Saṃyukta Āgama (292), Part Seven

(7) Original text: 复次。比丘思量观察正尽苦。究竟苦边时。思量彼识。何因何集。何生何触。知彼识行因行集。行生行触。作诸福行。善识生。作诸不福不善行。不善识生。作无所有行。无所有识生。是为彼识行因行集。行生行触。彼行欲灭无余。则识灭。彼所乘行灭道迹。如实知。修习彼向次法。是名比丘向正尽苦。究竟苦边。所谓行灭。

Explanation: Furthermore, when a bhikṣu deliberates and contemplates the complete cessation of suffering and reaches the ultimate end of suffering, he deliberates upon that consciousness: from what cause does it arise, by what does it aggregate, by what is it born, by what does it contact? After contemplation and observation, he comes to know that the arising of the six consciousnesses is due to the conditions of the mental formations of the manas; it is when the mental formations of the manas aggregate that the six consciousnesses are born, it is when the mental formations of the manas arise that the six consciousnesses are born, and it is when the mental formations of the manas contact that the six consciousnesses are born.

If the manas wishes to create meritorious formations and wholesome actions, wholesome six consciousnesses are born; if the manas wishes to create non-meritorious formations and unwholesome actions, unwholesome six consciousnesses are born; if the manas wishes to create actions that are neither unwholesome nor evil, six consciousnesses that are neither unwholesome nor evil are born. These are called the conditions of formations and the aggregation of formations that determine the birth of the six consciousnesses; the arising of formations and the contact of formations lead to the birth of the six consciousnesses. If the mental formations of the manas are to cease without remainder, with not even a trace of mental formation remaining, then the six consciousnesses will accordingly cease completely. The path of practice of the cessation of formations that the bhikṣus cultivate must be understood as it truly is, which means cultivating the path-leading dharmas and the auxiliary dharmas. Therefore, the cessation of formations is the content of practice by which the bhikṣu advances toward the complete cessation of suffering and reaches the ultimate end of suffering.

Because the mental formations of the manas are unceasing, the six consciousnesses will continuously arise, continuously discriminating and fabricating; once karmic seeds are left behind, there will be nāma-rūpa in future lives. If the manas has no mental formations whatsoever, the six consciousnesses will not be born, karmic formations will not be created, no karmic seeds will remain, and there will be no nāma-rūpa in future lives. After nāma-rūpa is born, there are the six sense bases; with the six sense bases there is contact; with contact there is feeling; with feeling there is craving; with craving there is grasping and clinging; then existence in the three realms appears, and the body of the five aggregates is born. From then on, life continues unceasingly, and the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress begins again. All of this is the result of the unceasing mental formations of the manas.