Grammatical Analysis
Upanissayapaccaya: [m.] Decisive support condition; Strong dependence condition. Formed by prefix upa (strong, intense) + nissaya (support) + paccaya (condition).
Orthodox Definition
Upanissaya-paccaya is the ninth of the 24 Conditions. It is one of the most broad and powerful conditions in the Abhidhamma, covering situations where a past phenomenon acts as an overwhelmingly strong, decisive cause for a future phenomenon, even if there is a massive time gap between them.
It is divided into three categories:
- Object Decisive Support: An object that is so incredibly desirable that it forcibly pulls the mind toward it.
- Proximity Decisive Support: The immense momentum of the preceding mind-moment forcing the next one to arise.
- Natural Decisive Support: The most common usage. This explains how strong past habits, environmental conditions, or heavy kamma decisively cause future outcomes. For example, past giving (dāna) acts as a strong decisive support for future wealth. Good weather and heavy rain act as a decisive support for a successful harvest.
Textual References
- Abhidhamma: Paṭṭhāna – Mapping how previous wholesome states act as a decisive support for later wholesome states, and how weather/food act as decisive supports for the body.
- Commentary: Paṭṭhāna-aṭṭhakathā – Emphasizing the “strong” (upa) prefix to differentiate it from basic support.