Āgama Oral Explanation of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination Sūtra

(1) Original text: 欲断生死趣。度世道者。当念却十二因缘。何等为十二。一者本为痴。二者从痴为所作行。三者从作行为所识。四者从所识为名色。五者从名色为六衰。六者从六衰为所更。七者从所更为痛。八者从痛为爱。九者从爱为求。十者从求为得。十一者从得为生。十二者从生为老病死。是为十二因缘事。

Explanation: If one wishes to cut off the path of birth and death and transcend the six realms of worldly saṃsāra, one should contemplate the twelve links of dependent origination. What are the twelve? First, the root of birth-and-death saṃsāra is ignorance (avidyā); second, from the ignorance of the manas, volitional formations are engendered; third, from volitional formations the six consciousnesses are engendered; fourth, from the six consciousnesses, name-and-form is engendered; fifth, from name-and-form, the six sense bases are engendered; sixth, from the six sense bases, contact is engendered; seventh, from contact, feeling is engendered; eighth, from feeling, craving is engendered; ninth, from craving, seeking and grasping are engendered; ninth, from seeking and grasping, existence is engendered; tenth, from existence, birth is engendered; eleventh, from birth, aging, sickness, and death are engendered — the above is the dharma of the twelve links of dependent origination.

Original text: 此十二事欲起。当用四非常灭之。何等为四非常。一为识苦。二为舍习。三为知尽。四为行道。更说念生念老念病念死。念是四事。便却是十二因缘道成。念是四事道人。欲得度世。当断十二因缘事。是为断生死根。

十二因缘有内外。一者内为痴。外为地。二者内为行。外为水。三者内为识。外为火。四者内为名色。外为风。五者内为六入。外为空。六者内为灾。外为种。七者内为痛。外为根。八者内为爱。外为茎。九者内为受。外为叶。十者内为有。外为节。十一者内为生。外为华。十二者内为老死。外为实。

Explanation: When these twelve links are about to arise, one should use the four truths of impermanence to extinguish them. What are the four truths of impermanence? First, one must know suffering and recognize suffering; second, one must eradicate the origin of suffering and cast off habitual tendencies; third, one must yearn for cessation, understanding the dharma of the path that utterly ends suffering; fourth, one must cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path. In addition, one should constantly contemplate the matters of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and then the twelve links of dependent origination can be cultivated to accomplishment. A practitioner who contemplates birth, aging, sickness, and death, wishing to transcend the world, should cut off the karmic enterprise of birth and death of the twelve links of dependent origination; this is to sever the root of birth and death.

The twelve links of dependent origination have an inner and an outer aspect: first, the inner is ignorance (avidyā), the outer is the earth element; second, the inner is volitional formations, the outer is the water element; third, the inner is the six consciousnesses, the outer is the fire element; fourth, the inner is name-and-form, the outer is the wind element; fifth, the inner is the six sense bases, the outer is space; sixth, the inner is calamity, the outer is the karmic seed; seventh, the inner is feeling, the outer is the root; eighth, the inner is craving, the outer is the stem of a plant; ninth, the inner is feeling, the outer is the branches and leaves; tenth, the inner is existence, the outer is the node; eleventh, the inner is birth, the outer is the flower; twelfth, the inner is aging and death, the outer is the fruit.