Dhamma Blog - Paticcasamuppada

“The fluid complexity of dependent co-arising means that it is inherently unstable, and thus stressful and not-self. Although some non-Theravadin Buddhist texts insist that happiness can be found by abandoning one’s smaller, separate identity and embracing the interconnected identity of all interdependent things, this teaching cannot be found in the Pali canon. The instability of conditioned processes means that they can never provide a dependable basis for happiness. The only true basis for happiness is the Unfabricated”.

“Buddha strongly criticizes a group of monks who tried to develop a theory whereby the fabricated was derived out of the Unfabricated or somehow lay within it. Stress, he says, is inherent in the interdependent nature of conditioned phenomena, while the Unfabricated is totally free from stress. Stress could not possibly be produced by absolute freedom from stress. Because the nature of conditioning is such that causes are in turn influenced by their effects, the Unfabricated could not itself function as a cause for anything. The only way the Unfabricated can be experienced is by using fabricated, conditioned processes (the Wings to Awakening) to unravel the network of fabricated, conditioned processes (dependent co-arising) from within. To do so, one needs to know the individual factors of dependent co-arising and the patterns in which they depend on one another.”

Samsara is a Vicious circle of dependent origination – It is difficult for anyone to understand or wish to escape Samsara if they have not yet understood dependent origination, and the four noble truths.

The application of Paticcasamuppada to suffering is known as the Four Noble Truths:

• Dukkha: There is suffering. Suffering is an intrinsic part of life prior to awakening, also experienced as dissatisfaction, discontent, unhappiness, impermanence.
• Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire (tanha).
• Nirodha: There is a way out of suffering, which is to eliminate attachment and desire.
• Magga: The path that leads out of suffering is called the Noble Eightfold Path.

Synopsis of Paticcasamuppada the cycle of dependent origination;

• With Ignorance as condition, Mental Formations arise
• With Mental Formations as condition, Consciousness arises
• With Consciousness as condition, Name and Form arise
• With Name & Form as condition, Sense Gates arise
• With Sense Gates as condition, Contact arises
• With Contact as condition, Feeling arises
• With Feeling as condition, Craving arises
• With Craving as condition, Clinging arises
• With Clinging as condition, Becoming arises
• With Becoming as a condition, Birth arises
• With Birth as condition, Aging and Dying arise

in the following video, A detailed but simple explanation by Bikkhu Bodhi explains the fundamental causes of the endless cycle of rebirth (craving and lack of knowledge of the way things are). Wrong View of the way things are is basically that we see that which is impermanent as permanent, see that which is suffering as pleasure, and that which is not self as a permanent self.

This ignorance of the true way of things, is known as Avicca (or Awichaa, in Thai), Mental Formations are known as Sangkhara, Consciousness is known as Vinyana, Form and Name are called Rupa Nama, Sense gates are called Salayatana, Contact is called Passa, Feeling is called Vedhana, Craving is called Tanha, Clinging is called Upatana, Becoming is called Bhava, and Birth is called Chati. This is the series of causes which link to each other and keep us locked in the endless cycle of becoming.  Bhikkhu Bodhi does a fine job explaining one of Buddhismsmost misinterpreted and complex to explain teachings – Paticcasamuppada

The wheel of life is supposed to illustrate the fact that nothing in our conventional reality “is brought about … by any single cause alone, but by concordance of a number of conditioning factors arising in discernibly repeated patterns.

The 12 NIdanas show the causes and effects of the chain of Dependent Origination, in their proper time zone;

Former Life

• ignorance
• volitional formations (activities which produce karma)

Current Life

• consciousness
• mind and body (personality or identity)
• the six sense bases (five physical senses and the mind)
• contact (between objects and the senses)
• feeling (registering the contact)
• craving (for continued contact)
• clinging
• becoming (similar to volitional formations)

Future Life

• birth
• old age and death

The Wings to Awakening;

I like this phrase as soon as i encountered it – the wings to awakening means that the first thoughts we have at the beginning of our practice are still very much conditioned thoughts, and are not awakened. But the Buddha taught that even Sangkhara (conditioned things and thoughts) can be useful for attaining Enlightenment sometimes.  So the conditioned thoughts that seek the way of thinking using the unconditioned thought, is already creating a future cause for its own self liberation.

Kind of like the desire too attain purity is actually still simply another desire

But that through this base intention, the subtle purity will arise

Intention must be present for the change to take effect.

Or perhaps i will try another way to explain;

Twenty years ago when i became a Buddhist, i decided i wanted to become a Buddha – this was in fact a very self centred and unenlightened drive which i had, but this egoistic thought actually leads to a more genuine intention as time passes, and slowly the realization of the necessary qualities appear and something pure comes out of something not yet pure

When Avicca disappears, Vicca appears, when the Light of Vicca appears, the darkness of Avicca disappears.