大乘緣生論

From one are born three

From three in turn arise six

The six become two, the two again six

From six are born again six

From six there come three

These three again have three

The three then become four

The four then become three

From three is born one

That one again gives birth to seven

Within these too there is suffering

The Muni says all are encompassed

The twelve kinds of distinctions

The wise declare to be empty

Dependent origination occurs by force

So understand the twelve dharmas

Non-knowing together with karma and consciousness

Name-and-form, the faculties, the union of three

Drinking, thirst, and grasping

Accumulation, arising, ripening, the final limit

The first, the eighth, and the ninth are afflictions

The second and the tenth are karma

The remaining seven are all suffering

Three encompass the twelve dharmas

The first two belong to the past

The latter two are of the future

Those eight are of the present

This is the meaning of the dharmas of the three times

Affliction and karma call forth retribution

Retribution again gives rise to affliction

Affliction again gives rise to karma

And through karma there is retribution

Apart from affliction, what karma is there?

Apart from karma, what retribution is there?

When there is no retribution, then affliction is left behind

These three each become quiescent

Five branches are causes that give rise to fruit

Their name is affliction and karma

Seven branches are taken as fruit

These seven kinds of suffering should be understood

In the cause there is no fruit

In the fruit there is again no cause

In the cause there is again no cause

In the fruit there is again no fruit

The wise are not bound up with them

In the world there are four kinds of branches

Cause and fruit conjoined, past and present

Affliction, karma, and fruit conjoined

So understand them as six parts

By the existence-juncture they are encompassed

Two junctures and three summaries

Where cause and fruit are mingled is a juncture

Three junctures and four summaries

Two, three, two, three, two

The states of suffering have five dharmas

The maker and the receptacle

The realm, the turning forth, the arising and flowing on

Delusion gives rise to the fruit of retribution

Retribution flows forth as fruit, making two

Corresponding within the root-part

One, one, three, two parts

Burning torment, deficiency, the truncated fruit

Turning over into the fruit of uniform outflow

Corresponding to the remaining parts

Two, one, one, one dharmas

These have twelve kinds

Conjoined in dependent origination

There is no being, no life

By emptiness, by emptiness, made clear through wisdom

No self, nothing belonging to self

No self, nothing within the self

These four kinds of absence make clear emptiness

The other branches are likewise so

Severance and permanence, the two extremes, are forsaken

This indeed is the Middle Way

If this awakening is accomplished

The body of awakening is the Buddhas

This awakening, among living beings

The Holy Seers declare to be without self

In a place "Becoming a Likeness" the sutra was spoken

The Teacher declared this meaning

The Kātyāyana Sutra speaks

Of right view and the view of emptiness

The Parā-koṇa Sutra

Further speaks of supreme emptiness

If dependent origination is clearly known

That clear knowing corresponds to emptiness

If dependent origination is not made clear

Then neither is that emptiness made clear

If toward emptiness one gives rise to pride

Then within the aggregates one does not arise to relinquish

That is named the emptiness of the evil destinies

That is to be deluded about the meaning of dependent origination

When dependent origination is not deluded

Free of pride, one makes clear that emptiness

And grows weary of those aggregates

Not deluded about karma and its fruit

Karma makes dependent origination arise again

Yet this is not its condition

Without condition there would still be this—

The receiving and enjoying of karmic retribution

The twelve branches, distinct

Were first spoken of as this dependent origination

Affliction, then karma, then suffering

Within the three they are encompassed as dharmas

From three are born two

From two are born seven

From seven again are born three

There is a wheel that runs in just this way

All of them are cause and fruit

From emptiness are born what is empty

From dharma are born dharmas

In quiescence, conditions give rise to affliction

In quiescence, conditions again give rise to karma

In quiescence, conditions again give rise to retribution

Not one is there that lacks a condition

Recitation, lamp, seal, mirror, sound

Sunlight, seed, the hare—

The aggregates succeed without transferring

By wisdom contemplate those two.

The Treatise on the Thirty Verses on Dependent Origination, the root subject. The Thirty Verses on Dependent Origination I shall expound in turn, in accordance with the text.

From one are born three

From three in turn arise six

The six become two, the two again six

From six are born again six

"From one are born three" means non-knowing; this non-knowing is called ignorance (avidyā). Toward suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path, there is no clear knowing—this is called non-knowing. From this there arise the meritorious, the non-meritorious, and the imperturbable, which are named the Three Formations (saṃskāra): namely, bodily formation, verbal formation, and mental formation.

"From three in turn arise six" means that from the three formations arise the six consciousnesses of the body: namely, eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, and mind-consciousness. "The six become two" means that the six consciousnesses of the body turn and give rise to two kinds, namely name-and-form (nāma-rūpa). "The two again six" means that these two, name-and-form, turn and give rise to the six bases (āyatana): namely the eye-base, ear-base, nose-base, tongue-base, body-base, and mind-base.

"From six are born again six" means that from those six bases turn and arise the six contacts (sparśa): namely eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, and mind-contact.

From six there come three

These three again have three

The three then become four

The four then become three

"From six there come three" means that from those six contacts turn and arise the three feelings (vedanā): namely pleasant feeling, painful feeling, and neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. "These three again have three" means that returning again to those three feelings, there turn and arise the three cravings (tṛṣṇā): namely sensual craving, craving for existence, and craving for non-existence. "The three then become four" means that from those three kinds, craving turns and gives rise to the four graspings (upādāna): namely sensual grasping, view-grasping, grasping at precepts and observances, and grasping at the doctrine of self.

"The four then become three" means that from those four graspings turn and arise the three existences (bhava): namely sensual existence, form existence, and formless existence.

From three is born one

That one again gives birth to seven

Within these too there is suffering

The Muni says all are encompassed

"From three is born one" means that returning again to those things of the Three Existences, which make conditions arise, in the future a single kind of birth arises. "That one again gives birth to seven" means that returning again from that one there will be old age, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, distress, and torment—these seven kinds. "Within these too there is suffering, the Muni says all are encompassed" means that herein, with ignorance as the beginning and suffering as the end, there are immeasurable masses of suffering. The World-Honored One, speaking in brief, says that all of these are encompassed.

The twelve kinds of distinctions

The wise declare to be empty

Dependent origination occurs by force

So understand the twelve dharmas

"The twelve kinds of distinctions, the wise declare to be empty" means that this non-knowing has twelve members in its distinctions, and all these kinds are by their own-nature originally empty; thus they should be clearly understood, and what is here spoken of is only emptiness. Dharma is born from emptiness, and emptiness is born from dharma; dharmas, by dependent origination, are the members of dharma. "So understand the twelve dharmas" means that they arise in turn by the power of one member upon another—those twelve dharmas should thus be understood.

Therein, delusion is the characteristic of ignorance. Where that conditioned formation gathers and accumulates, there is the characteristic which is formation. Where that conditioned consciousness in turn takes up rebirth in a member and then issues forth, the characteristic is precisely consciousness.

Where that conditioned name-and-form is called body-form, the body united with its characteristic is called form. Where that conditioned six bases establish the characteristic of the faculties, this is the six bases. Where that conditioned contact, owing to form and consciousness, has the characteristic of coming together, this is contact.

Where that conditioned feeling has the characteristic of the deluded enjoyment of the agreeable and disagreeable, this is feeling. Where that conditioned craving has the characteristic of insatiability, this is craving. Where that conditioned grasping has the characteristic of holding fast and seizing, this is grasping.

Where that conditioned existence, named body-form, has the characteristic of bodily form, this is called existence. Where that conditioned birth has the characteristic of the arising of the aggregates, this is birth. Where that conditioned old age has the characteristic of ripening, this is old age.

Where that conditioned death has the cutting off of the life-faculty, this is death. Where that conditioned sorrow has the characteristic of grief and worry, this is sorrow. Where that conditioned lamentation has the sound of weeping and wailing, this is lamentation.

Where that conditioned suffering has the characteristic of bodily oppression, this is suffering. Where that conditioned distress has the characteristic of mental oppression, this is distress. Where those conditioned burning torments have the characteristic of injury and ruin, this is torment.

Non-knowing together with karma and consciousness

Name-and-form, the union of three

Drinking, thirst, and grasping

Accumulation, arising, ripening, the final limit

Among these, the absence of knowing is ignorance; karma is formation; consciousness is discrimination. Name-and-form is the cluster of the five aggregates; its characteristic is the bases; the union of three is contact; drinking is feeling; thirst is craving. Grasping is precisely seizing and holding; enjoyment is precisely existence; arising is named birth; ripening is precisely old age; the final limit means death.

Further, these distinctions are mutually encompassed; I shall now in turn speak of how affliction and karma differ.

The first, the eighth, and the ninth are afflictions

The second and the tenth are karma

The remaining seven are all suffering

Three encompass the twelve dharmas

The three afflictions are ignorance, craving, and grasping. The two karmas are formation and existence. The seven retributions are consciousness, name, form, the six bases, contact, feeling, birth, old age, and death, and so forth. These twelve dharmas are encompassed by the three kinds; yet again there are temporal distinctions.

The first two belong to the past

The latter two are of the future

Those eight are of the present

This is the meaning of the dharmas of the three times

Ignorance and formation, these first two kinds, belong to the past. Birth, old age, and death, these latter two kinds, belong to the future. Consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existence—these eight kinds belong to the present time. Moreover, these each in turn give rise to one another.

Affliction and karma call forth retribution

Retribution again gives rise to affliction

Affliction again gives rise to karma

And through karma there is retribution

Affliction, karma, and retribution—the three kinds—are as spoken of before. Because of that affliction, therefore there is karma. Because of that karma, therefore there is retribution. Returning again, because of retribution, therefore there is affliction; because of affliction, therefore there is karma; because of karma, therefore there is retribution.

Question: Since afflictions are exhausted and each becomes quiescent, how is this meaning to be understood?

Apart from affliction, what karma is there?

Apart from karma, what retribution is there?

When there is no retribution, then affliction is left behind

These three each become quiescent

If this mind is not defiled by affliction, then there is no perfuming by karma. If no karma is created, then no fruit of retribution is received. If retribution perishes, then affliction is no longer born. Thus these three each become quiescent. Furthermore, among these kinds there is a division into cause and fruit.

Five branches are causes that give rise to fruit

Their name is affliction and karma

Seven branches are taken as fruit

These seven kinds of suffering should be understood

The five kinds of cause, named affliction and karma, are as spoken of before: namely ignorance, formation, craving, grasping, and existence. The seven kinds of fruit that turn and arise are also as spoken of before; these seven kinds of suffering are consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, feeling, birth, old age, and death. Moreover, this cause and fruit have two kinds of emptiness.

In the cause there is no fruit

In the fruit there is again no cause

In the cause there is again no cause

In the fruit there is again no fruit

The wise are not bound up with them

If here we speak of cause and fruit as two kinds, then herein, if there is cause, fruit again is empty; if there is fruit, cause again is empty; if there is cause, cause again is empty; if there is fruit, fruit again is empty. Therein these four subtle propositions are mutually corresponding; and here there is then a distinction.

In the world there are four kinds of branches

Cause and fruit conjoined, past and present

Affliction, karma, and fruit conjoined

So understand them as six parts

"In the world there are four kinds of branches, cause and fruit conjoined, past and present" means that the five kinds of cause and the seven kinds of fruit across the three times, taken together in summary as four kinds, are in turn divided into four kinds. Therein, ignorance and formation belong to the past; these two temporal dharmas form the first division. Consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, and feeling are of the present time, belonging to the second part.

Craving, grasping, and existence likewise belong to the present time, belonging to the third part. Birth, old age, and death are of the future time, and these two dharmas form the fourth division. These are the four kinds of parts.

"Affliction, karma, and fruit conjoined as six parts" means that the three kinds—affliction, karma, and retribution—are bound into two roots, thus dividing into six parts. Therein, from ignorance up to feeling, ignorance is taken as the root; from craving up to old age and death, craving is taken as the root. Among them, ignorance is precisely the affliction-part; formation is precisely the karma-part; consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, and feeling are precisely the retribution-part.

With the root of craving, craving and grasping are the affliction-part; existence is the karma-part; birth, old age, and death are the retribution-part. Again, summarized as junctures and parts:

By the existence-juncture they are encompassed

Two junctures and three summaries

Where cause and fruit are mingled is a juncture

Three junctures and four summaries

The existence-juncture is the root, giving rise to two junctures: namely, existence and birth on the two sides—this is the first juncture; formation and consciousness on the two sides—this is the second juncture; these two junctures together constitute the karma-fruit juncture. Within feeling, where craving's cause and fruit are mingled—this is the third juncture. These three junctures are also the four summaries.

Ignorance and formation, these two kinds, are the first summary. Consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, and feeling, these five kinds, are the second summary. Craving, grasping, and existence, these three kinds, are the third summary.

Birth, old age, and death, these two kinds, are the fourth summary. These are the three junctures and four summaries. Moreover, among these dharmas there are distinctions in their midst.

Two, three, two, three, two

The states of suffering have five dharmas

The maker and the receptacle

The realm, the turning forth, the arising and flowing on

The dharmas: ignorance and formation are said to be two kinds. Consciousness, name-and-form, and the six bases are said to be three kinds; contact and feeling are said to be two kinds. Craving, grasping, and existence are said to be three kinds.

Again, the two: birth, old age, and death are said to make two kinds. These five dharmas are produced by the states of suffering: the womb-realm gives rise and turns forth into birth, and therein the flowing on, as in number, will be made clear. Therein, ignorance and formation, the two kinds, are said to be what the states of suffering produce; consciousness, name-and-form, and the six bases, the three kinds, are said to be the states of suffering as the womb.

Contact and feeling, the two kinds, are said to be the states of suffering within the realm. Craving, grasping, and existence, the three kinds, are said to be the states of suffering issuing and turning forth therein. Birth, old age, and death, the two kinds, are said to be the states of suffering in flowing on.

Again, there are distinctions of fruit.

Delusion gives rise to the fruit of arising

Retribution flows forth as fruit, making two

Corresponding within the root-part

One, one, three, two parts

As spoken of before, this root of ignorance and the root of craving—at the root of ignorance, within the first part, delusion gives rise to retribution, the uniform outflow being called the four kinds of fruit. One, one, three, two parts is the way; following this they will in turn correspond. Therein, ignorance is precisely the fruit of delusion. Formation is precisely the fruit of arising. Consciousness, name-and-form, and the six bases are the fruit of retribution. Contact and feeling are precisely the fruit of uniform outflow. Moreover, there are still other fruits.

Burning torment, deficiency, the truncated fruit

Turning over into the fruit of uniform outflow

Corresponding to the remaining parts

Two, one, one, one dharmas

As spoken of before, the second, within the part of the root of craving—burning torment and deficiency, truncated, turn and give rise to the fruit of uniform outflow; following these numbered parts, they divide into two, one, one, one. Among these dharmas they will mutually correspond: therein, craving and grasping are the fruit of burning torment. Existence is the fruit of deficiency; birth is the fruit of issuing and turning forth; old age and death are the fruit of uniform outflow. Thus these are the eight fruits.

These have twelve kinds

Conjoined in dependent origination

There is no being, no life

By emptiness, by emptiness, made clear through wisdom

Thus, with ignorance as the beginning and old age and death as the last, there are twelve members that are conjoined, and each, depending upon another, gives rise to it; yet there is no being, no lifespan, and through emptiness, by emptiness, it is made clear by wisdom. Here, "no being" means that it is not firm and solid. "No lifespan" means by reason of no-self. "Emptiness" here is the absence of an agent, by reason of the absence of an agent.

No self, nothing belonging to self

No self, nothing within the self

These four kinds of absence make clear emptiness

The other branches are likewise so

Non-knowing is no-self; here non-knowing is the absence of what belongs to self. Because of no-self, within no-self there is again no non-knowing; among the four kinds—no-self, nothing belonging to self—there is again no non-knowing, no emptiness. Just as the four kinds in turn are non-knowing-empty, so too formation and the other branches are likewise all empty; this should be clearly understood.

Severance and permanence, the two extremes, are forsaken

This indeed is the Middle Way

If this awakening is accomplished

The body of awakening is the Buddhas

Existence is the grasping at permanence; non-existence is the grasping at severance. Because of these two extremes, conditions arise, and therefore that birth occurs among those existences. If one forsakes the two extremes, that is the Middle Way; if one does not clearly understand this, then this meaning falls into the two extremes of the heterodox teachings. If one awakens to this, that is all the Buddhas, just as the Buddhas in the world are able to accomplish what is unsurpassed.

This awakening, among living beings

The Holy Seers declare to be without self

In a place "Becoming a Likeness" the sutra was spoken

The Teacher declared this meaning

That too is likewise this Middle Way; having awakened, among that assembly, the Buddha said: "There is no self, nothing belonging to self—monks, you should know this." That is to say, clinging to self and what belongs to self, that foolishness is like that of the ordinary person of little learning. Following that false conjunction, one again takes it to be self and what belongs to self; then that monk, when born, is afflicted by the suffering of birth, and when dying, is again afflicted by the suffering of death—as the sutra "Becoming a Likeness" relates by way of parable. The Teacher again declared this meaning.

The Kātyāyana Sutra speaks

Of right view and the view of emptiness

The Parā-koṇa Sutra

Further speaks of supreme emptiness

These three sutras, together with their conveyance and such characteristics, the World-Honored One has expounded at length.

If dependent origination is clearly known

That clear knowing corresponds to emptiness

If dependent origination is not made clear

Then neither is that emptiness made clear

As spoken of before, if there is clear knowing of dependent origination, then that knowing is not other. What does it again make clear? Namely, it makes clear emptiness. "If dependent origination is not made clear, then neither is that emptiness made clear" means that with respect to this dependent origination, if one does not clearly understand it, then one cannot penetrate into that emptiness; this should be thus understood.

If toward emptiness one gives rise to pride

Then one does not grow weary of the aggregates

If existence is not seen

That is to be deluded about the meaning of dependent origination

If toward emptiness one gives rise to pride, then one does not grow weary and detest it; if one gives rise to the pride of emptiness, then within the five aggregates one does not arise to weariness and detachment. If one does not see that, then one is deluded about the meaning of dependent origination—that is to say, if again, by reason of not seeing, one is deluded, then this is the meaning of dependent origination. Therein, among the four kinds of views, following one's grasping, what view is seen? First is the view of severance; second is the view of permanence; third is awakening through a sovereign creator; and fourth is all being created by past karma.

When dependent origination is not deluded

Free of pride, one makes clear that emptiness

And grows weary of those aggregates

Not deluded about karma and its fruit

"When dependent origination is not deluded, free of pride, one makes clear that emptiness" means that, as spoken of before, within each dependent origination, if the mind is not deluded and with respect to the grasping at self and what belongs to self, if one becomes free of pride, then that is in accord with the dharma, able to enter into emptiness and into weariness of the aggregates; therefore "not deluded about karma and its fruit" means the grasping at self and what belongs to self within the five aggregates. Then the world revolves and turns without ceasing; with respect to those aggregates one grows weary and detached. With respect to that karma and fruit in their continuity, there is no inversion and again no delusion. Again, how is this meaning to be understood?

Karma makes dependent origination arise again

Yet this is not its condition

Without condition there would still be this—

The receiving and enjoying of karmic retribution

"Karma makes dependent origination arise; yet this is not its condition" means that affliction, karma, and retribution are as spoken of before. There is good karma and bad karma, coming and going as companions to living beings, continuing in succession above and below. If there were not this karma, then there would be no created condition.

If it were not thus, then no karma would be created, and that receiving of retribution would perish according to the karma performed. "Without condition there would still be this—the receiving and enjoying of karmic retribution is complete," means that if, by reason of these wholesome and unwholesome karmas there is the receiving and enjoying of retribution, then their own-nature is empty, originally without self. The creating of conditions arising within that empty nature—this meaning too should be clearly understood.

Now, speaking in brief:

The twelve branches, distinct

Were first spoken of as this dependent origination

Affliction, then karma, then suffering

Within the three they are encompassed as dharmas

With ignorance as the beginning and old age and death at the end—these are the twelve branches of dependent origination in their distinctions, as spoken of before. Among them, three are affliction, two are karma, and seven are bodhi; all are encompassed therein.

From three are born two

From two are born seven

From seven again are born three

There is a wheel that runs in just this way

Ignorance, craving, and grasping—these three kinds—give rise to formation and existence, which are two kinds. From those two come consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, feeling, birth, old age, and death—altogether seven branches. Among those seven branches, as spoken of before, again arise three kinds; those three again become these two, which become seven, so the two kinds in turn never cease. This is like a wheel that runs on in just this way.

Cause and fruit arise in the world

With no separate being whatsoever

It is only empty dharmas

That in turn give rise to empty dharmas

"Cause and fruit arise in the world with no separate being whatsoever" means that ignorance, formation, craving, grasping, and existence—these five kinds—are called cause. Consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, feeling, birth, old age, and death—these seven kinds—are called fruit. These pervade the world; whether self, being, lifespan, birth, or a man, or a person, or a maker—that is to say, these distinctions are merely false delusion. So it should be clearly understood: how does that arise? It is only empty dharmas that in turn themselves give rise to empty dharmas—that is to say, within that empty own-nature, affliction, karma, and fruit are mere designations. There is only emptiness; affliction, karma, fruit—dharmas under mere designation—arise. This is its meaning.

In quiescence, conditions give rise to affliction

In quiescence, conditions again give rise to karma

In quiescence, conditions again give rise to retribution

Not one is there that lacks a condition

If there is affliction, then there are immeasurable karmas, and these many kinds of karma will give rise to that fruit of retribution; all those causes together with conditions. So it should be clearly understood that there is not one dharma that lacks cause and condition; and further, to illumine that meaning, a simile is spoken:

Recitation, lamp, seal, mirror, sound

Sunlight, seed, the hare—

The aggregates succeed without transferring

The wise should make clear those two.

It is like the matter of reciting and teaching recitation, as well as the one who receives the recitation. Though there is the teaching of recitation, it does not transfer or alter the receiving of the recitation. How is it that the one who teaches recitation is at ease?

It is at ease because this teacher of recitation again is not continuous. How is it self and not-self? Like a lamp that in turn arises, this is not the first instance of the lamp; transferring and altering, again this is not the second instance born without cause.

Likewise the seal and the image, the two; the face and the mirror, the two; the sound and the echo, the two; the sun and the fire, the two; the seed and the sprout, the two; the hare and the moisture, the two. These two of every kind all do not transfer, yet are not unborn, and again are not born without cause. Those two—the five aggregates—continue in succession turning one after another; it is not that the first aggregate transfers, yet the second aggregate again is not unborn.

Again it is not born without cause; the wise one, with respect to this continuity of the aggregates in turn without transferring, should observe rightly in just this way. Furthermore, the characteristics, inner and outer, are of ten kinds; all should be clearly understood. Therein, the outer has ten kinds: first, not permanent; second, not severed; third, not transferring; fourth, cause and fruit continuously connected without interval; fifth, not of that same substance; sixth, not differentiated; seventh, no agent; eighth, not without cause; ninth, momentary perishing; tenth, fruit of the same kind continuously connected.

As for the outer, there is the perishing of the seed without remainder, and the sprout arising not permanently; the seed not severed, perishing without remainder. This sprout, originally non-existent, now again has arising, not transferring or altering; that succession has no severance or cessation, and cause and fruit are continuous, with no distinction of interval between seed and sprout; it is not that same substance from which it issues forth; it is not differentiated, but by the conjunction of causes and conditions; without an agent, the seed serving as cause; not without cause—the seed, sprout, branch, leaf, flower, fruit, and so forth in turn give rise to one another.

Momentary perishing—clarified butter, the bitter, the sour, the salty, following the distinctions of cause, the fruit turns forth. Fruit of the same kind continuously connected. Therein there are ten kinds: first, at death the aggregates perish leaving nothing, therefore not permanent; second, subsequent aggregate-members are in turn born, therefore not severed; third, at death the aggregates perish leaving no remainder, and in turn the member-aggregates that were originally non-existent now have arising, therefore not transferring; fourth, the aggregates continue in succession with no severance or cessation, therefore cause and fruit are continuous without interval; fifth, at death, in turn the distinct member-aggregates are born, therefore not of that same substance;

sixth, since they issue forth from there, therefore not differentiated; seventh, by the conjunction of causes and conditions, therefore no agent; eighth, affliction and karma serving as cause, therefore not without cause; ninth, the kalala, the arbuda, the peśī, the ghana, the praśākhā—issuing from the womb as two sons growing up and so forth, then in turn giving rise to one another—therefore momentary perishing; tenth, by the perfuming of wholesome and unwholesome, following the distinctions of cause the fruit issues forth.

Fruit of the same kind continuously connected. Again there is a verse:

As the light of a lamp turns and arises

So too is the body of consciousness

Before it and after it

There is again no gathering or accumulating

Not born, yet there is birth

Broken up, yet not conjoined

Where it arises there is again no abiding

Yet this karmic action turns on

If with respect to that dependent origination

One is able to contemplate and clearly know emptiness

If one clearly understands that provisional designation

Then at once one clearly knows the Middle Way

Herein, ignorance, formation, craving, grasping, and existence are the Truth of Origination. Consciousness, name-and-form, the six bases, contact, feeling, birth, old age, and death are the Truth of Suffering, comprising those twelve members. The Truth of the Path is the means that causes them to cease and that is realized; therefore the foundations of mindfulness, the right exertions, the bases of spiritual power, the faculties, the powers, the factors of awakening, and the eightfold Noble Path are called the Truth of the Path.

The Treatise on Mahāyāna Dependent Origination

The End