Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra (292), Part Seven

(7) Original text:复次。比丘思量观察正尽苦。究竟苦边时。思量彼识。何因何集。何生何触。知彼识行因行集。行生行触。作诸福行。善识生。作诸不福不善行。不善识生。作无所有行。无所有识生。是为彼识行因行集。行生行触。彼行欲灭无余。则识灭。彼所乘行灭道迹。如实知。修习彼向次法。是名比丘向正尽苦。究竟苦边。所谓行灭。

Explanation: Furthermore, when a bhikṣu deliberates and contemplates the complete cessation of suffering and reaches the ultimate end of suffering, he deliberates on that consciousness: conditioned on what does it arise, through the gathering of what dharma does it appear, through the arising of what dharma is it born, through the contact of what dharma does it come into existence? After contemplation and deliberation, he comes to know that the arising of the six consciousnesses is due to the condition of the mental formations of the manas; it is when the mental formations of the manas gather that the six consciousnesses are born, it is when the mental formations of the manas arise that the six consciousnesses are born, and it is when the mental formations of the manas make contact that the six consciousnesses are born.

If the manas wishes to create meritorious formations (puṇyābhisaṃskāra) and wholesome actions, wholesome six consciousnesses are born; if the manas wishes to create unmeritorious formations (apuṇya-abhisaṃskāra) and unwholesome actions, unwholesome six consciousnesses are born; if the manas wishes to create actions that are neither wholesome nor unwholesome, six consciousnesses that are neither wholesome nor unwholesome are born. These are called the condition of formations and the gathering of formations that determine the birth of the six consciousnesses; the arising of formations and the contact of formations lead to the birth of the six consciousnesses. If the mental formations of the manas are to cease without remainder, with not even a trace of mental formation remaining, then the six consciousnesses will cease accordingly. The path of practice of the cessation of formations that the bhikṣus cultivate must be understood as it truly is, which means cultivating the dharma that leads toward the path and the dharma that assists the path. Therefore, the cessation of formations is the content of practice by which the bhikṣu advances toward the complete cessation of suffering and reaches the ultimate end of suffering.

Because the mental formations of the manas are unceasing, the six consciousnesses will continuously arise, continuously discriminating and fabricating; after karmic seeds are left behind, there will be nāma-rūpa (name-and-form) in future lives. If the manas has no mental formations whatsoever, the six consciousnesses will not be born, karmic formations will not be created, no karmic seeds will be retained, and there will be no nāma-rūpa in future lives. After nāma-rūpa is born, there are the six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana); with the six sense bases there is contact; with contact there is feeling; with feeling there is craving and greed; with craving there is grasping and clinging; then existence in the three realms appears, and the body of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) is born. From then on, life continues without end, and the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa) begins again. All of this is the result of the unceasing mental formations of the manas.