Saṃyuktāgama (297), Part Two

(2) Original text:若复问言。谁是行。行属谁。彼则答言。行则是我。行是我所。彼如是言命即是身。或言命异身异。彼见命即是身者。梵行者无有。或言命异身异者。梵行者亦无有。离此二边。正向中道。贤圣出世。如实不颠倒。正见所知。所谓缘无明行。

Explanation: If someone asks further: Who is the volitional formation? To whom do the volitional formations belong? You should answer: The volitional formations are me; the volitional formations belong to me. If someone says that life is the physical body, or that when life changes the physical body changes, then for one who holds the view that life is the physical body, there will ultimately be no life for one cultivating the pure path (brahmacarya); or if someone says that when life changes the physical body changes, then for one cultivating the pure path there will ultimately be no physical body. The bhikkhus must abandon the views of existence and non-existence regarding life and the physical body, not clinging to either extreme, directly heading toward the Middle Way and nirvāṇa. Only after the noble ones appear in the world can there be a view that accords with reality and is not inverted, being able to possess perfect right knowledge and right view, knowing that it is conditioned by ignorance that volitional formations arise, and conditioned by volitional formations that the six consciousnesses arise, all the way to conditioned by birth that aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress arise—the entire great mass of suffering.

Original text:诸比丘。若无明离欲而生明。彼谁老死。老死属谁者。老死则断。则知断其根本。如截多罗树头。于未来世成不生法。若比丘无明离欲而生明。彼谁生。生属谁。乃至谁是行。行属谁者。行则断。则知断其根本。如截多罗树头。于未来世成不生法。若比丘无明离欲而生明。彼无明灭则行灭。乃至纯大苦聚灭。是名大空法经 佛说此经已。诸比丘闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。

Explanation: Bhikkhus, if one abandons craving and extinguishes ignorance, thereby giving rise to illumination, then regarding the question of who still has aging and death, and to whom aging and death belong, one knows that aging and death have been completely severed, that there is no aging and death, and that aging and death belong to no one. In this way, birth and death are severed at their root, just like cutting off the crown of a tāla tree, and in future lives there will be no more arising. If a bhikkhu abandons craving and extinguishes ignorance, thereby giving rise to illumination, then regarding the questions of who still has birth, and to whom birth belongs; and all the way to who is the volitional formation, and to whom the volitional formations belong—one knows that birth and even the volitional formations have been completely severed, that birth and death are severed at their root, just like cutting off the crown of a tāla tree, and in future lives there will be no more arising.

If the bhikkhus abandon craving, completely sever ignorance, and give rise to illumination, then when ignorance ceases, the volitional formations cease; when the volitional formations cease, the six consciousnesses cease; when the six consciousnesses cease, name-and-form ceases; when name-and-form ceases, the six sense bases cease; when the six sense bases cease, contact ceases; when contact ceases, feeling ceases; when feeling ceases, craving ceases; when craving ceases, grasping ceases; when grasping ceases, existence ceases; when existence ceases, birth ceases; when birth ceases, aging, death, sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress cease—all the way to the entire great mass of suffering ceasing. This is called the Great Emptiness Sūtra.