Saṃyuktāgama (287), Part One

(1) Original text:如是我闻。一时。佛住舍卫国祇树给孤独园。尔时。世尊告诸比丘。我忆宿命未成正觉时。独一静处。专精禅思。作是念。何法有故老死有。何法缘故老死有。即正思惟。生如实无间等。生有故老死有。生缘故老死有。如是有取。爱受触。六入处名色。

Explanation: The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: I recall that in past lives, before I had accomplished perfect and complete enlightenment, I was alone in a quiet place, wholeheartedly devoted to focused contemplation. Such a thought arose in my mind: By the arising of what dharma does aging-and-death arise? Conditioned by what dharma does aging-and-death arise? I then entered right contemplation, and after right contemplation, there arose uninterrupted, true-and-real wisdom, knowing that when a living being is born, aging-and-death follows; because a living being is born, aging-and-death appears.

Reasoning backward in this way, link by link, it was realized that the arising of a living being occurs because the inanimate vessel-world of the three realms appears—when the vessel-world of the three realms appears, the living being comes into existence accordingly; with existence in the three realms as the condition, the living being is born. The appearance of existence in the three-realm vessel-world occurs because sentient beings grasp at the worldly dharma of the five aggregates—when grasping occurs, existence follows; with sentient beings' grasping as the condition, existence is born. When sentient beings have craving for the world of the five aggregates, grasping appears; because of craving, the phenomenon of grasping arises. Because sentient beings have feeling with respect to the world of the five aggregates, there is craving; because of feeling, craving is born. Because sentient beings have the contact of the six sense faculties with the six sense objects, feeling arises; because of contact, feeling is born. Because sentient beings have the external six entrances and the internal six entrances, there is contact; because of the existence of the internal and external six entrances, contact is produced. Because sentient beings have name-and-form, the six entrances come into being accordingly; with name-and-form as the condition, the six entrances are produced.