Abhidharmakośa, Volume Nine

(6) Original text: 有余释言。余契经说。非理作意。为无明因。无明复生非理作意。非理作意亦取支摄。故亦说在此契经中。此非理作意。如何取支摄。若言由此与彼相应。则爱无明亦应彼摄。设许彼摄。云何能证非理作意为无明因。若但彼摄即证因果。爱与无明亦彼摄故。应不别立为缘起支。 

Explanation: Some others explain that other sūtras say that non-vertuous attention (ayoniśo-manaskāra) is the cause of ignorance, and that ignorance in turn gives rise to non-vertuous attention. Non-vertuous attention is a dharma subsumed under the link of grasping (upādāna), so it is also spoken of in this sūtra. Why is this non-vertuous attention subsumed under the link of grasping? If one says it is because it is associated with grasping, then the links of craving and ignorance should also be subsumed under grasping. Even if it were granted that they are subsumed under grasping, how could it be proven that non-vertuous attention is the cause of ignorance? If mere subsumption under grasping were sufficient to establish cause and effect, then since craving and ignorance are also subsumed under grasping, they should not be separately established as links of dependent origination.  

Original text: 余复释言。余契经说。非理作意为无明因。无明复生非理作意。非理作意说在触时。故余经说。眼色为缘生痴。所生染浊作意。此于受位。必引无明。故余经言。由无明触。所生诸受为缘生爱。是故触时。非理作意与受俱转。无明为缘。由此无明。无无因过。亦不须立余缘起支。又缘起支无无穷失。非理作意从痴生故。 

Explanation: Yet others explain that other sūtras say non-vertuous attention is the cause of ignorance, and ignorance in turn gives rise to non-vertuous attention; non-vertuous attention is said to arise at the time of contact. Therefore other sūtras say that with the eye and forms as conditions, delusion arises, and the defiled and turbid attention born of that delusion, at the stage of feeling, will necessarily draw forth ignorance. Therefore other sūtras say that with the feelings born of ignorance-conditioned contact as a condition, craving arises. Thus, at the time of contact, non-vertuous attention operates together with feeling, both taking ignorance as their condition. Because there is the link of ignorance, there is no fault of being without a cause, nor is it necessary to establish other links of dependent origination. Moreover, the links of dependent origination have no fault of infinite regress, because non-vertuous attention is born with delusion and ignorance as its condition.  

Original text: 如契经说。眼色为缘生痴。所生染浊作意。余经虽有如是诚言。然此经中应更须说。不须更说如何证知。由理证知。何等为理。非离无明。受能为爱缘。以阿罗汉受不生爱故。又非无倒触。能为染受缘。亦非离无明。触可成颠倒。阿罗汉触非颠倒故。 

Explanation: As stated in the sūtra, with the eye and forms as conditions, delusion and ignorance arise, and from delusion and ignorance defiled attention is born. Although other sūtras contain such truthful words, this sūtra should explain further. If it does not explain further, how can it be realized that ignorance can give rise to non-vertuous attention? It is realized through proper reasoning. What is the reasoning? Apart from ignorance, feeling cannot serve as a condition for craving, because the arhat's feelings do not give rise to defiled craving. Also, contact that is not inverted cannot serve as a condition for defiled feeling, because only when contact is inverted is feeling defiled. Nor can contact become inverted apart from ignorance—it is precisely contact accompanied by ignorance that is inverted. The arhat has no ignorance, so the arhat's contact is not inverted, and the feelings born of it are not defiled.