Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume Ten (The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination)

Original text: 问。何因缘故说。缘起支非自作。非他作。非俱作。亦非无因生耶。答。生者非有故。缘无作用故。缘力所生故。 

Explanation: Question: By what cause and condition is it said that the links of dependent arising are not self-made, not made by another, not made by both, and not born without any cause? Answer: Because what arises does not truly exist; because the conditions have no real function; and because it is produced by the force of causes and conditions.  

Original text: 问。于缘起中。何等是苦芽。谁守养苦芽。何等为苦树。答。无明行缘所引识。乃至受是苦芽。受缘所引爱。乃至有是守养苦芽。生与老死。当知是苦树。 

Explanation: Question: Among the links of dependent arising, which link is the sprout of suffering? Which link guards and nurtures the sprout of suffering? Which link is the tree of suffering? Answer: The consciousness link, which is drawn forth through the conditions of ignorance and formations, down through name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling—these are the sprout of suffering. The craving drawn forth through the condition of feeling, together with grasping and becoming, guard and nurture the sprout of suffering. Birth and old age and death, you should know, are the tree of suffering.  

Original text: 问。几缘起支当知如炷。答。识乃至受。问。几支如膏。答。无明行。爱取有。问。几支如焰。答。生老死应知。 

Explanation: Question: How many links of dependent arising should be known as being like a lamp wick? Answer: The consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, and feeling links are like a lamp wick; once lamp oil is added, it burns, and the torment of birth and death appears. Question: How many links are like lamp oil? Answer: The ignorance, formations, craving, grasping, and becoming links are like lamp oil; when they combine with consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling, the wick is ignited and the great fire of birth and death blazes. Question: How many links are like a flame? Answer: You should know that the birth and old-age-and-death links burn like a flame, with immeasurable suffering.  

Original text: 问。何因缘故。于缘起黑品教中。说名增益。答。一切有支。纯大苦聚。为后果故。又诸有支。前前为缘。后后所随故。问。何因缘故。于白品教中。说名损减。答。由一切支。前前永断。后后减故。又是纯大苦聚。损减因故。 

Explanation: Question: For what reason is it said, in the teaching of the black category of dependent arising, that dependent arising has the function of augmenting? Answer: Because in all the links of becoming, the mass of great suffering is the final result; therefore the twelve links of dependent arising are defiled karma, belonging to the black category, capable of augmenting the mass of suffering. Furthermore, among the twelve links of becoming, the earlier links serve as conditions and the later links merely follow in succession, thereby producing the mass of great suffering. Therefore the twelve links of becoming can augment defilement and black-category karma.

Question: For what reason is it said, in the teaching of the white category of wholesome dharmas, that dependent arising has the function of diminishing the mass of suffering? Answer: Because among the twelve links of dependent arising, if the earlier links are forever severed, the later links will be diminished; therefore the links of dependent arising have the function of diminishing the mass of suffering.

Original text: 问。几缘起支。名有因法。答。谓前七。问。几缘起支。名有因苦。答。余五。问。几支灭是漏尽所显。答。三。 

Explanation: Question: How many links of dependent arising are named dharmas with causes, capable of drawing forth the arising of other dharmas? Answer: The first seven links—ignorance, formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling—are the causes that can draw forth the arising of the later links. Question: How many links of dependent arising are called links of suffering with causes? Answer: The last five links—craving, grasping, becoming, birth, and old age and death—are links of suffering that have prior causes. Question: When how many links of dependent arising cease is this the manifestation of the exhaustion of the outflows of ignorance? Answer: There are three links: the ignorance, craving, and grasping links are what is manifested when the outflows of ignorance and afflictions are exhausted, at the stage of nirvāṇa with remainder.