Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Volume 9, Explanation of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (14)

Original text: 受蕴云何。谓一切领纳种类。想蕴云何。谓一切了像种类。行蕴云何。谓一切心。所造作意业种类。识蕴云何。谓一切了别种类。如是诸蕴。皆通三界。

Explanation: What is the aggregate of feeling? The aggregate of feeling is the category of all reception of all dharmas: pleasant feeling, unpleasant feeling, and neither-unpleasant-nor-pleasant feeling. What is the aggregate of perception? The aggregate of perception is the category of manifesting images of all sense objects, that is, the image-manifesting function of the six consciousnesses; of course, the seventh consciousness also has an image-manifesting function. What is the aggregate of volitional formations? The aggregate of volitional formations is the category of mental and volitional karmic actions created by all consciousness-minds, that is, the mental factor of volition (cetanā) of the six consciousnesses; of course, the seventh consciousness also has the mental factor of volition and also has formations. What is the aggregate of consciousness? The aggregate of consciousness is the category of discernment of all dharma objects, that is, the discernment of the six consciousnesses; the seventh consciousness also has discernment. These aggregates of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness all pervade the three realms; they exist in all three realms, because in the desire realm, form realm, and formless realm there is the mind consciousness as well as the seventh consciousness, and both consciousnesses have the functions of feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness.

Original text: 四大种云何。谓地水火风界。此皆通二界。四大种所造色云何。谓十色处。及法处所摄色。欲界具十及法处所摄假色。色界有八及法处所摄色。然非一切。此亦二种。谓识种子所摄受。种子名色。及于彼所生果名色。

Explanation: What are the four great seeds? The elements of earth, water, fire, and wind are the four great seeds, and they pervade two realms—the desire realm and the form realm—because both of these realms have material form, while the formless realm has no material form; therefore the four great seeds do not pervade the formless realm. What material forms can the four great seeds, when combined, create? They can create ten kinds of material form and the material form included in the dharma base (dharmāyatana). In the desire realm, all ten material forms are complete: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, and body faculty, as well as the material form included in the dharma base (dharma objects), which is a provisional dharma; in the form realm there are eight kinds of material form: form, sound, touch, the eye faculty, ear faculty, nose faculty, tongue faculty, and body faculty, together with the provisional dharma of material form included in the dharma base, but there is no smell object and no taste object.

However, the four great seeds do not pervade all dharmas; there are other dharmas that the four great seeds cannot pervade—only consciousness seeds can pervade them. There are two kinds of dharma that the four great seeds and consciousness seeds jointly pervade. The first is the nāma-rūpa at the seed stage that is embraced by consciousness seeds, where the seeds have not yet become manifest and nāma-rūpa has not yet arisen—this refers to the stage of the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava). The second is the retributive body of nāma-rūpa born jointly from the four great seeds and the consciousness seeds.

The four great seeds and the consciousness seeds are both great seeds within the Ālayavijñāna; the two stand in a parallel and equal relationship, jointly constituting the nāma-rūpa of the five aggregates. Tangible form is formed by the four great seeds, while formless nāma is formed by the consciousness seeds.