Yogācārabhūmi Śāstra, Volume 10 (The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination)

Original text:问。若说无明。以不如理作意为因。何因缘故。于缘起教中不先说耶。答。彼唯是不断因故。非杂染因故。所以者何。非不愚者。起此作意。依杂染因。说缘起教。无明自性是染污。不如理作意自性非染污。故彼不能染污无明。然由无明力所染污。又生杂染业。烦恼力之所熏。发业之初因。谓初缘起。是故不说不如理作意。

Explanation: Question: If ignorance (avidyā) takes non-accordant attention (ayoniśo-manaskāra) as its cause, for what reason is non-accordant attention not taught first in the teaching of dependent origination? Answer: Because it is only a cause that is not severed, not a cause of defilement. Why is this? It is not the case that those who are not foolish give rise to this kind of attention. The teaching of dependent origination is expounded based on the cause of defilement. The intrinsic nature of ignorance is defiled, while the intrinsic nature of non-accordant attention is undefiled; therefore non-accordant attention cannot defile ignorance, yet it is itself defiled by the power of ignorance. Moreover, the arising of defiled karma is perfumed by the power of afflictions; the initial cause of generating karma is the initial link of dependent origination. Therefore non-accordant attention is not taught first.

Original text:问。何故不说自体。为自体缘耶。答。由彼自体。若不得余缘。于自体杂染。不能增长。亦不损减。是故不说。问。何因缘故。福行不动行。由正简择功力而起。仍说用无明为缘耶。答。由不了达。世俗苦因为缘。起非福行。由不了达。胜义苦因为缘。生福及不动行。是故亦说。彼以无明为缘。问。如经中说。诸业以贪嗔痴为缘。何故此中。唯说痴为缘耶。答。此中通说。福非福不动业缘。贪嗔痴缘。唯生非福业故。

Explanation: Question: Why is it not said that the self-substance (svabhāva) serves as the condition for itself? Answer: If there is only the self-substance without any other conditions, the defilement of that self-substance neither increases nor decreases; therefore it is not said that the self-substance is the condition for itself.

Question: What causes and conditions are there such that the formations of meritorious karma and the formations of non-meritorious, unwholesome karma—though they arise through the power of merit from correctly discerning the various dharmas—are still said to arise with ignorance as their condition? Answer: Because, due to not comprehending that the cause of worldly suffering is greed, hatred, and delusion as conditions, one engages in the formations of unmeritorious karma; and because, due to not comprehending that the cause of suffering in the ultimate sense is ignorance as the condition, one creates meritorious formations and immovable formations (Ānaiñjya). Therefore it is also said that these three kinds of formations arise with ignorance as their condition.

Question: As stated in the sūtras, all the karmic formations of sentient beings are created with greed, hatred, and delusion as conditions. Why does this text only mention delusion as the condition? Answer: Here the conditions for all three—meritorious formations, unmeritorious formations, and immovable formations—are taught comprehensively; whereas greed, hatred, and delusion as conditions can only give rise to unmeritorious karma.