有一次，佛陀告訴一位比丘說：

「我已不再疑惑，不再猶豫，拔除了像刺一樣的邪見，不再退轉了。心不執著的緣故，哪裡還有個自我呢？我曾經為一位比丘說我所證的法，為他說了賢聖、出世、空相應、緣起隨順法，即：有足夠的因緣，就有蓄積力量的成熟，然後有事物的生起，亦即：由於無明而有行，由於行而有識，由於識而有名色，由於名色而有六入處，由於六入處而有觸，由於觸而有受，由於受而有愛，由於愛而有取，由於取而有有，由於有而有生，由於生而有憂悲惱苦、純大苦的聚集。……乃至如是純大苦聚滅。

我這樣說時，那位比丘無法理解，還有疑惑、猶豫。因為之前他以為自己已經證入，徹底了悟了，現在聽到我說這些他無法理解的道理，反倒讓他生起憂苦、悔恨、模糊、障礙來了。為什麼呢？因為這緣起法，是甚深而不容易完全明了的，更何況進一步做到隨順緣起法，證入一切取離、愛盡、無欲、寂滅、涅槃，那就更加倍困難了。

這緣起與涅槃二法，就稱為有為與無為。

有為，如生、住、異、滅等。

無為，即不生、不住、不異、不滅，也就是諸行與苦的寂滅涅槃。

苦的因緣聚集了，所以苦就生起；苦的因緣滅除了，苦就跟著滅除了。就如，一旦斷了接續下一生的因緣，下一生的相續就滅除了，這就叫到了苦邊。

比丘！什麼被滅除了呢？就是苦被滅盡了，不留一點殘餘。

當所有的苦都被滅除、停止、清涼、止息、沈沒了，就是所謂的一切取離、愛盡、無欲、寂滅、涅槃。」

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有一次，佛陀遊化到拘樓國，住在首都劍磨瑟曇。

尊者阿難獨自在靜室禪修，起了這樣的思惟：

「這緣起真是奇特、甚深啊！緣起所展現的亦是甚深！但對我來說，我能夠看得明明白白，倒不是那麼的難。」

傍晚禪修結束後，尊者阿難來見佛陀，將他禪修中思惟的心得，向佛陀報告。

佛陀聽了以後，糾正尊者阿難說：

「阿難！不要這麼說啊！為什麼呢？這緣起是極甚深的！緣起所展現的，也是甚深的！

阿難！眾生對緣起不能真切、如實的了知，不能覺了通達，因此而令他們像織布機將布織得緊密交錯，像叢生蔓草般地交纏糾葛，一直吵吵鬧鬧、迷迷糊糊地一生度過一生，不能超越生死流轉。阿難！由此可以證明，緣起是極甚深的！緣起所展現的，也是甚深的！」

“I am no longer in doubt, no longer hesitated, weeded out the Wrong View like a throng, and no longer fall back to the lower level. Since there is no attachment, where could arise of Self? I once told a bhikkhu about the Dharma which I verified, spoke with him about saints and person of virtuous, to transcend the mundane world, the concomitance of emptiness, the Dharma of following the Dependent Origination, i.e., with sufficient causes and conditions, there are ripening of cumulative power, then arisen of events and matters. Also, it is with ignorance as condition, volitional formations come to be, with volitional formations as conditions, consciousness; with consciousness as condition, name-and-form; with name-and-form as conditions, the six sense bases; with the six sense bases as conditions, contact; with contact as conditions, feelings; with feelings as conditions, craving; with craving as conditions, clinging; with clinging as conditions, existence, with existence as conditions, birth, with birth as conditions, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and whole mess of suffering… …resulting extinction of such whole mess of suffering.

As I was so speaking, the bhikkhu was unable to comprehend, remaining in doubt, hesitation, because he believed that he had verified and awakened completely, as he heard from me the reasons incomprehensible to him, thus developing sorrow, regret, unclear and obstacle. Why, because this is the Dharma of Dependent Origination, which are exceptionally profound and not easy to comprehend completely, much less to accomplish the Dharma of following the Dependent Origination to verify the more difficult tasks of annulations of clinging, cessation of craving, nonexistent of desire, tranquility and nirvana.

The Dependent Origination and Nirvana are called Paticca-Samuppada and Nibbana in Pali.

Paticca-Samuppada: Such as the arising, abiding, changing and extinction of all existences.

Nibbana: Means the non-arising, non-abiding, non-changing and non-extinction of all existences, which is the perfect stillness of the mind when the flames of affliction arisen from all conditioned things and sufferings are extinguished.

Suffering arises as the results of its conditions arisen; when conditions of suffering ceased, suffering ceases. As such, once the conditions for connecting next life are broken, the continuation of next life is eliminated. This is called reaching the boarder of suffering.

Bhikkhu! What has been eliminated? It is the elimination of suffering, without any residuals.

When all sufferings are eliminated, stopped, calm down, ceased, sunken, this is so called all is free from clinging, craving exhausted, nonexistence of desire, tranquility and nirvana.”

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On one occasion, the Buddha was traveling and teaching at Kammasadhamma, capital of Kurus. Venerable Ananda was meditating in a quiet room and developed the following thoughts:

“It is wonderful, it is marvelous how profound this dependent origination is, and how profound it appears! And yet it appears to me as clear as clear! It does not seem that much difficult.”

After the meditation session concluded in the evening, Venerable Ananda came to the Buddha and reported to the Buddha his thoughts derived from the meditation.

After listening, the Buddha corrected Venerable Ananda:

“Don’t say that! Ananda! Why? This dependent origination is extremely profound and appears profound! Ananda! It is through not understanding, not penetrating this doctrine that the sentient beings became like a tangled ball of string in a loom, tangled like coarse grass, unable to pass beyond states of misery, the ill destiny, ruin and the round of birth-and death. Ananda! Thus it is proven that this dependent origination is exceptionally profound and appears profound!”

二、佛陀將他所說的法，稱為「賢聖、出世、空相應、緣起隨順法」，是值得注意的，這表示了緣起法的特質：緣起法是可以使眾生進入賢聖之流；是出世間的；與空相應的。尤其說「空相應」，道出了空義與緣起的緊密關係。

三、「有足夠的因緣，就有蓄積力量的成熟，然後有事物的生起。」原經文作：「有是故，是事有；是事有故，是事起。」這是將事物的生起，解析成「因緣、有、生」的關係。其中的「有」，可以視為「十二緣起」中「緣取有」的「有」，依此解讀為事物生起前的一種「蓄積力量的成熟」。比對其他經文，這句話應相當於「此有故彼有」。

四、「有為」與「無為」這樣的觀念與名稱，看來在《雜阿含經》中早有清楚的定義了。

五、回想個人在接觸佛法一段時間後，能夠確認緣起在佛法中的核心地位時，也生起像尊者阿難那樣的想法，以為緣起也不太難嘛！直到決心將《四阿含》一經一經的讀過，才看到尊者阿難因此而受到佛陀的糾正。當時雖然四下無人，但臉上不禁起了一陣熱，對自己的自大覺得很不好意思。後來，多注意緣起的思惟，對「緣起甚深」的感受也就愈加深刻，也愈感到自己還差得遠，更遑論「隨順緣起」，「一切取滅、愛盡、無欲、寂滅、涅槃」的實踐了。

六、緣起法簡單嗎？還在生死輪迴中，「吵吵鬧鬧、迷迷糊糊地一生度過一生」的人，事實擺在眼前，就快別這樣認為了吧！

1. The first portion of this story was derived form Samyuktagama 293th Sutra. The second portion was derived from Samyutta-Nikaya, Samyutta 60th Sutra, first portion of Digha Nikaya 15th Mahanidana Sutra; the first portion of Madhyamagama 97th Sutra, and the first portion of Dirghagama 13th Sutra.

2. It is worth noting that the Buddha called the Dharma that he taught as “Person of virtuous and Saint, To transcend the mundane world, Concomitant with Emptiness, and Dharma of Following the Dependent Origination.” It is the manifestation of the character of Dependent Origination: It enables the sentient beings to enter the rank of person of virtuous and saint; to transcend the mundane world, concomitant with emptiness. Particularly the concomitant with emptiness, which spells out the close relationship of emptiness and dependent origination.

3. “When condition is sufficient, cumulative strength ripens, resulting arising of events.” The original texts in the sutra reads: “Because of presence of the conditions, such event presence, because presence of such event, resulting arising of such events.” This to analyze development of the events into the relationships of “Causes, Conditions, Existence, and Arising.” The “Existence” could be viewed as “Becoming” as “with clinging as conditions, becoming” in the “Twelve Limes of Dependent Origination”. This could be interpreted as “cumulative strength ripens” prior to arising. With reference to other sutras, this sentence would be equivalent to “This being exists, so that exists”

4. It appears that the term and concept of “Paticca-Samuppada” and “Nibbana” had been clearly defined early on in Samyuktagama Sutra.

5. I recalled that after I had studied for sometime the Buddha dharma and was able to confirm the core position of Dependent Origination in Buddha dharma, I also developed the thoughts, which Venerable Ananda had and considered that the Buddha dharma was not so difficult! It was not until I determined to study one sutra after another in the “Four Agama Sutras”, and learned how the Buddha corrected Venerable Ananda because of such erroneous thoughts. Although there was nobody around at that time, my face was blushed and was ashamed of my arrogant. Afterward, I paid much attention to contemplate Dependent Origination, and experienced even more about Dependent Origination, and increasing felt that I was far from up to the mark, not to mention to practice “Dharma of following the dependent origination.” and “Completely annulations of clinging, cessation of craving, nonexistent of desire, tranquility and nirvana.”

6. Does “Dependent Origination” simple? For those who are in the “ill destiny, ruin and the round of birth-and death”, the writing are on the wall, deem quickly such no more!