Dependent Origination and the Rest, Five Topics Complete

The verse's seven "and the rest" phrases mark the seven gates; the final "proper reasoning and the rest" stands for the elements (界), covered in fascicle 96.

This opens dependent origination's embrace (緣起攝), whose first matter, explaining its distinctions (釋差別), begins with its own first particular verse, establishing and the rest (立等), listing ten topics to be explained in the long-form section that follows: establishing, suffering, mass, the truths' contemplation, embracing the noble teaching, subtle wisdom, deliberation on the three periods, observation, overweening pride, and the very profound.

This opens the long-form explanation (長行釋), whose ten sections match the summary verse's ten topics, beginning with the first, establishing (立), itself opening with briefly marking and listing (略標列) three marks. The 披尋記 notes this three-mark analysis closely follows the Basic Section's own treatment in fascicle 9. This treatise's own causal scheme (unlike the śrāvaka three-lives/two-round-of-cause-and-effect model) uses a two-lives/one-round scheme: ignorance and formations as the drawing cause; the seeds of consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense-bases, contact, and feeling as what is drawn; craving, grasping, and existence as the generating cause; and birth, aging, and death as what is generated.

This opens broadly explaining the marks (廣釋相), beginning with arising from the prior into the middle period and continuing to flow onward (從前際中際生及生隨轉), itself opening with questioning (徵).

This opens the reply (釋), beginning with distinguishing the arising-and-turning mark (辨生轉相), distinguishing (辨) arising from the prior period (從前際生), and, within it, the prior period's embrace (前際攝) — ignorance conditions formations (無明緣行), the nineteen kinds of ignorance driving unwholesome, wholesome, or unmoving karma of body, speech, and mind.

This opens the middle period's embrace (中際攝), beginning with its stage of arising (生起位). Inward craving is craving for one's own embodiment, born of the delusion that fails to see non-self; outward craving is craving for the objective world, born of the delusion that fails to see conditions as illusion-like. Both, present at the moment of death, moisten the seeds of consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, and feeling laid down in the prior period, turning them into existence and giving rise to the present embodiment.

This opens continuing to flow onward once arisen (生已隨轉), beginning with bringing forth the two mutual supports (出二依止) — consciousness relying on name-and-form, name-and-form relying on consciousness. The consciousness that enters the womb in its first moment is called true resultant, the ālaya-consciousness; the six operating consciousnesses it subsequently gives rise to, drawn out by that same karmic power, are called resultant-born consciousness, and these rely on name-and-form (the six bases) to keep turning.

"Uninterrupted-cessation and the rest" names two aspects of the mental faculty: the uninterrupted-cessation mental faculty (each prior moment of consciousness ceasing as the condition for the next), common to all three vehicles, and the afflicted mental faculty, the seventh consciousness, found only in the Mahāyāna account — hence the "and the rest."

This opens distinguishing differences (料簡差別), beginning with distinguishing by the four kinds of birth (約四生辨), the first being womb-birth, the model followed above.

Buddhist classification of birth-types sorts by the environment a being is born into rather than by biological reproduction — insects born from eggs, such as moths or mosquitoes, still count as moisture-born in this scheme.

This opens distinguishing transformation-birth individually (別辨化生), beginning with the desire and form realms (欲色界) — unlike womb-, egg-, or moisture-birth, where faculties may be incomplete, transformation-birth (found among the gods, some humans at the aeon's start, and certain hell-, hungry-ghost-, and animal-realm beings) always brings the six faculties into being all at once, fully formed.

This opens the second mark, arising from the middle into the latter period, and turning toward purity (從中際後際得生及趣清淨), beginning with the general questioning (總徵).

This opens explaining each individually (別釋), beginning with arising from the middle into the latter period (從中際後際生), and, within it, distinguishing each individually (別辨), and the middle period's embrace (中際攝), marking and listing its two fruits (標列二果) — the internal resultant fruit is one's own five-aggregate embodiment; the dominant fruit is the pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling arising from the surrounding world one experiences.

This opens explaining its cause individually (別釋其因), beginning with the drawing cause (引因), distinguishing its marks (辨相), and, within it, what draws (能引) — ignorance conditions formations (無明緣行). Not understanding that the resultant embodiment is not self, nor its surrounding conditions self's-possession, one continues creating wholesome, unwholesome, and unmoving karma exactly as before, laying down further seeds for a future fruit.

This opens formations condition consciousness (行緣識), beginning with clarifying its arising (明緣起) — new karma perfumes the ālaya-consciousness, planting seeds for the destinies of the three realms to come.

This opens what is drawn (所引) — one karmic act plants, in a single stroke, the seeds of consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, and feeling all together, each seed's own character (dull or sharp faculties, favorable or unfavorable surroundings) already latent within it.

This opens the generating cause (生因), beginning with feeling conditions craving (受緣愛) — pleasant feeling breeds craving, painful feeling breeds aversion, neutral feeling breeds delusion, craving being singled out here as the most severe of the resulting afflictions.

Grasping intensifies craving into active pursuit at any cost — grasping the objects of desire themselves, grasping wrong views as ultimate, grasping ascetic precepts and vows (such as the cow-vow or dog-vow) as the path to heaven or liberation, or grasping the doctrine of a real self, sacrificing others' welfare for one's own.

This opens the latter period's embrace (後際攝), beginning with distinguishing by way of its own embodiment (約自體辨), and, within it, arising as the drawing cause draws (如引因生) — gradual arising for womb-, egg-, and moisture-birth; all-at-once for transformation-birth.

This opens the third mark, turning toward purity once arisen in the latter period (後際不生趣清淨), beginning with attaining the pure wisdom-vision (得清淨智見) — right understanding of the twelve links as suffering and its origin, and of their cessation as the path, ripens through the stages from stream-entry to arhatship.

This opens realizing pure liberation (證清淨解脫), beginning with liberation through wisdom (慧解脫) — severing both the discriminated and innate seeds of ignorance and craving brings arhatship.

This opens accomplishing the dharma of non-arising (成不生法), beginning with the absence of the drawing cause (無牽引因) — the arhat's mind still carries seeds accumulated over countless past aeons, but plants no new ones.

This opens realizing nirvāṇa (證得涅槃), beginning with nirvāṇa with residue (有餘依涅槃), and, within it, distinguishing it from continued flow (簡流轉) — the afflictive hindrance is extinguished, though the five aggregates still remain as a basis, purely turning through consciousness and name-and-form alone.

Like a fire no longer fed with fuel that has not yet gone out, the arhat's remaining feelings, though present, are free of affliction's binding.

This opens nirvāṇa without residue (無餘依涅槃), beginning with showing its ultimate nature (顯究竟), and, within it, explaining the mark of cessation (釋滅相) — one moment ceases, the next does not arise; the cause of future suffering is utterly stilled.

This opens the second topic, suffering (苦) — the resultant suffering of birth, aging, and death likened to a tree, its root the karma-seeds of consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, and feeling, watered by the three afflictions of ignorance, craving, and grasping. Per the 披尋記: the small tree (newly created karma from this very life) has five marks — new karma created in the present life; craving toward the present, past, and future each counted separately (three marks); and karma's ongoing increase. The large tree (karma accumulated across former lives, ripening only after a long delay) has four marks — long-accumulated karma awaiting its distant ripening; conditions that make the tree flourish; craving that keeps it moist; and its long-standing establishment. Together these nine marks establish the tree of suffering.

This opens distinguishing each individually (別辨), beginning with distinguishing by present karma (約現業辨), the small tree, and, within it, bringing forth the dark portion (出黑品), establishing five marks (安立五相), the first: an ordinary being unwise in the Dharma continues creating wholesome, unwholesome, and unmoving karma, unaware it is not-self.

These three marks together name the threefold craving toward past, present, and future objects at the six sense-doors, wherever contact with the world proves displeasing enough to breed affliction.

This opens distinguishing the bright portion (簡白品), beginning with rightly contemplating the dharma-nature (正觀法性) — a noble disciple's undistorted view of impermanence severs discriminated afflictions, then innate ones through further cultivation, drying up the tree's water of craving at its source.

This opens distinguishing by former-life karma (約先業辨), the great tree, beginning with bringing forth the dark portion (出黑品), establishing four marks (安立四相), the first: karma sown in a former life, its ripening long delayed, is called karma-conditioned-to-be-experienced-later, as distinct from karma ripening in the very next life.

This covers the second mark (clinging to defiling objects across past, present, and future, as with the small tree) and the third (craving's ongoing moisture), the root text presenting them as a continuous flow of imagery — root driving deep, water channel running alongside.

This opens the third topic, mass (聚) — the great mass of suffering — beginning with bringing forth the contemplation of the four truths (出觀諸諦), marking the purpose (標所為): the Buddha-to-be's own contemplation beneath the bodhi tree, undertaken purely out of compassion for other beings.

This opens explaining the reverse contemplation (明逆觀), beginning with contemplating suffering and its origin (觀苦集), clarifying the principle (明道理), generally marking it (總標) — starting from aging-and-death and moving backward, link by link, through dependent origination.

This opens distinguishing each individually (別辨), beginning with bringing up the contemplation of aging-and-death (舉觀老死), marking and listing (標列) three marks — the subtle cause is the seed-state of consciousness through feeling; the gross cause is their manifest arising; the third mark confirms nothing but birth can ever bring about aging-and-death.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), beginning with the first two marks (初二相), explaining subtle and gross (釋細麤). Per the 披尋記 citing the Basic Section: the seeds of consciousness through feeling are, in meaning, called birth — the subtle, causal state; their manifest arising is the gross, resultant state.

This opens broadly explaining suffering's distinctions (廣苦差別), beginning with generally marking (總標) two kinds of persons.

This opens raising the question (徵起).

This opens listing and explaining (列釋) the two kinds, beginning with the simile of a solitary lamp of suffering sustained in succession (唯自苦燈相續喻) — an unwise ordinary being who harms only themselves, ignorance conditioning formations gathering the wick of the five seeds, craving and grasping pouring the oil that keeps the lamp burning, life after life, through the long night of saṃsāra.

This opens contemplating the truth of cessation (觀滅諦), beginning with marking it (標) — the same reverse sequence now traced all the way back to ignorance itself, the twelfth and final link.

This opens questioning (徵) — why must cessation's contemplation reach all the way back to ignorance?

This opens contemplating the truth of the path (觀道諦), beginning with marking the search (標尋求).

This opens clarifying the twofold beneficial practice (明二利行), beginning with benefiting oneself (自利行) — direct realization of the four truths' sixteen aspects, followed by progressive cultivation through the thirty-seven factors of awakening, all the way to the noble eightfold path, culminating in the pure wisdom-vision that crowns three incalculable aeons of difficult practice — the fruit of self-benefit shared across all three vehicles.

This opens the fifth topic, embracing the noble teaching (攝聖教) — the whole of the sūtras, discipline, and treatises distilled into three essential points — beginning with marking it (標).

This opens questioning (徵).

This opens listing (列) the three points: the doctrine that dependently-arisen dharmas have no true agency of their own, and the two forms of practice — benefiting others and benefiting oneself — that this doctrine, once realized, supports.

This opens explaining (釋) the three points, beginning with the first, clarifying the designation (明施設) — not self-made, since a not-yet-arisen dharma has no own-nature to act with; not other-made, since without its own seed no other condition alone can produce it; not both-made, since neither an impermanent, momentary seed nor an empty-natured condition can truly generate anything; and not causeless, since cause and condition together do genuinely give rise to the dharma once combined — dependent origination is thus neither nihilism nor eternalism, established only as a provisional, conventional designation.

This is the second of the three points, this serves as the basis for benefiting others (彼為依利他行故) — teaching others the truth that dependently-arisen dharmas have no agency of their own is itself the very content of benefiting them.

This opens the third of the three points, this serves as the basis for benefiting oneself (彼為依自利行故), beginning with marking the approach to realization (標能趣證).

This opens subtle wisdom (微智), the sixth of establishing and the rest's ten topics, on the wisdom able to observe the most subtle impermanence of consciousness. It begins by setting aside the outside paths, who lack this wisdom. Master Cháng Bǎi explains that they see the body grow strong and waste away, taken up at birth and relinquished at death, and by the worldly method of absorption, wearying of the lower and delighting in the higher, they may rise through the dhyānas and formless attainments up to the peak of existence. Even there, they are not liberated.

Master Cháng Bǎi says that outsiders polish consciousness and cling to it as self and as what belongs to self, so the view of self still accompanies them. When life and karma in those heavens end they return to the desire realm. The Buddha's disciples, by contrast, understand that across the three times there are only formations, only causes and results, with no agent and no experiencer; this is what skill in dependent origination means.

The commentary (披尋記) explains subtle impermanence as change from moment to moment, since formations swiftly perish. Practice is gradual, Master Cháng Bǎi says: at first the noble disciple sees this momentary change in the body made of the great elements, and has not yet looked deeply into the impermanence of the observing mind.

Master Cháng Bǎi explains that the body looks much the same today as yesterday, so it easily gives rise to clinging to permanence, and the noble disciple therefore begins with this harder observation. The changing of the mind, by contrast, can be noticed at once, as it flits from one thought to another.

Master Cháng Bǎi explains that the shifting of the mind's objects is easy to see, yet the nature of mind itself is subtler even than the subtle impermanence of the body, being hard to recognize and hard to realize.

Only the wisdom-eye that has realized nondiscriminating wisdom, Master Cháng Bǎi says, can truly see the impermanence of consciousness. It is therefore subtler than it first appears.

The commentary (披尋記) says that the form accumulated in the body is what the eye operates upon, and since the fleshly eye only sees directly and does not know by inference, it is called apart from reasoning (非理). Master Cháng Bǎi's point is the contrast: the body's change can be seen with the fleshly eye without any inference, whereas the impermanence of consciousness is seen neither by the fleshly eye nor by the divine eye, and only by the wisdom-eye and above.

The commentary (披尋記) explains that feelings arising from eye contact through mind contact are conjoined with consciousness, and they shift among suffering, pleasure, and neither; this is called the difference of states. Because these feelings change and are impermanent, one can enter the impermanence of consciousness.

Master Cháng Bǎi adds that feeling is coarser than consciousness and can be directly experienced, whereas the mind has no shape or mark to grasp. So to enter the impermanence of consciousness one begins by observing how feeling changes, for without mind there would be no feeling.

With this, making clear liberation (明解脫) closes entirely, closing subtle wisdom (微智), the sixth of establishing and the rest's ten topics, entirely. Master Cháng Bǎi says that this deep observation of the mind rests on nondiscriminating wisdom, with subsequent wisdom observing the impermanence of mind.

A companion sūtra teaches the same: foolish, unlearned beings may weary of the body of the four great elements, yet cannot weary of mind, thought, and consciousness, which they have long cherished as self. It would be better to take the body as self than the mind, for the body may last ten, twenty, or a hundred years, while mind changes day and night, like a monkey that lets go of one branch and seizes another. The learned noble disciple therefore observes feeling: when contact ceases, the feeling born of it ceases too, and so is liberated.

This opens the seventh topic, deliberation on the three periods (思量際), beginning with generally marking it (總標) — a monk skilled in dependent origination considers suffering through three marks and across the prior, middle, and latter periods, and so comes to know how birth-and-death flows on and how to rightly sever every suffering.

This opens listing each (別列), beginning with the three marks (三相) — toward past, present, and future lives alike, a monk skilled in dependent origination should reflect: what does suffering rest on, where does all this affliction come from, and what does the source of affliction itself rest on?

With this, the three periods (三際) closes entirely, closing listing each (別列2: 三相/三際) entirely. The middle period is the present life, the past period past lives, the future period future lives. Distinguished by time, they are also called the three times, "time" meaning the flowing on of things: the three are provisionally established upon that flowing on, and apart from things there is no separate entity of time. The Ratnakūṭa Sūtra is cited: a dharma that has arisen and ceased is past; one not yet arisen is future; one that has arisen and not yet ceased is present.

This opens explaining each in turn (隨釋), beginning with by the three marks (由三相), the basis of suffering (苦依處), and, within it, the inner body as basis of suffering (內身苦依). Per the 披尋記: since the inner body serves as support, those many sufferings are able to arise. Having a head, one can have headaches; having eyes, one can have eye disease.

With this, the basis of suffering in what is taken up (攝受苦依) closes entirely, closing the basis of suffering (苦依處2: 內身苦依/攝受苦依) entirely. Once relatives and companions are taken up as what is one's own, affliction follows: these ties can move one to take up swords and staves on their behalf, and when those one holds dear grow old, fall sick, or die, sorrow and lament arise. As the Liang Emperor's Repentance has it, resentment arises from closeness, and one's kin are themselves a gathering of adversaries.

Per the 披尋記, "as said before" means the earlier statement, "because, since this exists, those are able to arise in the body that serves as their support," which should here be applied as fits: because parents and the rest are taken up, those sufferings are able to arise.

This is the second of the three marks, the cause and condition of suffering (苦因緣). The craving that takes up (攝受愛) includes craving for one's own embodiment and craving for objects, such as for belongings and for kin.

Two explanations of craving resembling origin (似集愛) are given. Per the 披尋記: craving takes up suffering and so is called the craving of origin; craving is the cause of origin, the basis is the fruit of origin, and since the fruit arises resembling its cause, this is called craving resembling origin — as the craving is, so is the body that arises. Per the Yogācārabhūmi Commentary, citing Master Dá: craving resembles origin while karma is origin proper, for it is by the moistening of craving that the two kinds of basis, as later fruit, arise. On either account, though karma functions, its root lies in craving: only by craving's moistening of seeds does the fruit arise.

With this, the basis of the cause and condition of suffering (苦因緣依處) closes entirely, closing by the three marks (由三相3: 苦依處/苦因緣/苦因緣依處) entirely — craving, the cause and condition of suffering, arises only with lovely, wondrous objects, such as the faculties and their objects, to rest on.

This opens across the three periods (於三際), beginning with able to deliberate rightly (能正思量), distinguishing (辨), and bringing up the present (舉於現在) — the heat of craving, aversion, and delusion leaves the mind parched, and lovely objects, sweet as they taste, are drunk like a poisoned drink that cannot be given up, so thirst only deepens. Attachment to one's inner body and to outer objects brings a future body, and with it further suffering. Hence the person repeatedly passes through birth and death, again and again taking up the destinies.

With this, giving the example of the future (例於未來) closes entirely, closing distinguishing (辨2: 舉於現在/例於未來) entirely — as in the present, so in past and future: because there is craving, every basis of suffering accumulates.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing able to deliberate rightly (能正思量2: 辨/結) entirely — one who has deliberated in this way knows that lovely objects are a sweet drink mixed with poison, not to be drunk; so long as the parching craving that takes up remains unsevered, an ordinary being cannot give them up and goes on drinking toward death.

This opens the basis of deliberation (思量所依), beginning with marking it (標) — one deliberates on suffering and its origin across the three periods through the speech that arises from what is seen, heard, cognized, and known, and all such speech rests on direct perception, inference, and scriptural authority.

With this, matching them (配) closes entirely, closing the basis of deliberation (思量所依2: 標/配) entirely, closing across the three periods (於三際2: 能正思量/思量所依) entirely, closing explaining each in turn (隨釋2: 由三相/於三際) entirely, closing deliberation on the three periods (思量際3: 總標/別列/隨釋), the seventh of establishing and the rest's ten topics, entirely.

Per the 披尋記: seeing outer forms by the eye and on that account speaking to others is speech of seeing; speaking on account of what one has inwardly felt, realized, touched, and obtained is speech of knowing — these two rest on direct perception. Neither seeing nor hearing, but thinking, weighing, and examining on one's own and on that account speaking is speech of cognizing, resting on inference. Hearing a sound from another and on that account speaking is speech of hearing, resting on scriptural authority. All this should be understood according to the Stage of Mind. Knowing here covers what nose, tongue, and body consciousness directly know of scent, taste, and touch. Though the hearing of sound is itself also direct perception, it is assigned to scriptural authority because the holy teaching is received through the ear. The Yogācārabhūmi Commentary counts direct perception more widely: eye consciousness seeing, the mind consciousness simultaneous with the five consciousnesses, mind consciousness in concentration, and the taking of objects by nose, tongue, and body consciousness.

A companion sūtra has the Buddha teach the inner touching of dharma (內觸法). A monk claims to have grasped it, but the Buddha is displeased, and at Ānanda's request he teaches that one should reflect: suffering has upadhi (億波提) as its cause, origin, arising, and turning; upadhi has craving as its cause; and craving arises, is bound, and abides in the world's lovely, comely forms. Upadhi is read in two ways: as basis, matching the treatise's two bases of suffering, or, per Venerable Yin Shun, as grasping. Those who regard such forms as permanent, lasting, safe, free of sickness, self, and self's-possession see craving grow, and with it upadhi and suffering. They are like travelers in the spring heat who drink from a cool, fragrant roadside pool that has been poisoned, despite a warning. Those who see such forms as a sickness, a boil, a thorn, a killer, impermanent, suffering, empty, and not-self are like travelers who heed the warning, bear their thirst, and eat dry barley meal instead. The Buddha closes by telling Ānanda to see, hear, cognize, and know this dharma in just this way, and likewise for past and future.

This opens the eighth topic, observation (觀察), the third phrase's last topic in the first particular verse, beginning with bringing forth five marks (出五相), marking them (標).

This opens questioning (徵).

This opens listing (列) the five marks. First, through the arising side of the twelve links, one observes that because the cause exists the fruit exists, whether in reverse or forward order. Second, through the ceasing side, one observes that because the cause does not exist the fruit does not exist: when ignorance is severed, the continuity of affliction, karma, and suffering is severed. Third, one cultivates the right practice leading to cessation, such as the four foundations of mindfulness and the eightfold path. Fourth, one practices in accord with dharma, not going against it and not creating ignorance. Fifth, having accomplished wondrous, pure wisdom-vision after long effort, one stays far from overweening pride in both the process and the result.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing bringing forth five marks (出五相4: 標/徵/列/結) entirely. Per the 披尋記: as said before, being able to exhaust the many sufferings and able to bring about the limit of suffering is what should be known as the full completion of the fruit.

This opens revealing the meaning of each (別顯義), beginning with the first four marks (初四相), observing up to consciousness (觀乃至識), marking them (標). Per the 披尋記: the future truth of suffering is called the future basis; the future truth of origin is called its cause and condition. In observing the links in reverse sequence, the future truth of suffering comes first — hence this wording. Thus one traces birth and aging-and-death back to craving, grasping, and existence, and these back to consciousness and the four links after it, as they now manifest, and then proceeds forward again from consciousness conditioning name-and-form.

With this, explaining them (釋) closes entirely, closing observing up to consciousness (觀乃至識2: 標/釋) entirely. Present craving, grasping, and existence are the future cause; where they exist, future birth and aging-and-death exist, and where they do not, those do not. The third mark is truly knowing that the absence of the cause depends on right practice, by which craving and the other afflictions are subdued. The fourth is actually taking up the eightfold path as dharma-in-accord-with-dharma, no longer creating contaminated meritorious, non-meritorious, or imperturbable karma.

This opens observing ignorance and formations (觀無明行), beginning with observing the causes and conditions (觀察因緣) — the first two marks applied to ignorance and formations. New karma, whether the merit of the five precepts and ten wholesome courses, the non-merit of the ten unwholesome courses, or the imperturbable karma of the form and formless concentrations, implants the seeds of consciousness through feeling in the storehouse consciousness; these seeds are the resultant consciousness. Without ignorance no karma is created, without karma no resultant seeds, and without those no future fruit of suffering.

This opens penetrating and practicing (通達修行), beginning with marking the sequence (標漸次) — the third and fourth marks, as before: one truly knows that severing ignorance, by which no new karma is created and no fruit of birth and aging-and-death appears, requires right practice.

This opens bringing forth the fruit of practice (出行果), beginning with clarifying the realization (明證得) — when old karma brings contact with agreeable, disagreeable, or neutral objects, the counteracting power of the noble path swiftly and permanently severs the seeds of craving and the other afflictions. Per the 披尋記: as said before, gradually obtaining, regarding the truths, the pure wisdom-vision of the learner and of the one beyond learning is called the directly seen noble path; and so on, at length, up to realizing liberation by wisdom and liberation of mind, which is called the path's fruit, nirvāṇa.

This opens the simile of coolness (喻清涼), beginning with being free of afflictions (喻離煩惱) — a jar fired in the kiln, once set in a cool place, gradually loses its heat; so too one who has accomplished right practice, having severed afflictions in their active and latent forms, sets body and mind in the cool state of nirvāṇa.

With this, the simile of transforming the basis (喻得轉依) closes entirely, closing the simile of coolness (喻清涼2: 喻離煩惱/喻得轉依) entirely — a hot tile taken from the kiln and set on the ground gradually loses its heat; just so the five aggregates held by consciousness, relying on the practice of the noble path, are transformed and made cool. With afflictions, body and mind burn; without them, body and mind are at ease and cool.

With this, showing the ultimate (顯究竟) closes entirely, closing bringing forth the fruit of practice (出行果3: 明證得/喻清涼/顯究竟) entirely, closing penetrating and practicing (通達修行2: 標漸次/出行果) entirely, closing observing ignorance and formations (觀無明行2: 觀察因緣/通達修行) entirely, closing the first four marks (初四相2: 觀乃至識/觀無明行) entirely.

Per the 披尋記: as said before, so long as the body with consciousness abides and has not ceased, one constantly experiences feelings freed of bondage, without any fetter; that body with consciousness continues without break for the lifespan projected by former karma. An arhat's contact with objects at this last body yields what are called feelings at the body's limit. Until abandoning life, the arhat abides in the six constant abidings: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and cognizing without joy or sorrow, resting in supreme equanimity, rightly mindful and rightly knowing. Pleasant, painful, and neutral feelings still occur, but they are born of contact joined with clarity, free of craving, aversion, and delusion.

This opens the final mark (後一相), beginning with questioning (徵).

With this, explaining it (釋) closes entirely, closing the final mark (後一相2: 徵/釋) entirely, closing revealing the meaning of each (別顯義2: 初四相/後一相) entirely, closing observation (觀察2: 出五相/別顯義), the eighth of establishing and the rest's ten topics, entirely. In the state of ultimate truth there is no ordinary being who transmigrates and no real noble one who enters nirvāṇa: awakening to no-self within the dharmas of the twelve conditioned links, one finds that "ordinary" and "noble" are only provisional names. As ignorance arises, formations arise; as ignorance ceases, formations cease. No one is born there and no one ceases there, and so the noble one holds no overweening pride. The Diamond Sūtra is cited: a stream-enterer does not think, "I have attained the fruit of stream-entry."

A companion sūtra has the Buddha ask how a monk should deliberate to rightly exhaust suffering and bring about its limit. One should deliberate that the many sufferings have grasping as their cause, origin, arising, and turning; then, step by step, that craving has feeling as its cause, feeling has contact, contact the six bases, the six bases name-and-form, name-and-form consciousness, consciousness formations, and formations ignorance — truly knowing, at each step, the dharma that extinguishes it and practicing that dharma in sequence. Asked whether one who no longer delights in ignorance and has given rise to clarity would still create meritorious, non-meritorious, or nothingness-directed formations, the monks answer no: with ignorance ceased, formations cease, and so on, through the cessation of the whole mass of suffering.

The sūtra's close matches the fruit of practice and its similes above. A learned noble disciple who is disenchanted with ignorance, free of desire, and has given rise to clarity knows truly, when experiencing feelings of pleasure and pain, that this is what is being experienced; and at the breakup of the body, all that was felt is extinguished without remainder. It is as when a strong man sets a freshly fired, still-hot clay vessel on the ground: it breaks, and its heat is entirely gone.

This opens the ninth topic, overweening pride (上慢) — the opening of the first particular verse's fourth phrase, here concerning learners and those beyond learning — beginning with marking it (標).

This opens listing (列) — not truly knowing the states of the first three fruits, the first kind mistakes the first dhyāna for the first fruit, the second for the second, the third for the third. Not truly knowing the state of arhatship, the second kind mistakes the fourth dhyāna for arhatship.

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with distinguishing those with overweening pride (辨增上慢者), bringing forth the marks of pride (出慢相), distinguishing each (別辨), and the learner (有學) — the three fetters are the view of a real body, precepts-and-vows, and doubt; the poisoned arrows are craving, aversion, and delusion; and such a claim is itself a manifestation of conceit, for clinging to self has not at all been severed.

With this, the one beyond learning (無學) closes entirely, closing distinguishing each (別辨2: 有學/無學) entirely — such a person mistakenly claims the highest state, with all the work of practice and all the discerning of the Dharma's wisdom already complete.

With this, clarifying the basis (明依) closes entirely, closing bringing forth the marks of pride (出慢相2: 別辨/明依) entirely. Per the 披尋記: the two kinds of persons with overweening pride, as said before, do not truly know dependent origination or nirvāṇa, and so give rise to conceit. Overweening pride regarding the learner goes with not knowing dependent origination; overweening pride regarding the one beyond learning, with not truly knowing nirvāṇa.

This opens showing their faults (顯彼失), beginning with not awakening to the noble utterance (不悟聖說). Profound, emerging from the world, and joined with emptiness all describe the nature of conditions and dependent origination. The nature of conditions (緣性) is the four conditions, causal, immediately preceding, object, and dominant; dependent origination is the twelve links. These are inseparable, and the four conditions are all joined with emptiness. Observing them forward and in reverse, one can enter the ultimate state, emerging from the world's afflictions. Those with overweening pride raise their claims on the basis of such teaching, yet do not in fact awaken to it.

This opens giving rise to perplexity and hesitation (起惑猶豫), beginning with marking it (標). Per the 披尋記: giving rise to overweening pride on the basis of dependent origination or of nirvāṇa is the cause; not awakening to and not following in understanding what is said of profound dependent origination and the rest is the condition.

This opens questioning (徵).

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with distinguishing the two prides (別辨二慢), overweening pride regarding the learner (有學增上慢), and bringing forth the causes and conditions (出因緣) — with every act of attention a subtle conceit arises, with or without interruption, and one does not notice it. Because the concentration of calming keeps coarse afflictions from disturbing the mind, one cannot detect this subtle clinging to self and takes oneself to have realized a fruit.

With this, concluding the mark of pride (結慢相) closes entirely, closing overweening pride regarding the learner (有學增上慢2: 出因緣/結慢相) entirely. To have an "I" that realizes a fruit is already to be joined with the view of self: the subtle conceit has shown itself, unnoticed, even as one feels well practiced.

This opens overweening pride regarding the one beyond learning (無學增上慢), beginning with bringing forth the causes and conditions (出因緣) — such a person may have attained the fourth dhyāna, a still, imperturbable state unmoved by the eight faults of applied thought, investigation, pain, pleasure, sorrow, joy, and in-breath and out-breath, and mistakes this stillness for arhatship, not knowing it to be concentration only, not yet the noble path.

This account concerns taking what is not attained to be attained. More broadly, the Stage of Bodhisattvas section of the Compendium of Determinations, fascicle 80, also speaks of overweening-pride hearers who take the mere wisdom of the selflessness of persons to be purity. Master Yuán Cè's commentary on the Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra gives three explanations: ordinary beings who take contemplation with something attained to be true contemplation; ordinary beings together with noble learners who cling to their partial wisdom of no-self as purity; and, more widely, those beyond learning, who are free of the conceit of afflictions but not of the conceit of the knowable.

With this, concluding the mark of pride (結慢相) closes entirely, closing overweening pride regarding the one beyond learning (無學增上慢2: 出因緣/結慢相) entirely, closing distinguishing the two prides (別辨二慢2: 有學增上慢/無學增上慢) entirely — not yet having realized nirvāṇa or guarded against innate conceit, such a person tells others that nothing further can be surpassed.

This opens examining the true meaning (料簡實義), beginning with marking the denial (標非) — only one who has first misjudged the learner's fruits, taking the first three dhyānas for them, goes on to take the fourth dhyāna's still equanimity for arhatship. A genuine learner, having truly realized no-self, knows the arhat's state and does not do this. The Diamond Sūtra is cited: a stream-enterer does not think, "I have attained the fruit of stream-entry," and an arhat who thought, "I have attained the way of the arhat," would be attached to self.

Other treatises differ. The Mahāvibhāṣā, fascicle 43, says that overweening pride arises in both ordinary beings and noble ones, and the Yogācārabhūmi Commentary, fascicle 23, notes that this passage differs from the lesser treatises, in which learners also give rise to coarse overweening pride regarding the higher state beyond learning.

With this, explaining the cause (釋因) closes entirely, closing examining the true meaning (料簡實義2: 標非/釋因) entirely, closing explaining (釋2: 別辨二慢/料簡實義) entirely, closing giving rise to perplexity and hesitation (起惑猶豫3: 標/徵/釋) entirely — for a genuine learner, an affliction that arises when mindfulness lapses is like a drop of water in a hot pan: it arises and is at once gone, and right mindfulness penetrates it and moves far from it.

With this, incurring great decline (獲大衰損) closes entirely, closing showing their faults (顯彼失3: 不悟聖說/起惑猶豫/獲大衰損) entirely, closing distinguishing those with overweening pride (辨增上慢者2: 出慢相/顯彼失) entirely. The Stages With Applied Thought and Investigation and the Rest describes one type of unwise attention: having given rise to the overweening pride of being an arhat, one sees signs of birth at the end of life and thinks that there must be no true arhat in the world. Taking the fourth dhyāna for the fourth fruit, such a person, when the intermediate existence of the fourth dhyāna appears at death, reasons that with all afflictions severed there should be no further birth, and so comes to deny liberation. By the force of this wrong view slandering nirvāṇa, the intermediate existence of the fourth dhyāna ceases, that of the Avīci hell appears, and birth there follows.

This opens broadly explaining the profundity of the noble utterance (廣聖說甚深), beginning with questioning (徵) — one who has not penetrated this profound meaning easily falls into overweening pride.

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with bringing forth the noble utterance (出聖說). The three marks are read in two ways. Per the 披尋記: the mark of the nature of impermanence of all formations, the mark of the nature of suffering of all contaminated formations, and the mark of the nature of emptiness and no-self of all dharmas — these are called the difference in the natures of the conditioned and the unconditioned, joined with the three marks. Per sūtra 11 in the 雜中 and the Yogācārabhūmi Commentary, fascicle 23: the marks of arising, abiding (or changing), and ceasing, which the conditioned has and the unconditioned lacks.

Profound dependent origination is conditioned and ultimate nirvāṇa unconditioned, and one must penetrate the first to realize the second. Dependent origination is itself empty in nature, and empty nature, nirvāṇa, is not apart from dependent origination, yet their marks differ. Neither one nor different, they are therefore called profound.

With this, bringing forth the noble utterance (出聖說) closes entirely. Whether the many sufferings flow on in the conditioned or are extinguished in the unconditioned, there is only the arising or ceasing of mere dharmas, mere events, with no maker and no experiencer, no one who creates karma and no one who realizes nirvāṇa. This is why the Buddha teaches that all dharmas have the mark of emptiness and no-self.

This opens showing the realization (顯證得), beginning with with residue (有餘依) — having accomplished the noble path, such monks have entirely severed craving, grasping, existence, ignorance, formations, and every other cause of suffering, so that birth and aging-and-death do not arise for them in any future life.

With this, without residue (無餘依) closes entirely, closing showing the realization (顯證得2: 有餘依/無餘依) entirely — the five aggregates of the prior moment cease, and those of the next do not arise: this last body of five aggregates is the limit of suffering.

With this, clarifying the profundity (明甚深) closes entirely, closing explaining (釋3: 出聖說/顯證得/明甚深) entirely — no real self has flowed on through birth and death until now, and no real self now enters nirvāṇa. Hence there is no ordinary being and no noble one, and this is profound indeed.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing broadly explaining the profundity of the noble utterance (廣聖說甚深3: 徵/釋/結) entirely, closing explaining (釋2: 辨增上慢者/廣聖說甚深) entirely, closing overweening pride (上慢3: 標/列/釋), the ninth of establishing and the rest's ten topics, entirely.

A companion sūtra has the Buddha declare that he has crossed all doubt, drawn out the thorn of wrong view, and has no clinging, and teach the monks the noble, transcendent, emptiness-joined dependent origination: because this exists, that exists. Some monks grow doubtful and distressed, because they had taken what they had not attained to be attained. Why? Because dependent origination is profound and hard to see, and doubly profound is the cessation of all grasping, the exhaustion of craving, freedom from desire, nirvāṇa. These two are the conditioned, which has arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing, and the unconditioned, which has none of them. Because the cause gathers, suffering gathers; because the cause ceases, suffering ceases; severing every pathway and ending continuity is called the limit of suffering. What remains is the remaining suffering of the residual body; when that too ceases at the end of life, there is stillness, coolness, and nirvāṇa. Unless one penetrates these two dharmas, one easily mistakes concentration for nirvāṇa and gives rise to overweening pride.

This opens the tenth topic, the very profound (甚深), beginning with bringing forth the teaching of dependent origination (出緣起教), marking it (標) — the empty nature of dependent origination is known only through realization, yet someone is able to make it easy to understand.

This opens listing (列) the two causes and conditions — the Buddha's skillful teaching, and the listener's own cultivated wisdom of hearing, thinking, and cultivation, through wide hearing of the Buddha's teaching on dependent origination. When these come together, the originally profound dharma of dependent origination becomes easy to understand.

With this, pointing to the earlier passage (指) closes entirely, closing bringing forth the teaching of dependent origination (出緣起教3: 標/列/指) entirely. Per the 披尋記, the Compendium of Synonyms speaks of proclaiming, designating, establishing, distinguishing, opening and showing, revealing, teaching, and universally opening and showing: these are the phrases of speaking, showing the Teacher's skill at opening and showing. Fascicle 83 explains them: proclaiming answers another's question; designating arranges names and phrases in order; establishing teaches in brief; distinguishing explains in detail; opening and showing removes doubt; revealing makes known what the Buddha himself realized; teaching speaks unasked; and universally opening and showing teaches without interruption and without holding anything back.

It also says: subtle means able to enter the true, profound meaning; thorough means able to fully realize every meaning; perceptive means joined with wisdom drawn out through practice; and keen means joined with innate wisdom, or the two the other way around. These are the phrases of listening, showing that the person has accomplished subtle wisdom and the rest.

This opens distinguishing the marks of dependent origination (辨緣起相), beginning with marking them (標) — the dharmas of the twelve links, summarized in four marks.

This opens questioning (徵).

This opens listing (列) the four. The first: the cause and effect among the twelve links is subtle, each depending on and conditioning another. The second: "self" is only a provisional designation and no-self the true meaning. The third: those of outside paths who appear free of bondage, whether through pointless ascetic pain, through the joy and pleasure of the first three dhyānas, or through the equanimity of the fourth dhyāna and the formless concentrations, take themselves to be free, yet even at the peak of existence the seeds of affliction still bind them. The fourth: an arhat still has consciousness and name-and-form conditioning each other, still ages, sickens, eats, and sleeps, and so seems bound, yet is free of the afflictions of craving and views.

This opens explaining (釋) the four, beginning with subtle cause and effect hard to know (微細因果難可了知), questioning (徵).

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with generally marking it (總標) — one first observes the truths of suffering and origin in reverse, from aging-and-death back to its source in birth, up to consciousness conditioning name-and-form. Each of these ten links comes to be through conditions, and the cause-and-effect relation among them is subtle and hard to know.

This opens distinguishing each (別辨), beginning with the nature of having conditions of the first link, aging-and-death (初老死支有緣體性), questioning (徵).

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with bringing up the birth link (舉說生支), marking the distinction (標差別). Per the 披尋記: one should know that here, in meaning, the existence link is called birth as cause and condition; the seeds of consciousness through feeling, included in existence, are able to generate the future fruit, and so are called cause and condition.

This opens explaining the condition (釋為緣), beginning with clarifying the sequence (明漸次) — the seeds of the five links from consciousness through feeling are birth's cause and condition, and these are called birth; the manifest arising they produce is also called birth, and from that manifest birth comes aging-and-death.

With this, distinguishing cause and condition (簡因緣) closes entirely, closing explaining the condition (釋為緣2: 明漸次/簡因緣) entirely — former and latter birth stand as seed and manifest arising. The former, in its seed state, is the cause of the latter and already holds the conditions for aging-and-death; the manifest arising of the five links is only a condition of aging-and-death.

With this, concluding in general (結總說) closes entirely, closing bringing up the birth link (舉說生支3: 標差別/釋為緣/結總說) entirely — birth here includes both seed and manifest arising, not merely the birth one can see, and this is what is profound.

This opens giving the example of the existence link and the rest (例有支等), beginning with the two alike (例二同). In the twelve links each prior link is a dominant condition of the next, and each link's manifest arising has its own seed as causal condition. So the seed of grasping is the causal condition of grasping's manifest arising, and grasping's manifest arising, and thereby its seed as well, is only a dominant condition of the existence link. Since these two kinds of condition are found throughout the twelve links, and on detailed analysis the four conditions are covered, the twelve links are also called the nature of conditions and dependent origination.

With this, broadly explaining the distinctions of grasping (廣取別) closes entirely, closing giving the example of the existence link and the rest (例有支等2: 例二同/廣取別) entirely, closing explaining (釋2: 舉說生支/例有支等) entirely, closing the nature of having conditions of the first link, aging-and-death (初老死支有緣體性2: 徵/釋) entirely.

Per the 披尋記: desire-craving is called grasping as what grasps, and so has no distinctions; the distinctions of grasping belong to what is grasped, and so there are four. The Compendium of Bases says: the four kinds of desire-craving are what grasps; desire, view, precept-and-vow, and self-referential statement are what is grasped. The Prakaraṇapāda defines desire-craving as craving and clinging toward the desires, holding and guarding them, relishing them.

The four graspings are: grasping of desire, arising for the sake of food, sex, and the enjoyment of the desires; grasping of view, a clinging in thought, especially among those of outside paths, who, out of craving for fame and gain, set up their own theories and defeat others', holding their own thought to be the most complete; grasping of precept-and-vow, taking up bodily and verbal restraints as needed for entering concentration, for the sake of worldly freedom from desire, from the first dhyāna through the peak of existence; and grasping of self-referential statement, positing a self that creates karma, receives results, transmigrates, and realizes nirvāṇa.

This opens the nature of having conditions from craving to consciousness (愛乃至識有緣體性), beginning with distinguishing (辨), feeling conditioning craving (受緣愛), generally marking it (總標) — through the gateway of desire, one sets meritorious and non-meritorious karma in motion; through the gateway of existence, seeking the joy, pleasure, and equanimity of the form and formless realms, one sets imperturbable karma in motion by cultivating concentration. Per the 披尋記: "return to and tend toward desirable and undesirable feeling" means that feeling arises according to whether one's own embodiment and objects are desirable or undesirable.

This opens examining (料簡), beginning with what is a condition of craving (是愛緣) — when the six bases meet objects, the six consciousnesses arise and the three come together as contact. Contact joined with ignorance, which does not know the emptiness of self and dharmas, gives rise to feelings, and from them craving: toward painful feeling the craving for separation from it, toward pleasant feeling the craving for union with it, and toward neutral feeling the craving contrary to both.

With this, what is not a condition of craving (非愛緣) closes entirely, closing examining (料簡2: 是愛緣/非愛緣) entirely, closing feeling conditioning craving (受緣愛2: 總標/料簡) entirely — illuminated contact, in which one already knows the emptiness of self and dharmas, gives no rise to the affliction of craving; nor does neutral contact joined with the five consciousnesses, before discrimination begins.

This opens contact conditioning feeling (觸緣受), beginning with marking the condition (標為緣) — similar contact means that the distinctions of feeling match those of contact: painful contact conditions painful feeling, contaminated contact conditions contaminated feeling, and so on.

With this, broadly explaining the two kinds (廣二種) closes entirely, closing contact conditioning feeling (觸緣受2: 標為緣/廣二種) entirely. Per the 披尋記: contact is of three kinds, illuminated contact, ignorance contact, and contact that is neither clarity nor ignorance. Here, what is joined with clarity or ignorance is designation contact; what is contrary to this, contact that is neither, is resistant contact. The Compendium of Determinations says that designation contact is established by discriminating the object, and so it is here said to be joined with clarity or ignorance; resistant contact is established by the object grasped, and so it is here said to be contrary to that.

Designation contact belongs only to the mind ground, where the sixth consciousness distinguishes objects through names: joined with the wisdom of no-self, it is illuminated contact; joined with clinging to self and what is self's, ignorance contact. Resistant contact belongs to the five consciousnesses meeting their objects in the first moment, before there is defiled or pure mind and before names are applied.

This opens the six bases conditioning contact (六處緣觸), beginning with distinguishing the condition (辨為緣), bringing up the distinctions (舉差別) — the sixth consciousness knows its object through names, which are added to dharmas that in themselves have none; hence the term designation contact. Having heard the true Dharma, one attends properly and takes objects to be illusion-like, impermanent, suffering, empty, and not-self; having heard wrong teachings, one discriminates wrongly and takes all dharmas to be permanent, pleasant, self, and pure. Right or wrong, each has its wisdom of hearing, thinking, and cultivation, and the names joined with these are the condition. Resistant contact relies on inner faculties taking outer objects, without names.

With this, explaining the six bases (說六處) closes entirely, closing distinguishing the condition (辨為緣2: 舉差別/說六處) entirely — the five faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body belong to form, and name belongs to mind; together they are the dominant condition of contact, called name-and-form conditioning contact.

With this, explaining name-and-form (釋名色) closes entirely, closing the six bases conditioning contact (六處緣觸2: 辨為緣/釋名色) entirely — the mind base and the mental dharmas joined with it make up name; the remaining bases of form, the five faculties and their five objects, make up form.

This opens consciousness conditioning name-and-form and name-and-form conditioning consciousness (識緣名色名色緣識), beginning with distinguishing their marks (別辨其相), consciousness conditioning name-and-form (識緣名色) — on the Mahāyāna Consciousness-Only account, the storehouse consciousness holds the body of faculties so that the five aggregates continue; only with consciousness holding them can the six bases go on in similar succession.

With this, name-and-form conditioning consciousness (名色緣識) closes entirely, closing distinguishing their marks (別辨其相2: 識緣名色/名色緣識) entirely — after rebirth the storehouse consciousness abides relying on the name-and-form of the first six consciousnesses, arising with it at the moment of birth or without interval, and so continues in similar succession in the present life.

With this, generally showing their mutual conditioning (總顯互緣) closes entirely, closing consciousness conditioning name-and-form and name-and-form conditioning consciousness (識緣名色名色緣識2: 別辨其相/總顯互緣) entirely, closing distinguishing (辨4: 受緣愛/觸緣受/六處緣觸/識緣名色名色緣識) entirely — drawn by past karma, the storehouse consciousness entering the womb needs name-and-form as its condition to continue; if name-and-form perishes, consciousness cannot remain, and if consciousness is absent, name-and-form perishes.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing the nature of having conditions from craving to consciousness (愛乃至識有緣體性2: 辨/結) entirely, closing distinguishing each (別辨2: 初老死支有緣體性/愛乃至識有緣體性) entirely, closing explaining (釋2: 總標/別辨) entirely — from name-and-form conditioning the six bases through birth conditioning aging-and-death, each link has its fitting nature of having conditions.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing subtle cause and effect hard to know (微細因果難可了知3: 徵/釋/結) entirely — this gathers what has been said: the nature of having conditions from aging-and-death through consciousness conditioning name-and-form, the relation of former and latter birth, the feelings that do and do not condition craving, similar contact, and the mutual conditioning of consciousness and name-and-form.

This opens no-self hard to know (無我難可了知), the second of the four marks, beginning with questioning (徵).

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with bringing forth the provisional speech (出假說), marking it (標) — all dharmas are originally without names; for the sake of communication, names are provisionally established. Wherever a living being with the twelve links appears, a single undifferentiated designation, "being," is established.

This opens broadly explaining (廣), beginning with designating kinds (施設種類) — the designation "being" is like a road, the place on which discrimination relies and along which all names and words arise and move. At first the single name "being" is shared; then, according to the differences among beings, names of many kinds are designated.

This is designating names (施設名字) — within each kind, further names are set according to individual differences: among birds, the parrot, the śārī bird, the peacock, and the wild goose; among heavenly beings, the four great heavenly kings; among humans, Śāriputra, the Buddha's last-converted disciple, the householder Anāthapiṇḍada, and Prince Siddhārtha, called the one by whom every aim is accomplished. All these are provisional designations, only spoken of.

With this, designating speech (施設言說) closes entirely, closing broadly explaining (廣3: 施設種類/施設名字/施設言說) entirely, closing bringing forth the provisional speech (出假說2: 標/廣) entirely.

Per the 披尋記, this should be understood according to the Compendium of Formations: through eight marks, one comes to be counted among the conventionally spoken persons by whom the arising of formations is described: such a name, such a kind, such a lineage, such food, such experience of pleasure or pain, such long life, such long abiding, and such a limit of the lifespan.

With this, explaining the ultimate (釋勝義) closes entirely, closing explaining (釋2: 出假說/釋勝義) entirely. "Self" is a provisional name, and the true meaning of no-self must be entered through observing feeling: as said earlier in the fascicle's account of subtle wisdom, by distinguishing the states of feeling arising from contact within one's own continuum, one enters the impermanent nature of consciousness, and from this impermanence one knows no-self.

Feeling born of illuminated contact is joined with uncontaminated right view, so that though there is feeling, no clinging arises. Feeling born of ignorance contact brings craving toward pleasant feeling, aversion toward painful feeling, and delusion toward neutral feeling. Feeling born of the third kind, from the five consciousnesses without name-discrimination, gives no rise to craving. All three occur together with name, mental dharmas, and form, material dharmas. When, through the noble path, afflictions are severed and nirvāṇa with residue is realized, name-and-form ceases without remainder at the end of life; with name-and-form ceased, the six bases cease; with them, contact does not arise; and with contact ceased, no feeling can arise. Where, then, is a self?

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing no-self hard to know (無我難可了知3: 徵/釋/結) entirely — an ordinary mind, relying on names, discriminates; discriminating, it falls into clinging to false appearances; and clinging, it does not see that all conditioned formations are only illusion-like causes and effects.

This opens the hard-to-know nature of beings free of bondage nevertheless having bondage (離繫有情而有繫縛難了知性), the third of the four marks, beginning with questioning (徵) — such beings show no outward activity of affliction, yet the bondage of clinging to self remains.

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with clarifying wrong views (明邪見), bringing up outside paths (舉外道), bringing forth their designations (出彼施設), generally marking them (總標) — not understanding no-self, they cling to a self and what is self's, and from three angles, toward dharmas that are in fact without self and arise from conditions, give rise to designations of the view of self.

This opens raising the question (徵起).

This opens listing and explaining (列釋), beginning with falsely supposing the three feelings to be the nature of the experiencer (妄計三受為受者性). Per the 披尋記: among the three feelings, the one portion felt is clear and graspable, and supposing something attained in it, they falsely suppose this to be clearly what is mine. Supposing that apart from this feeling there is a real self that is the experiencer is called falsely supposing one portion to be the nature of the experiencer.

Such persons, without concentration and not yet free of desire-realm desire, feel "I am in pain," "I am pleased," or "I feel neither," and on this basis raise designations of the view of self. Ordinary beings in general have this clinging too.

This is falsely supposing an experiencer of pleasant feeling (妄計樂受有能受者) — those of outside paths who have attained the first three dhyānas but have not gone beyond the third. The first two dhyānas have joy and pleasure, and the third has pleasure alone. They hold this pleasant feeling to be real and their own, and posit a self, a dharma having feeling, that undergoes it.

With this, falsely supposing a self upon equanimous feeling (妄計捨受分別有我) closes entirely, closing listing and explaining (列釋3: 妄計三受為受者性/妄計樂受有能受者/妄計捨受分別有我) entirely, closing bringing forth their designations (出彼施設3: 總標/徵起/列釋) entirely.

Per the 披尋記: toward this feeling, they do not, as said before, falsely suppose a separate real self that is the experiencer. Yet, unable to penetrate that contact is its cause, they discriminate that there is a self, saying "I am still," and raise views and designations. Those of outside paths in the fourth dhyāna or the formless concentrations have only equanimous feeling, whose activity is so subtle that they do not recognize it as feeling at all.

This opens refuting their unreasonableness (斥其非理), beginning with marking it (標) — covering those in the desire realm without concentration, who posit a self that undergoes all three feelings; those in the first three dhyānas, who posit a self that undergoes pleasant feeling; and those from the fourth dhyāna upward, who take equanimous feeling to be no feeling and cling to stillness as the self.

This opens questioning (徵).

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with refuting each wrong supposition (別難邪計), refuting the first supposition (難第一計) — in the desire realm all three feelings occur and keep changing. If a self sometimes suffers, sometimes is pleased, and sometimes is neither, then that self too is impermanent, and cannot be the permanent, unitary, sovereign self they hold it to be.

This is refuting the second supposition (難第二計) — refuted by means of concentration: if the self is a dharma having feeling by way of pleasant feeling, then where does that self go in the fourth dhyāna, which has no pleasant feeling?

With this, refuting the third supposition (難第三計) closes entirely, closing refuting each wrong supposition (別難邪計3: 難第一計/難第二計/難第三計) entirely. In the formless concentrations, the form-based clinging is broken and the five faculties no longer meet their objects; only the mental dharmas of the sixth consciousness operate, and so the self that is supposed should have no sensation. Yet because the equanimous feeling born of still concentration is free of emotional stirring, they give rise to conceit, clinging to deep concentration and stillness as setting them above others. True nirvāṇa, being joined with no-self, would have no such conceit; to have it shows that there is still something held as attained.

With this, concluding by revealing dependent origination (結顯緣起) closes entirely, closing refuting their unreasonableness (斥其非理3: 標/徵/釋) entirely, closing bringing up the outsiders (舉外道2: 出彼施設/斥其非理) entirely — these wrong views and false knowings carry great fault, ruin much merit, and obstruct realization of the noble path. Since those free of bondage, from the coarse levels to the subtle, are still tied by every kind of view of self, it is plain that dependent origination is truly most profound and that the principle of no-self is not easily penetrated.

This opens distinguishing the inner Dharma (簡內法) from the outsiders, beginning with contemplating the selflessness of dharmas (觀法無我). Meeting objects, learned noble disciples know them to be impermanent, suffering, empty, and without self; this is feeling born of illuminated contact (明觸所生受). Clearly penetrating every view of self that arises toward pleasant, painful, and neutral feelings, whether of the inner body or of outer objects, as out of accord with the truth of dharmas, they see that body, feeling, mind, and dharmas are all without self and without anything belonging to a self.

This opens attaining skill in the truths (得諦善巧), beginning with bringing forth the matter of liberation (出解脫事). The 披尋記 cites the decisive section on the Wisdom-Born-of-Hearing Ground (fascicle 64): if someone asks whether the Tathāgata exists after his passing or does not, this should not be declared; one says only, "I say this cannot be said" — and likewise up to neither exists nor does not exist, for all of these are profound and cannot be declared. Because they have gained skill in the ultimate truth, their minds are liberated in such matters.

Master Cháng Bǎi explains: the conventional truth is what corresponds to verbal expression, and the ultimate truth is what corresponds to non-discriminating wisdom. Having penetrated no-self, these disciples know that at the realization of nirvāṇa there is no one who is liberated, and that in the turning of birth and death there is no one who arises dependently, so no grasping or doubt arises. He cites fascicle 87: the noble disciples, skilled in both truths and contemplating truly by both principles, find that neither can be declared.

This is explaining the non-declaration (釋不記別). One cannot say it exists, since dharmas arisen from conditions are no longer present; to say it does not exist falls into annihilationist emptiness; and "both" and "neither" are equally unreasonable — nirvāṇa is a profound state where the way of words is cut off and the movements of mind cease, and it should not be further discriminated.

With this, concluding by rebuking their error (結斥他非) closes entirely, closing attaining skill in the truths (得諦善巧3: 出解脫事/釋不記別/結斥他非) entirely, closing distinguishing the inner Dharma (簡內法2: 觀法無我/得諦善巧) entirely, closing clarifying wrong views (明邪見2: 舉外道/簡內法) entirely. The disciples' silence comes from sublime wisdom; the outsiders who slander them as ignorant, unable to answer because they do not know these states, are themselves showing the utmost lack of wisdom.

This opens clarifying their bondage (明有縛) — outsiders freed from bondage still bound by affliction — beginning with false views and designation (妄見施設), in this present life (舉於現法). Per the 披尋記, the three false views are those said before: meeting feeling born of ignorant contact, by three gates they discriminate a self within selfless, dependently-arisen formations.

Master Cháng Bǎi explains the four designations: a self with form takes the physical body to be the self; a formless self takes a mental dharma to be the self; a narrow and small self has a very small nature, like a bean; an immeasurable self is without limit.

With this, by extension to what is to come (例於當來) closes entirely, closing false views and designation (妄見施設2: 舉於現法/例於當來) entirely — in future lives, too, the same false discrimination of a self will arise, and they will set forth their many words for other beings, influencing them.

With this, the latent tendency not yet severed (未斷隨眠) closes entirely, closing clarifying their bondage (明有縛2: 妄見施設/未斷隨眠) entirely, closing explaining (釋2: 明邪見/明有縛) entirely. Through worldly methods of concentration these outsiders may pass from the desire realm through the absorptions of the form realm and the formless attainments, up to neither-perception-nor-non-perception, the summit of the three existences; yet the seeds of the view of self remain unsevered, and so birth and death are sure to come again.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing beings free of bondage yet bound, hard to understand (離繫有情而有繫縛難了知性3: 徵/釋/結), the third of the four marks, entirely. Such beings show no manifest affliction on the surface, yet the seeds of affliction remain; only one with sublime wisdom skilled in dependent origination can enter into this, and this too is profound.

This opens the fourth mark, beings bound yet free of bondage, hard to understand (有繫有情而離繫縛難了知性) — those who appear bound but whose seeds of the view of self and of affliction have all been severed — beginning with questioning (徵).

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with bringing up the noble ones (舉諸聖), free of false designation (離妄施設), in this present life (於現法). Possessing contact free of contaminants and joined with wisdom, these disciples penetrate the true meaning of no-self whenever they meet an object, knowing it to be like an illusion. Accordingly they do not provisionally designate pleasant feeling, painful feeling, or neutral feeling, or any other dharma, as a self or as belonging to a self.

With this, in what is to come (於當來) closes entirely, closing free of false designation (離妄施設2: 於現法/於當來) entirely. Per the 披尋記, birth in the miserable destinies is called the places below where consciousness continues into rebirth; the heaven of non-perception and the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception are called those places where consciousness arises. All these are supports for the birth of beings, yet they are not abodes of consciousness, and so they are named separately. The 披尋記 cites the Wisdom-Born-of-Hearing Ground (fascicle 14): within the three realms, seven kinds of birthplace are those where the consciousnesses continue manifestly — excluding the miserable destinies, because they are utterly repulsive; excluding beings without perception, because the active consciousnesses never manifest there; and excluding neither-perception-nor-non-perception, because whether activity occurs there is uncertain. The point is that designation of beings is not made again anywhere at all.

Master Cháng Bǎi lists the seven abodes (七識住): different in body and different in perception — humans, desire-realm gods, and the first-meditation gods apart from those at the eon's start; different in body and one in perception — the first-meditation gods at the eon's start, Great Brahmā and his retinue, who think of one another as father and offspring; one in body and different in perception — the second meditation, its gods alike in the radiance of body, with perceptions of joy and pleasure intermingled; one in body and one in perception — the third meditation, with perception of pleasure alone; and the bases of boundless space, boundless consciousness, and nothingness. He adds that noble disciples know these are only dependently-arisen, illusion-like causes and effects: when this exists, that exists; when this is absent, that is absent.

With this, realizing the liberations (證諸解脫) closes entirely, closing bringing up the noble ones (舉諸聖2: 離妄施設/證諸解脫) entirely. One liberated by wisdom (慧解脫), relying on no less than the preliminary stage of concentration, contemplates the four truths of dependent origination and severs the afflictions of craving and view; such a one is liberated from the afflictive obstruction but not from the obstruction to concentration, and has not attained the concentration of cessation.

One liberated both ways (俱解脫) is also free of the obstruction to concentration and has attained the concentration of cessation, accomplishing the eight liberations, the four meditative absorptions, and the attainments — the four formless attainments and the concentration of cessation.

This opens explaining freedom from bondage (釋離繫), beginning with birth, aging, and death (於生老死). An arhat in the present life still shows the states of birth, aging, and death, and yet is free of the bondage of affliction within them, undergoing no further existence.

This covers experiencing feeling (於領納受). Arhats do have the painful feeling of a sick body, pleasant feeling toward an agreeable object, and neutral feeling toward an indifferent one; but these all arise from illuminated contact and give rise to no grasping. Abiding in the highest equanimity, they are called freed from bondage with respect to feeling. This is the mark of a noble one, whose body feels while the mind does not.

With this, consciousness and name-and-form (於識名色) closes entirely, closing explaining freedom from bondage (釋離繫3: 於生老死/於領納受/於識名色) entirely, closing explaining (釋2: 舉諸聖/釋離繫) entirely — consciousness conditioning name-and-form and name-and-form conditioning consciousness still remain in the arhat's body and mind, yet such noble ones have left behind the bondage of affliction in them.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing beings bound yet free of bondage, hard to understand (有繫有情而離繫縛難了知性3: 徵/釋/結), the fourth of the four marks, entirely, closing explaining (釋4) the four marks entirely. Noble ones who have realized nirvāṇa with remainder outwardly appear still tied to birth, aging, sickness, death, feeling, consciousness, and name-and-form, yet inwardly have left behind the bondage of every seed of the afflictions of craving and view; only sublime wisdom that has penetrated dependent origination can truly know this.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing distinguishing the marks of dependent origination (辨緣起相5: 標/徵/列/釋/結) entirely, closing profundity (甚深2: 出緣起教/辨緣起相), the tenth of establishing and the rest's ten topics, entirely, closing establishing and the rest (立等), dependent origination's first particular verse, entirely.

Master Cháng Bǎi gives two corresponding sūtras, the Sūtra on the Great Conditions (大緣方便經) of the Dīrgha Āgama, which also corresponds to the Great Discourse on Causes (大緣經) of the Dīgha Nikāya, and the Great Cause Sūtra (大因經), no. 97 of the Madhyama Āgama; since the two are very alike, he presents only the first. Ānanda, reflecting in seclusion, finds the twelve links as clear as if before his eyes and asks why the World-Honored One calls them profound. The Buddha replies: do not say so. Dependent origination is utterly profound, hard to see and hard to know; gods, Māra, Brahmā, renunciant wanderers, and brahmins who have not seen it become lost when they try to reason it out. The Buddha then traces the links backward and forward, asking at each step whether, if the condition were absent, the result could exist, with Ānanda answering it could not. He expands craving into a further chain — seeking, gain, use, desire, attachment, envy, guarding, protecting — ending in weapons, disputes, and countless evil deeds. Consciousness and name-and-form support each other like reeds leaning together. A monastic who truly contemplates this is liberated by wisdom, knowing and seeing with the wisdom of exhaustion and of non-arising.

This first part corresponds to the subtle causes and effects hard to understand. The next corresponds to no-self hard to understand and to beings free of bondage yet bound. Some hold feeling to be the self; some hold that the self is what experiences feeling; some hold that feeling as a dharma is the self; some hold that craving is the self. The Buddha shows each view at fault: the three feelings do not occur together; each arises from its own contact and ceases when that contact ceases, as fire arises from two rubbed sticks and is gone when they are separated; they are conditioned, impermanent, and perishing. Some take form or the formless, limited or extensive, as seen in concentration, to be the self, each holding only their own view to be true. Outsiders take the seven abodes of consciousness and the two bases (non-perception and neither-perception-nor-non-perception) to be safety and refuge; a monastic who truly knows their arising, ceasing, relish, danger, and escape says, "These are not me, I am not these." Whoever moves forward and backward at will through the eight liberations is a both-ways-liberated arhat. The master adds that the sūtra's last two passages do not match the treatise directly on beings bound yet free of bondage, the treatise being an insight developed in reliance on them.

This opens the second particular verse (二諦等) of dependent origination's embrace, the two truths and the rest, beginning with marking and listing in verse (頌標列).

With this, marking and listing in verse (頌標列) closes entirely. The verse names seven passages that interpret dependent origination from different angles: difference, conventional and ultimate, the natural order, this one's doing and the rest, great emptiness, differentiation, and self-made.

This opens the long-form explanation (長行釋), whose seven sections match the summary verse's seven topics, beginning with the first, difference (異) — how the foolish, unlearned ordinary person differs from the wise — marking the distinction (標差別). The two root afflictions are ignorance and craving. Beings are classed as name-and-form, while inanimate things are only form, without name. Fool and sage alike have this body and this experience; the difference lies elsewhere.

This opens explaining each individually (隨別釋), beginning with differences in the middle and latter periods (中際後際差別), clarifying two freedoms from bondage (明二離繫), and, first, freedom from present affliction (現惑離繫) — in this life the wise have severed both ignorance and craving and no longer crave themselves or outer objects, while the foolish go on craving and grasping.

With this, freedom from future suffering (當苦離繫) closes entirely, closing clarifying two freedoms from bondage (明二離繫2: 現惑離繫/當苦離繫) entirely. Speaking for the śrāvaka practitioner, an arhat who has severed ignorance and craving will have no further body of five aggregates taken up by consciousness and will obtain no further result — this is the difference between ordinary person and noble one in the latter period.

This opens explaining the natures of the wise and the foolish (釋智愚性), beginning with the wise (智). The truth of origin, the afflictions of craving and view, has been severed, accomplishing the wisdom of exhaustion; the cause of future suffering has been severed so that its result will not manifest, accomplishing the wisdom of non-arising. These two wisdoms make the wise one wise.

With this, the foolish (愚) closes entirely, closing explaining the natures of the wise and the foolish (釋智愚性2: 智/愚) entirely, closing differences in the middle and latter periods (中際後際差別2: 明二離繫/釋智愚性) entirely. The foolish ordinary person has afflictions in this life and a painful result in the next, without the wisdom of exhaustion or of non-arising; the wise have ended afflictions here and will have no painful result to come.

This opens the difference in the prior period (前際差別), beginning with distinguishing by the noble teaching (約聖教辨) — by the provisions cultivated within the Buddha's teaching. In past lives the wise kept cultivating the provisions of wisdom, practicing the pure life of freedom from desire, and diligently training in calm, insight, and the thirty-seven factors of awakening. The foolish neither studied the noble teaching nor cultivated these provisions, established no right view, and did not train in the pure life.

With this, concluding the distinct names (結名差別) closes entirely, closing the difference in the prior period (前際差別2: 約聖教辨/結名差別) entirely, closing explaining each individually (隨別釋2: 中際後際差別/前際差別) entirely, closing difference (異2: 標差別/隨別釋), the first of the two truths and the rest's seven topics, entirely.

The companion sūtra, set in the Bamboo Grove at Rājagṛha, has the Buddha say that the unlearned fool and the wise alike, covered by ignorance and tied by craving, have obtained this conscious body; relying on it and outward name-and-form they have the six contacts and feel suffering, pleasure, and neither. What then is the difference? The fool, whose ignorance is unsevered and whose craving is unexhausted, takes another body at death and is not freed from birth, aging, and death, because he does not practice the pure life that leads to exhausting suffering. The wise one severs ignorance and exhausts craving in this life, takes no further body, and is freed, because he does practice it.

This opens the second topic, conventional and ultimate (世俗勝義), beginning with marking skill (標善巧). The conventional truth is the dependently-arisen realm established by verbal expression; the ultimate truth is the realm of non-discriminating wisdom gained through realization. Master Cháng Bǎi gives the two truths' common meaning: truth (諦) is the principle that is real and not false. Per the Mahāvibhāṣā (fascicle 77), what worldly understanding grasps and what convention accepts is conventional truth, and the reality thoroughly seen by the noble wisdom free of contaminants is ultimate truth.

He also cites the Sūtra on the Initial Excellent Dharma-Gate of Distinguishing Dependent Origination (分別緣起初勝法門經): within the four noble truths, what is the domain of the wisdom that abides in the Dharma is conventional truth; what is the domain of the supreme wisdom realized inwardly, and not of established wisdom, is called ultimate truth. In brief, the conventional affirms the principle by which things exist, the ultimate denies that they have substance, and the Mahāyāna holds that one must recognize both sides to see the true mark of dharmas.

This opens explaining the marks individually (別釋相), beginning with the ultimate (於勝義). Beings have fallen into formations — the aggregates and sense-bases — that continue in semblance; their results come from their own karma, and there is no agent, only the display of karma and result. Per the 披尋記, the final phrase means one truly knows that, not doing what should be done, one surely has no way of reaching the auspicious goal. Auspicious here means realizing stillness; the 披尋記 cites the Abhidharmasamuccaya (fascicle 5): this cessation is called approaching the auspicious because it is the basis on which the means to attain it are easily cultivated.

Master Cháng Bǎi explains that nirvāṇa must be approached through contemplating the sixteen aspects of the four truths, of which the four aspects of the truth of cessation — cessation, stillness, sublimity, emergence — are the most direct means.

With this, the ultimate (於勝義) closes entirely. Having understood the principle of no-self, the practitioner diligently cultivates the contemplation of no-self and of nothing belonging to a self, cutting off afflictions. One who has the wisdom that abides in the Dharma must, relying on it, keep practicing in order to accomplish the wisdom of nirvāṇa.

With this, the conventional (於世俗) closes entirely, closing explaining the marks individually (別釋相2: 於勝義/於世俗) entirely. Upon realizing fundamental non-discriminating wisdom, the very next thought accomplishes subsequently attained wisdom, which is skilled in the formations of conventional truth. Knowing that conditioned dharmas established by name are not truly existent, one does not superimpose a self upon them; knowing that what is dependently arisen and perfectly real, beyond words, are real matters, one does not deny cause and effect or nirvāṇa and fall into annihilationist emptiness.

Master Cháng Bǎi cites the Ghanavyūha (厚嚴經): "Not without seeing suchness can one know that formations are all like illusions: though existent, they are not real." Noble ones, in all times and places, penetrate these illusory states as existent yet not real.

This opens clarifying cultivation (明修習), beginning with what is contemplated (所觀事), the truth of suffering (於苦諦). Master Cháng Bǎi explains: this conscious body is built by past karma, by the craving for future existence, and by volition. Knowing it to be a painful result, the practitioner vows to go beyond it, hears the Dharma, reflects upon it, and, with this worldly right view of dependent origination as basis, cultivates insight within calm-abiding, reaching contaminated and then uncontaminated cultivated wisdom. Body here means a collection — the six collections of consciousness, contact, feeling, perception, and volition that arise as the six inner faculties meet the six outer objects. These are seen as nothing but birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, and pain, a pure mass of suffering.

This covers the truth of origin (於集諦). The bodies of craving are the collections formed by the affliction of craving: the bodies of craving born of eye contact and of ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind contact. Distinguishing how each kind of craving draws forth its own painful result is contemplating origin.

This opens the truth of cessation (於滅諦). The two truths are suffering and origin. Per the 披尋記, the truth of origin as cause is called the cause accumulating; the truth of suffering as result is called what is thus accumulated; the opposite of this is called the cause ceasing and what thus ceases. Master Cháng Bǎi specifies: ignorance, formations, craving, grasping, and existence are the truth of origin; consciousness, name-and-form, the six sense-bases, contact, feeling, birth, and aging-and-death are the truth of suffering.

With this, the truth of cessation (於滅諦) closes entirely, closing what is contemplated (所觀事3: 於苦諦/於集諦/於滅諦) entirely. In concentration, the practitioner relies on worldly mental application to cultivate the meaning of the four truths, gradually contemplating their sixteen aspects — impermanence, suffering, emptiness, no-self, cause, origin, arising, condition, and the rest — and by this enters the direct perception of the four noble truths.

This opens the contemplating wisdom (能觀智), beginning with distinguishing its names (辨異名), first those included in the stage of beginning practice (初業地攝) — before entering the noble path. Wisdom joined with hearing and reflection is well seeing and well knowing, or, distinguished further, hearing is well seeing and reflection well knowing; wisdom contemplating the four truths while cultivating calm-abiding and insight is well thinking.

This opens what is included in the learner's stage (有學地攝), beginning with distinguishing by preparatory practice (約加行辨), called well understanding and well penetrating (名善了善達). In the sequence given, well understanding is knowing the nature of the full extent of what exists (盡所有性): all the differences of the five aggregates — past, future, and present, inner and outer, coarse and fine, fair and foul, far and near. Well penetrating is penetrating the nature of things as they are (如所有性): impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and no-self.

This covers called moving toward, drawing near to, and realizing the true Dharma (名趣正法近正法證正法). Wisdom born of hearing and reflection moves toward it; contaminated cultivated wisdom of calm-abiding and insight draws near to it; uncontaminated cultivated wisdom penetrating the four noble truths realizes it. Relying on these three wisdoms as preparation, one enters direct realization of the noble truths.

With this, called reaching the source and reaching the source throughout (名到源底遍到源底) closes entirely, closing by preparatory practice (約加行辨3) entirely. Through realizing direct realization of the noble truths, one truly penetrates suffering as truly suffering, origin as truly origin, cessation as truly cessation, and the path as truly the path — this is reaching the source throughout.

This opens distinguishing by its own nature (約自性辨). Per the 披尋記, this refers to uncontaminated subsequently attained wisdom: cultivating the uncontaminated noble wisdom attained before, one is able to penetrate the world, and so gains this name. Master Cháng Bǎi adds that after realizing fundamental wisdom, one penetrates the world as illusion-like and returns to it with no defilement of mind, entering and leaving the worldly and the transcendent at ease.

This covers called noble wisdom (名為聖慧) — wisdom free of the outflow of affliction, fully present in the noble one's continuing aggregates.

This covers called the wisdom of emergence (名出離慧) — the learner's wisdom able to exhaust every affliction and to leave every suffering behind.

With this, called decisive wisdom (名決擇慧) closes entirely, closing by its own nature (約自性辨4) entirely, closing included in the learner's stage (有學地攝2: 約加行辨/約自性辨) entirely — wisdom that, with decision and discernment, penetrates the true mark of dharmas to the utmost.

With this, included in the stage beyond learning (無學地攝) closes entirely, closing distinguishing its names (辨異名3: 初業地攝/有學地攝/無學地攝) entirely. Entering the first fruit severs only discriminated afflictions; subtler innate afflictions of craving and view remain, so one keeps training in the four noble truths, reaching the second, third, and fourth fruits, exhausting every suffering those afflictions bring, and entering the stage beyond learning.

With this, concluding the truth of the path (結道諦) closes entirely, closing the contemplating wisdom (能觀智2: 辨異名/結道諦) entirely, closing clarifying cultivation (明修習2: 所觀事/能觀智) entirely, closing conventional and ultimate (世俗勝義3: 標善巧/別釋相/明修習), the second of the seven topics, entirely. The right path comprises the wisdoms of hearing, reflection, and cultivation, worldly mental application of the stage of concentration, the cultivation of that mental application, and the contemplation of the truths.

The companion sūtra, set in the Bamboo Grove at Rājagṛha, has the Buddha say that this body is neither yours nor another's: it is the six bases of contact, brought about by one's former practice and vows. A learned noble disciple rightly contemplates the bodies of consciousness, contact, feeling, perception, and volition: because this exists, that exists, and so there is the pure mass of suffering — the origin of the world, with its cause and its condition. Not grasping them, there are no such bodies in the future, and that mass of suffering ceases. Whoever truly knows the origin and cessation of the world, well seeing, well knowing, and well entering, is a noble disciple who has gained the true Dharma and fully escapes suffering.

This opens the third topic, the natural order (法爾) — whether or not a Tathāgata appears, the principle of dependent origination stands thus in the dharma realm — beginning with bringing forth the distinction (出差別), marking it (標). Master Cháng Bǎi recalls fascicle 10: the nature by which formations arise is called dependent origination; those same formations, once arisen, are called dependently arisen. Taking the twelve links, the former name stresses the causal law, the latter the resultant fact. The two are neither identical nor separate: one speaks of cause, the other of result.

This covers listing (列). Per the 披尋記, how flowing existence proceeds (如所流轉) is the nature of things as they are; all that flows on (諸所流轉) is the full extent of what exists. Master Cháng Bǎi explains: the former is the causal law from ignorance conditioning formations up to birth conditioning aging-and-death — when this exists, that exists. The latter is each link's manifest arising, itself a result born of conditions — when this arises, that arises.

With this, explaining (釋) closes entirely, closing bringing forth the distinction (出差別3: 標/列/釋) entirely. The twelve links differ in mark, which is the full extent of what exists; the prior link drawing forth the later without break is things as they are. Cause and effect appear in order, in accord with the principle.

This opens explaining the alternative names (釋異名) of dependent origination, beginning with dharma-nature (法性). This law accords with the facts and has an order of cause and effect, as with affliction and karma as cause and suffering as result; from beginningless time up to now it has been successively established in words, from ignorance conditioning formations to birth conditioning aging-and-death.

This opens dharma-abiding, dharma-determinacy, and dharma-suchness (法住法定法如性), beginning with marking the distinction of the three times (標三世別). In the present, dharmas arise by the principle that when this exists, that exists; in the past, dharmas that have arisen came about in the same way; in the future, dharmas yet to arise will continue in accord with the same principle.

With this, explaining the last term (隨釋後一) closes entirely, closing dharma-abiding, dharma-determinacy, and dharma-suchness (法住法定法如性2: 標三世別/隨釋後一) entirely. Future dependently-arisen dharmas are not causeless; they accord with the same law of cause and effect as the twelve links, hence suchness, and they do not arise without cause, hence not non-suchness.

This covers real nature and true nature (實性諦性). A dharma's arising surely corresponds to its cause, hence real nature; where there is a cause there will be a result, truly matching the cause, hence true nature. Real and true both mean genuine, but are distinguished here to establish a two-part principle.

This covers genuine nature and undistorted nature (真性無倒性). What beings know is only dependently-arisen cause and effect, without self or anything belonging to a self, hence genuine nature. The dharma-nature on which true, non-discriminating wisdom relies is free of distortion and corresponds to suchness, hence undistorted nature.

With this, the nature of according in sequence with dependent origination (緣起順次第性) closes entirely, closing explaining the alternative names (釋異名5: 法性/法住法定法如性/實性諦性/真性無倒性/緣起順次第性) entirely — taking all dependently-arisen dharmas as basis, words establish them in order, from ignorance conditioning formations to birth conditioning aging-and-death.

This covers clarifying skill (明善巧). Skilled in both dependent origination and dependently-arisen dharmas, these disciples enter direct realization of the four noble truths, experiencing the wisdom of no-self for themselves, and so go beyond the bonds of outsiders' views. Per the 披尋記, outsiders, with the view of a real body as root, have sixty-two evil views and sixteen divergent theories, explained at length before; Master Cháng Bǎi locates this in fascicles 6 and 7.

The sixty-two views are the four eternalist theories, four partial-eternalist theories, two theories of no cause, four theories of the finite and infinite, four theories of evasive equivocation, sixteen theories of perception after death, eight of non-perception, eight of neither, seven annihilationist theories, and five theories of nirvāṇa in this present life. The sixteen divergent theories are: the result existing in the cause, manifestation through conditions, the real existence of past and future, a self, permanence, past deeds as cause, a creator such as Īśvara, harm as Dharma, the finite and infinite, evasive equivocation, no cause, annihilation, emptiness, false supremacy, false purity, and false auspiciousness.

This opens revealing the skillful means (顯方便), beginning with marking it (標). Per the 披尋記, no real one is born: this is called non-birth (非生); no real one acts: this is called non-agency (非作). Master Cháng Bǎi adds that the Tathāgata's right words come from sublime subsequently attained wisdom, teaching that in life's causes and effects there has never been anyone who truly undergoes the result or truly creates the karma.

With this, explaining (釋) closes entirely, closing revealing the skillful means (顯方便2: 標/釋) entirely, closing the natural order (法爾4: 出差別/釋異名/明善巧/顯方便), the third of the seven topics, entirely. Per the 披尋記, establishing dharmas with undistorted words in accord with dharma-nature is called establishing dharma-abiding and dharma realm in accordance with it. This is the basis for abiding in the lineage: relying on it and continually perfuming one's cultivation, one can realize the final purity of the lineage. Master Cháng Bǎi cites fascicle 10: the beginningless accomplished nature of dependent origination is dharma-nature; establishing it in undistorted words is dharma-abiding; and because this abiding has dharma-nature as its cause, it is called the dharma realm.

The companion sūtra, set in the Bamboo Grove at Rājagṛha, has the Buddha teach causally-arisen dharmas and dependently-arisen dharmas. The former is the law that because this exists, that exists; the latter is what has actually arisen — ignorance, formations, up to birth and aging-and-death. Whether or not buddhas appear, this abides; the Buddha awakens to it and teaches it. It is true result and true cause, undistorted, the basis of true wisdom. A noble disciple who sees this rightly does not chase after the past ("Did I exist?") or the future ("Will I exist?") or doubt the present, and has cut off the worldly views of self, being, life, and auspiciousness, like a palm tree with its crown severed, so that they will not arise in the future.

This opens the fourth topic, this one's doing and the rest (此作等), beginning with what is not to be declared (不應記別), marking it (標). This one makes and this one experiences grasps the aggregates themselves as the self that creates karma and undergoes its result; another makes and another experiences grasps a self apart from the aggregates. Master Cháng Bǎi explains that here only the dharmas of cause and effect flow on, and neither maker nor experiencer can be found.

This covers questioning (徵).

With this, listing (列) closes entirely, closing not to be declared (不應記別3: 標/徵/列) entirely. Because cause and effect are connected, as a result resembles its cause, it is not that another makes and another experiences. Because formations at the time of making differ from formations at the time of experiencing, changing in every instant, it is not that this one makes and this one experiences.

Master Cháng Bǎi adds a deeper reading: this one makes and this one experiences is refuted because the provisional self is only a continuity of formations; that no further maker or experiencer can be found refutes the self apart from the aggregates, for neither inside nor outside them does an independent self create karma or undergo its result. Life is only karma and its ripened result, with no master within.

With this, permitting right declaration (許正記別) closes entirely, closing this one's doing and the rest (此作等2: 不應記別/許正記別), the fourth of the seven topics, entirely. Per the 披尋記, this should be understood by the ultimate-meaning verse in the Wisdom-Born-of-Thought Ground (fascicle 16): "In this stream, unbroken, like and unlike, by accord with the view of self, worldly function is not absent. If the form-body is destroyed, the name-body too follows and ceases; yet we speak of this world and the next, of self-made and self-experienced results."

Master Cháng Bǎi explains the verse by the two truths. The stream is consciousness turning unbroken through the three realms, sometimes in like birth and sometimes in unlike birth, on account of the view of self; so, conventionally, function is not absent. The form-body and the name-body, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, perish in each instant, without self. Conventionally, because the law of cause and effect does not cease, one speaks provisionally of making karma and experiencing its result oneself.

This opens the fifth topic, great emptiness (大空), beginning with bringing forth no-self (出無我), generally marking all (總標一切). Among all dharmas, conditioned and unconditioned, there is no self that is master, permanent, and unchanging. Master Cháng Bǎi explains that the person (補特伽羅) refers particularly to a human being: no self apart from the aggregates is the selflessness of the person. Dharmas extend to the aggregates and the world around them: no self identical with the aggregates is the selflessness of dharmas.

This opens explaining the distinctions (隨釋差別), beginning with the selflessness of the person (補特伽羅無我) — no real self dwells either within or outside the five aggregates.

With this, the selflessness of dharmas (法無我) closes entirely, closing explaining the distinctions (隨釋差別2: 補特伽羅無我/法無我) entirely. A self is defined as permanent, unchanging, and sovereign; yet each thought differs from the last and the body ages, sickens, and dies, all changing and beyond control. Within formations, then, no real self can be found.

With this, concluding the name great emptiness (結名大空) closes entirely, closing bringing forth no-self (出無我3: 總標一切/隨釋差別/結名大空) entirely. Master Cháng Bǎi identifies that place as the sūtra in the causation section of the Saṃyukta Āgama where these two forms of selflessness together are called great emptiness.

This opens rebuking false views (斥妄見), beginning with the view remedied by the first emptiness (初空所對治見), censuring that theory (毀彼論). Such a person holds that apart from form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness there is something called a self, or that those dharmas are different from it or are its possessions. Practicing on this basis, one who holds a self apart from the aggregates cannot abide in the pure life of freedom from desire.

With this, explaining why (釋所以) closes entirely, closing the view remedied by the first emptiness (初空所對治見2: 毀彼論/釋所以) entirely. One holding this view cannot attain liberation, because however one practices, it remains joined with the grasping of a self. The root of birth and death is the grasping of a self, on which all craving for one's own being and for objects depends; with such a view, even diligent practice over countless great eons does not bring liberation.

This opens the view remedied by the second emptiness (第二空所治見), beginning with censuring that theory (毀彼論). Per the 披尋記, the three false views are those said in fascicle 87. By the first view, one takes the present self to have form, and afterward to have perception, or no perception, or neither. By the second view, one takes the present self to be formless, with the same three conjectures afterward. By the third view, there are two theories of self: that the self has form and is formless, and that it neither has form nor is formless. Further, a self held to have form is called narrow and small or immeasurable, and likewise a formless self. Relying on these, one establishes the theories that the life principle is the body; that it differs from the body; or that all of this together is the self, pervading, without duality, without difference, without lack. This is what is meant by at length.

Master Cháng Bǎi clarifies that life principle (命) is another word for self, and that these are all forms of holding the self to be identical with the aggregates, not apart from name and form.

With this, censuring that theory (毀彼論) closes entirely — outsiders who hold these three false views of a self cannot leave desire behind in the three realms, are not pure, and do not abide in the pure life of freedom from desire.

With this, explaining why (釋所以) closes entirely, closing the view remedied by the second emptiness (第二空所治見2: 毀彼論/釋所以) entirely, closing rebuking false views (斥妄見2: 初空所對治見/第二空所治見) entirely. This view arises in reliance on what the selflessness of dharmas remedies, holding a self identical with the aggregates; one holding it cannot attain liberation, since however one practices, it remains joined with the grasping of a self.

This opens revealing the middle way (顯中道), beginning with generally marking and distinguishing (總標簡). Those with right view stay far from holding a self apart from the aggregates and a self identical with them, and see only such a cause and such a result: when the cause arises the result arises, when the cause ceases the result ceases. In all dependently-arisen dharmas there is no master, no maker, no experiencer; each arises from cause, turns by conditions, comes to be from not having been, and having been, scatters.

This opens explaining the marks individually (別釋相), beginning with the real dharma (於真實法). What is known is the object; what knows is wisdom. Noble ones know objects to be illusion-like cause and effect, without self: this true, unchanging nature is the nature of being as it truly is. The wisdom able to know suchness is free of distortion and corresponds to suchness: this is the undistorted nature.

With this, provisionally existing dharmas (於假有法) closes entirely, closing explaining the marks individually (別釋相2: 於真實法/於假有法) entirely, closing revealing the middle way (顯中道2: 總標簡/別釋相) entirely, closing great emptiness (大空3: 出無我/斥妄見/顯中道), the fifth of the seven topics, entirely. The aggregates are provisionally named for the sake of communication, with these dharmas said to belong to someone. In the ultimate truth, the realm of emptiness of self and of dharmas seen by non-discriminating wisdom, all of these are stilled: at that time neither formations nor person can be found, and one cannot say the aggregates are a self or that a self exists apart from them.

The companion sūtra, the Great Emptiness Dharma Sūtra (大空法經), is set at the Kuru town of Kalmāṣadamya. The Buddha announces a teaching good in the beginning, middle, and end, namely dependent origination: because this exists, that exists. If someone asks who ages and dies and to whom aging-and-death belongs, the wrong answer says "I age and die" or "it is mine." Saying the life principle is the body, or that it differs from the body, is not found among those in the pure life. Not following either extreme, the noble ones turn rightly to the middle way, knowing that aging-and-death depends on birth, and so on back to formations depending on ignorance. For a monastic who abandons ignorance, gives rise to clear knowing, and frees himself of desire, these questions are cut off at the root, like a palm tree with its crown severed, and the pure mass of suffering ceases.

This opens the sixth topic, differentiation (分別), beginning with marking and listing the causes and conditions (標列因緣). By the nature of things as they are comes the general presentation: the causal law of dependent origination does not change, so its marks can be presented overall. By the nature of the full extent of what exists comes individual differentiation: all the contents of dependent origination are distinguished one by one.

This opens explaining the distinctions (隨釋差別), beginning with the nature of things as they are (如所有性), questioning (徵).

This covers explaining (釋). Each of the twelve links is the condition of the next, which is its result. Thus the cause, the affliction and karma among the three defilements — ignorance, craving, and grasping as affliction, formations and existence as karma — remaining unsevered, the suffering result, from consciousness to aging-and-death, cannot be severed either. When the unsevered cause goes on arising, the unsevered effect goes on arising. This causal law does not change.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing the nature of things as they are (如所有性3: 徵/釋/結) entirely.

This opens the nature of the full extent of what exists (盡所有性), beginning with questioning (徵).

This covers marking it (標). The aspects of ignorance, formations, and so on up to birth and aging-and-death, which comprise the dependently-arisen dharmas of form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, differ in many ways; completely distinguishing every kind is individual differentiation by the full extent of what exists.

This covers explaining (釋). Ignorance may be not knowing the prior period, and so on at length as in the nineteen kinds of ignorance of fascicle 9, including not knowing the latter period, not knowing both, not knowing the Three Jewels and the four truths, not knowing formations born of causes, and the ignorance of overestimation. Listing all of them is differentiating ignorance by the full extent of what exists.

This covers pointing back (指). Per the 披尋記, the many alternative names of ignorance were extensively distinguished in the Explanation of the Different Aspects (fascicle 84).

Per the 披尋記, the establishment and differentiation of the links of dependent origination were extensively distinguished in the Basic Section (fascicle 9), which Master Cháng Bǎi applies to the remaining links, formations through aging-and-death, whose contents are detailed there.

With this, the conclusion (結) closes entirely, closing the nature of the full extent of what exists (盡所有性5: 徵/標/釋/指/結) entirely, closing explaining the distinctions (隨釋差別2: 如所有性/盡所有性) entirely.

With this, the general conclusion gaining the name (總結得名) closes entirely, closing differentiation (分別3: 標列因緣/隨釋差別/總結得名), the sixth of the seven topics, entirely.

The companion sūtra, set at the Kuru town of Kalmāṣadamya, has the Buddha teach dependent origination as dharma-teaching and meaning-teaching (法說、義說). The dharma-teaching is the law that because this exists, that exists, the treatise's nature of things as they are. The meaning-teaching goes through each link, the treatise's nature of the full extent of what exists. Ignorance is explained in twenty-nine items: not knowing the prior period, the latter period, and both; the inner, the outer, and both; karma, ripening, and both; the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha; suffering, origin, cessation, and path; cause and what arises from cause; the wholesome and unwholesome; the blameworthy and blameless; what is to be practiced and not; the inferior and superior; the defiled and pure; and not truly knowing the six bases of contact. Master Cháng Bǎi matches these to the groupings of fascicle 9.

Formations are of body, speech, and mind; consciousness is the six consciousness-bodies, body meaning accumulation; name is the four formless aggregates and form is the four great elements and what they make; next come the six inner sense-bases, the six bodies of contact, and the three feelings; craving is for desire, form, and the formless; grasping is of four kinds; existence is karmic existence of the three realms. Birth is the attaining of aggregates, elements, sense-bases, and life faculty; aging is white hair, bent back, leaning on a staff, and failing faculties; death is passing away, the breakup of the body, the end of life, warmth leaving, and the life faculty ceasing.

This opens the seventh and last topic, self-made (自作), beginning with bringing forth what cannot be declared (出不可記), marking it (標), raising self-made (舉自作). Painful and pleasant feeling come about through contact with objects, and so one cannot establish that they are made by oneself.

With this, by extension to other-made and the rest (例他作等) closes entirely, closing marking it (標2: 舉自作/例他作等) entirely. Other-made refers to a maker such as Īśvara (大自在天); both-made to self and other together; and neither-made to arising without cause. None of these can be designated or declared.

This covers questioning (徵).

This opens listing (列). Per the 披尋記, what was said before is the passage on dependently-arisen dharmas being well established as lacking agency: from future suffering one contemplates in reverse the present and prior suffering and origin; name-and-form conditions consciousness and consciousness conditions name-and-form, like bundled reeds leaning on each other; and within this no dependently-arisen dharma is self-made, other-made, both-made, or causeless.

Master Cháng Bǎi recalls why: dharmas arise from their own seeds but need other dominant conditions, so they are not self-made; they require their own seeds, so they are not other-made; seed and condition have no real making, so they are not both-made; yet cause and condition have causal function, and dharmas do arise when these come together, so they are not causeless.

With this, listing (列) closes entirely. Dharmas arise only through conditions; the claim that formations' causes and effects depend on some further being as maker, such as Īśvara, finds nothing to support it.

This opens explaining (釋), beginning with not self-made (非自作). Feeling has as its cause contact, the union of faculty, object, and consciousness. Master Cháng Bǎi cites fascicle 91: outsiders, overstepping direct perception, whether by the prior period or the present, hold firmly to four wrong theories of suffering and pleasure. Falsely conjecturing past deeds as cause, they establish suffering and pleasure as wholly self-made; or, conjecturing about the present, they take them to follow one's own wish and effort. Neither is reasonable.

This covers not other-made (非他作). Outsiders conjecture, by the prior period, that suffering and pleasure have Īśvara as their cause, holding them to be wholly other-made; or, by the present, that what does not follow one's own wish or effort is brought on by others. Neither is reasonable.

This covers not both-made (非俱作). Per the 披尋記, the sense here shows that feeling is not made by both. Feeling of one's own being or of objects is thirsted for by oneself alone; one should not take another's making as a cause in order to experience it, and therefore both-made is likewise not reasonable.

Master Cháng Bǎi explains that outsiders conjecture, by the prior period, that suffering and pleasure come from Īśvara and then from past deeds, or, by the present, from one's own wish together with what others bring on. Yet feelings are only one's own mind's discrimination; conditioned by them arises the affliction of thirst, and apart from the mental factors of feeling and craving no self exists.

With this, not arising without cause (非無因生) closes entirely, closing explaining (釋4: 非自作/非他作/非俱作/非無因生) entirely, closing bringing forth what cannot be declared (出不可記4: 標/徵/列/釋) entirely. Outsiders conjecture that suffering and pleasure are causeless; or, when such feelings arise without prior effort of self or other, simply through an object appearing, and they fail to discern the subtle cause, contact, they wrongly conclude there is no cause.

With this, concluding by relying on the middle way (結依中道) closes entirely, closing self-made (自作2: 出不可記/結依中道), the seventh of the seven topics, entirely, closing the long-form explanation (長行釋7) entirely, closing the two truths and the rest (二諦等2: 頌標列/長行釋), dependent origination's second particular verse, entirely. Per the 披尋記, what was said before is: staying far from these two extremes of wrong view and seeing only cause and effect is called the practice of the middle way; and all that teaching of no-self should be known as the teaching of the middle-way practice. The three extremes of wrong cause are self-made, other-made, and both-made; the single extreme is arising without cause.

Five companion sūtras follow. A monastic asks whether dependent origination was made by the Buddha or by others; the Buddha answers that it was made by neither: whether or not tathāgatas appear, the dharma realm stands thus, and he awakened to it and taught it. A brahmin asks whether one makes and experiences for oneself, or another does; the Buddha leaves both undeclared, the first falling into eternalism and the second into annihilationism, and teaches from the middle. Kātyāyana asks what right view is: one who does not grasp, who knows the arising and ceasing of affliction and has no doubt about dependent origination, realizing it himself and not through another, has right view; seeing the world's origin removes the denial of cause and effect, seeing its cessation removes the superimposition of a real self, and hearing this he is freed. Acela Kāśyapa asks whether suffering is self-made, other-made, both, or causeless; each is set aside, yet suffering is not nonexistent, and the Buddha teaches the middle that because this exists, that exists. Soon after, a cow protecting its calf gores him; his faculties were clear at death, and the Buddha declares that he had seen the Dharma and entered nirvāṇa. The outsider Timbaruka asks the same about suffering and pleasure and receives the same reply. Master Cháng Bǎi concludes that one who penetrates no-self will not falsely hold results to be self-made or other-made, and that the Buddha teaches from the middle, free of annihilation and permanence.

With this, fascicle 93 comes to its close. The next fascicle continues with the third particular verse of dependent origination's embrace.