English
Therefore, it is said: "Future rebirth consciousness, descent of name-and-form, clarity of sense bases, contact is touch, feeling is sensation—these five states are conditions for the action done here, in the realm of future existence." Thus, this becomes twenty aspects. "It revolves, unceasing, with three rounds." Here, the round of action is the formations-existence; the round of defilements is ignorance, craving, and clinging; the round of results is consciousness, name-and-form, six sense bases, contact, and feeling. It should be understood that by these three rounds, this wheel of existence, with its three rounds, revolves unceasingly, turning again and again, as long as the round of defilements is not cut off, because its conditions are not cut off. 655. This very thing, thus revolving, From the origin of truths, from functions, from prevention by similes; And from the divisions of profound methods, should be understood as appropriate. Here, since unwholesome and wholesome action without distinction is called the truth of origin in the analysis of truths, therefore, "from ignorance, formations"—the formations from ignorance are the second truth, originating from the second truth. From formations, consciousness is the first truth, originating from the second truth. From consciousness and so on, name-and-form and so on, ending with resultant feeling, are the first truth, originating from the first truth. From feeling, craving is the second truth, originating from the first truth. From craving, clinging is the second truth, originating from the second truth. From clinging, existence is the two truths, first and second, originating from the second truth. From existence, birth is the first truth, originating from the second truth. From birth, old age and death are the first truth, originating from the first truth. Thus, this is the origin of truths. Therefore, it should be understood appropriately. 656. Because here, ignorance deludes beings concerning objects, and is a condition for the manifestation of volitional formations. Likewise, volitional formations form the conditioned, and are conditions for consciousness. Consciousness also cognizes objects, and is a condition for name-and-form. Name-and-form also supports each other, and is a condition for the six sense bases. The six sense bases also operate in their own sphere, and are a condition for contact. Contact also touches the object, and is a condition for feeling. Feeling also experiences the taste of the object, and is a condition for craving. Craving also clings to things that cause clinging, and is a condition for clinging. Clinging also grasps at things that are clung to, and is a condition for becoming. Becoming also disperses into various destinies, and is a condition for birth. Birth also generates aggregates by causing their manifestation, and is a condition for old age and death. Old age and death also presides over the ripening and breaking up of aggregates, and is a condition for the manifestation of a new existence, being the basis for sorrow and so on. Therefore, because of its two-fold functional activity in all sections, this should be understood appropriately. 657. Because here, "From ignorance, volitional formations" prevents the view of an agent. "From volitional formations, consciousness" prevents the view of a self transmigrating. "From consciousness, name-and-form" prevents the perception of solidity, due to the view of a self-conceived object's distinction. "From name-and-form, the six sense bases, and so on" prevents the view that a self sees, etc., cognizes, touches, feels, craves, clings, becomes, is born, ages, dies, and so on. Therefore, also because it prevents wrong views, this wheel of becoming should be understood appropriately. 658. Because here, ignorance is like a blind person, from not seeing phenomena by way of specific and general characteristics. "From ignorance, volitional formations" is like a blind person stumbling. Of one who has stumbled... Consciousness, from volitional formations, is like falling down. Mind-and-body, from consciousness, is like the appearance of a boil for one who has fallen. The six sense bases, from mind-and-body, are like the breaking of a boil into sores. Contact, from the six sense bases, is like the rubbing of the boil-sores. Feeling, from contact, is like the pain of rubbing. Craving, from feeling, is like the desire for a remedy for pain. Clinging, from craving, is like taking what is unsuitable due to the desire for remedy. Existence, from clinging, is like applying unsuitable things that have been taken. Birth, from existence, is like the appearance of a boil's worsening due to applying unsuitable things. Aging-and-death, from birth, is like the breaking of the boil from the boil's worsening. Or because here, ignorance, through non-practice and wrong practice, overcomes beings, like a cataract in the eyes. And that fool, overcome by it, wraps himself with volitional formations leading to renewed existence, like a silkworm with its cocoon-parts. Consciousness, seized by volitional formations, gains a footing in the destinies, like a prince seized by a leader in a kingdom. From conceiving the signs of rebirth, consciousness produces various kinds of mind-and-body at reconnection, like a magician producing magic. The six sense bases, established in mind-and-body, attain growth, development, and fullness, like a forest shrub established in good soil. From the friction of the sense bases, contact arises, like fire from the rubbing together of fire-sticks. For one touched by contact, feeling appears, like burning for one touched by fire. For one feeling, craving grows, like thirst for one drinking salt water. Thirsty, he makes desire for existences, like a thirsty person for water. That is his clinging; by clinging, he takes up existence, like a fish taking a hook out of greed for bait. When existence is, birth is, like a sprout when a seed is. For one born, aging-and-death is inevitable, like the falling of a tree that has arisen. Therefore, this wheel of existence, thus illustrated by similes, should be understood appropriately. 659. And because by the Blessed One, from the perspective of meaning, from the perspective of Dhamma, and from the perspective of teaching, from realization... And referring to its profound nature, it is said: "Profound indeed is this dependent origination, Ananda, and profound in its appearance." Therefore, this wheel of existence, with its profound divisions, should be understood appropriately. Therein, because old age and death do not arise without birth, nor do they arise from anything else without birth, and because the way they arise from birth, the state of their arising conditioned by birth, is difficult to comprehend, the state of old age and death arising, conditioned by birth, is profound. Similarly, the state of birth conditioned by becoming... and so on... the state of formations arising, conditioned by ignorance, is profound. Therefore, this wheel of existence is profound in meaning; this, indeed, is its profundity of meaning. For cause and effect are called meaning. As it is said: "Knowledge of cause and effect is analytical knowledge of meaning." But because the manner and condition in which ignorance is a condition for those various formations, that being difficult to comprehend, the state of ignorance being a condition for formations is profound. Similarly, the state of formations... and so on... the state of birth being a condition for old age and death is profound. Therefore, this wheel of existence is profound in its nature; this is its profundity of nature. For cause is called nature. As it is said: "Knowledge of cause is analytical knowledge of nature." And because, due to various reasons, it must be expounded in various ways, the teaching itself is profound. No knowledge other than the Omniscient Knowledge finds a footing therein. Thus, it is taught in some suttas in direct order, in some in reverse order, in some in both direct and reverse order, in some starting from the middle, either in direct or reverse order, in some with three connections and four summaries, in some with two connections and three summaries, in some with one connection and two summaries. Therefore, this wheel of existence is profound in its teaching; this is its profundity of teaching. And because therein, that intrinsic nature of ignorance and so on, by penetrating which, ignorance and so on are rightly penetrated according to their own characteristics, that... Difficult to penetrate, it is profound, therefore this wheel of becoming is profound in penetration. And here, the state of ignorance, of not knowing, not seeing, not penetrating the truths, is profound; the state of formations, of constructing, of accumulating, of being with passion and without passion; the state of consciousness, of emptiness, of non-action, of non-transference, of rebirth-linking, of manifestation; the state of name-and-form, of arising together, of non-separation, of non-disintegration, of bending and breaking; the state of the six sense bases, of being a lord, a world-door, a field, an object; the state of contact, of touching, of striking, of meeting, of coming together; the state of feeling, of experiencing the taste of objects, of being pleasant, painful, or neutral, of being experienced without a living entity; the state of craving, of delighting, of clinging, of being a river, a creeper, a stream, an ocean of craving, difficult to fill; the state of clinging, of taking, of grasping, of obsession, of misapprehension, difficult to overcome; the state of becoming, of striving, of forming, of being a womb, a destiny, a duration, a dwelling, of being happy; the state of birth, of birth, of coming to be, of descent, of production, of manifestation; the state of aging and death, of decay, of wasting away, of breaking up, of change, is profound.