Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Volume 10 (Twelve Links of Dependent Origination)

(35) 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: On account of what causes and conditions is it said that the links of dependent origination are not self-made, not made by another, not made by both, and also not born without any cause? Answer: Because the arising [of these dharmas] does not truly exist—it is a dharma of nonexistence, an empty dharma—and because the conditions that give rise to the dharmas of dependent origination have no real function of their own; everything is brought forth 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 origination, 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 brought forth by the causes and conditions of ignorance and volitional formations, together with name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling, are the sprout of suffering; the craving brought forth by feeling, together with grasping and existence, guard and nurture the sprout of suffering; and one should know that birth and aging-and-death 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 origination should be known as being like a lamp wick? Answer: The links of consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling are like a lamp wick; when lamp oil is added, it burns, and the torment of birth and death appears. Question: How many links are like the lamp oil? Answer: The links of ignorance, volitional formations, craving, grasping, and existence are like the lamp oil; when they combine with consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling, they ignite the wick and set ablaze the great fire of birth and death. Question: How many links are like the flame? Answer: The links of birth and aging-and-death burn like a flame, bringing measureless 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: On account of what is it said, in the teaching of the black category of dependent origination, that dependent origination has the function of augmenting the mass of suffering? Answer: Because in all the links of existence, the mass of pure great suffering is the final result of the twelve links, the twelve links of dependent origination are therefore defiled karma, belonging to the black category, capable of augmenting the mass of suffering. Furthermore, among the twelve links of existence, the preceding links serve as conditions and the subsequent links merely follow them, thereby producing the mass of pure great suffering. Thus the twelve links of existence can augment defilement and black-category karma.

Question: On account of what is it said, in the teaching of the white category of wholesome dharmas, that dependent origination has the function of diminishing the mass of suffering? Answer: Because among the twelve links of dependent origination, if the preceding links are forever severed, the subsequent links will be diminished; therefore the links of dependent origination 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 origination are called dharmas with causes, capable of giving rise to the production of other dharmas? Answer: The first seven links—ignorance, volitional formations, consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, and feeling—are the causes that can give rise to the arising of the subsequent links. Question: How many links of dependent origination are called links of suffering with causes? Answer: The last five links—craving, grasping, existence, birth, and aging-and-death—are links of suffering that have preceding causes. Question: How many links, when extinguished, are what the exhaustion of the outflows of ignorance reveals? Answer: There are three links: ignorance, craving, and grasping are what is revealed when the outflows of afflictive ignorance are exhausted, at the stage of nirvāṇa with remainder.