The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination Expounded by Bhagavan in the Lankavatara Sutra (Part 2)

Original text: Why is this so, World-Honored One? The non-Buddhists speak of causes that do not arise from conditions, yet they assert that something is produced. The World-Honored One says: 'When there is a cause, there is an effect; when there is an effect, there is a cause.' Thus, causes and conditions are intermingled and chaotic, extending and revolving endlessly.

Explanation: The Bodhisattva Mahamati said, "Why do the statements of the non-Buddhists not accord with what you say? World-Honored One, the non-Buddhists say that the cause for the arising of the five aggregates does not involve the various conditions of arising; there are no conditions whatsoever, such as karmic seeds, karmic causes, karmic conditions, etc. They claim that a god or divine being gives rise to the five aggregates. But you, World-Honored One, say that seeing a cause arise, one knows an effect must occur; seeing an event occur, one knows there must be a cause. Thus, with causes and conditions intertwined, their development becomes endless. Isn't this chaotic?"

Original text: The Buddha told Mahamati: I do not speak without cause, nor do I speak of causes and conditions chaotically. 'When this exists, that exists' [means] that the grasper and the grasped lack inherent nature. Perceive the manifestation of one's own mind.

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the Bodhisattva Mahamati, "I do not speak without involving causes, nor do I chaotically explain the law of dependent origination. The law of dependent origination I speak of means that the cause capable of producing the next dhamma and the dhamma produced thereby lack inherent self-nature; they are not real dharmas. For example, ignorance conditions volitional actions (formations). Ignorance gives rise to bodily, verbal, and mental actions. When there is ignorance, there are bodily, verbal, and mental actions. This is a provisional dharma, not real. What truly gives rise to bodily, verbal, and mental actions is another true cause, not ignorance."

"Again, for example, volitional actions condition consciousness. When there are bodily, verbal, and mental actions, the six consciousnesses arise. This too is a provisional dharma, not real. The cause giving rise to the six consciousnesses is another true dharma. Again, for example, consciousness conditions name-and-form. When there are the six consciousnesses, name-and-form arises. This is a provisional dharma. The cause giving rise to name-and-form is not the six consciousnesses, but another true cause. All twelve links of dependent origination are such provisional dharmas, not real. The true cause is not these; it is not within dependent origination. One should know that the arising and existence of all dharmas are manifested by one's own mind; they are the manifestation of one's own mind. The own mind is the fundamental cause from which all dharmas of dependent origination arise; that is the Tathagatagarbha."

Original text: Mahamati, if one clings to the grasper and the grasped, not realizing the manifestation of one's own mind, and [believes] external states have inherent nature, they have such faults. This is not the dependent origination I speak of.

Explanation: The World-Honored One said, "Mahamati, if one clings to the twelve links of dependent origination, believing that the cause capable of producing the next dharma and the produced dharma are real, not produced and manifested by the own mind, then there is the fault of endlessness. All dharmas outside the own mind lack inherent nature; they do not mutually condition each other in succession. This dharma cannot produce that dharma. Ignorance cannot produce bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Volitional actions cannot produce the six consciousnesses. The six consciousnesses cannot produce name-and-form. Name-and-form cannot produce the six sense bases. The six sense bases cannot produce contact. Contact cannot produce feeling. Feeling cannot produce craving. Craving cannot produce grasping. Grasping cannot produce becoming in the three realms. Becoming cannot produce the five-aggregate life-form. The five aggregates cannot produce birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress. The true dharma is that these dharmas of dependent origination are all produced, manifested, and transformed by the own mind. The dependent origination spoken of by the non-Buddhists has many faults; it is not the dependent origination I speak of."

Original text: I constantly say: 'Dharmas arise from the coming together of causes and conditions.' They do not arise without cause.

Explanation: I constantly say that dharmas arise from the coming together of causes and conditions. There must be both cause and conditions. The cause is the own mind, the Tathagatagarbha. There are many conditions. For example, the conditions for ignorance include karmic conditions, parental conditions, etc. Only when causes and conditions come together can the various dharmas of dependent origination arise. They do not arise without cause, relying solely on conditions. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only ignorance, there would be no sentient beings' bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only bodily, verbal, and mental actions, there would be no arising of the six consciousnesses. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only the six consciousnesses, there would be no arising of name-and-form.

Without the Tathagatagarbha, only name-and-form, there would be no arising of the six sense bases. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only the six sense bases, there would be no contact. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only contact, there would be no feeling. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only feeling, there would be no arising of craving. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only craving, there would be no arising of grasping. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only grasping, there would be no arising of becoming in the three realms. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only becoming in the three realms, there would be no arising of the life-form. Without the Tathagatagarbha, only the five-aggregate life-form, there would be no birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress.