Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Fascicle Nine (The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination)

(5) Original text: 四大种云何。谓地水火风界。此皆通二界。四大种所造色云何。谓十色处。及法处所摄色。欲界具十及法处所摄假色。色界有八及法处所摄色。然非一切。此亦二种。谓识种子所摄受种子名色。及于彼所生果名色。

Explanation: What are the seeds of the four great elements? The realms of earth, water, fire, and wind are the seeds of the four great elements, and they all pervade both the desire realm and the form realm; both of these realms have material form, whereas the formless realm has no material form, so the seeds of the four great elements do not pervade the formless realm. What material forms can the seeds of the four great elements, when combined, produce? They can produce ten kinds of material forms and the material form included in the dharma base (dharmāyatana). In the desire realm, the ten material forms are complete: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, the eye faculty, the ear faculty, the nose faculty, the tongue faculty, and the body faculty, as well as the imputed dharma of the material form included in the dharma base; in the form realm there are eight kinds of material forms—form, sound, touch, the eye faculty, the ear faculty, the nose faculty, the tongue faculty, and the body faculty—together with the imputed dharma of the material form included in the dharma base.

However, the seeds of the four great elements do not pervade all dharmas; there are other dharmas that the seeds of the four great elements cannot pervade, and only the seeds of consciousness can pervade them. The first kind of dharma is the nāma-rūpa at the seed stage that is embraced by the seeds of consciousness—the seeds have not manifested, and nāma-rūpa has not yet arisen; this refers to the stage of the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava). The second kind is the karmic retribution nāma-rūpa born from the seeds of consciousness. Both the seeds of the four great elements and the seeds of consciousness are seeds within the Ālayavijñāna; the two stand in a parallel and equal relationship, together constituting the nāma-rūpa of the five aggregates. Tangible form is formed by the seeds of the four great elements, while intangible nāma is formed by the seeds of consciousness.

Original text: 眼处云何。谓眼识所依净色。由此于色已见现见当见。如眼处如是。乃至意处。随其所应。尽当知。于一切处。应说三时业用差别。此亦二种。谓名色种子所摄受种子六处。及彼所生果六处。五在欲色界。第六通三界。

Explanation: What is the eye base (cakṣur-āyatana)? It is the pure supreme faculty (indriya) of the eye upon which the eye consciousness depends for its arising and operation. Relying on the pure eye faculty, one has seen forms of the past, sees forms of the present, and will see forms of the future. It is the same with the eye base; likewise with the ear base, nose base, tongue base, and body base, and even the mind base\: the mind consciousness, relying on the manas, can discern the dharmas of the past, the dharmas of the present, and the dharmas of the future, and wherever it goes, it can have corresponding knowledge. That the six consciousnesses can reach the various sense objects is all determined by the manas; only after the manas makes its determination can the six consciousnesses arise, and only then can there be discernment.

In all the bases—the eye base, ear base, nose base, tongue base, body base, and mind base—there are three kinds of functional differences in karmic function: prior, middle, and later. There are two kinds of karmic function. The first is the seeds of the six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana) embraced by the seeds of nāma-rūpa: when nāma-rūpa is at the seed stage and has not yet arisen, the six sense bases even more cannot arise at the seed stage. The second is the karmic retribution body of the six sense bases born upon that nāma-rūpa. The first five sense bases exist in the desire realm and the form realm, but not in the formless realm; the sixth sense base pervades the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.