Abhidharmakośa, Volume Nine

Original text: 又诸缘起。差别说四。一者刹那。二者连缚。三者分位。四者远续。云何刹那。谓刹那顷。由贪行杀。具十二支。痴谓无明。思即是行。于诸境事。了别名识。识俱三蕴。总称名色。住名色根。说为六处。六处对余。和合有触。领触名受。贪即是爱。与此相应诸缠名取。所起身语二业名有。如是诸法起即名生。熟变名老。灭坏名死。复有说者。刹那连缚。如品类足。俱遍有为十二支位。所有五蕴。皆分位摄。即此悬远。相续无始。说名远续。 

Explanation: All dependent arising is classified into four kinds according to their differences: first, momentary (kṣaṇa); second, connected (saṃbandha); third, staged (avasthā); fourth, far-continuing (prākṛta). What is the momentary? The momentary means that within an instant, when someone commits killing out of greed, that karmic action is complete with the twelve links of existence. Delusion is ignorance (avidyā); volition (cetanā) is the formations (saṃskāra); the discerning of the various sense objects is consciousness (vijñāna); the three aggregates accompanying consciousness—feeling, perception, and formations—are collectively called name-and-form (nāma-rūpa). The places where consciousness dwells are the material sense faculties; the union of consciousness and form constitutes the six sense bases (ṣaḍāyatana). The six sense bases in contact with the six sense objects in union constitute contact (sparśa); the experiencing of contact is called feeling (vedanā); when greed arises at the time of feeling, it is called craving (tṛṣṇā); the afflictive entanglements corresponding to that craving are called grasping (upādāna); the bodily and verbal karmic actions that arise after grasping are called existence (bhava). In this way, when all these dharmas arise, it is called birth (jāti); when the arisen dharmas ripen and transform, it is called aging (jarā); their destruction is called death (maraṇa). There is also another saying: the momentary and the connected, as stated in the Prakaraṇapāda (Categories Treatise), both pervade the twelve links within the conditioned; all five aggregates are subsumed under the staged classification. That which continues from the distant, beginningless past is called far-continuing. 

Original text: 世尊于此意说者何。颂曰。传许约位说。从胜立支名。论曰。传许世尊唯约分位。说诸缘起有十二支。若支支中皆具五蕴。何缘但立无明等名。以诸位中。无明等胜故。就胜立无明等名。谓若位中。无明最胜。此位五蕴。总名无明。乃至位中。老死最胜。此位五蕴。总名老死。故体虽总。名别无失。 

Explanation: How did the World-Honored One view this position? There is a verse: according to tradition, it is permitted to classify according to stages, and the names of the links are established from what is predominant. According to the treatise, tradition holds that the World-Honored One classified the twelve links of dependent arising only according to stages. If each and every link contains all five aggregates, why were only names such as ignorance established? This is because in each stage, ignorance and the like are predominant, and the twelve names such as ignorance were established according to what is predominant. If in a given stage ignorance is most predominant, the five aggregates of that stage are collectively called ignorance; and so on, down to the stage where aging-and-death is most predominant, where the five aggregates of that stage are collectively called aging-and-death. Therefore, although the essential nature is spoken of collectively, there is no fault in the names being differentiated. 

Original text: 何缘经说。此十二支与品类足。所说有异。如彼论说。云何为缘起。谓一切有为。乃至广说。素怛缆言。因别意趣。阿毗达磨依法相说。如是宣说。分位刹那远续连缚。唯有情数。情非情等是谓差别。契经何故。唯说有情。颂曰。于前后中际。为遣他愚惑。论曰。为三际中。遣他愚惑。三际差别。唯在有情。 

Explanation: For what reason does the sūtra say that these twelve links differ from what is stated in the Prakaraṇapāda? As that treatise states: what is dependent arising? It is all the conditioned, and so forth, extensively explained as the sūtra states. The Abhidharma, based on the characteristics of dharmas, explains that the causes for the arising of all dharmas differ, and thus the purport of the dharmas differs. When the staged, momentary, far-continuing, and connected modes of dependent arising are expounded in this way, only sentient beings are encompassed by these classifications. The difference between sentient and non-sentient is called a distinguishing mark. Why does the sūtra speak only of sentient beings and not of insentient things? There is a verse: regarding the prior, subsequent, and middle periods, in order to dispel others' delusion and confusion—therefore only sentient beings are spoken of; insentient things are objects without a deluded mind, and so are not spoken of. The treatise says: only in the three periods—prior, subsequent, and middle—can others' delusion and confusion be dispelled; these distinctions of the three periods exist only in sentient beings, and do not exist in insentient things.