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Vipassana
Dependent Origination   (Paticcasamuppada)

            Paticcasamuppada is a series of cause and effects, made into a circular chain of twelve links (nidanas) illustrating the conditions that cause birth and re-birth. It is the sabhava-dhamma (true state of the nature) that governs cause and effect of phenomena, with each link causing the next one to occur. It occurs in samara-vata and can't be stopped. It is simply cause and effect, and without a self or outside force-in this world and other worlds
            No person or outside power can make this happen: this is called Paticcasamuppada-dhamma, and it is a cause and aiding condition (paccaya).For example avijja (ignorance) is the paccaya (1) which leads to (2) Kamma Formations. (See casual links, below.)
            This discussion of Dependent Origination will cover only becoming in this world, as a human being. The twelve casual links of Dependent Origination are as follows:
  1. Dependent on Ignorance, arise Kamma-Formations.
  2. Dependent on Kamma-Formations, arises Consciousness.
  3. Dependent on Consciousness, arise Mind and Matter.
  4. Dependent on Mind and Matter, arise the Six Sense Bases.
  5. Dependent on the Six Sense Bases, arises Contact.
  6. Dependent on Contact, arises Feeling
  7. Dependent on Feeling, arises Craving.
  8. Dependent on Craving, arises Clinging.
  9. Dependent on Clinging, arises Becoming.
10. Dependent on becoming, arises Birth.
11. Dependent on Birth, arise Decay and Death.
12. Decay and Death leads to sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair, etc.
            a ) From Ignorance to Decay and Death ends the real dependent Origination."Sorrow, lamentation", etc. are what follows, to show that each birth leads to Dukkha-1st Noble Truth. The real Dependent Origination is called Bhava-cakka - "the wheel of becoming". As long as one is in samsara, the wheel can never be stopped.
            b) Terms
            1. Avijja (Ignorance) means failure to realize the Four Noble Truths.
            2. Sankhara (Kamma Formations) is not the Sankhara of the Five Khandas. Sankhara here is kamma collected from the past life that leads to rebirth. There are three kinds of Sankhara: punna (merit), apunna (non-merit), anenjha (the highest arupa - jhana).
            3. Vinnana (consciousness) is patisandhi-vinnana, or rebirth consciousness.
            4. Nama-Rupa (Mind and Matter) is three cetasikas: vedana, sanna, sankhara plus kammasharupa (body created by kamma).
            5. Six Sense Bases (Salayatana) are eye, ear, etc.
            6. Contact (Phassa) refers to the cetasika (mental property) that directs citta (mental state) to the object of the Six Sense Bases.
            7. Feeling (Vedana) is the cetasika (vedana-cetasika) that knows if feeling is sukkha, dukkha,etc.
            8. Craving (tanha) is the lobha-cetasika that feels desire when six senses operate.
            9. Clinging (Upadana) is the cetasika that grows out of lobha-cetasika, but is stronger.
          10. Becoming (Bhava) is Kamma-bhava, or existence wherein good or bad kamma is created.
          11. Birth (Jati - refers to the Five Khandas, or nama-rupa.
          12. When Jati occurs, then there is decay and death.
            The Lord Buddha described dependent origination (paticcasamuppada-dhamma) so that we can realize the truth of sabhava-dhamma (true state of the nature), and see that it occurs by itself with cause and paccaya (aiding condition). The purpose of this is to help realize nama-rupa are anicca, dukkha, and anatta(sabhava-dhamma).
            Avijja (ignorance) is first on the chain of Dependent Origination, but actually it is like a wheel, or circle, which has no beginning or end. Avijja is chief, however, of the links in the chain; since ignorance is a root cause of defilements, elimination of ignorance through wisdom is the only way to break the chain. Ignorance comes from the asavas (cankers): canker of dense desire, canker of becoming, canker of views, canker of ignorance - but all four derive from ignorance: which is ignorance of the Four Noble Truths.
            Once, Ananda was telling the Buddha how beautiful Paticcasamuppada is and how easy to understand. "Not so" , said the Buddha."Dependent Origination is deep, profound and difficult to understand." If someone would like to study Dependent Origination, it is advisable to get a book written especially on the subject, and he will be surprised at the profound wisdom of the Lord Buddha. The benefit of this dhamma will be to prevent the wrong view of self, by showing that everything happens by cause, and there is no self, soul, god, etc. to cause anything.