It is commonly considered that nāmarūpapratyayaṃ ṣaḍāyatanaṃ 名色縁六処 and ṣaḍāyatanapratyayaḥ sparśaḥ 六処縁触 exist in the twelve chain pratītya-samutpāda-aṅga. However, a special viewpoint termed nāmarūpapratyayaḥ sparśaḥ 名色縁触 links the two in the Pratītyasamutpāda chapter of the Dharmaskandha. Based on the Sanskrit manuscript and Xuanzang’s translation,this paper examines the concepts contained in the term of nāmarūpapratyayaḥ sparśaḥ from the following three perspectives: （1） epistemology, （2） embryology, and （3） karmic reincarnation. Three sūtras are quoted in support, namely Phalgunāvavāda 教誨頗勒窶那経, Svāti Bhikṣu 莎底比丘経, and Mahānidānaparyāya 大因縁経. However, the real origin of this special terminology is to be found in the Mahānidānaparyāya. This paper delves into the Pratītyasamutpāda chapter to explore and articulate the meaning and source of nāmarūpapratyayaḥ sparśaḥ.
