- Lord Buddha rejected theories on the explanation of causality prevalent at the time, such as belief in an external power, Man himself being the independent doer, determinism or rejection of causality
- Buddha proposed the middle way as an alternative to the dominant causality theories, which emphasises on dependent co-arising
Paticca Samuppadaya, “Dependent Co-arising” is part of the primary teachings in Buddhism. At the time of the Buddha, a variety of philosophical positions on causality were current in India. Some teachings claimed that the universe was controlled by an external power, either an omnipotent god or a principle inherent in nature. Some took man to be an independent doer and employer of action. Some favoured determination, while others completely rejected any kind of causality. Despite their differences, all these positions concurred in recognising an absolute principle formulated in terms of the existence (or absence) of a single or first cause.
Buddha, on the other hand, proposed dependent co-arising as a “middle way“ explanation of causality. His concept of dependent co-arising was so decisive a departure from existing conceptions of causality that he rejected all four prevalent ways of formulating causality.
According to Pali Mahavagga, Gautama Buddha spent the first week after the Enlightenment in emancipation and at night on the seventh or the last day of the week, He reflected and meditated on Paticca Samuppadaya–cause and effect or dependent co-arising, consequently and inversely, which He preached and explained to the Universe lucidly. How sorrow, grief or misery accrues or falls on someone and how it is extinguished is explained in Paticca Samuppadaya. It is a profound phenomenon. Until it is explicitly comprehended, one cannot cross the sea of Samsara and until he or she crosses the sea of Samsara and attains Nibbana, he or she has to undergo suffering. Until the elucidation of the concept of causes and effects, people held various views but failed to find a way to put an end to suffering. The Enlightened One pointed out that one who sees and comprehends Paticca Samuppadaya sees and comprehends the inherent nature and the natural state.
Paticca Samuppadaya is the asseveration that there is a cause for anything, including suffering. Everything and everyone operates in accordance with the cause-and-effect relationship. Cause is the agent or the influential factor which brings about someone or something to a changed state or situation. There is a main cause for something to happen, for a changed state or situation. A seed or sapling is invariably essential for a tree or plant to grow. It is the main item. This main item is the cause. Subsidiary items such as soil, water, air, sunlight, etc., which help the growth of the plant, are aids (Prathya). The Enlightened One has explained this precisely as follows:
Imasmin sati idan hoti.
(When this (A) is there, this (B) will also be there)
Imassa uppada idan uppajjati
(Birth of this (A) will result in the birth of this (B) too)
Imassmin asati Idan na hoti
(When this (A) is not there, this (B) too will not be there)
Imassa nirodha idan niruji hoti
(Cessation of this (A) will result in the cessation of this(B) too}
Twelve Sequential Links
The discourses often describe dependent co-arising (Paticca samuppadaya) as a model of the following twelve sequential links. Avijja (Ignorance)Sankhaara (Mental Formation) Vigngnana (Consciousness) Nama rupa (Name and Form / Mental and physical phenomena) Salayatana (Six bases of cognition / Six faculties) Phassa (Contact / Sensorial and Mental contact)Vedana (Feeling) Tanha (Craving) Upadana (Grasping arising from sense desires) Bhava (Birth or coming into existence) Jati (Origination) Jara Marana (Decay and death)
This sequence traces the conditioned arising of dukkha (misery) back to ignorance. According to Patisambhidamagga, these twelve links extend over three consecutive individual lifetimes. The twelve links are applied to three lifetimes, probably assumed to increase the importance in the historical development of Buddhist thought as a way of explaining rebirth without an eternal surviving agent. Although the sequence of twelve links occurs frequently in discourses, substantial variances can also be found. Some of these start with the third link, consciousness, which moreover stands in a reciprocal relationship with the next link, ‘name and form’. These and other variances suggest that the mode of explanation based on three lifetimes is not the only way of approaching and understanding dependence co-arising.
In fact, the twelve links are but a particularly frequent application of the general structural principle of dependence co-arising. In ‘Paccaya Sutta’ in Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha introduced this important distinction between the general principle and its application. This discourse speaks of the twelve links dependently originated phenomena, while Paticca samuppadaya refers to the relation between them, that is, to the principle.
Moha or Avijja is a mind that cannot see the real nature of the object. One who is ignorant cannot realise the four noble truths, the noble truth of suffering (Dukkha satya), the origin or arising of suffering (Samudaya satya), the cessation of suffering (Nirodha satya) and the way leading to the cessation of suffering (Marga satya) which is the Eightfold Path, Right view (Samma–ditti), Right thought (Samma-sankappa), Right speech (Samma-vacha), Right bodily action (Samma–kammanta), Right livelihood (Samma–ajjiva), Right effort (Samma-vayama), Right mindfulness (Samma-sati) and Right concentration (Samma-samadhi)
Due to Ignorance and the inability to realise the real nature of the object, one commits wholesome and unwholesome acts, thus accumulating kamma.
On the principle of conditionality, relativity and interdependence, the whole existence and continuity of life and its cessation are explained in a detailed formula, which is Paticca Samuppada ’Conditioned Genesis’, consisting of the following twelve factors:
- Through ignorance are conditioned volitional actions or karma formations (Avijja paccaya sankhara).
- Through volitional actions is conditioned consciousness (Sankhara paccaya vingnaanam).
- Through consciousness are conditioned mental and physical phenomena(Vignana paccaya Nama Rupam).
- Through mental and physical phenomena are conditioned the six faculties ie.five physical sense organs and the mind (Nama Rupa paccaya Salayatana).
- Through the six faculties ie.five physical sense organs and the mind is conditioned sensorial and mental contact (Salayatana paccaya Phassa).
- Through sensorial and mental contact is conditioned sensation (Phassa paccaya Vedana) desire ‘thirst’ (Vedana paccaya Tanha).
- Through desire ‘thirst’ is conditioned clinging (Tanha paccaya upadana).
- Through clinging is conditioned the process of becoming (Upadana paccaya Bhava).
- Through the process of becoming is conditioned birth (Bhava paccaya Jati).
- Through birth are conditioned decay, death, lamentation pain etc (Jati Paccaya Jara, Marana, domanassa, dukkha, and vedana.
Reverse Order Results In Cessation
If we take this formula in reverse order, we come to the cessation of the process:
- Through the complete cessation of ignorance, volitional activities or karma formation cease.
- Through the cessation of volitional activities, consciousness ceases.
- Through the cessation of consciousness, mental and physical phenomena ceases.
- Through the cessation of mental and physical phenomena, six faculties ceases.
- Through the cessation of six faculties, sensorial and mental contact ceases.
- Through the cessation of sensorial and mental contact, censation ceases.
- Through the cessation of desire’s thirst, clinging ceases.
- Through the cessation of clinging, the process of becoming ceases.
- Through the cessation of becoming, birth ceases.
- Through the cessation of birth decay, death, sorrow etc. cease.
It should be remembered that each of these factors is conditioning (Patticca samupanna) as well as conditioning (Paticca sapuppadana). Therefore, they are all relative, interdependent and interconnected and nothing is absolute and independent; hence, no first cause is accepted in Buddhism, as seen earlier. Conditional Genesis should be considered as a circle and not as a chain.
