Avadāna Sutra, Volume 4

Original text: 吾从世尊。闻如是语。苾刍当知。一切世间。恶不善法。皆以无明。为其前导。而得生长。以无惭愧。为其后助。而不损减。所以者何。诸趣有生生老病死愁叹忧苦热恼等法。一切皆用无明为根。而得生长。既生长已。依之复能生起一切恶不善法。恶法既生由无惭愧。都无悔变。无悔变故。而不损减。 

Explanation: I heard such words from the World-Honored One: Bhikṣus, you should know that all unwholesome and evil dharmas in the world take ignorance (avidyā) as their antecedent guide, and thereby grow; they all take the unwholesome mental factors of shamelessness and lack of shame as their subsequent supporting conditions, so that the unwholesome and evil dharmas are not diminished. Why is this said? The sentient beings of the various destinies have dharmas such as birth, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, worry, suffering, and distress—all of these grow with ignorance as their root. Once they have grown, relying on ignorance they can further give rise to all unwholesome and evil dharmas. After the evil dharmas have arisen, because the mind has no shame or remorse, and there is no regret or repentance with the wish to change the evil dharmas, the evil dharmas will not be diminished. 

The ignorance that serves as the antecedent guide of all dharmas is, of course, the ignorance of the manas, and the unwholesome mental factors of shamelessness and lack of shame are also the afflicted mental factors of the manas. If the manas gives rise to the mental factors of shame and remorse, feeling ashamed of the evil dharmas it has produced, then the evil dharmas will be reduced and eliminated. Therefore, the blame for all evil dharmas lies with the manas, with the ignorance and afflicted afflictions of the manas. If the manas were not the sovereign consciousness of all dharmas, then in cultivation one would not need to concern oneself with the manas—one would only need to address whoever is the sovereign, and the problem would be solved. 

Original text: 一切世间。善清净法。皆以慧明。为其前导。而得生长。以惭与愧。为其后助。而不损减。所以者何。明处其前。惭愧为后。能永断灭。诸趣有生生老病死。能超一切。愁叹忧苦热恼等法。能触如理。能得甘露。能证涅槃。是故汝等。应如是学。我当云何。永断无明。发起慧明。永断一切。诸趣有生生老病死。永超一切。愁叹忧苦热恼等法。触于如理。得于甘露。证于涅槃。汝等苾刍。应如是学。 

Explanation: All wholesome and pure dharmas in the world take the light of wisdom as their antecedent guide, and thereby grow; they take shame and remorse as the subsequent supporting conditions of the wholesome dharmas, so that the wholesome dharmas continue to grow and are not diminished. Why is this said? Because the light of wisdom stands before the wholesome dharmas, and shame and remorse stand behind them, one can forever extinguish the birth, aging, and death of the six destinies, can transcend all dharmas of sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress (śoka-parideva-duḥkha-daurmanasyopāyāsa), can touch the principle of suchness, can obtain the nectar of immortality, and can realize nirvāṇa. Therefore, all of you should cultivate and study in this way: How should I, by eradicating ignorance, give rise to the light of wisdom? How can I forever extinguish all the birth, aging, and death present in the six destinies, and forever transcend all dharmas of sorrow, grief, suffering, and distress? How can I touch the principle of suchness, obtain the dharma of nectar, and realize nirvāṇa? You bhikṣus should cultivate and study in this way. 

Original text: 尔时世尊。重摄此义。而说颂曰。 此世及后生生老病死等。贪爱等烦恼皆无明为根。 无明为大愚令久处生死。此世与他世高下趣往还。 最初有无明最后无惭愧。生长诸恶法堕众恶趣中。 故应勤精进离贪爱愚痴。发起智慧明断生死苦本。 

Explanation: At this time, in order to restate this dharma meaning, the World-Honored One spoke in verse: The birth, aging, death, sorrow, grief, and so forth of this life and future lives, as well as afflictions such as craving and attachment, all arise with ignorance as their root. Ignorance is the greatest folly, causing sentient beings to remain in birth-and-death for a long time. The going and returning between the higher and lower destinies in this life and other lives are all due to ignorance. Sentient beings at first have ignorance; after growing evil dharmas, they also lack shame and remorse, so all evil dharmas grow and strengthen, and in the end they fall into the evil destinies. Therefore, sentient beings should diligently and vigorously practice, leave behind the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, give rise to the light of wisdom, and cut off the root of the suffering of birth-and-death.