轮回的车轮是怎样转动的？

First phase: past life

第一个阶段：前世。

From ignorance comes clinging to an inherently existing self; from clinging to a real self comes the desire to find happiness for oneself. To satisfy that desire, one needs many objects that can bring happiness. In the process of obtaining these objects, one may affect others, sometimes negatively, resulting in either virtuous or evil karma being committed. Volitional actions, the second of the Twelve Nidanas, are such karma.

有了无明，就产生了人我执；因为有了人我执，就希望自己能够快乐；为了得到快乐，就需要很多能够产生快乐的事物；在去争取这些事物的过程中，就会伤害到其他的人，所以会造业，可能造善业，也可能造恶业。这样就产生了第二个行缘起支。行就是善恶的业。

The eight states such as becoming, name and form, contact and so forth that belong to the phase of the present life also exist in the past life. Their exclusion is because they are not that important for this phase as opposed to ignorance and volitional actions. Among the eight states，craving，grasping and becoming are in fact ignorance and volitional actions as well, just named differently. The other five are not so crucial at this stage. The reason why we are what we are today is not due to consciousness, name and form, the six sense bases, contact and feeling in the past life but ignorance which in turn gives rise to karma. It is exactly these two that cause all the suffering in this life and hence their designation in the phase of the past life.

前面讲到，属于现世阶段的有识、名色、触等八个缘起支，其实前世也有这八支，但前世阶段为什么不讲这些呢？因为，这八支并不很重要，主要的是无明支和行支。八支中的爱支、取支、有支实际上就是无明支和行支，只是名字不一样而已；其他的识支、名色支等五支，都不是很关键的问题。今天我们会做这样的一个人，不是因为前世有了识、名色、入、触、受，而完全是因为前世有无明，又因无明而造业的缘故。正是因为这两个缘起，所以才有了今生一大堆的痛苦。这就是为什么前世阶段没有提及其他的，只讲了这两个缘起支的原因。

When we take rebirth, the eight states will also be present in the future life. Why is it that only birth and old age/death have been designated for the future life? It is because old age and death are birth’s suffering. Pointing out old age and death specifically would help us understand the woes of cyclic rebirth.

后世我们转世时，也有识、名色、入、触、受等八支，为什么后世只说生支、老死支，也不说这些呢？因为老和死就是生支的过患。我们生下来之后有什么过患呢？有老和死的过患。正是为了让我们了解下一世投生的过患，所以只说老死。