A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada Paticca Samuppada
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A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada Paticca Samuppada The Law of Cause and Effect By Most Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw Translated by U Aye Maung This Book is made available FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION Through the http://uk.group.yahoo.com/group/Budu-bana Dhamma Distrubution Service A gift of Dhamma provided in book form by http://uk.group.yahoo.com/group/Budu-bana 1 Discourse on Dependent Origination ( Paticca Samuppada) by Mahasi Sayadaw This Book is FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION This publication is made available for free distribution by River Publications, administered by the Magga Bhavaka Trust, stewards for Ratanagiri: Harnham Buddhist Monastery. We trust that this book will be of benefit to those interested in entering into a deeper contemplation and appreciation of their lives. We at River Publications feel privileged to be able to produce books such as this, and look forward to continuing to do so. We would be delighted to receive any comments or feedback from readers of this volume. Individuals are welcome to download and print out The Gift of Well-Being for their own use. However, reproduction or redistribution in any commercial form may only be carried out with the written consent of River Publications. Sabbadanam dhammadanam jinati 'The gift of Dhamma surpasses all other gifts.' Compiled and produced by River Publications, 2 Harnham Hall Cottages, Belsay, Northumberland NE20 0HF, U.K.. © River Publications With the compliments of http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Budu-bana 2 A Discourse on Pticca Samuppada by Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw A Discourse on Paticcasamuppada or The Doctrine of Dependent Origination By Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw Importance Of The Doctrine The doctrine of Paticcasamuppada or Dependent Origination is very important in Buddhism. The bodhisattva began with dependent origination when he reflected deeply on the nature of existence and attained Enlightenment. He first pondered old age and death as did every other bodhisattva when he was about to become the Buddha in his last existence. For it was only after seeing the old, the sick and the dead that the bodhisattva saw the ascetic (‘‘samana’‘) and renounced the world in search of the ageless and the deathless Dhamma. He had seen the evils of life in old age, sickness and death. Every living being wants to avoid these evils of life but there is no end to these evils, which follow him in one existence after another. In view of this endless process of life, all living beings appear to be in bondage and subject to suffering. Life is in fact an infinite process of births and deaths. The fate of fowls and ducks is terrible indeed. Some are eaten up while still in the eggs. If they emerge from the eggs they do not live long but are killed when they grow up a little. They are born only to be killed for human consumption. If the fate of a living being is thus to be repeatedly killed it is gloomy and frightful indeed. But the fowls and ducks appear to be well content with their lot in life. They apparently enjoy life, quacking, crowing, eating and fighting with one another. They may think that they have a lot of time to live although in fact they have little time to be happy, their life being a matter of days or months, with each of them coming into existence and then dying after a short time. The span of human life, too, is not very long for the man in his fifties or sixties the past seems in retrospect as recent as yesterday. Sixty or seventy years on earth is a day in the life of a deva which is, however, very short in the eyes of a Brahma who may live as long as the duration of the worlds (‘‘kappa’‘). But even the Brahma who outlives hundreds of worlds is insignificant and his life is short in the context of samsaric eternity. Devas and Brahmas, too, have to age and die eventually. Although they are not subject to sickness and marked dotage, age tells on them invisibly in due course of time. So every living being has to face old age and death and nobody can escape from these evils of life. A gift of Dhamma provided in book form by http://uk.group.yahoo.com/group/Budu-bana 1 Discourse on Dependent Origination ( Paticca Samuppada) by Mahasi Sayadaw Reflection Of The Bodhisattva Reflecting on the origin of old age, the bodhisattva traced back the chain of dependent origination from the end to the beginning. Old age and death have their origin in rebirth which in turn is due to ‘‘kammabhava’‘ (condition or kamma for renewed existence). Kammabhava stems from grasping or attachment (upadana), which is caused by craving (tanha). Craving arises from feeling (vedana), which is produced by sense-bases (ayatana) such as eye, visual form, etc. Sense-bases are the product of nama-rupa (consciousness and corporeality) which results from ‘‘vinnana’‘ (consciousness) which is again caused by ‘‘nama-rupa’‘. The full Pali texts about Paticcasamuppada attribute vinnana to sankhárá (kamma- formations) and sankhárá to avijja (ignorance). But the bodhisattva’s reflection is confined to the interdependence of ‘‘nama-rupa’‘ and vinnana in the present life. In other words, he reflected on the correlation between vinnana and nama-rupa, leaving out of account the former's relation to past existence. We may assume, therefore, that for the yogis, reflection on the present life will suffice to ensure the successful practice of vipassana. Anuloma Reasoning The bodhisattva reasoned about the correlation between vinnana and nama-rupa thus: This vinnana has no cause other than nama-rupa. From nama-rupa there results vinnana; from vinnana there arises nama-rupa. Hence, from the correlation between vinnana and nama-rupa there arises birth, old age and death; there may be successive births or successive deaths. Moreover vinnana causes nama-rupa; nama-rupa causes sense-bases (ayatana). From sense-bases there arises contact; contact leads to feeling; feeling gives rise to craving; craving to grasping; and grasping results in rebirth which in turn leads to old age, death, anxiety, grief and other kinds of mental and physical sufferings. Then the bodhisattva reflected on dependent origination negatively. If there were no vinnana there could be no nama-rupa; if no nama-rupa, then no ayatana and so on. The negation of the first link in the chain of causation leads to the extinction of suffering that has beset us ceaselessly in the infinite series of samsaric existences. After this reflection on dependent origination in its positive and negative aspects, the bodhisattva contemplated the nature of the aggregates of grasping. Then he attained the successive insights and fruitions (magga-phala) on the Aryan holy path and finally became the all-Enlightened Buddha. Every bodhisattva attained supreme Enlightenment after such contemplation. They did not learn what and how to contemplate from others but owing to cumulative potential (parami) that they had acquired through innumerable lifetimes, they contemplated as mentioned before and attained Enlightenment. With the compliments of http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Budu-bana 2 Discourse on Dependent Origination ( Paticca Samuppada) by Mahasi Sayadaw Beyond Reasoning And Speculation Then when it was time to preach, the Buddha thought thus: This Dhamma, which I know, is very profound. It is hard to understand; it is so sublime and so conducive to inner peace. It is not accessible to intellect and logic (atakkavacaro). It is subtle and it is to be realized only by the wise. All over the world, philosophers have racked their brains about freedom from old age, sickness and death. But freedom from these evils means Nibbána and Nibbána is beyond the reach of reason and intellect. It is to be realized only through the practice of the middle way and vipassana. Most philosophers rely on intellect and logic, and there are various doctrines, which they have conceived for the welfare of all living beings. But these doctrines are based on speculations that do not help anyone to attain vipassana insight, let alone the supreme goal of Nibbána. Even the lowest stage of vipassana insight, viz., insight into the distinction between nama and rupa does not admit any intellectual approach. The insight dawns on the yogi only when, with the development of concentration, and in accordance with Satipatthána method he watches the nama-rupa process and distinguishes between consciousness and corporeality, e.g. the desire to bend the hand and bent hand, the ear and the sound on the one hand and the consciousness of hearing on the other and so forth. Such knowledge is not vague and speculative; it is vivid and empirical. It is said on the authority of scriptures that nama-rupas are in a constant flux and that we should watch their arising and passing away. But for the beginner this is easier said than done. The beginner has to exert strenuous effort to overcome hindrances (nivarana). Even freedom from nivarana helps him only to distinguish between nama and rupa. It does not ensure insight into their arising and passing away. This insight is attained only after concentration has been developed and perception has become keen with the practice of mindfulness. Constant mindfulness of arising and vanishing leads to insight into anicca, dukkha and anattá of all phenomena. But as merely the beginning of lower vipassana, this insight is a far cry from the path and its fruition. Hence the description of the Dhamma as something beyond logic and speculation. Dhamma Is Only For The Wise The Dhamma is subtle (nipuno); it is to be realized only by the wise (panditavedaniyo). Here the wise means only those who have wisdom (paññá) relating to vipassana and the path and its goal.