English
But since, when ignorance is thus perfected due to its conditionality, there is no end to the succession of cause and effect, such as "conditioned by ignorance, volitional formations; conditioned by volitional formations, consciousness," therefore, the twelve-linked 'wheel of existence' that revolves in terms of cause and effect is established as 'beginning with ignorance.' If so, does this statement "conditioned by ignorance, volitional formations" contradict the statement of a beginning? No, this is not a statement of a beginning, but a statement of the principal factor. For ignorance is principal among the three rounds. For by grasping ignorance, the remaining round of defilements and actions envelop the fool, like grasping the head of a snake envelops the arm with the rest of the snake's body. But when ignorance is eradicated, there is liberation from them, like liberation from the enveloped arm when the snake's head is cut off. As it was said, "From the utter fading away and cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of volitional formations," and so on. Thus, this is a statement of the principal factor, by grasping which there is bondage and by releasing which there is liberation, not a statement of a beginning. Thus, this wheel of existence should be understood as beginning with ignorance. And since the arising of volitional formations and so on is due to causes such as ignorance, therefore it is devoid of a creator of the cycle of existence by a Brahma and so on, conceived as "Brahma, the Great Brahma, the best, the conqueror," or by a self conceived as "this self of mine is the speaker, the knower," who is the experiencer of pleasure and pain. Thus, it should be understood as 'devoid of a creator and an experiencer.' And since here ignorance, being subject to arising and passing away, is not permanent, and being defiled, is not pure, and being afflicted by arising and passing away, is not pleasant, Empty by nature, Existing dependent on conditions, And with a self that is not master; Thus, the aggregates and other parts are empty. Since ignorance is not a self, Not belonging to a self, Not in a self, Not possessing a self, So too are the aggregates and other parts; Therefore, this cycle of existence Should be understood as 'Empty with a twelvefold emptiness.' And having understood thus, again – Its ignorance and craving, Are the roots of the three times, past and so on; Two, eight, and two indeed, Are the parts in them, in their own form. Of this cycle of existence, Ignorance and craving, These two things, Should be understood as the roots. Thus, from the perspective of taking the past, Ignorance is the root, ending in feeling; From the perspective of the continuation of the future, Craving is the root, ending in aging and death; Thus, it is twofold. Therein, the former is said in terms of the character of views, The latter in terms of the character of craving. For ignorance leads beings in saṃsāra by way of views, And craving leads beings in saṃsāra by way of craving. Or, the first is for the destruction of the annihilation view, By showing the non-cessation of the causes for the arising of results; The second is for the destruction of the eternalist view, By showing the aging and death of what has arisen; Or, the former is in terms of womb-birth, By showing the gradual progression; The latter is in terms of spontaneous birth, By showing the simultaneous arising. And its three times are past, present, and future. In them, according to the Pāli, In terms of their own form, Ignorance and volitional formations, These two parts are past times; Consciousness and so on, Ending in becoming, These eight are present times; Birth and aging and death, These two are future times, Thus it should be understood. Again – This is a collection of cause, result, cause-preceded, and threefold connection, Adorned with twenty aspects, Turning on three rounds, unceasingly. Thus also it should be understood. Therein, between volitional formations and rebirth-consciousness, there is one connection called cause-result. Between feeling and craving, there is one connection called result-cause. Between becoming and birth, there is one connection called cause-result. Thus, this should be understood as a threefold connection preceded by cause, result, and cause. Its connections, however, are four, established at the beginning, middle, and end. There are collections, namely: ignorance and volitional formations, one collection; consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, and feeling, the second; craving, clinging, and becoming, the third; birth, aging, and death, the fourth. Thus, this should be understood as a fourfold collection. Five causes in the past, five results now; Five causes now, five results in the future. However, it should be understood that these twenty aspects are without the twenty defilements. There, "five causes in the past" means ignorance and volitional formations, these two have already been mentioned. But since one who is ignorant is agitated, and being agitated, clings, therefore, craving, clinging, and becoming are also included. Therefore, it is said, "In the previous kamma-becoming, delusion is ignorance, exertion is volitional formations, attachment is craving, approaching is clinging, intention is becoming, these five factors in the previous kamma-becoming are the causes for rebirth here." There, "in the previous kamma-becoming" means in the previous kamma-becoming, in the past existence when kamma was being done. "Delusion is ignorance" means the delusion regarding suffering, etc., by which one, being deluded, performs kamma, that is ignorance. "Exertion is volitional formations" means the previous intentions while doing that kamma, for example, the previous intentions that arise when one, having generated the thought, "I will give a gift," prepares the requisites for the gift for a month or a year. But the intention when placing the offering in the hands of the recipients is called becoming. Or, in a single apperceptive process, the intentions in the first six javanas are called exertion-volitional formations. The seventh intention is becoming. Or, whatever intention is becoming, the factors associated with it are called exertion-volitional formations. "Attachment is craving" means the desire, the longing for the result, for existence, that arises in one who is doing kamma, that is called craving. "Approaching is clinging" means the kamma that is the cause for becoming; the approaching, grasping, and clinging that occur in the manner of "having done this, I will enjoy sensual pleasures in such and such a place, I will be annihilated," this is called clinging. Intention... 'Becoming' is the intention at the end of life-sustaining actions; thus, the meaning should be understood. 'Now, the five results'—consciousness, etc., up to feeling—are already mentioned in the text. As it says, "Here, rebirth-consciousness, descent is name-and-form, the sense-bases are the sense-fields, contact is touch, what is felt is feeling. These five things, in this existence of becoming, are due to past karma." There, rebirth-consciousness is that consciousness which is called rebirth because it arises as a rebirth in a new existence. Descent is name-and-form, which is the descent of mental and physical phenomena into the womb, like coming and entering—this is name-and-form. The sense-fields are the five sense-fields, such as the eye. Contact is touch, which arises touching and contacting an object—this is touch. What is felt is feeling, which is the feeling of the result co-arisen with rebirth-consciousness or with contact as a condition of the six sense-fields—that feeling; thus, the meaning should be understood. 'Now, the five causes'—craving, etc.—are already mentioned in the text: craving, clinging, and becoming. But when becoming is taken, the volitional formations that are its prior part or associated with it are also taken. And by taking craving and clinging, the ignorance with which one is deluded and performs actions is also taken; thus, five. Therefore, it says, "Here, when the sense-fields are mature, delusion is ignorance, life-sustaining actions are volitional formations, attachment is craving, approaching is clinging, intention is becoming. These five things, in this karma-becoming, are conditions for future rebirth." There, when the sense-fields are mature, delusion is shown at the time of performing karma with mature sense-fields. The rest is straightforward. 'Future five results'—consciousness, etc., are five. These are stated by taking birth. But aging and death are the aging and death of those same things. Therefore, it says, "In the future, rebirth-consciousness, descent is name-and-form, the sense-bases are the sense-fields, contact is touch, what is felt is feeling. These five things..." in the future, because of the actions done here." Thus, this becomes a wheel with twenty aspects. There, in the previous existence, five aggregates of action, now five aggregates of result, now five aggregates of action, in the future five states of result, ten things are action, ten are result. In two places, action is called action, in two places, result is called result, all of this is the wheel of existence, the round of causal conditions, both action and the result of action. Similarly, in two places, action is a summary of action, in two places, result is a summary of result, all of this is both a summary of action and a summary of result. In two places, action is the round of action, in two places, result is the round of result, all of this is both the round of action and the round of result. Similarly, in two places, action is the becoming of action, in two places, result is the becoming of result, all of this is both the becoming of action and the becoming of result. In two places, action is the process of action, in two places, result is the process of result,