Post # 39 -Patticca Saumuppada – Dependent Origination or Co-Arising- Part 1

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In Post # 38 I mentioned that I will post something on Patticca Saumuppada – Dependent Origination in the Blog, as this is important for our  discussion on lay Buddhist practice. So here I am!

Patticca Saumuppada – Dependent Origination is a unique teaching only found in Buddha-Dhamma. It is so fundamental to Buddha’s teaching and comes out as a core factor to explain the common phenomena of the universe. Its significance in context to the entire Dhamma taught by the Buddha has to be fully appreciated. However I will attempt here as best as I can, to only deal with the aspects relevant to what we are discussing in this Blog, viz. Dhamma Practice by Lay Buddhists.

 In our exercise to gain liberation or shorten the Samsaric process, we engage in a practice of developing the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. See      Post # 17 up to Post # 20. While dealing with developing the Noble Eightfold Path, through a practice of the Arjeewa Astamaka Seela, we saw how Samma Sankkappa the right intention, was developing.  Here we saw that the sub factor Nekkamma  Sankalpana or letting go or renunciation can be developed by contemplation on Patticca Saumuppada .  Further under developing right view, see Post # 36, we dealt with Chatu Sathya Samma Ditthi (deeper understanding about the four noble truths with Nibbana as the focus). This is the understanding of the truth or reality  about life, the reasons behind those realities, the possibility of change and the way of life that can lead to change and gaining freedom from suffering, ie. Nibbana. Here we saw that developing a deep understanding of the truth of suffering (dukka sathya) or the unsatisfactory nature of existence, the basic aspect of this truth, is realized through the Pattika Saumuppada teaching. This was seen as - ‘due to avidya (not knowing or ignorance), one develops a craving and an attachment to have an existence. This craving for an existence, results in an existence-seeking consciousness (a pattisandhi vinnana). This consciousness conditioned by the nature of the craving, causes a new becoming in an appropriate abode with a new 'life’ resulting in the consequential unsatisfactory state of life (Dukka). Besides these specific aspects, a deep knowledge on this fundamental teaching is also important to understand and benefit from the practice of developing the Noble Eightfold Path. 

There are many discourses given by learned monks with Patticca Saumuppada as the focus. The following extracts from the work of some such dhamma scholars will give us an insight to this important teaching.

Ven. Dhammajeeva thero the meditation teacher monk at Jhana Grove Sri Lanka (Feb 2013), stated the following based on the Maha Nidhana Sutta.

When Ven. Ananda uttered that "although this dependent co arising is profound and difficult to see, I find it simple enough to understand"?  Thereupon Buddha advised him saying - "do not say so Ananda as this Dhamma is indeed profound and difficult to understand. If someone were to ask, what is the particular cause of old age, sickness and death, the answer you must give is, it’s the birth". This is an important aspect to reflect upon and to contemplate on, even in everyday living. Most do not see it this way and are chasing at finding proximate causes outside. They tend to neglect the root cause, which is birth. People are used to thinking birth as something auspicious and desirable and old age and death as inauspicious. So long as this ignorance prevails the journey in Samsara continues.

Bhikku Bodhi the scholar monk from US, says that the meaning can be extracted from the name itself Patticca Saumuppada, which is a compound of two Pali words . Patticaca means -depending on; because of; conditioned by etc. Sammuppada means –arising or more accurately, interconnectedness characterizing the process of arising. So the meaning comes out as Dependent Arising.

Quoting different suttas Bhukku Bodhi says that Buddha gave great emphasis to Patticca Saumuppada, when he said that – ‘One who sees dependent arising sees the Dhamma and one who sees the Dhamma sees dependent arising’.  Dhamma is the truth discovered by the Buddha -the truth that subsists by itself, independent of all other influences. Buddha shows the explicit equation between this profound truth that he realized and dependent arising. In his own quest for enlightenment, Buddha had said that- immediately before his enlightenment when he was sitting in meditation he began inquiring into the chain of conditions seeking the causal origination of suffering. This inquiry led him to the discovery of dependent arising. Bhukku Bodhi says that from one angle we can equate the discovery of dependent arising with Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment itself.

After his enlightenment Buddha had said that he sat for several weeks meditating on Patticca Saumuppada, the sequence both forwards and backwards. He found that this Dhamma he discovered is deep and difficult to understand and can be realized only by the wise.

Bhikku Bodhi explains that this doctrine is the dynamic counter part of the doctrine of Annatha, the absence of soul or self. The structural principle of this doctrine represents the most fundamental law sustaining all phenomena. This is the law of conditionality. Everything that comes into being comes into being due to the force of conditions. This is expressed in an ancient Pali formula which goes as ‘Emmasmin  sathy edan hothi, emmas uppada  edan uppajjathi; imasmin sathi  edan  nahothi,  emmas nirodha  edan nirojjathi’ , meaning that, when there is this, that comes to be, with the arising of this, that arises;  when there is not this, that does not come into being, with the ceasing of this that ceases.

This law of conditionality is not a creation of the Buddha.  The Law is always operative, whether an enlightened one arises or does not arise. It’s the actual reality and unalterable. Western notion of causality operates as a succession of events moving in one direction. This law however does not recognize a single cause. Phenomena do not arise from one cause but due to many conditions. It’s not like points along a straight line or a succession of events. It is an interrelated network rather like a spider’s web. This interlocking network has no first cause or it is without any conceivable beginning or without any discoverable first point. The western notion of cause and effect recognizes a first cause.  The theistic religions associate the first cause to God, who created the world, the original beginning. Under this Patticca Saumuppada Law the first point of Samsara cannot be discovered no matter how far back you go. Although the Samsara has no beginning in time, with the elimination of conditions, the wheel of becoming can be brought to a stop.

 Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamavanso, English scholar monk living in Australia,  -..http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books3/Ajahn_Brahm_Paticca_Samuppa... says that:-

"this is the most crucial aspect of Buddha’s teaching. All of our happiness and distress that we undergo is due to a cause. This teaching of dependent origination is able to explain this and thereby help us to adjust our actions. Not only can this be understood intellectually and logically but this teaching can be experienced in our meditation practice". He goes on to say that it refers to how rebirth happens, show people where they came from, why and how they got here etc. Also how craving creates this world. He observes that we never stop, we do not know what we want to do, we try doing what other people do, we are conditioned to do what other people do, what we do is never finished,  even in death we have not finished what we want to do. As we have not finished even at death, we get reborn. Basically that is the force that keeps us going. At death if we can say that what’s done is finished then birth comes to an end. This is the story of life, and what this teaching explains. Furthermore, the understanding of Dependent Origination is an integral part of the delusion-shattering insight that brings one to the state of 'one who has entered the stream' (sotapanna), is destined for full Enlightenment.

 In another discourse found in the web; a monk  in his talk on Patticca Saumuppada refers to Vipaka Samuppadaya - the result of causes and conditions. He says that Aswadaya (the experiencing of feelings, sensations or enjoyment) is a Vipaka . We create these conditional formations due to Avidya (ignorance of the Four Noble Truths). Attachment to Aswadaya creates the Samsaric Process……Aswada Nirodaya - eliminating Aswada through meditation should be the attempt through the Patticca Saumuppada. 

I will include more comments from Ajahn Brahm and Thanissaro Bhikku on Patticca Saumuppada in my next Post.

These introductory comments from these learned monks, is the first part of my attempt to Post this topic in the Blog. I hope they will motivate you to read more on this  topic. I will deal with some more details in Part 2- Post #40