Dependant Genesis (P±¼i - paµiccasamupp±da), is a detailed analysis of causality that is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings; mapping out the experiential interaction of subjective reality. This analysis supports the underling principles behind the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Buddha’s teachings on causality were framed in various ways; sometimes simply as idappaccayat± - lit. This is founded on that, or briefly as:

“Monks, therefore the learned noble disciple puts forth effort and is thoroughly attentive to dependant genesis:

‘When this is known, that exists. (imasmi½ sati ida½ hoti)
When this arises, that arises. (imassupp±d± ida½ uppajjati)
When this is not known, that does not exist. (imasmi½ asati ida½ na hoti)
With this ceasing, that ceases. (imassa nirodh± ida½ nirujjhati)’ [1]

The most common example is the classic 12 point chain of the arising of suffering:

“Ignorance is the supportive condition for volitional cognition, volitional cognition is the supportive condition for consciousness, consciousness is the supportive condition for cognition of the physical, cognition of the physical is the supportive condition for the six extensions of sensation, the six extensions of sensation is the supportive condition for contact, contact is the supportive condition for the sensation of feeling, the sensation of feeling is the supportive condition for craving, craving is the supportive condition for identification, identification is the supportive condition for becoming, becoming is the supportive condition for birth and birth is the supportive condition for the arising of aging and death, sorrow, weeping, affliction and mental distress.

Such is the genesis of this entire mass of suffering.” [2]

The Buddha taught about suffering and no-suffering. Stressfulness or suffering (P±¼i - dukkha) is of two forms; fundamental and subjective.

Fundamental dukkha is the intrinsic nature of all phenomena; what comes to be, rises up and exists; is subject to decline. Because no thing comes to an absolute point of rest; there is a state of agitation and disruption. All formations, whether these are inanimate-material or a sentient being; are subject to fundamental dukkha.

A house is built and needs to be maintained to serve as a shelter; the older the structure; the more maintenance is required until its ultimate demise. And the same can be said of the physical body of a sentient being; it is beset with the elements, illness, aging and ultimately death. This is fundamental dukkha; the state of fabrications coming together and declining.

In the words of the Buddha:

“…this is the Noble Truth of Affliction; ‘Birth is painful, aging is painful and death is painful, …” [3]

Subjective Dukkha is the un-satisfactoriness of the fundamental aspect, but personalized by the sentient point-of-view, as one experiences sensate phenomena.

In the words of the Buddha:

“Sorrow, weeping, affliction and mental distress are painful, Associating with what is displeasing is painful, separation from what is pleasing is painful and not having what is desired is painful, …” [ibid]

Knowledge of this subjective or personal experience of Dukkha is the first-principle of the Buddha’s teachings. The second is finding its cause.

The Buddha had said:

“In brief, identification with the five bases of causality are painful.” [ibid]

In the Buddha’s teachings, the human condition and experience is housed within the “five bases of causality subject to be identified with” (P±¼i - pañcup±d±nakkhandh±): material form, sensations of feeling, sense-awareness, volitional-cognition and consciousness.

The experience of our world is based (P±¼i - khandha) upon these, and is known or felt through the stimulation and interaction of the “six extensions of sensation” - (P±¼i - sa¼±yatana): eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind, as these arise with their respective objects; eye and forms, ear and sounds, nose and smells, tongue and tastes, body and the sense of touch, and the mind and phenomena. These arise with consciousness (awareness; much like a container of experience), and the combination of these three: sense, object of sense and consciousness; together make what is called contact with the sensation. As these rise and fall, so does recognition of our physical world - n±mar³pa.

Both the five bases and the six extensions of sensations are what make up our human experience of reality and of anything that can be known; as the Buddha had sometimes referred to these as loka - variously translated as ‘the universe… the world… the mundane… the all.’ It is precisely this system of sense experience that the Buddha used to teach the Dhamma - the Truth of Nature.

What this means is that …

All psycho-physiological phenomena are a chain of events and interactions; arising, completing their cycle and ceasing, lending to others in a continuous flow of change. When there is ignorance; the unawareness of phenomena as it is - there is volitional cognition; where one concocts the assumption that the five bases of causality, and the interplay of the six extensions of sensation; comprise a lasting person, self or soul; that there is a stable continuity of form and sensate-experience. Because of this, one is of the viewpoint that material form, sensations of feeling, sense-awareness, volitional cognition and consciousness are oneself; that there is a self that possesses these or that this self is possessed by them.

“He is of the viewpoint that materiality is ‘Self’, or ‘Self’ possesses materiality, or materiality is in ‘Self’, or ‘Self’ is in materiality. He is of the viewpoint that sensations of feeling … that sense-awareness … that volitional-cognition … that consciousness is ‘Self’, or ‘Self’ possesses consciousness, or consciousness is in ‘Self’, or ‘Self’ is in consciousness.” [4]

These assumptions, beset by unawareness of the true nature of things; sets the stage of consciousness for the arising of desire and the preliminary step to the taking up (P±¼i - up±d±na) of a new being, a new becoming to be reborn.

This process, based on the analysis of Dependant Causality would be as follows: upon ignorant (unaware) contact, sensations arise; upon sensations, desire arises (for states of being, non-being or neither); upon desire, identification arises (here one identifies with the arisen event); upon identification, becoming arises (the maturing of identification); upon becoming, birth arises…

This birth is the cognition (the concocting), of a new mind-body that has formed and arisen in identification with sensations.

…upon birth, old-age arises…

Here this new mind-body declines, and there is the experience of subjective dukkha or displeasure in its various forms; pain, dissatisfaction and mental distress.

…upon old-age, death arises…

This is the extinction of the new mind-body having completed its cycle and its return to void states of mind.

This interaction is all taking place within the five bases, and when the common person is unaware of the truth of causality; he identifies with what has arisen as self or person. This birth is not of the physical body, but of a mind-moment, which occurs again and again; borne out in a series of ignorant contacts.

It is because of this process of ignorant contacts that the assumption of the viewpoint ‘I am’ is reinforced.

“Therefore because of these viewpoints this ‘I am’ has not vanished. Therefore, monks, because this ‘I am’ has not vanished, he is beset with these five characteristics; the eye characteristic, the ear characteristic, the nose characteristic, the tongue characteristic and the body characteristic. There exists, monks, the mind; there exists its phenomena and there exists the factor of ignorance. Born of ignorant contact, monks, the untaught-commoner is influenced by sensations; thus it occurs to him ‘I am’, thus it occurs to him ‘I am this’, thus it occurs to him ‘I exist’, thus it occurs to him ‘I shall not exist’, thus it occurs to him ‘I shall be composed of materiality’, thus it occurs to him ‘I shall not be composed of materiality’, thus it occurs to him ‘I shall be composed of sense-awareness’, thus it occurs to him ‘I shall not be composed of sense-awareness’, thus it occurs to him ‘I shall consist of neither sense-awareness nor not of sense-awareness’.” [ibid]

This premise of personal identity with phenomena results in uneasiness and stress as the individual struggles to maintain this perspective as stable and adjust to the ever-changing flow of experience. This struggle manifests as tendencies of craving; craving for that which is desirable to last, to be rid of that which is undesirable and any of a seemingly numberless variety of preferential possibilities. Once craving matures into attachment (up±d±na) i.e. the full taking-up of identification with the arisen event; then the becoming and birth of a momentary mind-body relationship with the event occurs – ‘I am and this is mine’. It is this personal event-experience that further matures and is experienced as affliction in variations from the most ordinary dissatisfaction to pain and extreme mental distress.

The solution to this is through cultivating the mind to see the true nature of phenomenal events as they are. Then one can understand the consequences that develop from identifying with what has arisen – and the benefits of mindful restraint. This leads to knowledge that nothing lasts from one moment to the next, including those factors that comprise the observer perspective. With knowledge of impermanence there is the cessation of this struggle born out of ignorance. Just as ignorant contact and craving leads to self-identification with the arisen events resulting in dissatisfaction and frustration; it is knowledge of these events as they are, that cultivates wisdom and leads to restraint, detachment and ultimately to liberation and peace.

This brings us to the 12 point chain of the cessation of suffering:

“With the cessation and fading, without remainder, of ignorance, volitional cognition ceases, with the cessation of volitional cognition, consciousness ceases, with the cessation of consciousness, cognition of the physical ceases, with the cessation of cognition of the physical, the six extensions of sensation cease, with the cessation of the six extensions of sensation, contact ceases, with the cessation of contact, the sensation of feeling ceases, with the cessation of the sensation of feeling, craving ceases, with the cessation of craving, grasping ceases, with the cessation of grasping, becoming ceases, with the cessation of becoming, birth ceases. And with the cessation of birth is the cessation of aging and death, sorrow, weeping, affliction and mental distress.

Such is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering.” [2]

Thus for the liberated being, based on the analysis of Dependant Genesis, this would be as follows: With knowledge of causality (mindfulness of phenomena as it is); upon contact, sensations arise. Sensations known with mindfulness are seen as impermanent, unstable and not-self.

“And of what is impermanent, unpleasant, and of the nature to change, is it proper to regard these as ‘This is mine, I am this, this is my ‘Self’’?”
“ No, lord.” [5]

When seen with wisdom, nothing is worthy of personal identification. Then when there is contact with sensations, desire does not arise; when desire does not arise, identification does not arise; when identification does not arise, becoming does not arise; when becoming does not arise, birth does not arise; when birth does not arise the Middle Way is established.

This Middle Way is knowledge of causality; of things as they are; of things arising and passing away in a continual flow. Therefore, the well trained and skillful observer of causality no longer identifies with the arisen phenomena. And because of this, one does not hold the viewpoint of ‘I am’ and is no longer beset with assumptions about the bases and factors of causality.

“Monks, the five characteristics exist right there, although for the learned noble disciple; ignorance has been abandoned and knowledge has arisen. Therefore with the fading away of ignorance and the arising of knowledge; thus it does not occur to him ‘I am’, thus it does not occur to him ‘I am this’, thus it does not occur to him ‘I exist’, thus it does not occur to him ‘I shall not exist’, thus it does not occur to him ‘I shall be composed of materiality’, thus it does not occur to him ‘I shall not be composed of materiality’, thus it does not occur to him ‘I shall be composed of sense-awareness’, thus it does not occur to him ‘I shall not be composed of sense-awareness’, thus it does not occur to him ‘I shall consist of neither sense-awareness nor not of sense-awareness’.” [4]

“He does not make fabrications or form ideas about becoming or non-becoming. By not making fabrications or forming ideas about becoming or non-becoming, he does not attach to anything in this world. When he is not attached, he is undisturbed. When he is undisturbed, he has become completely stilled within. Thus he knows, ‘Gone is the possibility of rebirth, fulfilled is the renounced life, the goal has been reached, of this existence there is no further goal.’

If he feels a pleasurable feeling, … If he feels a painful feeling, … If he feels a neither painful nor pleasurable feeling, he knows 'This is impermanent’; he knows 'There is nothing to attach to' he knows 'There is nothing to find pleasure in'.

If he feels a pleasurable feeling... If he feels a painful feeling... If he feels neither a painful nor pleasurable feeling; that feeling is not attached. When he is experiencing feelings of the ending of the body he knows; 'I am experiencing feelings of the ending of the body.' When he is experiencing feelings of the ending of life he knows; 'I am experiencing feelings of the ending of life.' He knows; 'With the breaking up of the body, the consummation of life to the other side of death, all that is felt in this; there is no pleasure to be found, and is cooled right here.

Monk, just as an oil-lamp burns with the benefit of a wick and oil, and when that oil and wick are consumed, without fuel, it extinguishes from this deficiency, indeed just so, monk, When he is experiencing feelings of the ending of the body, he knows 'I am experiencing feelings of the ending of the body.' When he is experiencing feelings of the ending of life, he knows 'I am experiencing feelings of the ending of life.' He knows, 'With the breaking up of the body, the consummation of life to the other side of death, all that is felt in this; there is no pleasure to be found, and is cooled right here.

Therefore, a monk who possesses this is endowed with the highest principle of wisdom. Monk, this indeed is the highest noble wisdom, that is, knowledge of the extinction of all suffering.” [6]

~~~

[Khantijayo Bhikkhu - 2007]

1. SN. 2.61
2. SN. 2.1
3. SN. 56.11
4. SN.22.47
5. SN. 22.59
6. MN. 140