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The Chinese Buddhist Wheel...
birth. When this is enforced by the infections of the passions, one falls into the endless circle of life-death (samsara).
42
While remaining in worldly life, one faces happy or unhappy encounters which lead to good or evil karmic deeds. They consequently will produce corresponding retributions. The conclusion can be nothing else. One must remain in samsara and is therefore unable to accomplish the holy path (aryamarga).
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In other words, our author understands the theory of causal production (yin-yuan-sheng) very accurately. This understanding is absolutely congruent with the accepted interpretation of Theravādin Buddhism. It is well-known that the concept of Dependent Origination or Dependent Arising is often discussed in the context of the second truth, "samudaya: The Arising of Suffering".43 It is interesting to note that Tsung-mi's view on the subject corresponds to the 'forward order' of the Dependent Origination as reconstructed from the scriptural statement, 'when this exists, that comes to be' by Buddhaghosa. However, he did not touch the 'reverse order' of Buddhaghosa which is concerned with the cessation of suffering.**
Tsung-mi further explains that
The general title [of the twelve links] is called the Arising from conditional causation (yuan-ch'i) or the Production by conditional causation (yuan-sheng). It means that the doer and the receiver [of retribution] are the same but without a Lord. One is born from causation, and depending on various conditions, arises. Thereupon, existence comes from nothingness, and perishes from existence. One is capable of influencing what is influenceable, falls into the dharmas of continuity (hsiang-hsu-fa), henceforth, it is called a production of causation.*5
With the development of Mahāyāna Buddhism in India, the moral emphasis of the Dependent Origination shifted to logical interest. All Mahāyāna schools offered new interpreta
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