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Grammatical Analysis
Pacchājātapaccaya: [m.] Post-nascence condition; Condition of arising later. Formed by pacchā (after, later, behind) + jāta (born, arisen) + paccaya (condition).
Orthodox Definition
Pacchājāta-paccaya is the eleventh of the 24 Conditions. It is the exact opposite of the pre-nascence condition. It describes a situation where a mental phenomenon arises after a physical phenomenon, but the later-arising mind still supports and sustains the previously born physical body.
In Abhidhamma physics, the physical body of a living being is continuously generated by past kamma, but it requires the continuous arising of present consciousness (citta) to keep it alive and prevent it from decaying into a corpse. Even though the current body was born before the current thought, the current thought acts as a post-nascence support.
The traditional illustration of this condition is the classic simile of the young vulture fledglings. The physical bodies of the nestlings are already born, but they are sustained and kept from perishing by their desperate anticipation and craving for food brought by their parents. Similarly, later-arising mental states stand as the structural framework that sustains and keeps the pre-existing physical body from collapsing.
Quote
cha vatthūni, cha ārammaṇāni cāti ime paccayuppannato paṭhamaṃ uppajjitvā pavattamānabhāvena upakārako purejātapaccayo.
The six bases (vatthu) and the six objects (ārammaṇa) are Purejātapaccaya (the Pre-nascence Condition) because they arise first and remain active, thus supporting the resultant dhammas.pacchājātapaccaye asati santānaṭṭhitihetubhāvaṃ āgacchantassa kāyassa upatthambhanabhāvena upakārakā pacchājātā cittacetasikā dhammā pacchājātapaccayo.
The citta and cetasikā dhammā that arise later, by supporting the body (kāya) so that it may not fail to maintain its continuity of existence in the absence of the Pacchājātapaccaya, are Pacchājātapaccaya (the Post-nascence Condition).so gijjhapotakasarīrānaṃ āhārāsā cetanā viya daṭṭhabbo.
It should be understood as the craving for food (āhārāsā cetanā) for the bodies of vulture fledglings.— Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha (Paccayasaṅgaho)
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Paṭṭhāna – “Post-nascent consciousness and mental factors are related to this pre-nascent body by post-nascence condition.”
- Commentary: Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha – Preserving the precise biological analogy of the young vulture fledglings (gijjhapotaka) to illustrate how psychological expectancy supports physical vitality.