Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, Volume Ten: Explanation of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (Part 10)

From the link of ignorance to volitional formations: the ignorance is the ignorance of the manas, which is a formless link; only a formless conscious mind can have ignorance, and material dharmas do not involve enlightenment or ignorance. Only when the manas has ignorance is there volitional formation. Volitional formations are divided into formations of material form, such as bodily formations and verbal formations, and formless mental formations. Ignorance is only the predominant condition (adhipati-pratyaya) for formations of material form, able to promote the arising, development, and transformation of material formations. Material form is not a mental dharma and has no sequential condition (samanantara-pratyaya) or object condition (ālambana-pratyaya); only mental dharmas have sequential conditions and object conditions. Therefore bodily formations and verbal formations have no sequential condition or object condition, whereas mental formations have a sequential condition, an object condition, and a predominant condition. Ignorance exists simultaneously with the manas and has never been interrupted; wherever there is the manas, there is ignorance. The manas gives rise to formations only by conditioning upon ignorance, so ignorance is the object condition of the manas. The ignorance of the manas can also promote the continuous activity of the six consciousnesses, becoming the predominant condition for those formations.

In the link of formations conditioning consciousness, formations cause the six consciousnesses to operate continuously and cause the birth of karmic seeds. Formed activity of material form is the object condition and predominant condition of the six consciousnesses, while formless formations are the sequential condition, object condition, and predominant condition of the mind consciousness. In the link of consciousness conditioning name-and-form, the continuous, unbroken operation of the six consciousnesses is the predominant condition for the material body of future lives, and is the sequential condition, object condition, and predominant condition for the name (feeling, perception, volitional formations, consciousness) of future lives. The link of name-and-form conditioning the six sense bases is very complicated: name is the predominant condition for the first five sense-base entrances, and is the sequential condition, object condition, and predominant condition for the subsequent entrance of the manas; form is the predominant condition for the entrances of the first five faculties, and is the object condition and predominant condition for the mental entrance. Because the entrances of the five faculties are material form and not a conscious mind, they have no sequential condition or object condition. In the link of the six sense bases conditioning contact, the entrance of the manas is the sequential condition, object condition, and predominant condition for the manas's contact; the entrances of the first five faculties are the predominant condition for the contact of the five faculties, without an object condition or sequential condition.

In the link of contact conditioning feeling, the contact of the manas is the sequential condition, object condition, and predominant condition for the feeling of the mind consciousness; where there is feeling there must be contact, and once contact is severed, feeling disappears. The contact of the five faculties is the object condition and predominant condition for the feeling of the five consciousnesses; the sequential condition for the feeling of the five consciousnesses is the Ālayavijñāna, the manas, and the five consciousnesses themselves. The link of feeling conditioning craving is the same: feeling is the sequential condition, object condition, and predominant condition of craving; only by conditioning equally and without interruption upon feeling can there be craving. The object condition of craving is feeling; without feeling there is no craving. Feeling can increase craving and give rise to craving. The feeling of the five consciousnesses and the feeling of the mind consciousness are all unified here in the manas; the craving and grasping of the five consciousnesses and of the mind consciousness are likewise unified here in the manas, being controlled by the manas. So, summing it all up, it is the feeling, craving, and grasping of the manas.

The link of craving conditioning grasping is the same: craving is the sequential condition, object condition, and predominant condition of grasping; grasping conditions equally and without interruption upon craving, and without craving there is no grasping. The object condition of grasping is precisely craving, and craving can increase grasping. In the link of grasping conditioning existence, grasping is only the predominant condition of existence, not the sequential condition nor the object condition. In the link of existence conditioning birth, existence is the predominant condition for the birth of form, and is the object condition and predominant condition for the birth of name, but not the sequential condition; the sequential condition of birth is the manas and the karmic seeds of the six consciousnesses. In the link of birth conditioning aging-and-death, the birth of form is the predominant condition of aging-and-death, not the sequential condition or object condition; the birth of name is the sequential condition, object condition, and predominant condition of aging-and-death.