Saṃyukta Āgama (298), Part Two

(2) Original text: 缘无明行者。云何为行。行有三种。身行口行意行。缘行识者。云何为识。谓六识身。眼识身耳识身。鼻识身舌识身。身识身意识身。缘识名色者。云何名。谓四无色阴。受阴想阴。行阴识阴。云何色。谓四大四大所造色。是名为色。此色及前所说。名是为名色。

 Explanation: Conditioned by ignorance there are volitional formations. What are volitional formations? There are three kinds: bodily formations, verbal formations, and mental formations. Conditioned by volitional formations there is consciousness. What is consciousness? It is the six consciousnesses: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness, and mind consciousness. Conditioned by consciousness there is name-and-form. What is name? It is the four formless aggregates: the aggregate of feeling, the aggregate of perception, the aggregate of volitional formations, and the aggregate of consciousness. What is form? It is the four great elements and the material form created by the four great elements; this is called form. This form together with the aforementioned name is called name-and-form.

As for bodily formations, verbal formations, and mental formations—these three kinds of formations are all governed by the mental activities of the manas. Because of ignorance, the manas wants to create bodily, verbal, and mental actions, and only then are the six consciousnesses born; only after the six consciousnesses are born are there bodily formations, verbal formations, and mental formations. If there are no six consciousnesses, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental formations. For example, when asleep without the six consciousnesses, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental formations; in a coma when the six consciousnesses have ceased, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental formations; likewise in the meditative absorption of no-perception and in the cessation absorption, when the six consciousnesses are absent, there are no bodily, verbal, or mental formations. Therefore, the mental activities of the manas come first, and only then the six consciousnesses and their bodily, verbal, and mental formations—the manas comes first, and the six consciousnesses come after.

Original text: 缘名色六入处者。云何为六入处。谓六内入处。眼入处。耳入处。鼻入处。舌入处。身入处。意入处。缘六入处触者。云何为触。谓六触身。眼触身。耳触身。鼻触身。舌触身。身触身。意触身。缘触受者。云何为受。谓三受。苦受乐受。不苦不乐受。缘受爱者。彼云何为爱。谓三爱。欲爱色爱。无色爱。缘爱取者。云何为取。四取。欲取见取。戒取我取。缘取有者。云何为有。三有。欲有色有。无色有。

Explanation: Conditioned by name-and-form there are the six sense bases. What are the six sense bases? They are the six internal sense bases: the eye base, the ear base, the nose base, the tongue base, the body base, and the mind base. Conditioned by the six sense bases there is contact. What is contact? It is the six kinds of contact: eye contact, ear contact, nose contact, tongue contact, body contact, and mind contact. Conditioned by contact there is feeling. What is feeling? It is the three kinds of feeling: painful feeling, pleasant feeling, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. Conditioned by feeling there is craving. What is craving? It is the three kinds of craving: craving for the desire realm, craving for the form realm, and craving for the formless realm. Conditioned by craving there is grasping. What is grasping? It is the four kinds of grasping: grasping of desire, grasping of views, grasping of precepts, and grasping of self. Conditioned by grasping there is existence. What is existence? It is the three kinds of existence: existence in the desire realm, existence in the form realm, and existence in the formless realm.