由第二境界。所生受果愚故。起缘境界受爱。由此爱故。或发欲求。或发有求。或执欲取。或执见戒。及我语取。

Explanation: Therefore, because of being ignorant and not knowing the vipāka result of the past life, the three forms of existence of the future life are induced—the result being the five-aggregate body that is the karmic result of creating karma, and the vipāka being what matures in the future life. After the three forms of existence of the future life arise, because of also being ignorant of the retributive feeling that arises from contact with sense objects, craving arises conditioned on the feeling toward sense objects. Because of this craving toward sense objects, the five-aggregate body either gives rise to desire-seeking for sense objects, or gives rise to craving for the dharmas of the three realms of existence, or grasps at the craving-grasping of sense objects, or grasps at the view-grasping of the view of self, or grasps at the precept-grasping of observances and vows, or grasps at the self-assertion grasping ("I"-utterance grasping).

Original text:由此爱取。和合资润。令前引因。转名为有。即是后有。生因所摄。从此无间。命既终已。随先引因。所引识等。受最为后。此诸行生。或渐或顿。

Explanation: Because of such craving and grasping, combining and cooperating to nourish and moisten, the name of the inducing cause of the past-life six-consciousness body is transformed into the existence (bhava) of the future life; craving and grasping become the cause for the arising of the three forms of existence of the future life. From then on, without interruption, after the life of the living being comes to an end, following the inducing cause of the past life, the induced present-life six consciousnesses arise, and finally there is feeling. The arising of these formations is either gradual or instantaneous.

 Original text:如是于现法中。无明触所生受为缘故爱。爱为缘故取。取为缘故有。有为缘故生。生为缘故。老病死等。诸苦差别。或于生处。次第现前。或复种子随逐。应知如是。于中际中。无明缘行等。受缘爱等。为因缘故。后际诸行生。

Explanation: After the formations of the future life arise, thus in the presently existing dharmas, with the feeling born from ignorant contact as the condition there is craving; with craving as the condition there is grasping; with grasping as the condition there is the threefold existence; with existence as the condition there is birth; with birth as the condition there are the various differentiated marks of suffering such as old age, sickness, and death. Some of these sufferings appear in sequence at the place of birth—the place of birth being wherever one transmigrates in the six realms, any place in the three realms; some sufferings, after accumulating, continue to pursue nāma-rūpa in the form of seeds, buried in the Ālayavijñāna, and when the conditions are complete the seeds become manifest, and the sufferings arise again wherever the nāma-rūpa is. You should know that thus in the present life, because there is ignorance, formations arise; because there is feeling, craving arises, and so on; these dharmas, in turn serving as causes and conditions, will give rise to all the formations of the future life.

The form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness of this life fall away and become seeds, giving rise to the form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness of the future life; these dharmas arise life after life without end, all belonging to the domain of formations. When the mind is not stilled, there are various formations; where there are formations there are seeds; where there are seeds there is endless arising life after life.

Original text:复有先集资粮。于现法中。从他闻音。及于二果诸行。若于彼因彼灭。彼趣灭行。如理作意。由此如理作意为缘。正见得生。从此次第。得学无学。清净智见。由此智见。无明及爱。永断无余。由此断故。于彼所缘。不如实知。无明触所生受。亦复永断。由此断故。永离无明。于现法中。证慧解脱。

Explanation: There are also those who have already accumulated the provisions of the path in past lives, and in the present-life dharmas have the conditions to hear the sound of others expounding the Dharma, and to cultivate all the practices of the two fruits of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha. If such people, with regard to the inducing causes and the principle of cessation within the twelve links of dependent origination, and the path-cultivating practices that head toward cessation, can apply attention in accordance with reality (yoniśo-manaskāra), then with such attention in accordance with reality as the condition, right view will arise, and from then on, in sequence, they will attain the pure wisdom and vision of those in training and those beyond training.

Because of having the wise insight into the dharma of dependent origination, everything from ignorance through craving within the twelve links of dependent origination will be completely severed without remainder. Because of severing these dharmas of dependent origination, the not-truly-knowing of the dharma of dependent origination, as well as the feeling born from ignorant contact, are also forever severed. Because of severing these dharmas, one is forever free from ignorance, and in the present-life dharmas one realizes liberation by wisdom (prajñā-vimukti).

Original text:若于无明触所生受。相应心中。所有贪爱。即于此心得离系故。贪爱永灭。于现法中。证心解脱。设彼无明。不永断者。依于识等。受最为后。所有诸行。后际应生。由无明灭故。更不复起。得无生法。

Explanation: If, with regard to the feeling born from ignorant contact, all the craving that arises in the mind associated with that feeling is freed from the bondage of craving in that associated mind, then craving is forever extinguished, and in the present-life dharmas one realizes liberation of mind (ceto-vimukti). If that ignorance is not forever severed, then the formations that depend on consciousness and so forth, with feeling as the last—feeling and the contact, six sense bases, and nāma-rūpa before it, as well as the craving, grasping, existence, birth, old age, sickness, and death after it—all these formations should arise again in the future life. Because ignorance has ceased, these formations no longer arise, and one attains the dharma of non-arising.

Original text:是故说言。无明灭故行灭。次第乃至。异熟生触灭故。异熟生受灭。于现法中。无明灭故。无明触灭。无明触灭故。无明触所生受灭。无明触所生受灭故爱灭。爱灭故。如前得无生法。由此故说。取等烦恼最为后。诸行永灭。

Explanation: Therefore it is said: because ignorance ceases, formations cease; in sequence, because the vipāka-arisen contact ceases, the vipāka-arisen feeling ceases. In the present-life dharmas, because ignorance has ceased, ignorant contact ceases; because ignorant contact has ceased, the feeling born from ignorant contact ceases; because the feeling born from ignorant contact has ceased, craving ceases; because craving has ceased, one attains the dharma of non-arising as described above. Therefore it is said that grasping and the other afflictions appear last among all the afflictions and play the decisive role; when one no longer grasps at the dharmas, all the formations of the five aggregates are forever extinguished.

Original text:如是于现法中。诸行不转。由不转故。于现法中。于有余依界。证得现法涅槃。彼于尔时。唯余清净识缘名色。名色缘识。乃至有识身在。恒受离系受。非有系受。此有识身。乃至先业。所引寿量。恒相续住。

Explanation: Thus, in the present-life dharmas, the various formations no longer operate; because they do not operate, in the present-life dharmas, in the realm where there is still remaining support (the realm with residue of dependence), one realizes the nirvāṇa of the present dharmas—that is, nirvāṇa with remainder. At that time, that person has only the pure Ālayavijñāna (which may be called the vipāka consciousness) conditioned on nāma-rūpa, and nāma-rūpa conditioned on the pure Ālayavijñāna (vipāka consciousness), and even so long as the six-consciousness body still exists, one constantly experiences feelings free from bondage, not experiencing feelings bound by bondage. This six-consciousness body also has the lifespan induced by the karma of the past life, abiding continuously for a long time without perishing.

Original text:若寿量尽。便舍识所持身。此命根后。所有命根。无余永灭。更不重熟。又复此识与一切受。任运灭故。所余因缘先已灭故。不复相续。永灭无余。是名无余依涅槃界。究竟寂静处。亦名趣求涅槃者。于世尊所。梵行已立。究竟涅槃。

Explanation: If the lifespan is exhausted, one will relinquish the physical body upheld by the six consciousnesses, the seventh consciousness, and the Ālayavijñāna (vipāka consciousness). All the physical bodies of the future lives after this physical body are forever extinguished and will never appear again, much less grow anew. Furthermore, because this six consciousness and all feelings cease spontaneously as their conditions cease, and because the remaining conditions—craving, grasping, existence, and so forth—have already ceased beforehand, there is no further continuity thereafter, forever extinguished without remainder. This is called the realm of nirvāṇa without remainder of dependence, the place of ultimate tranquility; it is also said of one who heads toward and seeks nirvāṇa that, in the teaching of the World-Honored One, the pure spiritual life has been established, and ultimate nirvāṇa has been attained.

Original text:如是已说。由三种相。建立缘起。谓从前际中际生。从中际后际生。又于中际。若流转若清净。是名缘起体性。

Explanation: The above has completed the explanation of how the entity of dependent origination is established by three aspects: namely, the arising of the present-life five-aggregate body due to the causes and conditions of the past life, the birth of the future-life five-aggregate body due to the causes and conditions of the present life, and within the present life, either continuing to transmigrate through birth and death or heading toward ultimate purity—this is the essential nature of the entity of dependent origination.