無辜的小鬼（中英）　宣化上人主講

十二因緣

Twelvefold Conditioned Arising

◎節自《心經非臺頌解》‧宣化上人講述
Excerpt from The Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra with Verses without A Stand and Prose Commentary
by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua

十二因緣，就是說「我們人怎麼樣受生，怎麼樣死的這個道理」。
Twelvefold Conditioned Arising tells us that, "The way we die depends on the way we live."

《心經》中的「無無明，亦無無明盡，乃至無老死，亦無老死盡」，這是說「十二因緣」的道理；由這十二種的緣作為助緣，幫助人生了死，死了生。這「十二因緣」就是：無明緣行，行緣識，識緣名色，名色緣六入，六入緣觸，觸緣受，受緣愛，愛緣取，取緣有，有緣生，生緣老死。
   　    
The passage in The Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra, “No ignorance or ending of ignorance, up to and including no old age and death or ending of old age and death” refers to the Twelvefold Conditioned Arising. The Twelvefold Conditioned Arising is the reason that people are in the endless cycle of death and rebirth. The chain of the Twelvefold Conditioned Arising consists of: ignorance is the condition for karmic activity; karmic activity the condition for consciousness; consciousness is the condition for name and form; name and form is the condition for the six entrances (i.e., the six sense-faculties); the six entrances is the condition for contact; contact is the condition for feeling; feeling is the condition for emotional love or craving; emotional love is the condition for grasping; grasping is the condition for becoming; becoming is the condition for birth; birth is the condition for old age and death. 　
   　    
什麼是「無明」？「無明」就是不明白。不明白又是什麼呢？就是俗話所說的糊塗。糊塗就是不懂道理，糊糊塗塗的。因為糊糊塗塗的時候不明白，就做出糊塗的行為，就有妄行了。什麼叫「妄行」呢？「妄行」就是不應該做的而去做了。有了妄行，就有一種虛妄的認識，「識」就是一種認識。有了虛妄的認識，就有一種糊塗的「名色」。有糊塗的名色，就有一種糊塗的入；人有六根，所以就有「六入」。有糊塗的入，就有一種糊塗的「觸」。有糊塗的接觸，就想要有一種糊塗的「受」。有了糊塗的享受，就有了糊塗的「愛」。有了糊塗的愛，就有一種糊塗的「取」。有了糊塗的求取，就想有一種糊塗的「有」，有也就是得。有了糊塗的得，就有了「生」。有了來生，就有了「老死」。
   　    
What is “ignorance”? “Ignorance” is the lack of understanding. In everyday language it is called “being mixed-up.” It means that you have not understood the truth. Because you are so mixed up and you don’t understand, you engage in confused and erroneous activities. “Erroneous activities” in this context means doing something that you shouldn’t do. The erroneous activity leads to false recognition, or “consciousness.” Consciousness leads to mixed-up “name and form.” Mixed-up name and form leads to mixed-up entrances. Since human beings have six sense-faculties, sense data come into our bodies and minds through these “six entrances.” From mixed-up entrances, mixed-up “contact” arises. Where there is mixed-up contact, one wants mixed-up “feeling of enjoyment.” From such mixed-up feeling comes mixed-up “emotional love” or craving. From mixed-up craving, mixed-up “grasping” arises. Once there is mixed-up grasping, mixed-up “becoming” results. From mixed-up becoming, one then obtains “birth.” From birth comes “old age and death.
   　    
這一些個因緣，都是開始於這個「糊塗」。開始是糊塗，所以結果也糊塗；這一生糊糊塗塗的，又有一個來生，來生還是糊塗。十二因緣最初就是個糊塗，所以十二因緣就是個糊塗因緣。糊塗因緣，就是凡夫所不能明白的這種因緣。這十二因緣就是說「我們人怎麼樣受生、怎麼樣死的這個道理」。就因為不懂這十二因緣法，所以就造成相反的作用，問題也就愈搞愈大，甚至於有了小孩，不把他生下來，就在他一、兩個月，三、四個月時去墮胎了。
   　    
These conditioned causes start with being ignorant or confused. Because people are confused in the beginning, they are confused in the end. They pass through one muddled life to the next, and that next life is also muddled. The Twelvefold Conditioned Arising starts with the mental state of ignorance, and explains the causes of our confusion. Unfortunately, ordinary people can’t understand this principle, when in fact the Twelvefold Conditioned Arising tells us that, “The way we die depends on the way we live.” Unfortunately, because people don’t understand, they do things contrary to this teaching. As a result, their troubles grow bigger and bigger to the point that they become pregnant. Things get even worse when, instead of giving birth, they get an abortion during the first few months of the fetus’ life.
   　    
人的欲念，食欲或者色欲，是從什麼地方生出來的呢？都是從「無明」生出來的，「無明」就是糊塗的一個別名。無明生出來了，就想要去做去。因為無明，就有男女的性行為。這個性行為就是由糊塗而發生，然後才有這種糊塗的行為，這就是「無明緣行」。有糊塗的行為，然後就生出來一種糊塗的認識、糊塗的分別。這種識也就是中陰身，在男女有性行為的時候，這中陰身離得千里萬里，都看得到這個地方有一線很小、很小的光明，它和這個父母有眷屬因緣的，就看得見這個亮光，就到那兒去投胎，這個識就投胎了；所以說「行緣識」。
   　    
Where do people’s desires, whether for food or sex, come from? They are all products of ignorance. Ignorance is just another name for being confused. When thoughts arise, a desire to act follows. Because there is ignorance, there is sexual activity. The confused sexual activity stems from the state of being confused; this is how “ignorance is the condition for activity.” When confused activity exists, confused consciousness arises, which starts to make confused distinctions. This consciousness is also referred to as “the intermediate skandha body” (i.e., the intermediate existence between death and reincarnation.) When a man and woman engages in sexual intercourse, if an intermediate skandha body has causes for familial ties with that couple, it would seek rebirth as their child. The affinity between this consciousness and the couple is so strong that even if it were a thousand or ten thousand miles away and even if only the tiniest point of light were emitted by the couple during their intercourse, it would see the light and go to the couple to become a fetus in the mother’s womb. Therefore, it is said that “activity is the condition for consciousness.”
   　    
「識緣名色」，識投胎了，這就有了「名色」。「名」，就是受、想、行、識四蘊；「色」，就是色蘊。受、想、行、識這四蘊，在母腹裏頭只有這麼個名稱，還沒有真實的成就。等到出生，名色具足，就有六入了；這就是「名色緣六入」。「六入」，就是六根對外境生出見性、聞性、嗅性、嚐性、覺性、知性這六種性，這叫六入。
   　    
“Consciousness is the condition for name and form.” In this context the phrase means that when the fetus comes into being, there is “name and form.” “Name” refers to the four skandhas of feeling, cognition, formations, and consciousness, while “form” refers to the form-skandha. Four of the fetus’ five skandha (i.e., feeling, cognition, formations and consciousness) exist in the mother’s womb in name only; they have yet come into being. Once the child is born, all five of his skandhas (i.e., his name and form) are complete, so are the child’s six sense-faculties or entrances (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind). This is called “name and form is the condition for the six entrances.” These six perceptual faculties interact with their corresponding sense objects (sight, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and objects of mind) and give rise to the awareness of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touch and thoughts.
   　    
由這種六入，這個小孩子就有了一種觸覺，所以說「六入緣觸」。有了觸覺，這個小孩子就有一種領受的感覺，這叫「觸緣受」。「受緣愛」，有了領受，就生出一種愛心來。生出愛心，然後就想要求取，求取這種的所愛，所以「愛緣取」。因為求取，所以就想要佔有、想要得著，這叫「取緣有」。「有緣生」，因為想要得著，所以就又有了來生。「生緣老死」，有了來生，就又有老死。這就是十二因緣的「流轉門」。
   　    
Once the six entrances exist, the child becomes aware of contact. Therefore, it is said, “The six entrances are the condition for contact.” After contact occurs, the child starts to have feelings about his or her contact; this is called “contact is the condition for feelings.” Once there is feeling, love arises (e.g., loving pleasant situations and detesting unpleasant situations). Hence, “feeling is the condition for love.” After love arises, the child wishes to seek and grasp what he or she loves. Therefore, “love is the condition for grasping.” Thereupon one wants to possess his or her object of desires, and this grasping leads to becoming (in the desire, form or formless realms.) This is called, “grasping is the condition for becoming.” The next step, “becoming is the condition for birth” means due to grasping and attaching, there are further births. Finally, “birth is the condition for old age and death.” After birth comes old age and death. The entire process is the revolving cycle of the Twelvefold Conditioned Arising.
   　    
如果無明沒有了呢？這行也沒有了。無明滅，則行滅；行滅，則識滅，識也沒有了；識滅，名色也滅了；名色滅 ，六入也滅了；六入滅，觸也滅了；觸滅，受也滅了；受滅，愛也滅了；愛滅，取也滅了；取滅，有也滅了；有滅，生老死都滅了。這是十二因緣的「還滅門」。所以才說「無無明盡本性空」，本性空了，沒有無明了。
   　    
What if there were no ignorance? There would be no activity. In other words, when ignorance is extinguished, activity is extinguished. When activity is extinguished, consciousness is extinguished. When consciousness is extinguished, name and form are extinguished. When name and form are extinguished, the six entrances are extinguished. When the six entrances are extinguished, contact is extinguished. When contact is extinguished, feeling is extinguished. When feeling is extinguished, love is extinguished. When love is extinguished, grasping is extinguished. When grasping is extinguished, becoming is extinguished. When becoming is extinguished, birth, old age and death are extinguished. This is how to end the cycle of the Twelvefold Conditioned Arising. Therefore, it is said: “There is no ending of ignorance for its inherent nature is empty.”
   　    
「十二因緣」這一連串的關係若都沒有了，就好像萬里晴空一樣，又好像水清月現。你若能了悟這十二因緣的法，那時候就好像人喝水一樣，這水是熱的、是冷的，你自己知道。但是如果你自己不去實實在在修行，來參悟、了悟這十二因緣，就光說十二因緣空了、空了、空了，那是沒有用的！
   　    
When all these connected twelve conditioned causes cease to exist, it is like a clear sky for ten thousand miles; it is also like a bright moon appearing as a reflection on clear water. If you truly understand the teaching of Twelvefold Conditioned Arising, it would be like drinking water; when you are thirsty and take a drink of water, you know for yourself whether the water is warm or cold. If you don’t actually put in the effort to cultivate and awaken to the principle of Twelvefold Conditioned Arising, it is useless even if you say, “Oh, the twelve conditioned causes are all empty, empty, empty!”