What Is the "Condition" in the Dharma of Dependent Origination?

The condition required for the arising of all dharmas is a supporting condition or aiding force, meaning assistance and facilitation; it does not play a dominant role. The dominant role belongs to the cause. For example, if person A is struck by person B, this is an unwholesome dharma. The condition is the meeting of A and B; through the reliance on a person or an event, the phenomenon of striking arises. In reality, prior to this, there exists a cause that leads to the occurrence of this event. Without this preceding cause, the event might not necessarily occur, even with numerous supporting conditions. If there is no preceding cause, this striking event becomes the cause for future events. When supporting conditions arise later, due to the cause established by this event, A may seek revenge against B, and B might be struck again or face other forms of retaliation.

The preceding cause is a dharma born from causes and conditions; it is illusory. The subsequent result is also a dharma born from causes and conditions, equally illusory. Regardless of which dharma it is, all are dharmas born from causes and conditions, all are illusory and unreal.

The cause is illusory, the result is illusory; all are produced through the combined functioning of the eight consciousnesses. The driving force is the manas (the seventh consciousness), the creator is the eighth consciousness (ālaya-vijñāna), and with the cooperation of the six consciousnesses, dharmas are magically manifested. Among these, the seven consciousnesses are also illusory; illusory dharmas produce illusory dharmas, illusion upon illusion. Only the eighth consciousness is not illusory; only thus can it manifest all dharmas. If the eighth consciousness were illusory, then there would have to be another dharma that illusorily creates the eighth consciousness. Tracing further back, everything would also be illusory, and there would be no dharma that is not illusory. In that case, the Dharma realm (dharmadhātu) could not be established.