坐禪三昧經 2.108

2.108

答曰：「先以被答，不應更難，若難者更當答。佛言眼因色緣癡邊生邪憶念，癡是無明，是中無明，何所依住？若依眼邪？若色中、若識邪？不應依眼住。若依眼住，不應待色，常應癡。若依色住，不應待眼。是則外癡，何豫我事？若依識住，識無色、無對、無觸、無分、無處。無明亦爾，云何可住？是故無明非內、非外、非兩中間，不從前世來，亦不住後世，非東西南北、四維上下來，無有實法，無明性爾。了無明性，則變為明，一一推之，癡不可得。云何無明緣行？如虛空不生不滅、不有不盡，本性清淨。無明亦如是，不生不滅、不有不盡，本性清淨，乃至生緣老死亦爾。」

Answer: "This has already been answered, and should not be questioned again; if you question it, I shall answer again. The Buddha said that with the eye as cause and form as condition, wrong mindfulness arises dependent on delusion. Delusion is ignorance; within this, where does ignorance reside? Does it depend on the eye? Or is it in form, or in consciousness? It cannot reside depending on the eye: if it resided depending on the eye, it would not depend on form, and one would always be deluded. If it resided depending on form, it would not depend on the eye; that would be an external delusion, so what would it have to do with me? If it resided depending on consciousness: consciousness is without form, without resistance, without contact, without parts, and without location. Ignorance is also like this; how could it reside? Therefore, ignorance is neither internal, nor external, nor in between the two; it does not come from a previous life, nor does it abide in a future life; it does not come from east, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, above, or below; it has no real dharma—such is the nature of ignorance. Understanding the nature of ignorance, it transforms into clarity; examining it piece by piece, delusion cannot be apprehended. How then could ignorance condition formations? Just as space is unborn and unceasing, non-existent and inexhaustible, originally pure by nature, ignorance is also like this: unborn and unceasing, non-existent and inexhaustible, originally pure by nature; and so on up to birth conditioning aging and death."