妙法蓮華經玄贊 8.43

8.43

贊曰：下五頌正轉。有二：初二頌許可正說，後三頌眾生獲益。此初也。「無明至老死皆從生緣有」者，此釋長行無明緣行、行緣識，乃至生緣老死義。此言生者不是生支，是能生生。此言有者不是有支，是有無有，謂如行支從無明支能生緣故方有，其識支體從前行支能生緣故有，乃至老死從前生支能生之緣故有。不是無因、不平等因之所生起，皆從緣生故。即顯無明從老死能生之緣故有，輪轉無窮故名緣起。

The Eulogy says: The following five verses properly turn [the wheel of Dharma]. There are two parts: first, two verses permit and properly expound it; second, three verses show sentient beings obtaining benefit. This is the first. Regarding 'from ignorance to old age and death, all exist from the condition of birth': this explains the prose text's 'ignorance conditions activities, activities condition consciousness' up to 'birth conditions old age and death'. The word 'birth' here is not the link of birth itself, but that which is capable of generating birth. The word 'exist' here is not the link of existence, but being as opposed to non-being; that is to say, just as the link of activities only comes to exist through the generative condition of the link of ignorance, the substance of the link of consciousness comes to exist through the generative condition of the preceding link of activities, up to old age and death which come to exist through the generative condition of the preceding link of birth. They do not arise without causes or from unequal causes, because they are all born from conditions. This reveals that ignorance comes to exist through the generative condition of old age and death; because the transmigration is endless, it is called dependent origination.