Grammatical Analysis
Sahajātapaccaya: [m.] Co-nascence condition; arising-together condition. Formed by saha (together, with) + jāta (born, arisen) + paccaya (condition).
Orthodox Definition
Sahajāta-paccaya is the sixth of the 24 Conditions. It occurs when a phenomenon, by the very act of its own arising, simultaneously causes other phenomena to arise alongside it, supporting them through co-existence.
In Abhidhamma, consciousness (citta) and mental factors (cetasikas) always arise together. A consciousness never arises first and then waits for feeling or perception to join it; they are co-nascent. Similarly, at the moment of conception (paṭisandhi), the mental aggregates and the first physical matter arise simultaneously, conditioning each other via sahajāta.
The standard commentarial simile is the lighting of a lamp. At the exact millisecond the flame is ignited, the light and the heat are simultaneously generated. The flame acts as the co-nascence condition for the light and heat.
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Paṭṭhāna – Mapping how the four immaterial aggregates mutually condition one another via co-nascence.
- Commentary: Paṭṭhāna-aṭṭhakathā – Providing the simile of the burning lamp, illustrating simultaneous causality that defies linear time.