Verified
Overview
Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda) is the absolute core of Buddhist philosophy. It is the complex, 12-linked causal chain explaining exactly how suffering and rebirth occur without the need for a creator god or a permanent soul. The entire goal of Buddhism is to cut this chain, causing the entire mass of suffering to collapse.
The List
- Avijjā - Ignorance (of the Four Noble Truths) conditions…
- Saṅkhārā - Volitional Formations (Kammic actions of body, speech, mind), which condition…
- Viññāṇa - Consciousness (The rebirth-linking consciousness), which conditions…
- Nāmarūpa - Mentality and Materiality (The mind-body organism), which conditions…
- Saḷāyatana - The Six Sense Bases (Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind), which condition…
- Phassa - Contact (The meeting of sense, object, and consciousness), which conditions…
- Vedanā - Feeling (Pleasant, painful, or neutral tone), which conditions…
- Taṇhā - Craving (Lust for the feeling), which conditions…
- Upādāna - Clinging (Fierce grasping and attachment), which conditions…
- Bhava - Existence/Becoming (The kammic process of forming a new life), which conditions…
- Jāti - Birth (The descent into a new womb/realm), which conditions…
- Jarāmaraṇa, Soka, Parideva, Dukkha, Domanassa, Upāyāsā - Aging, Death, Sorrow, Lamentation, Pain, Grief, and Despair.
Quote
katamo ca, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo?
“And what, bhikkhus, is Dependent Origination?
avijjāpaccayā, bhikkhaveote, saṅkhārā; saṅkhārapaccayā viññāṇaṃ; viññāṇapaccayā nāmarūpaṃ; nāmarūpapaccayā saḷāyatanaṃ; saḷāyatanapaccayā phasso; phassapaccayā vedanā; vedanāpaccayā taṇhā; taṇhāpaccayā upādānaṃ; upādānapaccayā bhavo; bhavapaccayā jāti; jātipaccayā jarāmaraṇaṃ sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā sambhavanti.
Bhikkhus, with avijjā as condition, saṅkhārā arise; with saṅkhārā as condition, viññāṇa; with viññāṇa as condition, nāmarūpa; with nāmarūpa as condition, saḷāyatana; with saḷāyatana as condition, phassa; with phassa as condition, vedanā; with vedanā as condition, taṇhā; with taṇhā as condition, upādāna; with upādāna as condition, bhava; with bhava as condition, jāti; with jāti as condition, jarāmaraṇa, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise.
evametassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa samudayo hoti.
Thus there is the origin of this whole mass of suffering.
ayaṃ vuccati, bhikkhave, paṭiccasamuppādo. This, bhikkhus, is called Dependent Origination.
Textual References
- Canonical: Paṭiccasamuppāda Sutta (SN 12.1) – The Buddha outlines both the forward (arising) and reverse (cessation) orders of this twelve-fold chain.