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in the second unwholesome consciousness of the Pure Abodes, concerning that being's own new existence, the consciousness accompanied by craving for existence, which proceeds with "this is mine, this I am, this is my self," arises. Then, first, the life-continuum vibrates twice. Then the mind-door adverting consciousness arises. Then seven born of craving for existence... forests arise. After that, it is the turn of the life-continuum. Moreover, that being at that time knows nothing in the present existence, but remains recollecting the object experienced by oneself in a past existence. However, due to the extreme weakness of the base, that object is also unclear. Regarding that, a mind accompanied by restlessness mostly occurs. When the embryo is growing a little, having reached more than two months, then the faculties of eye, etc., are complete. Even so, due to the absence of conditions like light in the mother's womb, the four consciousnesses, such as eye-consciousness, do not arise; only body-consciousness and mind-consciousness arise. That being experiences many sufferings and mental pains due to the mother's changes in posture, etc. At the time of birth, however, it certainly undergoes intense suffering. Even after birth, as long as the physical forms are soft, and do not reach maturity, it remains in a very dull state, lying on its back. It does not perceive any present object. Its consciousness is mostly in accordance with its previous existence. If it has come from a hellish existence, it is mostly of a distorted face. Regarding the former hellish objects, its distorted face appears moment by moment. If it has come from a divine world, regarding divine objects, it is mostly of a serene face, its smiling face appears moment by moment. When, however, the physical forms are sharp, they reach maturity. And its consciousnesses operate very clearly. Then, being not dull, it remains playing, sporting, delighting, rejoicing. It perceives present objects. It perceives the mother's language. Here, its consciousness mostly operates in accordance with this world. It forgets its previous birth. If it is asked whether every being forgets its previous birth at this stage, it is not that every being forgets at this stage. Some, being afflicted by excessive suffering in the womb, in the womb, he forgets. Some at the time of birth, some at this place forget. Some even after that, in their youth, do not forget. Only in old age do they forget. Some do not forget even for life. There are even those who remember two or three existences. These are called those who remember past lives. Therein, from the time of birth onwards, the six-door thought-processes arise. From the time of discerning the present object onwards, the complete six-door thought-processes arise. In every case, the preceding mind, having ceased immediately, becomes the immediate condition for the succeeding mind that has arisen immediately. And this immediate condition is a single continuum for a single being in beginningless transmigration. When a being attains the path of Arahatship and reaches the final Nibbāna of the aggregates, then that continuum is cut off. In what sense is it immediate, in what sense is it a condition? It is immediate in the sense of causing another similar phenomenon to arise immediately after itself. It is a condition in the sense of being helpful. Therein, "similar to itself" means similar to itself in having an object. "In having an object" means that phenomenon which does not arise without an object is called "having an object"; thus, in having an object. "In the sense of causing another phenomenon to arise" means even when the preceding mind has ceased, the momentum of its thought-activity does not subside; it subsides only after causing the succeeding mind to arise; thus, in the sense of causing the succeeding phenomenon to arise. Therein, the preceding successions should be seen as a succession of immediate conditions, like a succession of mothers. The succeeding successions should be seen as a succession of conditioned phenomena, like a succession of daughters. If this is so, would not even the very last Nibbāna-mind of Arahants produce another phenomenon, namely, a rebirth-linking mind? It would not produce. Why? Because at that time, due to the complete calming of the momentum of kamma and defilements, that mind is extremely tranquil. Immediate condition... The explanation is finished. 5. Samanantara Condition The division of conditioning phenomena and the division of conditioned phenomena are similar to the Anantara Condition. In what sense is it "Samanantara"? It is "Samanantara" in the sense of being perfectly immediate. Just as in stone pillars and the like, groups of material phenomena, though bound together and of the nature of material phenomena, are of the nature of form and structure, and thus always contain delimiting forms in between. Between two groups of material phenomena, there is always an interval, a gap. It is not so between two groups of preceding and succeeding mind and mental factors. These, being of the nature of immaterial phenomena, are not of the nature of form and structure, and because there is no delimiting phenomenon or any spatial gap in between, they are entirely without interval. Even in the world, no interval between two groups is seen. Therefore, these beings conceive of mind as permanent, stable, firm, and unchangeable, thus holding a perception of permanence regarding mind. Thus, it is "Samanantara" in the sense of being perfectly immediate. And "in the sense of immediacy" means "in the sense of producing another phenomenon similar to itself immediately after itself," as stated before. This being the case, at the time of the attainment of cessation, the preceding mind is the mind of the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, and the succeeding mind is the mind of the noble fruit. Between these two minds, for one day and night, or two days and nights, ...or seven days and nights, one is without mind. Even in the realm of non-percipient beings, the death-consciousness in the preceding sense-sphere existence is the preceding mind. The rebirth-consciousness in the succeeding sense-sphere existence is the succeeding mind. Between these two minds, in the non-percipient realm, the individual remains without mind for five hundred aeons. In that case, are the two preceding minds devoid of the power to produce another phenomenon similar to themselves immediately after themselves? They are not. However, due to being repelled by great powers of development and aspiration, the preceding minds, even as they cease, cease with the power to produce another phenomenon immediately after them. And the succeeding minds, as they arise, They do not arise in that moment in a continuous manner, but arise only after a long time. And it cannot be said that by this much alone the preceding consciousnesses lack the power to produce an immediately subsequent phenomenon, and that those are not Anantara-Paccaya phenomena. Just as there are soldiers of a king. Sometimes the king, knowing the time, might say: "Do not fight now, it is not the time for battle. Fight only at such and such a time." And they, not fighting then, would go about. Even so, it cannot be said that they lack the power to fight, or that they are not soldiers. Here they might say: "In this condition, since they are formless phenomena and of an unformed nature, and there is no intervening delimiting phenomenon, they are said to be entirely without interval." If this is so, how are we to accept what was previously stated in the Ārammaṇa-Paccaya with the similes of drum sound and lute sound, that consciousnesses arise and cease moment by moment? Because in the world the successive alternation of various consciousnesses, mutually contradictory, is evident even for a moment. This matter has already been explained in detail in the previous "Elucidation of the Pairs of Consciousness." The elucidation of Samanantara-Paccaya is concluded. 6. Co-nascence Condition It is called the division of conditioning phenomena and the division of conditioned phenomena. All mental factors and consciousnesses that arise together are mutually co-nascent conditions and co-nascent conditioned phenomena. The rebirth mental aggregates and the heart-base co-nascent with rebirth are mutually co-nascent conditions and co-nascent conditioned phenomena. All the great elements are also mutually co-nascent conditions and co-nascent conditioned phenomena. At the moment of the arising of the rebirth consciousness, all kamma-born material forms, and in the course of existence, at the moment of the arising of each consciousness, all consciousness-born material forms produced by that consciousness, are called co-nascent conditioned phenomena of the co-nascent consciousness. All derived material forms are called the effects produced by co-arisen great elements. In what sense is it co-arisen, in what sense is it a condition? It is co-arisen in the sense of arising together, it is a condition in the sense of being helpful. There, the meaning "in the sense of arising together" is: that phenomenon, when arising, arises and comes into being together with its own conditioned phenomena, and it generates and produces its own conditioned phenomena together with itself. That is its meaning, "in the sense of arising together." Just as the sun, when rising, rises generating sunlight and sunbeams together with itself. And just as a lamp, when burning, burns generating lamp-heat and lamp-light together with itself. In the same way, this conditioning phenomenon, when arising, produces its own conditioned phenomena together with itself. There, a single phenomenon is like the sun, the conjoined phenomena are like sunlight, and the co-arisen material phenomena are like sunbeams.