Post # 40 -Patticca Saumuppada – Dependent Origination or Co-Arising- Part 2

Are you visiting this Blog for the first time? It would be good if you could visit the 1^st Post to know about this Blog and then read the others in sequence.  

In Post # 39 you will find  some introductory comments on this teaching. In this Post I will deal with the balance details.

Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamso-..http://www.dhammatalks.net/Books3/Ajahn_Brahm_Paticca_Samuppa... goes on to say – 'The Buddha has stated that - one who has entered the stream may be considered as possessing five attributes. They are         un-shakeable faith in the Buddha, un-shakeable faith in the Dhamma, un-shakeable faith in the Sangha ( the Enlightened members of the monastic community), a very high standard of morality and an accurate understanding of Dependent Origination, and its corollary Idappaccayata (Causality)’.

Continuing he says - 'Therefore it is fair to say that the correct understanding of Dependent Origination can only be known by the Enlightened Ones. That is by the Stream-winners, Once Returners, Non Returners and Arahants. According to the Law of Dependent Origination, every phenomenon owes its origin to another phenomenon prior to it. It may simply be expressed as “depending on this, this originates”. The most interesting question is "Why did The Buddha place such importance on Dependent Origination? What is its purpose? "
"I will propose that the function of Dependent Origination is threefold. They are: to explain how there can be rebirth without a soul; to answer the question -What is life; to understand why there is suffering; and where suffering comes to an end".

Ven. Thanissaro Bhikku a German Monk, in his English translation of Paticca-samuppada-Vibhanga Sutta, says that - Dwelling at Savatthi, Buddha has said "Monks, I will describe & analyze dependent co-arising for you! -"And what is dependent co-arising? From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications( translated as Sankara). From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness. From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name &form. From name &form as a requisite condition come the six sense media. From the six sense media as a requisite condition comes contact. From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving. From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging/sustenance. From clinging/sustenance as a requisite condition comes becoming. From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth. From birth as a requisite condition, there comes into being aging & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress & suffering". 

I will try to bring in explanations to these terms shortly. But before that I would like to highlight the following.

As all these scholars use Vibhanga Sutta as the basis, the contents of their discourses are somewhat similar, except for the emphasis they place on certain aspects. I have tried to cite them above. I will not therefore elaborate any more on these discourses but will take out some sections to highlight the essence of the teaching that is of relevance to the objectives of this Blog.

It must be borne in mind that Paticca Samuppada is only a discourse on the process of birth and death and not a theory of the ultimate origin of life. It deals with the cause of rebirth and suffering, but it does not in the least attempt to show the evolution of the world from primordial matter.

Ignorance (Avijja) is the first link or cause of the wheel of life. It clouds all right understanding. Dependent on ignorance of the Four Noble Truths, arise activities/fabrications (Sankhara), both moral and immoral. The activities/fabrications whether good or bad, rooted in ignorance, which must necessarily have their due effects, only tend to prolong life's wandering. Nevertheless, good actions are essential to get rid of the ills of life and realize a favourable re-becoming.

Dependent on activities/fabrications, arise rebirth-consciousness (Pattisandhi Vinnana). This links the past with the present. Simultaneous with the arising of rebirth-consciousness there come into being mind and body (Nama-rupa). The six sense faculties (Salayatana) are the inevitable consequences of arising of mind and body. Because of the six senses, contact (Phassa) sets in. Contact then leads to feeling (Vedana). These five -- viz., consciousness, mind and body, six senses, contact and feeling -- are the effects of past actions and are called the passive side of life.

Dependent on feeling arises craving (Tanha). Craving results in grasping (Upadana). Grasping is the cause of  Bhava (the re-becoming cause conditioned by Kamma) and , which in its turn conditions future birth (Jati). These form the future effects. As a result of Birth the inevitable consequences of old age, illness and death (Jara-viyaji-marana) happens. This is the present. If on account of cause, effect comes to be, then if the cause ceases, the effect also must cease.

The reverse order of the Paticca Samuppada will make the matter clearer. Old age and death are possible in and with a psycho-physical organism. Such an organism must be born; therefore it pre-supposes birth. But birth is the inevitable result of past deeds or Kamma. Kamma  conditions grasping which is due to craving. Such craving can appear only where feeling exists. Feelings are the outcome of contact between the senses and objects. Therefore it pre-supposes organs of senses which cannot exist without a mind and body. Where there is a mind there is consciousness. It is the result of past good and evil. The acquisition of good and evil is due to ignorance of things as they truly are. This process of cause and effect thus continues ad infinitum. The beginning of this process cannot be determined as it is impossible to say whence this life-flux was caused by ignorance. But when this ignorance is turned into knowledge and the life-flux is diverted into Nibbana-dhatu, then the end of the life process of Samsara comes about. With the true understanding of this, the cessation of this entire aggregate of suffering will result.

The meaning of the elements of this process of life-flux is given by Thanissaro Bhikkhu in his English translation of Paticca-samuppada-Vibhanga Sutta  as follows:

"Now what is aging and death? Whatever decay, brokenness, graying, wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties of the various beings is called aging. Whatever deceasing, passing away, disappearing, dying, completion of time, breakup of the aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty of the various beings is called death.

"And what is birth? Whatever taking birth, descent, coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates, & acquisition of [sense] media of the various beings is called birth.

"And what is becoming? These three are becomings: sensual becoming, form becoming, & formless becoming. This is called becoming.

"And what is clinging/sustenance? These four are clinging: sensuality clinging, view clinging, precept & practice clinging, and doctrine of self clinging. This is called clinging.

"And what is craving? These six are classes of craving: craving for forms, craving for sounds, craving for smells, craving for tastes, craving for tactile sensations, craving for ideas. This is called craving.

"And what is feeling? These six are classes of feeling: feeling born from eye-contact, feeling born from ear-contact, feeling born from nose-contact, feeling born from tongue-contact, feeling born from body-contact, feeling born from intellect-contact. This is called feeling.

"And what is contact? These six are classes of contact: eye-contact, ear-contact, nose-contact, tongue-contact, body-contact, intellect-contact. This is called contact.

"And what are the six sense media? These six are sense media: the eye-medium, the ear-medium, the nose-medium, the tongue-medium, the body-medium, the intellect-medium. These are called the six sense media.

"And what is name-&-form? Feeling, perception, intention, contact, & attention: This is called name. The four great elements, and the form dependent on the four great elements: This is called form. This name & this form are called name &form.

"And what is consciousness? These six are classes of consciousness: eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, nose-consciousness, tongue-consciousness, body-consciousness, intellect-consciousness. This is called consciousness.

"And what are fabrications? These three are fabrications: bodily fabrications, verbal fabrications, mental fabrications. These are called fabrications.

"And what is ignorance? Not knowing stress, not knowing the origination of stress, not knowing the cessation of stress, not knowing the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress: This is called ignorance.

This outline I hope will bring more clarity to the explanations given on this doctrine and help focus on the importance of this Dhamma. The Samma Samkkapa (right intentions) factor in the Panna (wisdom) Part of the Noble Eightfold Path has three sub factors of Nekkamma Sankalpana (intention for letting go or renunciation), Aviyapada Samkalpana (intention for being free of ill will) and Avihinsawada Sankalpana (intention for being free of cruelty). Here the intention for letting go refers to: letting go of attachment to lust and worldly possessions, attachment for a re-becoming in a realm with a form, or attachment to a re-becoming in a formless realm. 

Paticca-samuppada teaching will help us to see the fallacy of these desires and attachments and help us to deal with these defilements appropriately. That is the craving and desire for them will gradually fade and die. By including a practice to contemplate on this teaching as above in our regular meditation will help us to develop the Wisdom Part of Noble Eightfold Path and in particular the ‘Right View’   factor. 

The keen learner may now use this platform to go into a more comprehensive study of Paticca-samuppada.

May you have the necessary inspiration? With Metta.