1
Handout #6
Dependent Origination (緣起)
Once in India, when the Buddha was in the world, the Bhikshu Asvajit,
Horse-Victory (馬勝比丘), was walking down the road, carefully attired in his robes.
His awesome deportment was so striking, that upon seeing him, Upatisya was moved
to say, “You are so majestic, your awesome manner so well perfected that certainly
you must have a master. Whom do you study with?” Bhikshu Asvajit said, “All
dharmas arise from conditions, all dharmas cease because of conditions. The
Buddha, the great Sramana, always speaks this way (諸法從緣生，諸法從緣滅，我
佛大沙門，常作如是說).” When Upatisya heard these words, he and his friend
Kolita went to see Buddha and asked him to accept them as bhikshu. Later on they
attained to the Arahant Fruit and became the Buddha’s chief disciples. They were
known everywhere for their high wisdom and great supernatural power under the
more familiar names of Sariputra (舍利弗)and Maudgalyayana (目犍連). The verse
that was handed down became known as the “Verse of Bhikshu Asvajit (阿說示比丘
偈).”
All existence arises due to causes and conditions (萬有皆從因緣生) and there
are no exceptions. Thus, ‘things arise due to causes and conditions’ is a law that is
everlasting and unchangeable. The Buddha named this the Law of Dependent
Origination. The dependent origination is essentially and primarily a teaching that
has to do with the problem of suffering and how to free ourselves from suffering.
There are twelve components or links that make up dependent origination; the twelve
conditioned causes which the Pratyekabuddhas cultivate. They are ignorance (無明),
karma-formation (行), consciousness (識), mental and physical phenomena (名色),
six senses (六入), contact (觸), feeling (受), craving (愛), clinging (取), becoming
(有), birth (生), and old age and death (老死).
There are two principal ways in which we can understand these twelve
components. The doctrine of dependent origination proceeds, synthetically by
showing that all these phenomena are, in some way or other, conditionally related
with each other. One way to understand them is sequentially, over a period of three
life-times, the past life, the present life, and the future life.
The formula of dependent origination runs as follows:
“無明緣行, Through ignorance are conditioned the karma-formations, mental
formations or rebirth-producing volition.” Ignorance is the lack of understanding.
In everyday language, it is called being mixed-up. It means that you have not
understood the principle. Because you are so mixed up and you do not understand,
your behavior is mixed up, your actions are false. By false activity means doing
2
what you shouldn’t do. That is, all wholesome and unwholesome actions of body,
speech and mind, are conditioned through ignorance. Karma-formations are
associated with greed, hate, or delusion; these are always in all circumstances,
conditioned through the simultaneous ignorance, inseparably associated therewith.
Ignorance further may be for them a condition by way of decisive support or
inducement. For instance, ignorance coupled with greed, induces a man to commit
evil deeds, as killing, stealing, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc. In these cases,
ignorance is a ‘natural decisive support’ or ‘direct inducement’. It also may become
an indirect inducement, by way of objects of our thinking. This takes place, if, for
example, someone remembers a former state of ignorance combined with sensual
enjoyment, and, in doing so, unwholesome karmic states spring up, such as, sensual
desire, grief, etc.
“行緣識, Through the karma-formations is conditioned consciousness in the
present life”. This proposition teaches that the wholesome and unwholesome
karma-formations are the causes of future rebirth in an appropriate sphere. When a
man and woman indulge in sexual behavior, if an intermediate skandha-consciousness
(中陰身) has an appropriate interpersonal causal connection with that mother and
father, then even if it is a thousand miles away, and even if only the tiniest thread of
light is emitted, it sees the light and goes there to become a fetus. So, the
karma-formations of the previous life, condition the budding in a new mother’s womb
of a fresh psycho-physical aggregation of the five groups of existence. It should be
understood that already, from the very first moment of conception in the mother’s
womb, this karma-resultant consciousness of the embryonic being is functioning.
“識緣名色, Through consciousness is conditioned the mental and physical
phenomena, name and form, corporeality and mentality, or mind and matter”. When
fetus comes into being, there is name and form. Name refers to the four skandhas of
feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness, while form refers to the
form-skandha. Four kinds of awareness exist in the mother’s womb in name only;
they have not yet actually come into being. This proposition implies that without
consciousness, there can be no mental and physical process of resultant mental
phenomena, such as feeling, perception, formation.
“名色緣六入, Through the mental and physical phenomena are conditioned the
six senses, entrances, or bases)”. Once name and form come to exist, there are then
six entrances. There are six perceptual faculties as they give rise to the seeing-nature,
the hearing-nature, the smelling-nature, the tasting-nature, the touching-nature, and
the knowing-nature.
“六入緣觸, Through the six senses is conditioned the sensorial and mental
contact or impression” . Without the five physical bases, or sense-organs, there can
3
be no sense-impressions; and without the sixth base, or consciousness, there can be no
mental impression.
“觸緣受, Through the contact is conditioned feeling or sensation”. The
sensorial and the mental impressions are for the feeling associated therewith, a
condition by way of co-nascence, association, mutuality etc.
“受緣愛, Through feeling is conditioned craving, desire or thirst.” Any
feeling, whether agreeable, disagreeable or neutral, bodily or mental , past or expected,
may become, for craving, a condition of decisive support by way of the object.
“愛緣取, Through craving is conditioned clinging”. ‘Clinging’ is explained as
an intensified form of ‘craving’. It is of four kinds: 1. cling to sensuality, 2. to
erroneous views, 3. to rules and ritual, 4. to personality-belief. Sensuous craving is
to cling to sensuality, a condition of natural decisive support.
“取緣有, Through cling is conditioned the process of becoming”, consisting in
the active and the passive life process, i.e. the re-birth producing karma-process and as
its result, the re-birth process.
“有緣生, Through the process of becoming is conditioned birth”. The five
karmical causes, (ignorance, karma-formation, craving, clinging, and process of
becoming), of the past birth are the condition for the five karma-results
(consciousness, mental and physical phenomena, six bases, impression and feeling) of
the present birth; and the five karmical causes of the present birth are the condition for
the five karma-results of the next birth.
“生緣老死, Through rebirth is conditioned old age and death”. Thus arises
this whole mass of suffering again in the future.
The following diagram shows the relationship of dependence between three
successive lives:
Past cause
(過去因)
1. Ignorance (無明)
2. Karma-formations (行)
Present
effect
(現在果)
3. Consciousness (識)
Rebirth-Process
4. Mental and physical phenomena (名色)
5 results: 3 - 7
5. Six senses (六入)
Karma-Process
5 causes: 1,2,8,9,10
6. Contact (觸)
7. Feeling (受)
Present
cause
(現在因)
8. Craving (愛)
9. Clinging (取)
10. Process of becoming (有)
Karma-Process
5 causes: 1,2,8,9,10
Future
effect
(未來果)
11. Birth (生)
12. Old age and death (老死)
Rebirth-Process
5 results: 3 - 7
4
Ignorance and karma-formation belong to the past life. They represent the
conditions that are responsible for the occurrence of present life. The following
components of dependent origination, consciousness, name and form, the six senses,
contact, feeling, craving, clinging and becoming, belong to present life. In brief,
these eight components constitute the process of evolution with the present life. The
last two components, birth, old age and death belong to the future life. According to
this scheme, we can see how the twelve components of dependent origination are
distributed over the period of three life-times. This is the sequential interpretation of
the dependent origination over a period of three life-times.
If there were no ignorance, there would be no karma formation. This is the
extinguishing cycle of the twelve conditioned causes.
When ignorance is ended, karma formation is ended.
When karma formation is ended, consciousness is ended.
When consciousness is ended, name and form are ended.
When name and form are ended, the six senses are ended.
When the six senses are ended, contact is ended.
When contact is ended, the feeling is ended.
When feeling is ended, craving is ended.
When craving is ended, clinging is ended.
When clinging is ended, becoming is ended.
When becoming is ended, birth, old age, and death are ended.
Another interpretation might be called a cyclical interpretation because it does
not depend upon a distribution of the twelve components among three life-times.
Rather, it divides the twelve components into three groups, and these are defilement
(klesha), karma (actions), and sufferings (duhkha). According to this scheme,
ignorance, craving and clinging belong to the group of defilement. Karma formation
and becoming belong to the group of karma. The remaining seven, consciousness,
name and form, the six senses, contact, feeling, birth, old age and death belong to the
group of sufferings. Through this interpretation, we can see how the truth of the
cause of suffering is conjoined with the teaching of karma and rebirth.
We know that ignorance, greed and hatred are the cause of suffering. If we
look at the three components of dependent origination that are included in the group
of defilement, we will find ignorance, craving and clinging. Here too, ignorance is
the most basic. It is because of ignorance that we crave for pleasure of the senses,
for existence and for non-existence. Similarly, it is because of ignorance that we
cling to pleasures of the senses, to pleasant experiences, to ideas and, perhaps most
significantly, to the idea of independent, permanent self. This ignorance - craving
and clinging, is the cause of karma.
5
The two components of dependent origination that are included in the group of
karma are karma-formation and becoming. Karma-formation refers to the
impressions or habits that we have formed in our stream of conscious. These
impressions or habits are formed by repeated actions. These habits become part of
our personality and we take these habits with us from life to life in the form of
karma-formation or habit energy. Our actions, in the present life, are conditioned by
the habits which we have formulated over countless previous lives. The actions that
we perform in this life are represented by the component known as becoming. So, as
regards to karma-formation and becoming, we have the habits that we have developed
over the course of countless lives combined with new actions, performed in this life,
and these two together result in rebirth and suffering.
To summarize, we have the defilement which may be described as impurities of
the mind. These mental impurities result in actions, actions done in previous lives
which have resulted in the formulation of habit energy, and actions done in the present
life which, on the whole, are liable to conform to the patterns established in previous
lives. Together, these impurities of the mind and these actions result in rebirth. In
other words, they result in consciousness, in name and form, in the six senses, in
contact between the six senses and the objects of the six senses, in feeling which is
born of the contact, in birth, and in old age and death. In this interpretation, the five
components of dependent origination included in the groups of defilement and karma
are ignorance, craving, clinging, karma formation and becoming and are the cause of
rebirth and suffering. Consciousness, name and form, the six senses, contact, feeling,
birth, and old age and death are the effects of the defilement and karma. Together,
the defilement and karma explain the origin of suffering and the particular
circumstances in which each of us find ourselves, in which we are born.
So long as defilement and karma are present, rebirth and suffering will occur.
When we see that, repeatedly, ignorance, craving, clinging and actions will lead to
rebirth and suffering, we will recognize the need to break this vicious circle. This is
why the Buddha has said that understanding dependent origination is the key to
liberation. So, once we see the functioning of dependent origination, we can then set
about breaking this circle of dependent origination. We can do this by removing the
impurities of the mind, ignorance, craving and clinging. Once these impurities are
eliminated, karma will not be performed, and habit energy will not be produced.
Once karma ceases, rebirth and suffering will also cease.
The objective of the Buddha talking about dependent origination was to signify
the important true principle of selflessness. Selflessness is the final conclusion for
anything that is dependent originated. Human life and the universe are dependently
originated. Every part of human existence and the universe are interrelated just like
6
a net.
Take a tree in the garden, for example. A tree requires conditions, such as the
seed, water, earth, etc., in order to grow and stay alive. This is called ‘dependent
origination’. Furthermore, the conditions of the seed, water, and earth that support
the growth of the tree, are themselves reliant on other causes and conditions. Hence,
if we expand this circle, we can see that everything is interrelated.
On the other hand, this tree can help to create better scenery. After it grows
into a big tree, the wood can be chopped and be used as the material for furniture.
People can use this furniture. Expanding from this, all things are mutually
supportive, and they are related to everything that exists. All existence supports the
existence of one thing; similarly, a particular thing is also connected to all existence.
Everything in the universe is interrelated, as such.
Another example is the survival of a person. When we are young, we need the
care of our parents. While growing up, we need the assistance of friends. We also
rely on the support of the farmers, workers, and merchants to provide all our material
needs in life, such as clothing, food and accommodation. For the security of life, we
rely on the government of the country and the protection of the army and police. We
need all these causes and conditions in order to survive.
At the same time, we should also try to apply our intelligence, knowledge, and
ability to work for the society, and become the causes and conditions for others.
All existence is dependently originated and interrelated. Nothing in the
universe can exist independently without the support of others. Similarly, no one in
society can detach themselves from others and live independently. We need the
support of the people in society in order to survive. Thus, we should also contribute
our efforts for people and society and help with the survival of others.
It is through the understanding of the law of dependent origination that one can
realize selflessness and, therefore, work to benefit others through help and cooperation
with one another.