Abhidharmakośa: Volume IX

(4) Original Text: How do sentient beings experience delusion regarding the past? They entertain doubts about the past such as: Did I exist or not in past lives? What did I possess? How did I possess it? How do sentient beings experience delusion regarding the future? They entertain doubts about the future such as: Shall I exist or not in future lives? What shall I possess? How shall I possess it?

Explanation: What is the delusion of sentient beings regarding the past? Sentient beings give rise to such doubts about the past: Did I exist or not in past lives? What dharmas did I possess? Why did I possess them? What is the delusion of sentient beings regarding the future? Sentient beings give rise to such delusion about the future: Shall I exist or not in future lives? What dharmas shall I possess? Why shall I possess them?

Original Text: How do sentient beings experience delusion regarding the present? They entertain doubts about the present such as: What is this 'I'? What is this 'I' like? To whom does this 'I' belong? Whom shall I become in the future? To dispel such delusions concerning the three periods, the sutra exclusively teaches the dependent origination of sentient beings. In sequence, it teaches ignorance and formations, as well as birth and aging-death, along with consciousness up to existence. Why is this? Because the sutra states: Bhikkhus, listen attentively. If any bhikkhu, regarding all dependently originated phenomena, all phenomena arisen from conditions, can observe and perceive them with right wisdom as they truly are, he will certainly not be deluded about the three periods, thinking 'Did I exist or not in the past?' and so forth.

Explanation: What is the delusion of sentient beings regarding the present? Sentient beings give rise to such doubts about the present: What dharma is this 'I'? What is this 'I' like? To whom does this 'I' belong? Whom shall I become in the future? To dispel these delusions concerning the three periods, the sutra exclusively teaches the dependent origination of sentient beings. In sequence, it teaches ignorance, formations, birth, aging-death, and additionally consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, and existence. Why is this said? According to the sutra, it states: Bhikkhus, listen attentively. If any bhikkhu, regarding all dependently originated phenomena, all phenomena arisen from conditions, can observe them with right wisdom as they truly are, that bhikkhu will certainly no longer be deluded about the three periods, such as doubts about 'Did I exist or not in past lives?' and so forth; these doubts will vanish.

Original Text: Some other teachers say that craving, grasping, and existence are also for dispelling others' delusion regarding the future. These three are all causes for the future. Therefore, it should also be understood that although this teaching of the door of dependent origination has twelve limbs, it has the nature of three and two. Three refers to afflictions, karma, and results. Two refers to fruit and cause. What does this mean? The verse states: Three are afflictions, two are karma, seven are results. Also called the condensed fruit and the condensed cause. Through the middle [period], the two can be inferred.

Explanation: Some other masters say that craving, grasping, and existence can also dispel sentient beings' delusion regarding the future, because these three are all causes for the arising of future dharmas. Therefore, it should be known that this teaching of the door of dependent origination, although having twelve limbs, takes three and two as its nature. The three are afflictions (kleśa), karma, and resultant states (vipāka). Craving is the affliction (kleśa), grasping is the karma-affliction (karma-kleśa), and existence is the resultant state (vipāka). The two are the fruit and cause of the karma-affliction. What is the meaning here? There is a verse: Three are afflictions, two are karma, seven are results. Also called the condensed fruit and the condensed cause. Within the twelve limbs, they are broadly divided into two kinds.

Original Text: The treatise states: Ignorance, craving, and grasping have the nature of afflictions. The limbs of formations and existence have the nature of karma. The remaining seven — consciousness, etc. — have the nature of resultant states, for they are the states supported by afflictions and karma. Thus, these seven resultant states are also called fruit. By implication, the other five are also called cause, because they have afflictions and karma as their intrinsic nature.

Explanation: The treatise states: The three limbs — ignorance, craving, and grasping — have afflictions as their nature, meaning these three limbs are afflictive obscurations, possessing the nature of afflictions. The limbs of formations and existence have karma as their nature, belonging to the nature of karma. The remaining seven limbs — consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, birth, and aging-death — have resultant states as their nature, belonging to the attribute of resultant states, being the states supported by afflictions and karma. These seven resultant states are also called fruit. This meaning also applies to the other five limbs; the other five are also called cause, because they have afflictions and karma as their intrinsic nature.

Original Text: Why is the middle period explained extensively regarding fruit and cause? Because it elaborates the resultant states into five [limbs] and the afflictions into two. The future period condenses the fruit, having only two resultant states. The past period condenses the cause, having only one affliction. Because the middle period is extensive, one can infer the past and future periods from it. Since the extensive meaning is already established, it is not separately explained. Explaining it further would be useless.

Explanation: For what reason is the cause and fruit extensively explained in the present period of the middle? It elaborates the function of resultant states into five limbs: name-and-form, the six sense bases, contact, feeling, and consciousness. The afflictions are elaborated into two limbs: craving and grasping. The cause is the afflictive obscuration; the fruit is the function of resultant states. The future period is the condensed fruit, having only two limbs: birth and aging-death. The past period is the condensed cause, having only one affliction: ignorance. Because the middle period is comparatively extensive, one can infer the past and future periods from it. The extensive meaning has already been revealed, so it is not explained separately; explaining it further would be useless.