《心经》中的“无无明，亦无无明尽，乃至无老死，亦无老死尽”，这是说“十二因缘”的道理；由这十二种的缘作为助缘，帮助人生了死，死了生。这“十二因缘”就是：无明缘行，行缘识，识缘名色，名色缘六入，六入缘触，触缘受，受缘爱，爱缘取，取缘有，有缘生，生缘老死。

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. 　

什么是“无明”？“无明”就是不明白。不明白又是什么呢？就是俗话所说的糊涂。糊涂就是不懂道理，糊糊涂涂的。因为糊糊涂涂的时候不明白，就做出糊涂的行为，就有妄行了。什么叫“妄行”呢？“妄行”就是不应该做的而去做了。有了妄行，就有一种虚妄的认识，“识”就是一种认识。有了虚妄的认识，就有一种糊涂的“名色”。有糊涂的名色，就有一种糊涂的入；人有六根，所以就有“六入”。有糊涂的入，就有一种糊涂的“触”。有糊涂的接触，就想要有一种糊涂的“受”。有了糊涂的享受，就有了糊涂的“爱”。有了糊涂的爱，就有一种糊涂的“取”。有了糊涂的求取，就想有一种糊涂的“有”，有也就是得。有了糊涂的得，就有了“生”。有了来生，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.

这一些个因缘，都是开始于这个“糊涂”。开始是糊涂，所以结果也糊涂；这一生糊糊涂涂的，又有一个来生，来生还是糊涂。十二因缘最初就是个糊涂，所以十二因缘就是个糊涂因缘。糊涂因缘，就是凡夫所不能明白的这种因缘。这十二因缘就是说“我们人怎么样受生、怎么样死的这个道理”。就因为不懂这十二因缘法，所以就造成相反的作用，问题也就愈搞愈大，甚至于有了小孩，不把他生下来，就在他一、两个月，三、四个月时去堕胎了。

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，是从什么地方生出来的呢？都是从“无明”生出来的，“无明”就是糊涂的一个别名。无明生出来了，就想要去做去。因为无明，就有男女的性行为。这个性行为就是由糊涂而发生，然后才有这种糊涂的行为，这就是“无明缘行”。有糊涂的行为，然后就生出来一种糊涂的认识、糊涂的分别。这种识也就是中阴身，在男女有性行为的时候，这中阴身离得千里万里，都看得到这个地方有一线很小、很小的光明，它和这个父母有眷属因缘的，就看得见这个亮光，就到那儿去投胎，这个识就投胎了；所以说“行缘识”。

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.”

“识缘名色”，识投胎了，这就有了“名色”。“名”，就是受、想、行、识四蕴；“色”，就是色蕴。受、想、行、识这四蕴，在母腹里头只有这么个名称，还没有真实的成就。等到出生，名色具足，就有六入了；这就是“名色缘六入”。“六入”，就是六根对外境生出见性、闻性、嗅性、尝性、觉性、知性这六种性，这叫六入。

“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. 

由这种六入，这个小孩子就有了一种触觉，所以说“六入缘触”。有了触觉，这个小孩子就有一种领受的感觉，这叫“触缘受”。“受缘爱”，有了领受，就生出一种爱心来。生出爱心，然后就想要求取，求取这种的所爱，所以“爱缘取”。因为求取，所以就想要占有、想要得着，这叫“取缘有”。“有缘生”，因为想要得着，所以就又有了来生。“生缘老死”，有了来生，就又有老死。这就是十二因缘的“流转门”。

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.

如果无明没有了呢？这行也没有了。无明灭，则行灭；行灭，则识灭，识也没有了；识灭，名色也灭了；名色灭 ，六入也灭了；六入灭，触也灭了；触灭，受也灭了；受灭，爱也灭了；爱灭，取也灭了；取灭，有也灭了；有灭，生老死都灭了。这是十二因缘的“还灭门”。所以才说“无无明尽本性空”，本性空了，没有无明了。

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.”

“十二因缘”这一连串的关系若都没有了，就好像万里晴空一样，又好像水清月现。你若能了悟这十二因缘的法，那时候就好像人喝水一样，这水是热的、是冷的，你自己知道。但是如果你自己不去实实在在修行，来参悟、了悟这十二因缘，就光说十二因缘空了、空了、空了，那是没有用的！

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!”