What is the condition in dharmas arising from causes and conditions?

The conditions needed for the arising of dharmas are a kind of assisting condition, a supporting force — meaning to help and assist; they do not play the leading role. The leading role belongs to the cause. For example, if A is struck by B, this is an unwholesome dharma; the condition is that A and B meet — by relying on a person and an event, the phenomenon of striking someone arises. In fact, before this, there was a cause that brought about the occurrence of this incident. If there were no prior cause, this event would not necessarily happen, even with many assisting conditions present. If there were no prior cause, then this incident of striking would become the originating cause of later events: when assisting conditions appear later, because of the originating cause of this incident, A would seek revenge on B, and B might be struck or suffer revenge in other forms.

The prior cause is a dharma produced by causes and conditions, and is illusory; the later result is a dharma produced by causes and conditions, and is equally illusory. Every dharma whatsoever is a dharma produced by causes and conditions, and all are illusory and unreal.

The cause is illusory, and the result is also illusory; all are produced through the combined functioning of the eight consciousnesses. The driving force is the manas, the creator is the eighth consciousness, and with the cooperation of the six consciousnesses, dharmas are conjured forth. Among these, the seven consciousnesses are also conjured — illusory dharmas produce illusory dharmas, illusion upon illusion. The eighth consciousness is not illusory; only then can it conjure forth all dharmas. If the eighth consciousness were illusory, then there would have to be some dharma that conjured the eighth consciousness; and tracing further back, everything would be illusory, with no dharma that is not illusory — and then the dharma realm could not be established.