Samyukta Āgama (287), Part Four

(4) Original text: 我复作是思惟。何法无故行无。何法灭故行灭。即正思惟。如实无间等。无明无故行无。无明灭故行灭。行灭故识灭。识灭故名色灭。名色灭故六入处灭。六入处灭故触灭。触灭故受灭。受灭故爱灭。爱灭故取灭。取灭故有灭。有灭故生灭。生灭故老病死忧悲恼苦灭。如是如是纯大苦聚灭。

Explanation: The Buddha said: I further contemplated in this way—when what dharma does not exist, there are no volitional formations? With the cessation of what dharma do volitional formations cease? He then entered right contemplation, and subsequently gave rise to true, unbroken, uninterrupted wisdom, realizing that when the manas's ignorance does not exist, there are no mental volitional formations, and when the manas's ignorance ceases, mental volitional formations cease; when mental volitional formations cease, the karmic formations of the six consciousnesses cease; when the karmic formations of the six consciousnesses cease, the nāma-rūpa of future lives 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, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress cease—and thus, thus, the entire great mass of suffering ceases.

The cycle of birth and death of the twelve links of dependent origination is, in the final analysis, all due to the ignorance of the manas. The manas is the prime instigator. Therefore, if one wishes to escape the cycle of birth and death and attain liberation, one must break through and completely eliminate the manas's ignorance, so that the manas no longer delusively acts within the threefold world. Then the mental formations of the manas cease. Because the manas has realized that all dharmas are empty and non-self, there is no longer any reason or motivation to grasp at any dharma whatsoever. As long as there is no grasping, there is no suffering; that is liberation and freedom.

When the manas no longer has mental formations, intentions, clinging, or grasping toward the world of the five aggregates, it will no longer direct the six consciousnesses to create further bodily, verbal, and mental karmic actions. The minds of the seven consciousnesses will all be purified, effortless, and tranquil. The karma of the threefold world will be ended, karmic seeds will be gone, and in future lives there will no longer be a world of the five aggregates, and thus no nāma-rūpa. In this way, there is temporary quiescence. After countless eons in the future, when the conditions for the Mahāyāna dharma ripen, one will arise again from the quiescent nirvāṇa to practice the bodhisattva path, liberating oneself and others, completing the Buddha way, and entering the true place of quiescence—non-abiding nirvāṇa (apratiṣṭhita-nirvāṇa)—no longer needing to extinguish the body and abandon wisdom.

The breaking of the manas's ignorance begins with the elimination of self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) and realizing the fruit of stream-entry (Srotaāpanna), and then proceeds to realizing the fruit of the pratyekabuddha, where the seeds of the ignorance of birth and death in the threefold world are completely severed. As for beginningless ignorance (avidyā) and dust-like ignorance (ignorance as numerous as dust), these are gradually eliminated in the cultivation and realization of the path to buddhahood in the future, until they are all completely severed, whereupon one becomes the greatly awakened World-Honored One. Merely severing all the ignorance of the threefold world is only awakening to a small portion; it is not the great awakening, not the ultimate awakening. On the path of learning Buddhism, making the aspiration is very important: the greater the aspiration, the greater and more thorough the awakening, and the faster one attains buddhahood.